The internet is fast growing as we saw in the previous article and I think it's about time for webmasters and ministers to start utilizing the net for ministry and mission on a much higher level. God has so graciously provided us with this vast field of mission where we could reach millions for literally pennies on the dollar.
The internet is a under-rated and under-used field of mission. It's overrun with pornography and any other wide range of disgusting filth that net surfers can stumble onto by simply typing a web address incorrectly. I'm sure it's happened to many of us. The same is true for internet surfers to type a web address wrong and find themselves on a site proclaiming the name of Jesus. Call it a devine appointment. God works in glorious and wonderous ways! Thank You Jesus!
Christian web sites are just one aspect of utilizing the net as a field of mission but it's not the only aspect.
Just over 2 years ago I became involved in chat ministry. I did a search for "Christian Chat" and found myself on CCNet. I never left. I'm now an IRCop on CCNet and minister there on a daily basis. It's the single most challenging yet uplifting types of ministry that i've ever been involved in. Chat ministers get the opportunity to minister to people from all walks of life from all over the world. As the internet grows and more and more users gain access to the internet and start chatting chat ministries are going to need ministers to minister to the abundance of lost people that stumble into christian chat rooms every day.
A lot of times people ask me "What's so tough or challenging about chat ministry as opposed to face to face ministry?" Well I could spend a day writing just about that but i'll break it down into a few simple facts.
1) People tend to open up to people that they can't see face to face a lot easier and therefore tend to overwhelm chat ministers very easily with tons of problems all at once.
2) Chatters can't see your expression and they can't hear your tone. When you talk to someone face to face it's their tone and their expression or overall demeanor that portrays their attitude. Chatters on the internet can't see or hear these things. The challenge is wording things just right to portray a statement just the way you wanted to and to portray God Love.
3)Chatters can get up and leave you sitting there at any moment. Nothing is keeping them their but you. You have to give them a reason to stay. If you say the wrong thing or word something wrong so that it's misunderstood, that person can simply click the disconnect button and move on. Whereas in real life people don't wanna be rude so they sit and listen until you're done and humor you.
Like any field of ministry, Chat ministry takes a special type of person in order to be able to minister to someone you can't see or hear. It's a tough and challenging ministry but it's not impossible and the net needs more chat ministers. Chat ministry is an under-rated ministry and it's growing by leaps and bounds but still it's only a small fraction of the vastness of the internet as a whole. I feel very strongly that this field of mission is an important one for one reason. Teens Chat! Teens love to chat and meet new people and there isn't enough chat ministers on the net to minister to all of them that enter christian chat. It's about time that changes.
Praise Jesus!
Scott Powers
www.living2serve.netScott Powers aka livetoserve
www.living2serve.net
Servanthood is a way of Life!!
Serve as Jesus did - Mark 10:45