Internet Evangelism Coalition

"The IEC provides a regular forum for many of the foremost leaders in digital evangelism to discuss and promote projects and/or alliances which foster the fulfillment of the Great Commission globally through the Internet."

Dr. Allan Beeber
Director, WorldLINC, Global Media Outreach
Campus Crusade for Christ, Intl.

Member -- IEC Executive Committee

April 2006

IEC Newsletter

Stimulating and accelerating web evangelism within the worldwide Body of Christ

Special Notice to IEC ENewsletter readers:
The April issue of Lausanne World Pulse (LWP) emphasizes Internet Evangelism. Articles include:

- Joseph Vijayam writes on how www.Mahalife.com offers young people in India the opportunity to accept Christ and grow in their faith through online counseling and discipleship.

- Arne Fjeldstad explains how the Internet is opening doors to sharing the gospel in majority Muslim countries.

- Harry Bryans shares how www.HiKidz.org offers fun, entertainment and Christian teaching to children around the world.

- David Hackett discusses how countless evangelistic websites, which use different approaches, make online evangelism more effective than ever.

Internet Evangelism Day - May 7, 2006

By Tony Whittaker, Web Evangelism Guide

Thank you to everyone who has helped to share the vision of Internet Evangelism Day.

Our latest innovation is small corner diagonal banners - very easy to add to a website by copy/pasting a short piece of code. We are hoping that many sites will add these, even if their normal policy is not to have external links. Please use them, or even suggest to your favorite website that they use them: http://ied.gospelcom.net/banner- linking.php

Our audio presentations - 1/3 minute introductions to IE Day - are available for podcasting, radio broadcasts, or simply to play over your church sound system as a ready-made announcement about IE Day: http://ied.gospelcom.net/audio

A SUMMARY
The purpose of IE Day - and the potential of the Web for outreach - is summarized in the February Internet Evangelism Coalition newsletter: http://www.webevangelism.com/index.php?id=34

YOUR PLANS
We realize that not all churches will wish to create a lengthy focus spot on 7 May. But you can easily insert a one-minute announcement during a service, and include a short paragraph about IE Day in your printed church announcements: http://ied.gospelcom.net/shortannouncement.php

If you wish to give members a separate paper handout (or republish it in any magazine), we offer a single-side document in Word and RTF formats: http://ied.gospelcom.net/internethandout.doc http://ied.gospelcom.net/internetdayrtf.rtf

If you are considering a longer presentation, you can download:

a PowerPoint presentation which you can edit to your own requirements, with an accompanying set of commentary notes

two 5-minute video testimonies of young women who found God online

drama scripts

MP3 music

http://i ed.gospelcom.net/planning.php

If you are hoping to feature IE Day in your church or group during May, please write to tell us of your plans. It is such an encouragement to us to know that our materials are being used: mailto: office@InternetEvangelismDay.com

TELLING OTHERS
Please continue to make IE Day known in any way you can. Thanks! http://ied.gospelcom.net/helping.php

PUBLICIST NEEDED
If you have experience in Public Relations, IE Day wants to hear from you! We need a volunteer publicist: http://ied.gospelcom.net/publicist-needed.php

Editors Note: Read Tony Whittaker's article on Internet Evangelism in Lausanne World Pulse.

Also, Debra Brown, a member of the IEC Executive Committee will be on the "Insight" program on the Miracle Channel, May 2 talking about Internet Evangelism and the IE Day. The Miracle Channel is primarily viewed in the west part of Canada and the Northwest U.S. To view the program online, please go to http://www.miraclechannel.ca on May 2nd at 11:00 a.m. (Alberta time).

Internet Evangelism Day

Techvangelism '06 Conference

By Frank Johnson, Strategic Digital Outreach

Normally, when I arrive at a destination and can't find a parking space, I can become increasingly frustrated as I wander around side streets looking for that elusive place to leave my vehicle.

But driving into the parking lot at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church (Menlo Park, CA) on Saturday, March 18 and not finding a space was actually quite gratifying because it meant there was a growing excitement in the Church about Internet evangelism.

As I made my way into the Fellowship Hall, where the plenary sessions would be held, I was also not disappointed. This place was hopping! I could feel a sense of anticipation as people engaged in conversation with old and new friends and visited the exhibits of 13 different Christian organizations dedicated in some way to Internet evangelism.

The following is an overview of the three main Techvangelism Conference presentations.

Walt Wilson: 100 Million Decisions for Jesus Christ: One Every Minute, Every Nation, Every Day
Soon it was time for the first plenary session. Walt Wilson, the Founder and Chairman of Global Media Outreach, began with references to Matthew 24:3, 14 and Colossians 1:16. When Jesus said that "(the) gospel of the kingdom (would) be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations," He was speaking to a future generation: ours! And He was anticipating that we would use part of His invisible creation (bits, i.e. technology) to accomplish that purpose.

83 countries currently do not allow Christian missionaries from America, but we can use the Internet to reach them. According to George Barna, 67% of Americans conduct spiritual searches on the Internet.

