ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – It’s no secret that I’m a fan of social media. I’m convinced it’s an incredible tool to expand your reach, advance gospel causes, sharpen your communication skills, and on top of all that, it’s fun.

However, social media also has the potential to consume your time, kill actual relationships with real people and divert your attention from things that matter. So, from the perspective of a pastor, how can we redeem social media? How can we manage it well, so that it doesn’t manage us? While this is by no means an exhaustive list, here are four principles that I’ve thought through recently and have found to be helpful.

1. Get rid of notifications. One of the benefits of social media is the immediacy of it. News travels faster, and sooner, via Twitter than any other method ever known. With that said, immediacy often can translate into an unnecessary sense of urgency. If you are not careful you will find yourself thinking that you always have to be available, and always be ready with a reply. The truth is, most of what you see/reply to can wait. To make this happen, I eliminated the notification options from Facebook and Twitter. I still have both of them on my phone; I just don’t get emails or notifications anymore. This helps me to respond when I have time, and not when everyone else responds to me.

2. Get away, while not getting away. I have found that having occasional periods where I get away from social media is good for my soul. Rest is always helpful, and resting from social media is no different. I want to be certain that I control my social media habits, not vice versa. Now, those who know me might be surprised to hear that because it often seems like I’m always online. This is where good social media tools come in handy. Through the benefit of software like Tweetdeck or Hootsuite I am able to schedule updates, and I regularly use this feature. I will take a day’s break from social media and schedule a number of updates to post to Twitter and/or Facebook while I’m gone. This allows me consistently to update gospel coaching information, which I think is one of the great values of social media, while personally getting away from it all. So get away, while not getting away.

3. Real people come first. By this I don’t mean that people online are not real people. I do, however, think that face-to-face interaction with people will always trump every other method of communication. So, when face-to-face, dump the social media. No checking up on your status, looking for replies or “likes,” no updating the latest bit of news, while you are conversing with others. I’ll admit: I often fail at this. Social media should always be a means to enhancing and/or fostering relationships with people that are physically present around you. Don’t sacrifice that, then, for the sake of your online presence.

4. Embrace the dichotomy. Classic media sources were all about “the news.” They were professional, precise and rarely revealed anyone’s personal lives, unless that is, the personal life was newsworthy. Social media, however, is seen by many people as exactly the opposite. They view it as narcissism run amok. It is the pinnacle of arrogance, they might say, to assume that others are interested, or should be interested, in the mundane realities of your everyday life. The truth is, however, that social media stands somewhere between the two, maintaining a unique dichotomy. It is personal, no doubt, but it’s also more effective as a news vehicle than any sort of classic model. With that said, embrace both realities.

I love social media because it allows me to engage people in my church on a much more consistent basis than I ever would apart from it. I also love it because I am able to extend the pulpit throughout the week as I attempt to provide gospel coaching to the people God has given me to shepherd. However, it’s also a blast because I get to share with people how amazing my wife is, how incredible my daughters are and how much fun my favorite sports teams are to root for. The truth is, this side of me might often be one that many in my church would never see. If not for this helpful medium the pastor would continue to be viewed as this unapproachable truth teller that exists in a different world than the average guy. Social media helps them to learn otherwise. It shows that I’m a bit of a mess, relying on grace like they are. That is a huge benefit in the corner of social media. So, embrace the dichotomy. Recognize it for what it is, and use it as much as possible, within that tension. You and the people you lead will be better for it.

(EDITOR’S NOTE – Micah Fries is pastor of Frederick Boulevard Baptist Church in St. Joseph, Mo. This column first appeared at his website, MicahFries.com. This item is part of a package about escalating technology improvements to benefit ministry. The Biblical Recorder is focusing on the Seven Pillars for Christian Ministry adopted by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. For more stories on technology in ministry or to find out about the entire package, please visit here.)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – With the announcement of the iPad 2 earlier this year, Steve Jobs gave some very clear statistics that herald our move into the post-PC world: more than 200 million iTunes Store accounts, 15 millions iPads sold in 10 months, and more than 65,000 apps available. These are touch points for just one company; it doesn’t include all sorts of gadgets and applications that are coming out from Google, Microsoft and the hundreds of companies we’ve never heard of from other countries.

The speed of technology adoption is moving faster than we can comprehend; it’s moving so fast that we’re not even seeing it even though we’re a part of it. Amazon recently announced that they are selling more Kindle books than paperback books; before the end of the year we can likely expect them to announce that they are selling more Kindle books than physical books total.

Features are being added to devices at an incomprehensible rate. Do you remember your first cell phone? Children under the age of 5 likely won’t remember their first video call on a cell phone. They won’t remember using devices that didn’t have 3D screens. They won’t remember using screens they couldn’t touch. But here’s the good news: we, as the church, are not being left behind. We are at the forefront of the digital revolution, and we are creating new technologies and finding ways to help the Gospel reach the world like it never has before.

