Masaru is a Japanese businessman working long hours, six days a week. He was struggling with balancing work and keeping his wife happy as she was struggling with a little child at home. They would often argue about who was carrying the biggest burden. During his lunch break, he opened Facebook and began scrolling. An advert popped up asking, 'Do you have a broken relationship requiring forgiveness?' The question makes him curious, so he clicked to anonymously connect with a Christian on a messaging app. This was the first contact he had ever had with a follower of Jesus.
OMF's mission is “to share the good news of Jesus Christ in all its fullness with the people of East Asia”. This means using any means available to communicate God’s love to people who have never heard about it before. There are people groups with millions of people who have never heard about Jesus. We have always used innovative ways of communicating the good news by means of literature, film, radio and more recently through the internet and social media.
People in East Asia are accessing the internet in huge numbers. Many people own a mobile phone and are now able to access all kinds of information and to be connected with others from all over the world. This gives opportunities for Christians to engage with East Asian people, young and old, in both cities and remote villages who have had very little exposure or understanding of the love of God for us in Jesus Christ.
Some examples of using digital technology to share the good news and nurture believers include:
Social Media Outreach
- A team in Thailand have developed an internet ministry called "ACCESS" which aims to connect with people searching for spiritual truth on-line. This includes sharing testimonies, Bible resources, and opportunities to connect with local churches through social media platforms.
- They encourage believers to share their faith stories through video testimonies posted on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.
- They plan to use live video streaming apps like Periscope to broadcast Bible studies and engage with followers.
All of these tools can be used to make connections with people who are hungry for a relationship with God through Jesus. As those connections deepen it is really important to meet them in person and then to connect them with a local church and believers who will disciple them further.
Video Production
- The International team produces ministry video updates from across East Asia to share on their website and with supporters, covering topics like serving cross-culturally, sending missionaries, welcoming internationals, mobilizing for missions, exploring missions, and prayer. Access
- The videos aim to mobilize people for missions, provide training resources, and give glimpses into OMF's ministries across East Asia.[1][4][5]
A Final Note
An OMF worker in Thailand, Reinout van Heiningen, summarised the reasons to make internet ministry a vital part of their strategy:
- “A Great Need. The masses of unsaved millions are gathering on the internet. The peoples of all nations are converging, with open hearts seeking the knowledge of truth. There are also millions of Christians traveling the cyber highway, seeking encouragement, friendship, and discipleship. There is also evil there, which the church must counter with the light of God’s truth and presence.
- A Great Mandate. The Lord’s Great Commission to the church is to evangelize by proclaiming the gospel to the world. As it was Christ’s purpose in coming to seek and save those who were lost, so must the church seek every way possible to follow Christ’s command and bring souls to him. With the hundreds of millions of East Asians who still have no access to the gospel or still don’t know God our task is not finished.
- A Great Opportunity. Never has there been such availability and ease with such a form of mass communication. Web pages, which can convey any message of our choosing and cost almost nothing to create, can be launched from anyone’s bedroom. Hundreds of millions of people are spending time every day on social networks. E-mail to any person on the Web is global, instant, and free. Through the internet, hundreds of millions of people we couldn’t reach before have come within reach.” [2]
By leveraging technology, social media, and professional video production, we are able to expand its outreach, connect with seekers on-line, equip believers to share their faith, and inspire more people to engage in missions to peoples in East Asia and beyond.[2][3]
Citations and links for further info:
[1] https://omf.org/au/video/6ways-pray/
[2] https://omf.org/mission-and-the-internet/
[3] https://opportunities.omf.org/roles/0190
[4] https://opportunities.omf.org/mission-asia/detail/Video-Producer/50406325
[5] https://opportunities.omf.org/mission-asia/detail/Professional-Filmmaker/50235186