One of the issues facing Christians online is the problem of helping Christians understand their faith. I’ve watched a lot of conversations on websites where Christians get engaged in very deep discussions. This is a good thing. However I’m sometimes disturbed by the lack of understanding of our own faith amongst some. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t believe that only those with training or superior knowledge should be allowed to talk about their faith online!!! Any Christian has the right to talk about their faith even if there ideas are not consistent with mainstream Christian belief.
However I am concerned that those with a responsibility to care for the souls of others don’t seem to be engaging with the Internet. I’m not saying that every clergy person should spend each day trawling the Internet looking for their members but perhaps there is a place for online chaplains. Perhaps there is a place for training people in ministry online who could then take some care to help those who are getting confused and upset.
There are many Christians who never go to church and yet they are willing to talk online about their faith. Perhaps instead of the church telling them they should come to the church – the church should go to them.
What are you thoughts? Should we have some kind of online chaplaincy?
admin online ministry chaplain, internet ministry, online ministry, soul, web ministry
One of the keys to a good online ministry is building rapport with people. Rapport is about having a relationship with another person(s) based on: trust, harmony, understanding and mutual respect. Without rapport people will not listen to the message that you are trying to get across.
Building rapport is notoriously difficult online but the better you can get at doing it the more effective your message will be. To develop rapport it is important to treat people online as equals. The moment you talk down to someone or indicate that if they think differently they are stupid you have lost the chance of reaching them. I think that the injunction to treat others as you would like to be treated is spot-on for the Internet (as of course it should be anywhere).
If you want people to listen to you then you must be prepared to listen to them. If you are not interacting with people online but just presenting a message then you need to try and listen to the kinds of people who will use your site and the kinds of things they will want to ask or say.
Humour must also be carefully looked at. Humour rarely comes accross well on the Internet (or in email) unless someone knows you well or you are a genius. Please be very careful about how you use it.
Do you have any ideas for ways of building rapport online? Why not share them in a comment.
admin online ministry evangelism, internet ministry, online ministry, rapport, web ministry
I must confess that up till now I’ve not been a great fan of Twitter. I’m not one of those people who likes others to know about every detail of everything I’m doing and some research suggests that this ‘lighter’ approach to relationships might be detremental to some people. I think that is somewhat of an extreme view and is probably only true for those who mistake a twitter relationship with a real one.
Anyway Twitter is very popular and is a great way for Christians to build relationships with others, which of course has to be the basis for any outreach efforts. I came across this blog the other day which is an excellent introduction to the world of Twitter Outreach (Tweach perhaps?).
http://www.reachingtheonlinegeneration.com/2009/04/16/finding-christ-among-the-lost/
admin online ministry internet ministry, online ministry, twitter, web ministry
The world has changed a lot since I first started the web Christian ministry. Back then there were few Christian websites and even fewer Church websites. Some of the needs have not changed at all and there is still a big demand for help with church websites. However as more and more Christians use the Internet the demand for ministry online has rocketed. Because of my experience in ministry as well as the web I thought I might share some of my thoughts on a blog.
So the scope of webchristian is changing a little. We will still seek to support Christians who are trying to get a website up and running but we will also now include web ministry. I hope this will cover all aspects of Christian ministry including: caring for Christians, evangelism, apologetics, etc.
Why not share some of your own thoughts on this blog?
What challenges and opportunities do you think the churches faces on the Internet?
admin online ministry internet ministry, ministry, online ministry, web ministry