Some key stats you might be interested in:

• NIV Bible BibleReader by OliveTree was in the Top 5 iOS grossing apps as listed by Apple for much of 2010.
• TheNextWeb.com, a leading tech blog, covered the YouVersion app in November 2010 when they saw it had crossed 10 million downloads in 2 years and growing at a rate of 1 million users a month.
• Churches are growing rapidly on Facebook, with large churches ranging from 10,000 likes to nearly 70,000.
• Social media uses have ranged from simple prayer requests to spreading the word of Christians being tortured and abused in closed countries for their faith.

Here is the beauty of technological advances: they provide us with the perfect means to disciple and love on the rising generation of believers and disciples in our churches. If you are reading this, by the very fact of its origin, you are unlikely to be a teenager. And yet, they are the natives that can help us navigate the technological shift we find ourselves in. Not because they know more about it than we do, but because they don’t know anything else. This world of tech that moves faster than we can discover is all they know – it is their life.

We grew up on clipart; the rising generation has grown up with Adobe Photoshop on their computers. We grew up with VHS tapes; the rising generation has been posting videos to YouTube from their cell phone since they were 13. We grew up hiding our sins and secrets; the rising generation has been posting them on Facebook and other websites for all to see.

So when we need the new design for our church website, where do we turn? When you needed to set up a Twitter account for your church announcements, who did you ask? When you couldn’t get the download to work for your small group, what did you do?

The rising generation is desperate for a calling. They need to know that life is about more than just change and the newest gadget. They need to know they have a place in our church, or they will leave. Can we be so bold as to ask the rising generation to teach us their ways? To let them lead? And, in doing so, in those times when we ask them the seemingly trivial questions of why did you choose that color, what software is best for this, perhaps we can stop and teach them the value of prayer, share a verse we’ve memorized – and why we memorize things instead of just Googling them – and take a moment to ask how their day was.

(EDITOR’S NOTE – Aaron Linne is executive producer of digital marketing for the B&H Publishing Group of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. He writes a monthly technology column for Baptist Press. This item is part of a package about escalating technology improvements to benefit ministry. The Biblical Recorder is focusing on the Seven Pillars for Christian Ministry adopted by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. For more stories on technology in ministry or to find out about the entire package, please visit here.)

Throughout the Bible we see that God cherishes relationships. Therefore, he stresses communication. Proverbs 18:21 tells us that the tongue has the power of life and death. Communication either strengthens or destroys relationships. Consequently, God often speaks about communication and its consequences on our relationships. Social media, such as Facebook and MySpace, have provided new communication platforms that, if used the right way, can strengthen your church and relationships. Twitter (twitter.com) is a social media tool that has attracted tremendous attention in recent months from the media, celebrities, and the general public. So, what is this Twitter thing that has Larry King, Ashton Kutcher, and Oprah Winfrey buzzing? Simply put, it is a free social networking and microblogging service that allows users to send and read updates (called tweets) of 140 characters or less. If you are new to this form of social networking, talk to 10 friends who are presently using Twitter and you’ll find that no two of them use it exactly alike. If you’re completely new to Twitter, it would be great to get started by reading a guide to give you some basics. Two resources that you may find helpful are Twitter Revolution: How Social Media and Mobile Marketing Is Changing the Way We Do Business and Market Online (by Deborah Micek and Warren Whitlock) and the e-book, The Reason Your Church Must Twitter (by Anthony Coppedge).
Once you understand how to use Twitter, it can become a very effective tool for you as a church planter.

A Tool for Branding.
 Twitter is a social media platform that you can use to construct your personal and ministry imprint for you and your church. Because it has the benefit of developing a casual persona, people are more apt to connect with you because you appear accessible and approachable. Just as a church planter understands the need for potential core group members to be drawn to one’s persona, the same is true that new users will be drawn toward well-established Twitter personas.

A Tool for Feedback.
Often, it is useful as a church planter to hear from others. Using Twitter, it is simple to basically send a “tweet” asking for people’s opinion. This will result in more than sufficient replies from other users. Collective IQ and group collaboration are great ways to develop excitement for various projects and causes. Twitter can be used to help you find scripture verses related to your next sermon, to get feedback on new promotional resources, or simply to locate a business you need (like an inexpensive printer).

A Tool for Gathering Prospects.
 Like Facebook and other social networks, Twitter has a built-in function for you to follow and track the messages of other users. A twitter association can be developed into a long-lasting friendship. Twitter is a great tool for finding prospects online. While some of these will never come to your physical building, they will become a part of your online community. Tweets about your new church are a good way to begin to touch and invite those who might actually come in person to your service or to an event.

A Tool for Networking.
 Like-minded people will often join you in your cause. Twitter is a good way to establish consistent and deeper relationships for peer-to-peer learning. You can use it as a way to get immediate responses from your online friends to ideas and thoughts. Likewise, it allows you to help others by sharing experiences and resources in response to questions or ideas they may have.

A Tool for Notifying Others.
 We have all had something unexpected come up and needed to get the word out quickly. Inclement weather causes you to cancel a church event. You need to schedule a quick meeting. There is an urgent prayer request. Using Twitter for church-wide updates can replace or supplement costly phone dialing solutions and e-mail blasts that don’t get read until it is too late. Even more, you can set up your church’s home page to include Twitter updates. Individual ministry groups can create their own Twitter accounts for more targeted blasts.

