Post on 22-Mar-2020
ONLINE EVANGELISM
TOOLKIT1.0
Content
■ Introduction
■ What is Online Evangelism?
■ Why You Need an Online Ministry
■ How to start an online ministry
■ Facebook & Other Platforms
■ Facebook Live
■ Podcasts
■ Church Website
■ Church Mission Project
■ Blogs
■ YouTube Channel
■ Resources
INTRODUCTION
■ Half of the world’s population has access to the
internet. To fulfill the Great Commission, we are
equipping church members and leaders to do
share the Gospel online.
■ By practically meeting the needs of online
seekers and incorporating online evangelism
into our traditional strategies, we have access to
a wider audience than we normally would in a
building.
■ This toolkit will walk you
through starting an
online ministry and
running the ministry
effectively.
■ If you want to run your
own mission project or
ministry, you will also
find this toolkit useful.
This toolkit is designed for:
■ Church social media strategists
■ Communications directors
■ Personal ministry leaders
■ Church members
■ Pastors
■ Lay people
■ Private ministry leaders
■ School administrators
■ Missionaries
■ Anyone interested in evangelism
We will be making updates
to this toolkit. Be sure to
subscribe to our newsletter
and follow our social media
accounts for the release of
Online Evangelism ToolKit
1.5.
What is Online Evangelism?
■ Online Evangelism is focused on using digital and online means to spread the
Gospel. New technologies and methods are integrated with traditional means to
widen the net and introduce more people to Jesus Christ.
■ Digital content should meet the practical needs of people. When our church and
ministries respond to the needs of people online, they will automatically learn more
about our faith and church. We invite them to journey with us by meeting their needs
instead of “promoting” our church or ministry.
WHY YOU NEED AN ONLINE MINISTRY
“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the
gospel to every creature’” (Mark 16:15 NKJV).
Half of the world’s population has access to the internet. As
disciples of Jesus Christ, we need to use every tool available
to let people know of the God who loves them and died to
save them.
Thousands of people search Google for Bible answers every
day. By launching online ministries, we ensure that these
individuals find the answers they are looking for.
“Truth will be made so prominent that he who runs may
read. Means will be devised to reach hearts. Some of the
methods used in this work will be different from the
methods used in the work in the past; but let no one,
because of this, block the way by criticism.”
Evangelism, p. 129.4.
HOW TO START A CHURCH ONLINE MINISTRY
Steps
Evaluate Evaluate your ministry every 3-6 months to see if you are accomplishing your goals
Create Create a strategy
Choose Choose which platform you wan to focus on for online work
Gather Gather a team. Get church members involved
Talk Talk to your church leadership about the goal to reach people online. Present the idea of boosting online presence.
Delegate Delegate a prayer team especially for this ministry (even if it’s 2 persons)
Remember:■ Register your church’s online ministry with
the Center for Online Evangelism
Missionary Database.
■ To register, email
info@centerforonlineevangelism with the
heading “Online Missionary Database”
■ Subscribe to COE’s Newsletter.
■ Visit our website to subscribe.
■ When you register and subscribe, you
receive instant support for your online
ministry.
For more on how to start an online ministry:
Visit:
https://bit.ly/2H9HLBP
In this section, we’ll explore various online tools you can
use in your ministry. You will notice that we make certain
suggestions on how you can implement these methods in
your online strategies; but keep in mind that a world of
creative ideas is available.
The Holy Spirit will guide you and your team to use these
tools creatively for the glory of God.
FACEBOOK & OTHER PLATFORMS
■ Facebook remains the most
popular social media site. With over
2 billion monthly active users, this
platform is ripe for evangelism.
■ How you use Facebook and other
platforms will depend on factors
such as the specific mission,
location, and demographic of your
church.
■ The following section focuses on
Facebook but you can apply the
same principles to other platforms.
Source: https://www.leveragestl.com/social-media-infographic/
How to use Facebook effectively
■ Create a content strategy
■ Use Facebook Live
■ Boost posts and create ads to reach
a wider audience
■ Connect Instagram to your Facebook
account for easy management
■ Use quality photos
■ Engage with your audience
■ Lift up Jesus
FACEBOOK LIVE
Tips■ Turn your phone sideways so that the video fills the
screen (see photo)
■ Give specific CTAs (Calls to Action) to engage your
audience.
– (E.g. Like & share this video; Write in the comments
section where you’re listening from.)
■ Keep your videos engaging and with action. Give viewers
something to look forward to.
■ The content should draw viewers to Jesus Christ and His
love.
■ Keep in mind that individuals who are not Christians or
Adventist are in your audience.
■ Use an exciting title to attract viewers
■ Remember people tune in after your introduction; give a
brief rundown of what your livestream is about.
