In April 2021, HopeMedia Spain launched an evangelization project through social networks. As of May 2022, 30 churches had participated, with 906 people providing their contact details.
HopeMedia executives reported that of those interests, 237 are already studying the Bible in different cities in Spain and four have been baptized. They went from social media surfing to baptism waters.
How it works
From its official accounts, HopeMedia Spain posted ads on Facebook and Instagram offering Bible studies. These ads appear by geolocation in different cities.
Users see these ads when browsing their social networks, and interested people click on them, providing HopeMedia with contact details to contact them. This decision highlights the potential for new methods of evangelism. Seventh-day Adventist Church co-founder Ellen G. White said it well when she wrote, “Whatever your past practice is, it need not be repeated over and over again in the same way. way. God would follow new and untested methods…to surprise people” (Evangelism, p. 125).
A church involved
The realization of this project also requires the help of members of the local church to lead Bible studies. To make this happen, HopeMedia has encouraged lay members wishing to teach Bible studies to become volunteer tutors who will look after those interested.
These tutors should complete the online course “How to Conduct a Bible Study: 5 Steps” and have a good understanding of the Bible study material they will be teaching. Another requirement with the course is the training they receive in their local churches in this regard.
HopeMedia also recommends that along with the tutoring team, each church has a prayer team. The prayer team remains united in prayer for three specific things: those who are interested in the program; guardians; and the action of the Holy Spirit through these digital campaigns.
In this way, each member is involved in the mission, either through direct contact with interested persons or through the spiritual support of prayer.
Digital campaigns
When the local church is ready, it launches a digital campaign on social platforms. For a month, video and image ads appear on Facebook and Instagram in selected cities. Normally four or five churches are included in each campaign.
Through HopeMedia and The Voice of Hope, interested individuals who have provided their contact details are matched with local tutors. This allows local tutors to make direct contact with people interested in their city with the goal of starting meetings where they can study the Bible, either via video call or in person.
From June 2022 to December 2022, HopeMedia executives said, they hope to run four more digital campaigns that will cover 25 more churches across the country. “Pray for more people to get involved, so that many more can meet Jesus,” the leaders said. “There is a thirst for the Word of God; it’s time to keep sharing hope!
the original version of this story was published on the Inter-European Division news sites.