We are the first generation to hold in our hands the technology to reach the world. But does the church have the strategy to use the technology effectively? Global Media Outreach is taking advantage of the technology to present the Gospel to someone in the world every three seconds through its network of evangelistic websites. They are also planning on developing 1-minute videos for use on cell phones because mobile phone usage is becoming more and more pervasive.

Steve Johnson: Evangelism in a Post- Literature Culture
The next plenary session featured Steve Johnson, Group Vice President of The International Bible Society, who spoke on "Evangelism in a Post- Literature Culture."

Steve pointed out that the Word of God has transformational power in itself. The question facing the Church is how can we make it as widely available as possible in as many media formats as possible? It is very important that the Church address this question because we are living in a post-literature culture.

A post-literature culture is a culture that depends primarily on non-print and non-traditional means of communication for the exchange of information related to commerce, politics, religion, news, etc. Post-literacy is an issue the church must respond to in order to be seen as relevant.

One billion people globally are now online (this includes people who have access to an Internet cafe). In a favela (Note from Frank: a hillside shantytown) in Brazil, there is no running water, very little food, but there is an Internet cafe.

In 2000, research indicated that 23% of Internet users used the Internet to explore spirituality. Today, 67% of Americans use the Internet to explore spirituality. The Internet has become a spiritual buffet. People are creating their own hybrid faith by using portions of various religions which appeal to them. Truth has become a relative term based on user definition.

How should we respond as the church?

By flooding cyberspace with biblical truth.

By pointing others to that truth through a) email distribution; b) website referral for those struggling with issues; c) creating personal websites, chats, blogs, forums, online studies, etc.; d) creating church websites and radio stations (Next Wave Radio Network).

By using the net and non-print resources in reaching out, teaching, and discipling.

By praying for those who are seeking truth online.

Pete Holzmann: Learning To Trust God in Our By-The-Numbers World
In the final plenary session, Pete Holzmann, the Founder and Executive Directory of the International Christian Technologists' Association shared about "Seven Simple Principles of a Spirit-Led Life Applied to the High Tech Industry." These simple principles can be expressed in seven things God wants from us:

God wants us to know Him. (Matthew 7; Isaiah 29:13ff; Jeremiah 9:23; 1 John 5:20; Jeremiah 5:24).

God wants us to love others (1 Corinthians 8; 1 John 4:7-8). Are we meeting real needs, are we meeting unreal felt needs, or are we meeting our own selfish desires?

God wants us to trust Him (Proverbs 3:5-6). God is truly in charge even when it doesn’t work.

God wants us to defend against temptation and ultimately the devil (Titus 2). We need to learn personal discipline.

God wants us to walk and be with Him. Are we drawing near to God in our high-tech endeavors? Do we really know God or are we just presenting facts about Him through our web evangelism efforts?

God wants us to listen to His voice. Are we tuned to hear His word?

God wants us to obey Him immediately (Exodus 31).

God's harvest force needs multiple generations of mature, properly-equipped followers of Christ who regularly put these seven principles into practice.

Round Table Sessions After the final plenary session, conference attendees split up into twelve round table sessions covering a large variety of topics:

What Is This Computer Good For?

Help, I'm Not A Techie

MySpace on Jesus

Learn More About The International Bible Society

How to Use Logos Bible Software

High Tech Impact And The Kingdom of God

Building Community With Church Websites

Blogging And Spirituality

Sharing Your Faith Online

Animated Tracts And Multimedia Ideas

Connecting The Church With Broadband Wireless

Starting Your Christian Venture

At the end of the conference, we found ourselves challenged anew by the vast opportunity which exists to use technology for furthering God's kingdom.

Would the Apostle Paul Blog?

By Rob Williams, Campus Crusade for Christ

For the last couple of years I've been interacting with people through their blogs. I even created a few blogs for various reasons. I kept wondering if and how they could be used for ministry. As I've thought about ministry models in the New Testament, I started to realize that, if given the technology, people like the Apostle Paul would probably blog!

Talking to a pastor at my church (University Presbyterian Church- PCA, Orlando, FL), we realized that our church should be presented with a new opportunity for ministry. Not everyone is going to write a blog, but everyone can take advantage of the ministry opportunities blogs bring us.

I presented these opportunities to the church one Sunday morning as part of our on-going adult education to educate, equip, and offer this new opportunity for ministry. I recorded all of my notes (including my PowerPoint and mp3 recording of the presentation) on my blog post “Would the Apostle Paul Blog?”

Would the Apostle Paul Blog?

New Christian Web Community

By Jim Brown

Pastor Brian Bozarth is offering Christian young people a clean, safe alternative to taking part in Internet forums, blogging, and photo and music sharing on the popular myspace.com website and others like it.

Bozarth, a professor at Calvary Chapel Bible College in Maui, Hawaii, has launched a free online Christian Community called "Ditty Talk." He says the www.dittytalk.com website and corresponding Internet community began as an effort to steer young people away from MySpace.com, a social website with 55 million users that has been linked to numerous sexual assaults against teens.

"One day," Bozarth recalls, "I was approached by a student, saying, 'You know, there's some bad stuff posted by our students on there.' I was Dean of Men of the Bible College, and so I was prompted to actually check out 'My Space' and was literally horrified by what I saw -- not only located just in the content there but also the stuff some of my students were posting."