We have things to say. The Gospel of Christ is a powerful message that is transformative and needed to be proclaimed. The message needs to be heard, so that is can work with and in people to help them discover who they are and whose they are.
Today’s social and political reality has plenty of people yelling at each other, digging in our heels, and gearing up for a fight. Is this the most effective way to share the Gospel?
No. It’s not. In spreading the Gospel, our goal is not to “be right”, but to present the Word of God to others in the best way for them to hear it, internalize it and God-willing, act upon it.
But how do we do it? The Internet is a great tool for us to spread the message of Christ, be it doing it as such or by spreading the word about our ministries and programs. But how do we use it? How can we be effective preachers in the electronic space?
I finished a book this weekend by Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed In A Busy World. I’ve been a fan of Michael’s work for many, many years and this book doesn’t disappoint.
Michael is an Orthodox deacon, devoted father and husband, and the former CEO and current Chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishing, one of the largest (if not the largest) Christian publishing houses. He resigned his CEO position to begin speaking and writing more on the topic of intentional leadership, of which, communication is key to being effective.
Michael did not write Platform as a manual to spreading the Gospel online, but the advice and suggestions given in the book are applicable across the board, including ministry, and from knowing his work for some time and reading the book, are completely compatible with the Christian message.
He writes the book not from perspective of a 20-something year-old geek like me who would be on Twitter either way, but as a successful CEO who himself found the time to make communicating using social media and the Internet as a priority to communicating his message to the broader world. And it worked too. Now with 225,000 subscribers (between Twitter and his e-mail newsletter), Michael has built up a following who are not only willing to hear him speak, but as excited to do so.
I know we are all too busy in ministry. For those in full-time ministry, there are 28 hours worth of work to do each day, I know. For those volunteering, there is always more work to be done than the few hours you have to do it. I know our priests are pulled a thousand different directions to do a thousand different important things in each.
Even though, we are too busy, we still need to take the time to ensure we are communicating our message, the message of Christ, in the most effective means possible.
My only solid critique is that it seemed to me, as a fan of the author, the vast majority of the material was available online on his blog previously, but I do admit that the ease for the reader in having it all in one place and organized to be a single reference is worth it.
Platform is a great, quick read that can help anyone lay the framework to be successful online communicators. From the first-time volunteer to the pastor, everyone can pick up great tips and ideas from this book.
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