A Tool for Providing Commentary. Twitter only allows you to use 140 characters in a single message, so detailed descriptions are out of the question. But it does allow you to provide real-time commentary about an event or function. This is where your creativity can help you draw others to your message. You can purchase an application such as ParaTweet (paratweet.com) for “twittering in church,” encouraging people to submit tweets throughout the service which are posted on a big screen. It is a creative way to create community and make the service more interactive. Warning: It is always a challenge to keep technology from becoming the focus and reason for worshiping.

Wrapping it up.
Twittering is all about convenience, community, and participating in the conversation. Twitterers are not afraid of the new, and they help all of us by functioning as early adopters that bring innovation for all to use. Try Twitter. Jump right in. The tides are rising, and the water is energizing. Enjoy it.

(EDITOR’S NOTE – This item originally appeared at Church Planting Village. Tom Cheyney (@planterdude) can be found at PlanterDude.com. Steve Canter (@stevecanter), is on staff at the North American Mission Board. Cheyney was working at NAMB when they wrote this article. This item is part of a package about escalating technology improvements to benefit ministry. The Biblical Recorder is focusing on the Seven Pillars for Christian Ministry adopted by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. For more stories on technology in ministry or to find out about the entire package, please visit here.)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Reading the Bible. It is a chance to learn the history of our faith, to discover the great mysteries of our Lord, and to read of the love that Christ lived for us. It is all these things, and yet it is so much more; it is a chance to commune with the Most High God.

In late June, LifeWay released the latest update to MyStudyBible.com which introduced more translations and, perhaps the key to a modern study of the Bible, more integrated content. There is an inherent problem with the way our rising generation learns and studies; we jump from link to link as we run through the internet. As a culture we Google and train our brains to pick out what the most promising link is; we hit it, we scan the page, and decide in moments if this is the content we were looking for. Then, we hit the back button and search again.

A psychological test from 2001 is referenced by Nicholas Carr in his Internet-themed book The Shallows, where two sets of readers were given the same story, but presented in different ways. One was presented straight forward and linearly, the other included links for more information throughout the text. The hypothesis was that the enriched text would create a better experience for the readers. But the study found something different:

“Hypertext readers again reported greater confusion following the text, and their comments about the story’s plot and imagery were less detailed and less precise than those of the linear-text readers. With hypertext, the researchers concluded, ‘the absorbed and personal mode of reading seems to be discouraged.’ The readers’ attention ‘was directed toward the machinery of the hypertext and its functions rather than to the experience offered by the story.’ The medium used to present the words obscured the meaning of the words.”

The challenge is to find a way to enable the modern features and familiarity of the web to enhance biblical study, not distract or overpower. As a part of the leadership team for MyStudyBible.com, the question was asked: What if we take the need for data mining away, and let the discovery of relevant content happen naturally? What if, instead of jumping around the page to search and hitting the back button when you found the wrong thing, what if you always knew you found the right thing first?

It’s not often that nine months after a project is released you can look back and think: That just might be right. Something may have been created here that is truly beneficial to the church.

At MyStudyBible.com, the default study space is divided into two sections: the main reading pane and the cross reference pane. In the main reading pane, a reader can travel through the biblical text at their own pace, reading verse-by-verse in a linear fashion. But on the right hand side, keeping constantly updated with what’s being read, are a series of content tools that update to show additional content that references the reading location. So, if the user is on John 3:16, off to the side of the reading pane will be a deep list of content that can help further explain the verse. The user gets to preview the content before ever opening it. When something needs more explanation, a glance can show how much deeper all the content can go.

By presenting not just the biblical text, but also a targeted, intentional and ever-adapting next layer of content, digital study tools like MyStudyBible.com become an exercise in enriching, understanding and discovery. Learning is no longer about finding the right complementary text – it’s about understanding and approaching all of the relevant texts.

Of course, MyStudyBible.com isn’t the only digital Bible out there that can be used for deeper study. Software companies like WORDsearch, Logos, and BibleWorks have been building different ways of presenting and interacting with biblical content for years. I would encourage you to give them all a try, as each service has its own styles, pluses and minuses. The key here is that there is a world of content out there, ready for deep experiences.

The Bible – and oh-so-many things written to help understand it – are literally a webpage and a keystroke away.

(EDITOR’S NOTE – Aaron Linne is executive producer of digital marketing for the B&H Publishing Group of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. He writes a monthly technology column for Baptist Press. This item is part of a package about escalating technology improvements to benefit ministry. The Biblical Recorder is focusing on the Seven Pillars for Christian Ministry adopted by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. For more stories on technology in ministry or to find out about the entire package, please visit here.)

INDIANAPOLIS – Take this quiz:

If your church could make free public announcements to thousands of your own members’ friends, would you do it?

If there was a simple way to help members and guests feel more connected to your church, would you use it?

Small and large churches across our nation are effectively using a Facebook organization page to enhance in-reach and outreach. Should your church have one?

