From passages at sea to airplanes, from shortwave radio to tape recordings, from smartphones to social media, the evolution of technology creates opportunities for greater gospel access among the nations.
Now, more than ever before, Southern Baptists are in a time and place to leverage technology to reach more people for Christ. When the International Mission Board tested a new digital engagement strategy during the Paris Summer Olympics earlier this year, the results were thrilling.
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“I am so encouraged,” said John Brady, IMB’s vice president of global engagement. “This is a new chapter in the IMB’s effort to reach the world for the Lord Jesus. We have never seen this before.”
Using the Olympics as a springboard, IMB teams explored the intersection of digital engagement with on-the-ground outreach. What they found was that the online and offline strategies fit together seamlessly to provide even greater gospel access.
“It dovetailed perfectly with on-the-ground strategies,” explained IMB missionary Jack Bentley, who serves as a digital engagement strategist for IMB’s Asia-Pacific Rim affinity. “The gospel is proclaimed mouth-to-ear on the ground. Those pins are given out and the QR code is scanned and more gospel truth is shared. Maybe someone starts with a pin and ends up at a Bible-reading plan.”
Brant Bauman, IMB’s global digital engagement lead, said the results demonstrate how God used the collaborative efforts of Southern Baptists around the world to engage people in Paris and beyond this summer. He shared the story of one woman’s cry for help.
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Some names have been changed for security.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Kristen Sosebee and originally published by the International Mission Board.
