My Doctor of Ministry work is in missional outreach. And a significant part of this paper is on the use of social networking to reach people for Christ, both the old fashioned, "real world" networking and online social networking. I want to address the latter in this post, though both are intertwined. 

There are several elements to effectively using Facebook (or Facebook type sites) to seek the lost online.

1. Encourage members to join the site so that they may be in “proximity” to the millions of other Facebook users, just as Christians are encouraged offline to go to places that the unchurched frequent. Of course, with the phenomenal growth of Facebook, a tremendous percentage of Christians are already a part of this site and have hundreds of “Facebook friends.”
    
2. Encourage members to proactively “Facebook friend” their current circle of nonchurched family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers to allow for sharing and messaging with them.
   This strategy must be combined with real world social networking and missional lifestyles, as friending total strangers with whom one has little or no connection, while possible, goes against the culture of Facebook. Facebook can, however, strengthen a weak real world tie with an unchurched friend, co-worker, acquaintance, or neighbor.
   
   
3. Encourage members to truly be a friend to these unchurched “Facebook friends” by taking an active interest in their lives—which in Facebook involves commenting on their friends’ walls, pictures, videos, and posts. Don't always try to make Facebook friends come to members. Be missional--go to their pages!
   
   
4. Form an online Facebook group for those that are part of a seeker small group study such as the Story of Redemption.
   Here, the unchurched can more fully experience the witness of the Christian community; At High Pointe, each time a TheStory of Redemption small group study begins, a The Story of Redemption Facebook group is formed to help the small group members form stronger bonds (both online and offline). These groups have helped members get to know each other’s names, faces, and interests, as well as keep up with one another throughout the week. One of the best developments in these groups has been the posting of daily joys, struggles, and prayer requests, to which the groups have responded with celebration, empathy, and prayer, respectively.
   
   
5. Encourage members to demonstrate true Christian character and community in their interactions with one another on Facebook.
   In the words of Stanley Hauerwas, the church is a “story formed community,” or a “community of character.” As the church lives out its life for the world to see, it demonstrates what it means to be shaped by the biblical narrative rather than the social, economic, or political narratives of the world. Thus, to truly be “evangelistic,” online interactions must do much more than advertise church events. Churches and individuals must interact in such a way that they demonstrate that which makes the church distinctive—the love and faith of the Christian community and the “confession of [Jesus’] lordship in baptism, worship, discipline, and obedience.” This is the type of “content” that needs to be shared online.
   
   
6. Encourage members to share Scriptures and Christian videos and pictures on Facebook . There are several great Iphone apps that allow one to share Scriptures easily, as well as various websites (I will post a list of these later). God's word is powerful, and posting Scriptures online can start spiritual conversations online. Facebook, however, allows Christians to go beyond just words. By placing Christian pictures and videos online, the Christian message can be experienced, appealing to today’s right-brained, image driven culture. Leonard Sweet rightly invites the Church to visually present the gospel, explaining that “we are a print-saturated, word-based church in the midst of visual technologies that are creating a whole new visual culture.” The emotion that is evoked by these images is powerful, and can be even more effective than reason in reaching postmoderns, who are skeptical of logic and arguments as a means to truth. The Church needs to recover the power of images, symbols, and stories—virtually eliminated in modern presentations of the gospel—to effectively communicate the gospel today. In particular, testimonials of how people have come to faith in Jesus Christ are effective in sharing the gospel.
   
   Two of our new converts, Lindsey Flenniken and Cyndi Moncada, recently passed their one year spiritual "birthday." A year ago, they were baptized into Christ.  Lindsey FlennikenCyndi Moncada Lindsey posted this on her Facebook page: "One year ago today we were baptized into Christ together! I know it was no coincidence that we both made that decision & got to share that amazing experience! Thank you for being my best friend & helping me become a better person :) love you, all 6 of you!" This message went out all over her network of friends, and Lindsey has been able to influence her old friends in Odessa who have seen her life transformtion. Lindsey and Cyndi post all kinds of wonderful, glowing comments about their church, small group, new Christian walk, etc. They are incredible Internet evangelists.
   
   
7. Create a Church Facebook page. This is simple to do, and you only need 25 "likes" to create your own Facebook "vanity" url. (Like www.facebook.com/MissionalOutreachNetwork) I will post more on this later. When you do this, members can "tag" the church's Facebook page in their comments, allowing them to direct others towards the church's Facebook page and website.
   
   
8. Have members "check in" on Facebook at the start of worship. This allows their online Facebook friends to see where they are worshiping and check out the Facebook link to the church's website. They may decide that they want to check this church out too. 
    
9. Have members "check in," so to speak, when they attend a small group, go to a ministry event, etc. The church is the church at more than just worship. Encourage members to post a short note when they are going to one of these other gatherings or after they go.
    
10. Encourage members to post thoughts about worship/sermon each Sunday. A few will do this automatically if moved enough, so obviously you want the worship and message to be inspiring. But most members will need a reminder to do this. So put out a reminder message on your personal Facebook page if you are a minister and the church's Facebook page encouraging members to do this. One of our members wrote this on her Facebook page on Sunday:
    
    Great sermon today at church! "Love one another"
    A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35
    Questions James asked of us that I challenge you to answer..
    1. How can we love one another?
    2. Who do you need to stop hating?
    3. Who do you need to forgive?
    4. Who do you need to love?
    
    After Kelly posted this, I realized it would be good for me to post something like this that members could share each Sunday (for those that are not notetakers.

What do you think of these ideas? What additional ideas do you have of how to use Facebook and online social networking to reach out? Which of the above is the most and least missional?