Do the math. Ask for a show of hands to find out how many church members use Facebook. The average Facebook user has 130 registered “friends,” so if just 20 church members use Facebook, that’s potentially 2,600 people who could read posts about your church.

One hundred members with Facebook could touch 13,000. This is multiplication at its best. Convinced? I interviewed several churches to compile these Facebook tips to help you get started.

• Tip No. 1: Begin well. Study other churches’ pages for ideas. Use tips from Facebook’s help section (facebook.com/pages/create.php) to create your church organization page. Then ask church members and guests to “like” (join) your page so posts will display on their newsfeed.

• Tip No. 2: Keep it short. Want posts to be read? Keep them very brief. Give basic info to ignite interest and provide a link to the church website for more details.

• Tip No. 3: Add a graphic. Attract more readers by attaching your church logo, event logo, a photo or graphic to posts.  

• Tip No. 4: Post regularly. Consider allowing several people to post. (Two or three posts per week.)

• Tip No. 5: Keep it positive. Never forget that thousands of people may read posts.

• Tip No. 6: Connect. Announcements help readers feel connected with the church. Announce a new Bible class, staff member or benevolence project. Communicate weather cancellations or disaster relief. 

• Tip No. 7: Develop a relationship with the reader. Be authentic and encouraging. Tell the story of God at work in your church and in individual lives. Encourage readers to comment or add photos.

• Tip No. 8: Use video clips. Professional video isn’t necessary; a Flip video camera will do. Record one- or two-minute clips of members sharing life stories about God’s power.   An Indiana church posted a hilarious video of a tithing rap.

• Tip No. 9: Different groups, such as a Bible class, worship team or youth group, could have another Facebook page for communication. My neighbor noticed an announcement from our women’s ministry on my Facebook and asked about attending a Bible study.

• Tip No. 10: Wait a minute before posting. It takes seconds to write a post, and it’s online immediately. Before submitting, re-read carefully to check tone, grammar and spelling. It represents God and His church, so do it very well. Pray for God to use it to touch lives, then hit “post.”

Of course, this doesn’t take the place of face-to-face outreach and fellowship, but it may enhance your church’s impact. Half of active Facebook users log in on any given day.   If your church members’ Facebook friends log in tomorrow, will they learn something about what God is doing at your church?

(EDITOR’S NOTE – Diana Davis is author of Fresh Ideas for Women’s Ministry [B&H Publishing] and wife of the Indiana Baptist Convention executive director. Visit her website at keeponshining.com. This item is part of a package about escalating technology improvements to benefit ministry. The Biblical Recorder is focusing on the Seven Pillars for Christian Ministry adopted by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. For more stories on technology in ministry or to find out about the entire package, please visit here.)

In the late 1990s, Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSC) staff began working with pastors and other interested individuals in seeking to utilize emerging technologies for Kingdom ministry efforts. As a result, a conference titled, “Wired to Grow” was organized to assist congregations in the effective use of new technologies for communicating the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, just the name of that conference reveals how far technology has advanced since that time. If this conference were to be organized today, it would need to be titled, “Wireless to Grow.”

It would take the better part of the first decade of the 21st century for many churches to see the value, and make the investment, in leveraging both websites and newer technologies for missions and ministry. At the beginning of the last decade, the use of websites appeared ready to replace the monthly newsletter and even the weekly bulletin in many churches. But today newer forms of media are taking an equal standing with the venerable website for churches and individuals.

Since 2006, when Milton A. Hollifield Jr., was elected executive director-treasurer of the BSC, convention staff have both improved the function of the website and increased the offerings on the site for use by convention churches. Today a plethora of news stories, videos, training materials, informational documents, podcasts, and event information can all be found on the BSC site.

The site, ncbaptist.org, is an important communication tool for churches, but it is not the only communication source utilized by convention staff. Recent analytics reveal that the third largest number of referrals to the BSC site come from Facebook. It’s hard to believe that Facebook was only launched in 2004, but has impacted communication and networking for individuals, businesses, and even ministries in such a profound manner.

Prior to 2006, no one had ever heard of Twitter, much less provided a “tweet.” Today, sharing a challenging thought, pertinent information, or a timely quote is part of the everyday experience for many followers of Christ. The number of individuals who follow the BSC on Twitter (@ncbaptist) continues to grow. In addition, the BSC staff has developed a series of web logs, aka “blogs,” related to their specific ministry assignments that are facilitating ministry efforts to convention churches in both timely and strategic ways.

However, it’s not simply the use of technology, but the choice of effective technologies that face the church in the years to come. For example, few individuals, much less churches, maintain MySpace accounts today as that social media has been eclipsed by Facebook. It remains to be seen where technology will take convention churches in the years to come, but it is certain that a dependence upon technology will continue to escalate.

Yet, with the growth of technology’s use, there is a potential negative outcome. This is not a reference to some of the seedier portions of the internet where pornography, the presence of gambling, and the promotion of alcohol abound. Rather, this is a reference to the expectation that electronic communication can replace interpersonal relationships. Social media, for all of its instantaneous provision of communication, can never replace one-on-one conversations between two individuals seated next to each other in the same room.

