Christians Maximize Web Outreach
As the Internet takes new heights, Christians are getting on board to make the Gospel just as accessible as wireless is becoming.
Across the country, major cities and their suburbs are beginning to go wireless. The municipal Wi-Fi market is picking up to give even residents in a small village in Ohio high speed internet without the dial up. And more people are finding themselves in close range with Wi-Fi hot spots which are becoming increasingly available. As the Internet takes new heights, Christians are getting on board to make the Gospel just as accessible as wireless is becoming.
Christians around the world have tagged their web pages for Sunday's second annual Internet Evangelism Day (www.internetevangelismday.com). An internet evangelistic ministry reported seeing up to 1,400 indicated decisions for Christ every day on the Web. According to a survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, nearly two-thirds of online Americans use the Internet to perform spiritual and religious activities.
From simple homepages to blogging pages and training websites, evangelism through the Web has become the Christian's new mouth for outreach. One student who came across a Campus Crusade for Christ International evangelistic website invited Christ into her heart in front of her computer screen after doing research on God's existence.
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"It is essential we maximize this opportunity to reach those beyond the hearing of the gospel," said the Rev. Doug Birdsall, chair of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, according to Church Central. "Millions of young people spend hours each week on the Internet. We need to find ways to get positive, life-changing messages to them–particularly the good news of Jesus Christ."
Dr. Allan Beeber, Orlando director of Global Media Outreach and a member of the Internet Evangelism Coalition, said the major focus of Internet Evangelism Day is to encourage churches to use the Internet for evangelism.
Global Media Outreach is a ministry of CCCI and sponsors over 25 websites to reach different groups of people. The websites come up easily with such commonly used search phrases as "Who is Jesus?"
Increasing faith-sharing online could in turn prompt more people to spread the Gospel by mouth, Beeber noted.
Internet Evangelism Coalition Chair Dr. Sterling Huston, further noted in a released statement that "The rapid growth, broad international reach and economical cost of the Internet offers individuals, churches and ministries an unprecedented opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ worldwide.”
Tony Whittaker, who initiated Internet Evangelism Day, hopes more Christians and churches will be inspired to join the worldwide Web outreach.
