Prioritize Community to win Converts with Digital Ministry

Last month the U.S. Surgeon General released an Advisory stating that we are in an epidemic of loneliness. In the report, Dr. Vivek Murthy says, “Given the significant health consequences of loneliness and isolation, we must prioritize building social connection the same way we have prioritized other critical public health issues such as tobacco, obesity, and substance use disorders. Together, we can build a country that’s healthier, more resilient, less lonely, and more connected.”

Hebrews 10:25 immediately comes to mind. “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Jesus’ disciples were called to follow him. But, have you ever noticed that Jesus didn’t call them all one-by-one? In fact, the first disciples were already living and working in community, and they all responded to Jesus’ call together. 

Mark 1:16-20 shows us that Jesus called Simon and Andrew first, and then “going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in the boat mending nets.” Anyone who has ever visited a fishing village knows that everyone knows everyone in these communities. Simon, Andrew, James, and John likely grew up together, and it was these four men around whom Jesus began to build his ministry. 

Similarly, most of our own church experiences likely include a friend inviting us to church, sharing the Gospel with us, or coming to faith within our family communities. 

If community is core to discipleship and disciple making, why then do most digital ministries engage in transactional Gospel initiatives with little thought or structure to engage people into Gospel communities? The simple answer is that most digital media teams are centralized, while Discipleship Communities are localized - geographically and/or by language. 

What would it look like if new converts, or those curious about the Gospel, were to be welcomed into a community of believers? Here are three ideas for how your centralized digital ministry team can work to build community with and among those whom you are reaching. 

Gather Communities Online

Whatsapp Communities, Facebook Private Groups, Discord Channels, or Discourse Online Communities - Welcome to the world of online communities! The good news is that there are so many options for building community today. These platforms are just a few examples of the wide variety of tools available to ministry teams interested in building community online. Once your team decides on key issues like privacy, group moderation, rules of engagement, and whether or not new members will be vetted in any way, you’ll be able to narrow down these selections to the right tool for your community. For example, a group that wants to qualify new members into a private community may be okay working with Facebook Private Groups. But, if there is a desire to move people onto a more secure platform, a Discourse Online Community may be a better fit. 

Gather Communities Locally

The largest digital ministries, with global reach, may be able to think about gathering or connecting contacts in-person. If your ministry has a concentration of responders/seekers in a major metropolitan area, consider moving people from online to offline by hosting an in-person event. While working with a national ministry on digital outreach campaigns, this author realized that the ministry had an opportunity to create a meetup. We hosted a public meetup in a well known city park where hundreds of people attended to listen to preaching, participate in worship, and receive Gospel materials from local pastors. The outcome was that many were connected face to face with local church partners in a single event. MII understands that security concerns and other circumstances may limit local gatherings. That is why we’re big fans of local partnerships!

Partner with Existing Communities

Local pastors or missionaries exist throughout the world. These brothers and sisters are uniquely equipped and positioned to minister to their local community, all while that local community may be using digital tools to seek out their answers about Jesus. This is where your ministry has an opportunity to be a connecting ministry. MII serves many teams that conduct initial follow up digitally, eventually working to connect seekers with qualified partners in local areas ready to engage with new believers or those with questions about the faith. As we read in John 17, the world will know that Jesus is from the Father by the unity shown among believers. 

Perhaps the biggest opportunity we have today, as believers engaging in digital ministry working among people suffering from a lack of community, is to invite online contacts into a loving Gospel community. Online, offline, or through partnerships with others, there are many opportunities to engage with seekers today.