■ Facebook Live remains an effective tool for immediate
contact with an audience. You can also engage with
those who tune into your livestream and get them
involved in what you’re sharing.
■ Facebook Live is most effective for quick videos with
action, compared to longer videos with talking heads.
■ This tool also allows your viewers to share your content
with their friends. The video shot can also be
repurposed. You can download, edit, and upload it to
another platform, strip the audio to create a podcast, or
create a transcript and use it on a blog. These methods
are very useful if your video is longer and has more
talking than action.
Checklist❑ Does your church have a Facebook page?
❑ Does your church have someone responsible to manage Facebook?
❑ Do you have a content calendar?
❑ Are you creating relevant content?
❑ Are you using copyright images, songs, and videos?
❑ Do you fresh content daily, bi-weekly, weekly?
❑ Do you have specific goals fir your Facebook account?
❑ Are visitors drawn closer to Christ by visiting your page?
❑ Is your content primarily for your members or visitors?
❑ Is content (pictures, graphics, posts, video, etc.) engaging?
PODCASTS
What’s a podcast?
■ A podcast is a series of digital audio file
available for download on the internet. Listeners
can tune in even while engage in other activities
or during a commute.
■ What you need:
– Audio recording device (phone or mic)
– Audio editing software (audacity)
– A hosting site
– A theme
How to start a podcast
■ Come up with a concept (a topic, name, format and target length for each episode).
■ Design artwork and write a description to "brand“ your podcast.
■ Record and edit your audio files (such as .MP3s). A microphone is recommended
(more on equipment later).
■ Find a place to host them (such as a file host that specializes in podcast hosting,
like Libsyn or Podbean).
■ Syndicate these audio files into what’s called an “RSS feed” so that they can be
distributed through iTunes as well as downloaded or streamed on any device on-
demand.
Source: shopify.ca
Examples of Christian Podcasts
■ Set Apart Girl
■ Focus on the Family
■ Ask Pastor John
■ Burn the Haystack
CHURCH WEBSITE
■ Your website is the front door to your church or
ministry. If your website looks shabby, antiquated,
and is filled with digital cobwebs, visitors might
lose interest.
■ That’s because a website is a reflection of an
organization.
■ Church and ministry websites should reflect the
beauty of the Gospel. So whether your ministry is
geared toward helping people live healthy or if your
church has 10 or 1000 members, be diligent in
well representing Christ through your website.
Church Website No-Nos■ Out-dated and uninviting content
■ Stock images or images that look “churchy”
■ Misaligned text and graphic
■ Difficult navigation
■ Takes too long to load
■ Poorly written content
■ Empty calendar
■ Impersonal feel
■ Broken links
■ Grammatical errors
A Good Website
Is beautifully designed with clear
photographs of church members
Conveys the mission of your
church
Does not have generic content
Caters to the needs of people
Uplift and promote Jesus Christ (not just the church)
Has clear contact information
Basics to Include
■ A media library with sermons in podcast or webcast format
■ An “I’m new” feature with a description of what to expect
■ A brief listing of beliefs
■ A list of church ministries and ways people can get involved in
ministry
■ Devotional readings to improve spiritual growth
■ A resource gallery of ways I could do my ministry better
■ Ways to contribute and give
Source: Heidi Baumgartner
Update Your Church Website in One Hour Per
Week! By: Heidi Baumgartner
✓ Post church bulletin by Thursday (2-5 minutes)
✓ Enter new events in calendar (10-20 minutes)
✓ Write, revise, or update a page of web copy to be “massively
useful” for your target audience (10-15 minutes)
✓ Answer emails generated through the website (5-10 minutes)
✓ Run through a section of your maintenance log (10+ minutes)
▪ Check links
▪ Update welcome message
▪ Update home page with new content
▪ Develop or update any new website content areas
▪ Check website statistics
▪ Keep your domain name up-to-date
▪ Review the accuracy of current content (addresses,
phone numbers, email contact, all date/time
references, spelling, names, etc.)
✓ Share and cross promote your bulletin or a preview of
Sabbath services on social media (2-5 minutes)
✓ Have your A/V team upload or archive the sermon after
church (upload time)
Checklist for a Great Website
Updated content
Quality photographs
Creative design
Relevant content
Reflective of the Gospel
No copyright material
Articles on church website
improvement
Visit
centerforonlineevangelism.org
Search:
4 Creative Ways to Turn your Church Website into an Evangelistic Tool
3 Easy Tips to Improve Your
Church Website
How to Manage Your Church
Website in One Hour a Week
Checklist for Creating a Church
Online Ministry
CHURCH MISSION PROJECT
■ Create a project that allows your entire church to get involved in online evangelism
■ Like a traditional mission trip, a digital mission project gets many people actively
involved.
