one to one: Lessons about life & Ministry

by Eddie Moody, Executive Secretary, National Association of Free Will Baptists

Using Technology to Disciple

By 2015, 72% of U.S. adults reported owning a smartphone, [1] and more than 90% of U.S. children had a digital presence before their second birthday. [2] Love technology and social media or hate it, we cannot escape it. The question is: can we use this technology to disciple others?

Model

The Apostle Paul frequently taught it was important to live wisely in the world (Ephesians 5:15). We can model this wisdom through careful posting and texting. Conversely, if we don’t post and text well, we reduce our ability to disciple others. Paul instructed us to be careful lest our behavior become a “stumbling block” (1 Corinthians 8:9). Our posts and tweets are observed by a diverse group of people with all kinds of strongly held views and opinions. We must be careful when posting about anything political or controversial that can alienate others from the gospel. Most of us do not start the day thinking, “How can I turn people away from the gospel on Facebook today?” But it is easy to err, and often we fail to think through how a post or tweet might be perceived.

First Corinthians 9 provides a helpful guide to follow. Paul instructed us to put ourselves in the shoes of a variety of people so we might by all means save some (1 Corinthians 9:19-22). As we post and text, we must ask “What kind of impact might this have?”

Another area we can become a stumbling block is through expressions of anger. Often, people on social media operate without a filter. This leads to harsh comments and stinging arguments. Sometimes, we need to enact Proverbs 26:5 and provide an answer to others. Usually, it is more useful to employ Proverbs 26:4 and say nothing to avoid looking foolish or needless online arguments.

Too often, our social media activity embraces the eye-for-an-eye approach when we would do better to turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39), ignoring perceived insults or slights. We must discipline ourselves (1 Corinthians 9:27) to keep our digital behavior from becoming a stumbling block. Self-control will give us opportunities to disciple and be salt and light (Matthew 5:39-40).

When texting, we must watch our tone (Proverbs 15:1) and know when it is best to talk to someone in person. Be thoughtful and polite. Negative dialogue, even when well-meaning and constructive is difficult when you are not face-to-face.

Monitor

People who have grown up with social media don’t think twice about disclosing personal information. [3] Therefore, social media can inform us about what people are thinking, and how they are impacted by the culture. Research indicates some of the highest consumers of social media often struggle with depression and eating disorders. [4] If you want to know the struggles of your congregation or those to whom you minister, just look at their Facebook page or Twitter feed. It will help you pray for them and gather information to help them.

Encourage

We are called to encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11). This is certainly possible through technology. While most discipleship occurs face to face, a brief text provides a quick touch, a simple reminder we are thinking of and praying for someone. We can positively impact people just by liking their status or new profile picture or commenting on their post. However, be careful to private message anything of a sensitive nature, such as a condolence to a grieving widow.

The key is to use technology as a discipleship tool rather than allowing it to use us. Let us do all things well (1 Corinthians 10:31) and let our speech (posts and texts) be seasoned with grace (Colossians 4:5-6) as another discipleship tool.

Studies Cited:

1 J. Poushter.  Smartphone Ownership and Internet Usage Continues to Climb in Emerging Economies.  Pew Research Center, February 22, 2016.  Assessed at https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2016/02/22/smartphone-ownership-and-internet-usage-continues-to-climb-in-emerging-economies/on September 5, 2019.

2 Digital Birth: Welcome to the Online World:  AVG Study Finds a Quarter of Children Have Online Births Before Their Actual Birth Dates.  Business Wire.  October 06, 2010. Accessed at https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20101006006722/en/Digital-Birth-Online-World on September 6, 2019.

3 D. Rosenblum, "What Anyone Can Know: The Privacy Risks of Social Networking Sites," in IEEE Security & Privacy,5, (3), 40-49, May-June 2007.  Assessed at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=4218550&isnumber=4218538on September 5, 2019.
A. Mabe, J. Forney, & P. Keel.  Do You "Like" My Photo? Facebook Use Maintains Eating Disorder Risk. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 47(10). Accessed at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260410682_Do_You_Like_My_Photo_Facebook_Use_Maintains_Eating_Disorder_Riskon September 6, 2019.

4 D. I. A. Kramer, J. E. Guillory, & J. T. Hancock, Experimental evidence of massive-scale emotional contagion through social networks.  Proceedings of the  National Academy of Science United States of America, 111 (29) 10779.  Accessed at https://www.pnas.org/content/111/24/8788 on September 6, 2019.

About the columnist. One to One is a regular feature of ONE Magazine. Written by Eddie Moody, executive secretary of the National Association of Free Will Baptists, the column explores life and ministry. Contact Eddie: emoody@nafwb.org.