In years past missionaries would have ministry which took place in a face to face environment. For the most part this is still true today. Most ministers are people oriented, they love to meet with people, to serve them, and to pray for them. If you have been in ministry for a long time you know that people are important. It is often said that we are in the "people" business.

In the past few years people have been extremely interested in virtual ministry among groups of people that have limited access to the gospel. Many Virtual missionaries can log on and share the gospel in a different context. This is a great way for believers in the church to take advantage of new technologies to share the message more effectively in closed countries. 

However, most of these individuals crave something more. They have a desire to be, excuse the buzz word term, "missional" with their lives. In my opinion this is where virtual and physical ministry intersect and if done properly can become... Ministry. As believers take what they are doing on the street and continue that same ministry in the online social environment the virtual and physical become one ministry. This intersection has so much potential to reach more people through authentic relationships it is really exciting to see where the future will take us. I personally looking forward seeing this played out in each of your ministries. 

Tags: Social Media, Missions, Strategic

That last week that missionaries are on home assignment is one of the most difficult weeks of the year. They make those final purchases and fill suitcases praying that nothing is taken in the many airport stops along the way. There is usually one last Walmart run in order to grab some of those last minute items that can’t be found in the host country.

Packing is usually the easy part. The hard part is saying all of the he good byes. These only get harder year after year. This time is extremely difficult on parents and grandparents. Kids are resilient and quickly recover... Most of the time. For the past few months my little kids have made new friends at school and church. We took a risk on this home assignment and found a house close to family. The gamble really paid off, except I didn’t expect saying goodbye to my parents to be this difficult. This is not our first time mind you. We have done this several times over the past eight years of living overseas. When I was in seminary we had a guest missionary come in a teach a class for us while she was on home assignment. She told us that it never gets easier. Each time it only gets harder to say goodbye at the airport.

This last week also causes missionaries to get into a new mode of thinking. For those living in hostile environments for mission personnel, they start turning on switches preparing for re-entry. For me I have started preparing to spiritually pour into myself. Gosh Ty, thats a little selfish don’t you think. Not really, let me explain. Where we serve, we do not attend a local church. We have house church. We do not hear sermons or anything like that. We do walk through scripture together as a group and usually one or two people study the text more than others as they are gifted to do so. For me I study and prepare to invest in my team and the people I lead. So as I prepare to hit the ground running I have started my normal routine of studying and pouring into myself because if missionaries don’t do that on the field they will eventual burn out. And here is a little secret for any missionaries that might be reading this… A lot of missionaries do burn out. So if you are feeling like you are getting close to burnout do two things. First, understand that what you are going through is normal and Second, please tell someone. I would not be on the field today if I would not have made that phone call to a friend.

So to my fellow missionaries preparing to head back to the field, do so with your heads high. Know that people are praying for you. They are praying for your specific people groups by name. They are praying for you to walk in continual obedience. And know that I am praying that for you too.

Tags: Home Assignment, Missionary, Family

I was catching up with a MDiv student this past week that I mentored for a short time while living in New Orleans. He is a good kid, smart, and a very hard worker. But he was having a hard time trying to see how someone can invest in another's life through social media. I told him that the best way for discipleship to occur in the life of my new believer is face to face discipleship. However, that is not always an option. Social media is a great way for people to invest in others when we are separated from each other.

Investing in people is not a simple task. Its takes time and energy. But it can be done through social interaction, especially through technology. As social media continues to change the way we interact with one another it can also allow us to be strengthened by each other as well. Missionaries love receiving emails, FB messages, and texts that just say, “Hey, I am praying for you today”. Lets be honest for a moment, everyone likes it when someone tells them they are thinking about them. Its kind of a big deal. Take moment right now and let someone know that you are thinking about them.

As I have mentioned before and I agree completely with Leonard Sweet that using social media can be used in discipleship. In my context, new believers need constant interaction. Using social media to send encouraging words and accountability when necessarily will help the new believer grow in his or her relationship with the Lord and with you as his mentor.

The student quickly caught on to the importance of how in some contexts social media is a vital way to disciple, and share life with another believer. I pray that we are using our social media accounts for this purpose.

Tags: Twitter, discipleship