While the BSC staff strives to take great care in the stewardship of Cooperative Program and North Carolina Missions Offering funds, the use of technologies for communication with larger audiences certainly helps in this effort, the staff never wishes to replace interpersonal communication with these tools. While the ability to send a message to thousands of recipients via mass email, Facebook, or Twitter is quick, inexpensive, and easy, the use of these technologies can only supplement the communication that is best built upon interpersonal relationships. Therefore, no matter how much information is shared, neither websites nor social media can replace valuable interpersonal relationships.

Individuals from churches are always encouraged to contact convention staff when questions arise and when clarification is needed. North Carolina Baptists are encouraged to utilize all forms of communication for the furtherance of the gospel, and BSC staff will be joining cooperating churches in these endeavors.

Efforts are underway to launch a revised convention website in the months to come. Our staff would appreciate your input, and we invite you to share those thoughts with us. Please send comments related to the convention website to bdavis@ncbaptist.org or call (800) 395-5102, ext. 5506. Or, even better, I would enjoy meeting you during the convention’s annual meeting in November, and you can share these and other concerns you may have with me in person.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Brian K. Davis is the BSC’s executive leader of administration & Convention relations.)

Brian Davis’ recommended resources
• webempoweredchurch.org – a ministry with whom the BSC partners to assist churches in website development, providing free and open-source web-ministry systems.
• Blog.ncbaptist.org/creativeteam –  the blog of the BSC Creative Team. The blog’s topics focus on creatively communicating the gospel.  
• Tableproject.org – A social media tool for ministry use is offered by the Table Project. This tool focuses on “local engagement more than global connection.”
• Bpnews.net – in the left-hand menu under features, click “Story Collections” and “2011: Faith and Technology.”
• Blog.pastors.com – The blog for Pastors.com, this resource often has entries under the “Communication” heading that address technology in ministry; with an emphasis on social media.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — This item is part of a package about escalating technology improvements to benefit ministry. The Biblical Recorder is focusing on the Seven Pillars for Christian Ministry adopted by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. For more stories on technology in ministry or to find out about the entire package, please visit here.)

RICHMOND, Va. – Years ago, a missionary sat in the dirt with some pastors in post-revolution Zimbabwe.

The newly independent African nation was a dangerous place at the time. Chaos ruled in some areas. The missionary, Tom Elliff (now International Mission Board president), had found a spiritually responsive group of people in one such place.

“Who will pastor those people?” Elliff asked the church leaders. They looked at each other. Eyes clouded. Heads shook.

“We’re not going,” one pastor finally replied, speaking for the group. “People get shot down there. Just last week, someone was shot off the top of a bus.”

Another pastor reported that a missionary had been killed in the area recently. “Well, at least we can pray,” Elliff said. So they prayed to the Lord of the harvest to send someone.

The meeting dismissed. Everyone left – except one young pastor, barely out of his teens. He limped slowly over to Elliff and said, “I’ll go.”

“Wait a minute,” Elliff cautioned, stealing a glance at the pastor’s thin legs. “You heard what they said about the danger, didn’t you?”

“I’ll go,” the young man repeated firmly. “But you’ve got to promise to bring me a bicycle. I had polio, and I can’t walk very well. I’m about eight miles away, so walking out there is going to be tough.”

Elliff promised to bring the bicycle as soon as possible. He returned a few weeks later with a two-wheeler in tow.

“Where have you been?” the pastor demanded. “I’ve been walking out there and back on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Several people are awaiting baptism.”

Dumbfounded, Elliff stammered, “What about those stories of people getting shot?”

The young man smiled. “Brother,” he said, “if God could stop the mouths of the lions for Daniel, he can stop the muzzles of the guns for me.”

Elliff told that story at a recent appointment service for new missionaries. It illustrated the Apostle Paul’s case for missions:

“For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for ‘Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!’” (Rom. 10:12-15).

Even hobbled feet are beautiful when they bring good news. The young pastor answered the mission call when other “stronger” men refused. He also embodied Paul’s other point:

In the age of Christ, all distinctions between Jews and Greeks, differing people groups, friends and enemies, family and strangers must fall. The gospel invitation to God’s Kingdom is for all. Paul himself learned that truth as he read the scriptures with new spiritual eyes following his encounter with Christ. Once he grasped God’s mission, the one-time Jewish zealot and persecutor of believers became the missionary to the Gentiles, launching the Christian church as a global enterprise.

Missions, in contrast to sharing your faith with someone who looks, talks and thinks like you, involves crossing lines, some of which aren’t visible. They might be national borders, cultural and language barriers, racial and ethnic differences, religious divisions, sometimes physical danger zones like the one crossed by that young African pastor. Even in the barrier-blasting age of broadcast and social media, transmitting the gospel to a previously untouched people usually requires personal, face-to-face, potentially risky contact.

But not everyone, even in evangelical circles, buys into that concept.

