How iMissionaries came to be.
(Magazine Article)
I’ve always had great appreciation for the Good and Evil comic book. It is the best printed tool besides the Bible I’ve ever seen for reaching ordinary people. I remember when the black and white version was first published and I got my hands on a copy. I read it straight through (I like to read :)) and was blown away with the clear message of redemption. I started dreaming of ways I could get that book in the hands of thousands of people. I could just picture myself standing in the back of an old pickup truck passing out thousands of Good and Evil’s to third world people. Man, as I write these words my heart still beats quickly at the thought of doing that. Maybe I’ll get a chance someday, but for this time in my life God has something else for me.
It never occurred to me that there was a quicker and more efficient way to get the message out.
In the spring of 2013 I felt God leading me to move down to middle Tennessee. I had a nice life in Delaware with a great job. My goal in life was to work hard and start a side business that could support my family and a life filled with “mission trips” and ministry. I had decided that Delaware was where I and my family would put our roots down –but God had something else for me.
Well, (Sidenote: I’m a bit of a visionary) here I was in Tennessee with no job and barely any money. Just two days after I moved here, I was working with Mike on his house project. Within a few weeks’ time I was sitting at a computer in the NGJ office putting up of Good and Evil for free download on the internet. Talk about exciting -I felt like pumping my fist in the air and shouting Hallelujah! I had a job and I had an awesome opportunity to touch thousands of lives all around the world!
When I started, the English version was already online at http://goodandevilbook.com but Mike and Debi wanted to see all of the completed languages freely available via the internet. I had built webpages in the past and so had a good basic understanding of this work. I didn’t realize though the challenges that a multilingual website faced.
After much research and work, there are now close to 40 languages available on Goodandevilbook.com. Boy, talk about cool! My visions are being fulfilled in a way I completely did not expect. Instead of handing out hard copies of Good and Evil I am handing thousands (and hopefully millions) of people free access to the greatest story ever told -the story of Redemption.
After getting the books online, my next task was to get them into the hands of as many people as possible. This involves SEO work, getting them listed on search engines and directories around the world, building back links from other websites, getting it on social media….then DING! The light came on for me. What if I could get other people to help me? What if there was an army of people all dedicated to getting the message out? One person sitting at a computer can make a difference, but what if a thousand people where sitting at computers all laboring together for a common goal?
Man, we’re gettin somewhere now!
From this, iMissionaries was born. You’ve heard of iPhone and iTunes, well how about iMissionaries? I can see it now, a mighty army of warriors all doing battle on the internet for Jesus. We talk about using Facebook for evangelism but in truth that is only a starting point. The field is huge and the potential is almost hard to comprehend. How about some mind-boggling statistics?
- There are over 150 active social media site around the world. 16 of these have more than 100 million active users.
- If Facebook were a country it would be the 5th largest country in the world.
- 96% of everyone ages 18-30 live in, “the country of Facebook.”
- Twitter adds over 200 new users to their site every minute!
We have the potential to fulfill the Great Commission in our generation! If we have the ability to connect to the peoples of the world right from our home, how come we’re not taking full advantage of this? The answer is found in the very nature of what “social media” is. By default it lends itself to idleness, gossip, and critical thoughts. It’s high time we take control of our social media and internet habits. Instead of wasting time browsing endless status updates and getting our fill of the latest gossip, let’s use social media for the glory of God. I can advance the Kingdom of God by myself one step at a time but if you catch a vision for His work and join me, together we can make a HUGE eternal impact that will be felt all around the world.
I’ve outlined a battle plan below. Read it, follow it, and link up with me through the iMissionaries website. This needs to be a collaborative project propelled by the efforts of ordinary people like you and me. If you’ve got questions or ideas, or just need help navigating the website and tutorials give me a call or email me here.
The Battle Plan
Our ultimate goal is to see lives transformed. Here are some basic steps for you to follow:
- Promote the message of the iMissionaries project.
You can do this by “liking” our Facebook page.
http://facebook.com/imissionaries - Signup for email updates on our website.
https://imissionaries.org/signup/ - Start the online training available from the website.
Explore and learn ways of digital evangelism like Facebook Ads and the Gospel Box. - Promote Jesus Christ on Facebook and other social media.
For most people FB is the easiest place to start. You’re probably comfortable here and it is a good starting point.
