Short-Term Teams with a Long-Term Witness ~ via facebook ~
On the Train
“Hi!”
“Hello. Where from?”
“California.”
“Why you come to Japan?”
“To make friends!”
The Japanese girl, in her grey-and-white school uniform, struggled with English, but Mike, the short-term (ST) team leader, gently encouraged her and soon they were laughing over his cellphone photos of home and church. As we neared our stop on the Osaka Loop Line, I offered to take their photo and got a good snap of their peace signs and smiles. I asked if she knew about Facebook and if it was okay to put the photo online where she and her friends could see it.
ST Missions Questions
If you have hosted or sent ST missionaries, you have probably wrestled with questions like: How can ST workers have a lasting impact? And, how can we stay in touch with the contacts they make? I have struggled with these questions since hosting our first ST team in 1997, but now social media is providing new answers. I used to encourage our ST workers to send Christmas cards to their new Japanese friends in order to stay in touch, but, while talking with Mike about plans for his 2012 team, I asked, “Why not use Facebook?”
Using a Facebook Group
Mike’s ST team responded enthusiastically. They created a Facebook group, 6000 Miles for 1000 Friends, and wore big nametags featuring the Facebook group name. From the moment they arrived, signing up new friends on Facebook became an integral part of their trip. On the second day, they signed up seventeen new Japanese contacts. By the end of their twelve days in Japan, their Facebook group had grown to over three hundred members. Some of these were church members or personal friends, but many were first-time contacts they had met on the trains and streets of Osaka.
The purpose was serious, but the approach was light-hearted, “Hi, we’re from California! We’re only here for twelve days, but we’re trying to make 1,000 new friends.” Most young Japanese welcomed it as a fun game, sometimes even urging their friends to sign up also. The team members competed in boldly approaching people and inviting them to join the Facebook group. A tall, young African-American man was the most popular—all the Japanese girls wanted to get their photo taken with him and they were eager to sign up so they could share the photos with their friends.
In addition to sharing photos, the Facebook group became a natural place for posting Bible verses, prayer requests, personal news updates, and words of encouragement. When the ST team members gave their testimonies in our church with an interpreter, we made videos and uploaded them to Facebook for their new friends to watch. Nearly everyone we asked knew about Facebook and seemed comfortable with having their photos posted on the group page, even if they weren’t Facebook members. Some used their smart phones to join Facebook on the spot, and more signed up within a few days, using the information cards we gave them.
Long-term Witness
Months after the ST team returned to the States, members continued to post to the group, and three years later I am still posting event invitations, Scriptures, and more. The Facebook group provides a long-term channel to continue sharing about Jesus in a low-key and non-threatening way, and Facebook messages provide a simple way to contact individual group members when desired.
In many countries, ST teams provide medical or dental assistance, dig wells, or help with building homes or churches. In most of Japan, hands-on ministries like those are rarely an option, and it can be difficult to find ST work that has a lasting impact. Many ST teams coming to Japan focus on friendship evangelism, but this is also difficult when a team is in Japan for only a short time. Facebook and other social media platforms offer new options for making contacts and staying in touch long-term.
The Japanese school girl that Mike met on the train happily joined Facebook and is still in the 6000 Miles for 1000 Friends group. I pray that one day she will place her faith in Jesus and join a good church. Meanwhile, it’s a joy to know that she and many others are able to see the Scripture postings and event invitations that we continue to share with the group.
Doing it Better
We are sharing about this approach with future ST teams from the beginning of the planning stages so they can recruit social media savvy team members and involve their support team in developing ideas and posting appropriate content. One church we visited last year hosted a discussion meeting for potential ST workers at which we proposed using Facebook, and the idea was very well received. We expect to host a team from this church in 2016 and are praying that the Lord will bring team members who are ready to build lasting relationships with the people they meet during their ST mission.
Facebook and other social media platforms have the potential to transform short-term mission activities and brief face-to-face encounters into long-term evangelism and discipleship opportunities. How will you respond to the challenge of using these new tools for the Kingdom of God?