“People have different views of missions, religious people,” Elliff observed during the missionary appointment service. “Not everybody is for it. Well, they’re ‘for it,’ but they’re not for it. … When it comes down to saying it involves your being His hands, being His heart, being His voice, that’s a little costly.” Especially if it costs you your home, your culture, possibly your life.

He reminded listeners of William Carey, another young man who nervously stood up during a meeting of older, wiser pastors in England in 1789. When Carey asked whether Christ’s command to make disciples among all nations still applied – and whether they were, in fact, obligated to follow it – one leading minister replied: “Sit down, young man. … When God wants to convert the world, He can do it without your help.”

Undaunted, Carey persisted. His revolutionary 1792 call to obedience, “An Enquiry into the Obligation of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens,” laid the foundation for the evangelical mission movement. Words like “conversion” and “heathens” might sound uncomfortable to our contemporary ears, but this document is as fresh and relevant today as it was then (read it at http://www.wmcarey.edu/carey/enquiry/anenquiry.pdf). Remember, also, that Carey personally obeyed his own call to “use means” to extend the gospel where it was unknown. He lived, taught and preached the Good News among the Bengali people of India for four decades, serving in countless practical ways where others sought to exploit.

I was bemused recently by a journalist who cautioned his readers about folks who embrace a “literal reading” of Matthew 28:19-20, Christ’s call to make disciples among all nations. Please. What other coherent reading is there for this passage? Either Jesus said it or He didn’t. If He said it, He clearly intended it as an action plan for the spread of His church among all peoples. It flows seamlessly from God’s promise – 2,000 years before Christ – to bless “all the families of the earth” through Abraham’s seed (Genesis 12:3b).

The gospel’s most powerful foes, however, aren’t skeptical journalists, hostile cultures or persecution. They are believers who don’t take the message seriously enough to share it across any and every barrier. The Good News isn’t Good News if it never arrives.

I don’t know about you. But if someone hadn’t “used means” to share Jesus with a wretch like me, I’d still be lost – and probably dead. God help me not to ignore others in similar circumstances.

(EDITOR’S NOTE – Erich Bridges is an International Mission Board global correspondent. Visit “WorldView Conversation,” the blog related to this column. Listen to an audio version.)

NEW ORLEANS – Even though the number of revival meetings in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has been declining, a significant amount of churches continue to use revival meetings for evangelism and revitalization.

According to a study conducted by the Georgia Baptist Convention in 2001, 58 percent of the churches in the state conducted a local church revival. In a 2010 survey by LifeWay Research, revival meetings were among the five most often used evangelistic events in Southern Baptist churches.

Let me suggest several practical ways that may help churches benefit from a revival meeting:

– Purpose. When church leadership begins to sense that God is leading them to schedule a revival meeting, they need to ask what the purpose of such an event should be. Will it be primarily for evangelism or revitalization of a local congregation? The purpose will dictate a strategy for preparation. If the primary purpose is evangelism, the strategy may differ from that one if the primary purpose is revitalization. Even though a church selects the primary purpose as evangelism, it may experience a spiritual renewal among the membership. In turn, a church with the primary purpose as revitalization may reach people for Christ along the way. A clear purpose will enable church leadership to be more proactive in matching the purpose with a strategy for preparation and resources.

– Be aware of perceived ineffectiveness. Churches must be aware of the reasons that have caused some Christian leaders to assert that revival meetings are “dead.” The first reason for the perceived ineffectiveness is the spiritual condition of many churches. At times, Christian leaders tend to blame methodology but fail to understand that Western Christianity is in need of spiritual awakening. The church must pray for an awakening and cleanse herself from sin and live the life of holiness. The second reason for perceived ineffectiveness of revival meetings is cultural trends. Pastors cannot overlook the fact that during the golden era of revivalism, the entire community gathered around revival meetings. Those meetings might have been the only major local event going in the community and the lost people came to it. The third reason for the perceived ineffectiveness of revival meetings is the proliferation of other evangelistic methodologies. When revival meetings in SBC experienced their golden era, the revival meeting was the prevalent methodology for evangelism. Today churches employ a diversity of methodologies for evangelism. ­

– Personalities. Once the primary purpose is established, the church leadership should select prayerfully a revival team. I have to confess for the first 10 years as a pastor, I invited my pastor friends to preach revival meetings. However, I came to a conclusion that if I really believed that an evangelist was God’s gift to the church, I should be willing to employ vocational evangelists in churches God allowed me to serve. Many evangelists have developed proven themes and formats and they have used them effectively in many churches. The church leadership should be open to what the revival teams may bring to the table in regard to theme and format. One year, I was sharing with an evangelist that the main purpose of the meeting would be evangelism when I found out that one of the themes he used frequently was an emphasis on the family. Further, a format the evangelist employed was a Saturday through Monday meeting. Previously, the more common formats for me were Sunday through Wednesday or Thursday through Sunday meetings. After prayerful consideration, we agreed to conduct a revival meeting with a theme of “focusing on the family” while employing a Saturday through Monday format. God blessed that event with over 40 people giving their lives to Christ.