■ There are countless ways to carry out a digital project. The main goal is to get
everyone to work together to make an unforgettable impact online.
How to launch a Digital Mission Project at your church
Pray
Choose your country
Put a team together
Create an online mission station
Set goals
Train volunteers
Create a mission structure
Formulate a retention strategy
Evaluate the project
Read the full plan: https://bit.ly/2IISAgr
Digital Mission Example
BLOGS
■ Through the Bible, a compilation of written work
from dozens of authors, spanning centuries, we
learn about our Creator. We use this written word as
our only creed and we use it as the number one tool
to introduce others to Jesus Christ.
■ The work of Ellen White is widely used because her
ministry was dedicated to writing about the beautiful
truths found in God’s Word.
■ By starting a Christ-centered blog that addresses
relevant issues, you could reach millions of people
online.
Draw their attention to books [blogs] treating on practical faith and
godliness. Cleanse and sanctify the camp. There is an abundance of
books which will give light to the world…Why not draw the minds of the
people to subjects relating to the words of eternal life. Why not make an
effort to obtain communications simple, real, and true, from our workers
in all parts of the world. God calls for this class of reading. We have no
time to devote to commonplace things, no time to waste on books [blogs]
which only amuse.-- Manuscript 80, 1899.
Why should blogging be an evangelistic tool?
■ 23% of internet time is spent reading blogs
■ 77% of internet users read blogs
■ 53% of bloggers are between 21 and 35 years old
■ 81% of US consumers trust information and advice on blogs
■ 61% OF US consumers make a decision about a product or service based on a blog
■ 70% of people learn about a company (or church) through blogs, not ads
Source: https://www.kreatology.com/28-must-see-blogging-infographics-that-will-help-you-improve-your-blog/
How to launch a
great ministry blog
6 Steps to Start a Ministry Blog
1. Decide what to blog about.
2. Choose a blogging platform.
3. Find a host.
4. Pick a domain name.
5. Get started with WordPress.
6. Design & use your blog!
Source: https://amylynnandrews.com/how-to-start-a-blog/
YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Is there an audience on
YouTube?
YouTube has over a billion users, almost one-third of all people on the Internet.
You can navigate YouTube in more than 75 different languages, covering 95% of the Internet population.
YouTube is the second largest search engine, right after Google. It's bigger than Bing, Yahoo!, and Ask combined.
YouTubers watch 6 billion hours of videos every month.
YouTubers watch 4 billion videos every single day.
YouTubers upload 300 hours of video every minute.
Most of YouTube’s traffic comes from outside the US.
Source: Factslide.com, Huffington Post
■ Including video production in your ministry’s
strategy provides greater opportunity to reach more
people compared to only using traditional means.
■ Video ministries like the Bible Project and That
Christian Vlogger do exceptionally well answering
questions that people have about the Bible.
Learning from a digital disciple:
■ Justin Khoe, a digital missionary
with over 60,000 followers created
a practical course to help leaders
and members start an effective
YouTube ministry.
■ His top recommendations:
– Do not upload church services
to YouTube
– Avoid G.A.S. (Gear
Acquirement Syndrome)
– Create a clear target market
– Stick to your channel strategy
– Optimize thumbnails, tags, and
titles
– Optimize channel page
– Upload consistently
– Engage in comments
– Continue learning
– Use Analytics
Take the Course!
It’s available for FREE by the
NAD Social Media & Big Data
Department
Find it here:
https://bit.ly/2yjk7Ax
Channel IdeasYou can start a ministry channel:
■ Teaching young adults practical
lessons about life (budgeting,
education, relationships, etc.)
■ Showing viewers how to grow
their own foods
■ Animating Bible prophecies for
children
■ About marriage
■ Teaching members how to share
their faith
■ Answering Bible questions
■ The list if endless
3 Important Points to Remember
Create fresh content. Ask
yourself whether the
information you will share is
already out there. If it is, find a
new angle.
1
Learn new skills. Don’t skip out
on video just because you don’t
know how to edit. Many
successful YouTubers learned
video production on their own.
2
Spend time distributing your
content. After you invest time in
creating content, spend just as
much time sharing it.
3
CONCLUSIONJesus Christ calls each of His followers to be disciples. Whether you are in full-time
ministry or not, you can do your part to share the Gospel with someone. We hope that
this toolkit provides you with some ideas to reach more people for Christ.
Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature
Mark 16:15 KJV
RESOURCES
For more information:
■ Subscribe to our newsletter and our YouTube channel
■ Visit centerforonlineevangelism.org
■ For official church guidelines and for more resources visit: sdadata.org