How Digital Strategies Serves the Great Commission
Everyone in our organization shares the same calling:
To help fulfill the Great Commission by winning, building and sending in the power of the Holy Spirit and helping the body of Christ do evangelism and discipleship.
Within that calling, Digital Strategies has a uniquely important role to play. If we do our job, every other part of the organization will benefit, grow and see more fruit. Whether serving a local team in a national ministry or a strategy or capacity team at the global level, the mission is accomplished as we work together.
Let me share a few principles that guide us as we do our part.
We go where people are because the Great Commission requires it. People are online.
In the past, we would talk about the mission in terms of geography, such as the 10/40 window or UPGs (unreached people groups). That is still a helpful way to look at our missional gaps, but wherever people are in the world, more and more are online. In fact, as of April of this year, more than 5 billion people are online. What are they doing there? They are finding information, staying in touch with friends and family, and keeping up-to-date with news and events. The internet is where they go with their questions, and it is where they go to connect with other people. We need to be there, too, to connect with them and help them connect to Jesus and his mission.
We are no longer talking about digital ministry OR face-to-face. This is because even in face-to-face meetings, a screen is often used. You may be looking up a verse together or watching a video. You might be setting an appointment and taking notes. You may be researching a question or navigating a journey. Regardless of the topic or activity, we can use technology to enhance our Great Commission work. We use every resource God has given us to advance the mission, and digital is one of the most powerful resources we have.
Behind every screen is a person, and that person matters to God.
Our top organizational commitment is “Love Jesus and love people.” We are very intentional about how we use digital strategies because the way that we engage people online is one of the best ways we can love them. We want to understand where they are in their spiritual journeys and how they arrived there. We want them to know that they matter to God and that they matter to us. That means we don’t just give them information; we connect with them real people in proximity to them and communities of faith they can join. We want to meet them where they are and help them take their next step to know, love, and follow Jesus. We call this an audience-first approach. We aren’t trying to just increase clicks, opens, and downloads. We are about loving people and helping them grow spiritually to become multiplying disciples.
People don’t care how we are organized. They care that we are organized.
When people visit our websites or look for ways to engage with us, they shouldn’t have to understand our internal organizational structures or the difference between Leader Strategies and Student Led Movements. Many students are getting ready for life after graduation; they may be interested in helping to start a church and sharing their faith online. They shouldn’t have to understand SLM, LS, DS, GCM, and JFP to get what they need to take their next steps. Our job is to make our content and opportunities relevant and easily accessible based on their needs. It forces us to admit that we do not own our audiences. We serve them. That is some of the most challenging work we have to do. It requires interdependence across teams.
There is no magic solution.
If there were one strategy that was successful in reaching everyone and accomplishing the Great Commission, the job would already be done. We need the wisdom of the Holy Spirit as we try new things and iterate. This is our process:
We pray for the Holy Spirit to fill us and lead us.
We learn about the people in our missional gaps.
We try new approaches to reach them.
We evaluate our effectiveness, make adjustments and try again!
What is the part of the mission God has given you to do? How might these principles of digital strategies help you in accomplishing your part of the mission? Let us know how we can help!