– Preparation. After the church leadership establishes the purpose and secures a spiritually gifted revival team, they are ready to develop a strategy for preparation. Many state conventions publish manuals on revival preparation. The North American Mission Board has an excellent resource: “Revival Preparation Manual: Practical Suggestions for Planning a Revival in Your Church” (available at NAMBstore.com). Revival manuals provide concrete ways to involve church membership in preparation for and participation in revival meetings. The attempt should be made to involve as many church members as possible in various tasks associated with revival preparation and the revival meeting itself.

– Publicity. One critical aspect of revival preparation is publicity. The most effective publicity is a personal invitation to attend. A business card with information about the event could be printed and distributed to church members to use in inviting their family, friends, co-workers and neighbors. Church literature such as newsletters, worship guides and websites should provide pertinent information about the event. Depending on the budget allocated to publicity, the church could publicize the event via a local newspaper, television, yard signs and billboards. Publicity via Facebook, Twitter, blogs and other viral marketing strategies by the church and church members can generate a buzz in the community and beyond about the event.

– Personal evangelism. From my personal experience and observation, personal evangelism is the most productive way of preparation for revival meetings. Even though throughout the year as a pastor I was cultivating relationships with the lost, revival meetings provided an impetus for greater prayer and contacts with those without Christ.

– Program for children. One often neglected aspect of revival preparation is what to do with children. In one church I served as pastor, I became concerned about an apparent lack of participation by young couples. When asked, they responded by pointing to the fact that the church did not have anything for children during the revival week. From that day forward, in addition to a typical childcare, we provided a specialized program for children during revival services. When young couples knew that their children were taken care of spiritually, they were more inclined to participate and to invite their lost friends and family members to attend.

– Possible meals. Another response the young couples gave me for their lack of participation was that they did not have time to prepare a meal and get to the worship service after work. As a result, we began to provide catered meals during week nights. We offered tickets for a nominal price with a major portion of the meal subsidized by our church budget. Church members were more predisposed to invite people to their church when their invitation was accompanied by an invitation to a nice meal before the service during a busy week.

– Post-event follow-up. In preparation for revival meetings, post-event follow-up should not be overlooked. Billy Graham once commented that the most difficult part of his crusades was not what happened before the crusade but what happened after it was conducted. The same is true of local church revival meetings. As soon as the revival meeting concludes, names of those who made spiritual commitments can be distributed among deacons and/or Bible study group members for further follow-up.

– Prayer. The most significant aspect of revival meetings must be prayer. The genuine revival can be brought only by God. Only God can save individuals through His Holy Spirit. As the church leadership and membership engages in prayer, they acknowledge their dependence on God. From establishing the primary purpose of the revival meeting to seeking right individuals for the revival team, from publicity to personal evangelism, from taking care of spiritual needs of children to post-event follow-up, the church leadership and membership must prioritize prayer. Church leaders should set aside personal time to pray for genuine revival in their church as well as provide opportunities for church members to pray for God’s movement in their church.

In identifying causes of perceived ineffectiveness of revival meetings, church leaders become more equipped to address challenges. By employing simple ways such as prayer, purpose, publicity and preparation, churches place themselves in the position for God to bring a harvest of souls. Let God grant us more souls for His glory as we employ revival meetings in our churches!

(EDITOR’S NOTE – Jake Roudkovski is assistant professor of evangelism at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. This column is a summary of an article published in the book, “Mobilizing a Great Commission Church for Harvest.”)

Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We’ve Made Up by Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle (July 2011).

“We can’t afford to be wrong on this issue.” — Francis Chan

In a world of retreating convictions and militant political correctness this book is a refreshing, though quite sobering, reminder that God is still God. Without apology.

Hell has never been a very popular topic, but it has been a topic recently forced to the front of our American Christian culture by the social media, which was driven by a sad case of a popular pastor moving away from orthodox and biblical convictions on the doctrine of hell.

Chan and Sprinkle artfully but respectfully bring us back to this extremely important topic and remind the reader that there is no ambiguity in the scriptures regarding hell.

The authors rightfully approach this important (and heavy) topic with a great deal of caution and even sadness.

The simple truth is that we often don’t fully comprehend the ramifications of a biblical doctrine of hell and we need to approach it with sobriety and seriousness. This is more than a matter of “I’m right, you’re wrong!” Hell is a topic to be treated with great care because the ramifications for those who treat this in a more cavalier fashion is serious. And the authors respectfully approach the discussion with great biblical conviction but with a healthy understanding of the topic at hand. They describe their motivation for writing the book (and ours for reading it) not as excited, but as necessary.

Chan and Sprinkle wade systematically, though conversationally, through the biblical record of what we actually read about in God’s word.  Chapter titles include “Does Everyone Go to Heaven?,” “Has Hell Changed? Or Have We?,” and “What Jesus Said about Hell.” He closes in the last chapter with these important words: “We should not just try to cope with hell, but be compelled- as with all doctrine- to live differently in light of it.”

