Embracing a Hybrid World

My friend Mary asked, “How can I order copies of the 4 Spiritual Laws?” I pulled out my phone and showed her GodTools, which makes it available in practically every language on her phone. Then, I sent her the links. She went on to ask me about how to engage the women she leads in a Bible class at church. They attend church but don’t seem to have a desire to grow. “How do I encourage them that life is found in Jesus, not in what the world offers?” We opened the Audience Map and talked about people in the Professing stage. “This is exactly what I need!” she said. 

These kinds of conversations happen all the time around the world. Ministry is no longer face-to-face or digital. It is face-to-face and digital. If we are ready for it, we can engage people where they are in the moment, answering their questions and helping them navigate the complexities of the world around them as we remind them of truth and resource them with verses and tools that will help them grow. 

Of course, screens can be distracting if they get in the way of our conversations and connections with people around us. As with any technology, we must consistently ask ourselves whether the ways we use technology lead to deeper, life-giving connections with others or if it leads us to isolation, even if the people we love are nearby. Are we loving the people we are with and stewarding our time with them to love them well, or are we distracted and using our screens to avoid our insecurities?

In the past few months, we have discussed leading in complex environments, the need for agile approaches, and how Jesus meets us where we are. We are in a hybrid world. As we embrace that reality, our heads—bent down, staring at our screens—will be lifted to see what Jesus sees when He looks at the people around us. He is giving us the opportunity to use those screens to meet people where they are and offer them life! 

Take some time to reflect on the time you have spent with people this past week. How often did a screen come out during your time together? How would you describe the role that technology played in your interactions? What are some of the resources and tools that you have ready to share with people at the moment when they need them most?

Together with you,
Cheryl

More than once, I have shared a conversation starter on my social media platforms, especially my WhatsApp status, and gotten a divine connection with a person who truly needed it. Unlike Facebook, Whatsapp only gives my status to my contacts. My WhatsApp contacts are a mix of believers and non-believers. With this in mind, whenever I share a post, I always expect results from God; the post is like bait.

Wanjiku (not her real name) got my number from a friend during a conference for students in Kenya. She was not a Christian, but her cousin suggested that she attend. We connected at the conference, and afterward, she kept seeing my WhatsApp status and concluded that I was a pastor. 

Wanjiku was in a toxic relationship and needed someone to talk to. It was at that time that she saw my status:

What resolutions have you made over this:

Is marriage knocking?

Is it a relationship that you are enjoying or planning for a family?

When our conversation started, I assumed she was a Professing Christian. As we continued talking, I realized she was searching for the truth; she was a Seeker. We regularly spoke about her struggles on WhatsApp, and I shared the gospel when appropriate. Over time, her heart was softened, and she accepted Christ.

The majority of the people who interact with me on WhatsApp are Professing Christians, though some are still seeking the truth. A thought-provoking status can have a major impact. Once, I posted the status: “How sure are you that you will spend eternity with God? What would you tell God is the reason for you to enter Heaven?”

Otieno, a new believer, saw the status and sent me a message. That initial message led to a conversation that solidified his faith. He later joined me in serving at church, and within three months, he was discipling others. He is part of the weekly team of young men I walk with on a Zoom discipleship call. As a result of our conversation sparked by a WhatsApp status, he is making disciples and building them deeply to see them more like Jesus. 

Ben spent his life confident in his faith. We met in church, and he told me how he’s been sharing his testimony about his faith in Jesus and his relationship with his girlfriend. I was convinced the young man would change society with his testimony. As Paul told Timothy, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity” (1 Tim 4:12). 

I didn’t know about his inner life until he saw my status one night: “I would love to talk with you; what has been the most disturbing thing in your life this August?”

He replied, “Leaving my woman behind.”

After chatting on WhatsApp, we had long phone calls. Ben revealed that he was starting to question whether God really exists. He was in pain and was frustrated by what he thought Jesus should be like. We prayed together and are navigating his doubts while trusting God to work in his heart.

I am happy that the Lord has been helping me move from social media to social ministry. I am encouraged not by the number of people who view my status but by its impact. I constantly challenge myself with a lesson from Nona Jones’s book From Social Media to Social Ministry: It’s not about my number of followers; it’s about making them Jesus followers.

Ericka was seeking answers to questions about Christian traditions such as “Semana Santa,” so she wrote to The Mentor Ministry. Ericka is from Quito, the capital of Ecuador. She is a young woman with a great longing to know Jesus and has many interesting questions about the Christian life. Her first email came in April 2023 with the request, “I want to learn how to pray to have a relationship with God.” 

After we exchanged a few emails, Ericka asked for a WhatsApp number to continue our conversation more directly. Several dates mark important moments in our friendship, dates that are not only embedded in our message logs but also engraved in our memories.

On July 26, 2023, after several conversations, I shared the gospel with her using the GodTools app. She still had questions and didn’t have enough certainty to make a decision, so we kept moving forward. Ericka identified as Catholic and had first heard the gospel from her sister-in-law. On August 3, 2023, she met Christ. God brought her the understanding she needed, and she prayed to accept Jesus.

We spent several months talking on Zoom. On some occasions, I spoke to her about The Four bracelet and the meaning of the four symbols. Her partner didn’t like her following Jesus, but she continued to seek discipleship online. Because of this, I mentioned the possibility of meeting in person since I would be traveling to Quito. We couldn’t meet on my first trip to Quito because several activities got in the way. We could not meet on my second trip to Quito, either, but her father sent me a package with food that her mother had prepared. 

The third time was the charm. On May 15, 2024, Ericka and I met in a shopping center. After a hug, I gave her the bracelet of The Four that she longed for so much. We are still communicating, less than before due to her family context, but she is a great blessing in my life. We continue walking in the process of knowing Jesus together.