Intro
Colossians 4:5 “Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders: make the most of every opportunity”. (NIVUK)
Image:
Salt and Light
Question: How was your salt and light level on FB the last few months?
Assignment:
Scroll through your own FB timeline for a few minutes. Check your salt and light level in what you shared with your friends.
On FB you can create your own identity. This is tempting because we all want to be liked and likable. It’s not bad to desire that people like you. Just as you decide on what clothes to wear and what haircut you have you can decide on what to share on FB.
But be careful: stay close to yourself. Our FB identity needs to be represent who we truly are. It needs to be genuine. If not, others will notice sooner or later and don’t take you serious.
Quote: Your FB should not only show who you are, but especially whom you are!
How can I be more strategic on Facebook?
Assignment:
Close in prayer.
Hand out Tom Ehrich’s blog as inspiration.
We need to get beyond our tendency of linear thinking as Christians who want to proclaim the message of the Gospel. We are trained to refine the message, analyse the audience, decide which method to use and… proclaim.
The key points of linear thinking are cause and effect. You cause something to happen, it has an effect, you notice the effect. But this doesn’t happen on Facebook. It is unpredictable, chaotic.
Facebook is more like standing in a gentle rain. In time, people get wet. For one person it takes many drops. Think of your non-Christian friend. Every post he receives from a Christian is a drop of rain. He reads some and doesn’t read others. His eye is caught by photos and headlines. In time he begins to recognise people who have something to say and he pauses to look at those posts.
If the post brings some interesting content rather than trying to argue for or sell God, then the reader opens the link and reads it. But then he moves on to read another post without engaging any further with the good content he just read. This can be maddening to the Christian providing the content, but that’s the way people behave on Facebook.
No one ‘raindrop’ carries much impact. The message emerges over time, as themes, images, personal comments, etc. begin to resonate. You can see why Christians who think in a linear way might find Facebook so unhelpful as a way to proclaim the Gospel.
The best strategy is to: 1) be aggressive in adding non-Christian friends. Think of FB as a mission field. 2) be yourself and be consistent in what you post. You are communicating a brand – your brand, not a church or Christian group. 3) Address topics as a Christian but with humility attached. 4) Don’t get impatient about a quick sale. Just communicate and share content and trust God to handle the getting-wet.
Tom Ehrich
© 2018 Agape Europe Designed by Cliff Studios