And in this direction the authors point the reader to the more important point. Are we ourselves assured that we are not headed for this very real destination? Erasing Hell is a definitive endorsement of solid, orthodox biblical teaching on a most unsettling but real doctrine. It is an important read for any believer as we navigate the swirling waters of melting convictions and is a sensitive response to the topic of the day. The authors bring the discussion back where it belongs: on the flawless scriptures and what God clearly has to say about himself.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Davis, a graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, has served with Campus Crusade for Christ for 27 years. He is a volunteer counselor at The Summit Church, Durham. He lives in Cary.)

Many of us grew up watching “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” Fred Rogers would sing his theme song, “It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood – won’t you be my neighbor?” This song may be the kind that we need to be singing if we are to reach our internationals for Christ. Who is my neighbor? It is changing!

The 2010 Census shows North Carolina as one of six states in the U.S. that has experienced growth of over a million population in the last decade. We have cities like Raleigh and Cary that have had the biggest percentage of increase with ethnic minorities. Hispanics grew by 111 percent, Asians by 83.3 percent, Native Americans by 22.7 percent, blacks 17.9 percent,  and Anglos by 12.5 percent. Estimates show that by the year 2042, whites will no longer be the major race in the U.S. By the year 2023, the children in the U.S. will be multicultural.

Why should we reach them?

We should reach them because the Bible is so clear that we should make disciples of ALL nations (Matt. 28:18-20), we are to love the Lord with all our hearts and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Mt. 22:37-39). Who are we going to exclude from these commands? No one, of course, is the answer because all means all. Our Lord Jesus set the example of loving and accepting all people regardless of their background, social status, education, and age.

Why focus on internationals?

We need to give special attention to internationals because God has brought so many unreached people groups to our doorsteps. From all over the world, people have come to make America their home. They come as immigrants, diplomats, investors, professionals, students, refugees, tourists and many other reasons. It is also a place where some stay permanently and some stay only for a season.

Take a look at former presidents of the Philippines who were educated in the U.S. for social stature such as Fidel Ramos who graduated from West Point, Gloria Arroyo who studied 2 years at George Washington University, and Cory Aquino who took some classes in New England while her husband was exiled.

There are more than 20,000 international students in North Carolina, according to Sammy Joo, senior consultant for international campus ministry for the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSC), and many are coming to know the Lord while they are here. Think about the opportunity to impact the nations through reaching these internationals who in so many cases are open to the gospel when they meet someone who truly cares about them. We need to look at internationals as believers that God can use to expand the mission force of the church to make a global impact for Christ. Your next mission trip is no longer just a project but a personal appeal to reach families of internationals in their countries of origin by reaching them right here.

Where do you find them?

You will find internationals everywhere. Just go to a nearby grocery store, and you will find people wearing different clothes, speaking different languages and buying food that sounds strange to you. They are not just in cities. Many are no longer transient but are here to stay. They are in the schools where your kids are attending, malls where you shop, places you frequently eat, and almost any place you can imagine. You may now be seeing them, but the challenge is in what you are going to do about it.

How do we reach them?

Take an MRI approach: missional, relational and intentional. We need to be missional by having a missionary mindset that desires to know and learn more about the diverse people in the neighborhood. We need to be relational by building meaningful and intentional relationships with them.

We need to show that we genuinely care about them as a person and not just a prospect or project. We need to be intentional because it is not easy to get out of our comfort zones to meet someone who is not like us. We need to understand, accept and respect who they are and the role they can play in the expansion of God’s Kingdom. This change can only happen through the empowering work of the Holy Spirit. We cannot love people based on a normal response but on the love of God that is supernatural and divine.

Who has done a great job in reaching them?

We have churches like Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte that has a Latino campus ministering to those whose heart language is Spanish. Jairo Contreras, pastor of Cristo Vive Church in Forest City, is “reaching” out to various ethnic or sectoral groups in their community.

Glory of God Christian Fellowship in Raleigh, a Filipino-American congregation that desires to reach all people, intentionally called an Anglo married to a Filipina to be their pastor. They also have a youth pastor who is a Cuban married to a Puerto Rican that serves on staff.

What can my church do?

Your church can pray, give to the Cooperative Program and North Carolina Missions Offering, and start ministries that intentionally build relationships with ethnic people. You can also contact your association and your BSC staff to assist you in developing your strategy for reaching and discipling all people.

As Americans by birth or choice, endowed with the great resources of the Christian faith in America, the world has been brought to us, and we can do something about it with God’s help.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Tan is multicultural team leader at the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.)

Ken Tan recommends:  

• Who is my Neighbor? Reaching internationals in North America by Phillip and Candace Conor
• Ethnic Blends: Mixing Diversity into Your Local Church by Mark Deymaz and Harry Li
• The Color of Church: A Biblical and Practical Paradigm for Multiracial Churches by Rodney M. Woo
• A Beginner’s Guide to Crossing Cultures: Making Friends in a Multicultural World by Patty Lane

(EDITOR’S NOTE — This item is part of a package highlighting increasing work with the international community. The Biblical Recorder is focusing on the Seven Pillars for Christian Ministry adopted by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. For more stories on reaching internationals or to find out about the entire package, please visit here.)