In this episode, we hear from ‘Steve,’ a DMM social media catalyst and practitioner who shared at the 2024 Nairobi Conference. Steve gives us insight into how social media can be used to find people of peace and transition from online engagement to real-life disciple-making.
Steve’s journey highlights both the potential and limitations of digital disciple-making. He emphasises the importance of on-the-ground disciple-makers. His message is clear: we should use media wisely—to catalyse movements, not replace real-life discipleship.
Steve’s Story & Lessons Learned
“The faster that they can meet face to face, the more likely they are to multiply.”
While caring for his terminally ill wife, Steve turned to social media to continue making disciples. He initially tried online Discovery Bible Studies (DBS) but soon realised that true disciple-making requires face-to-face relationships. This led him to experiment with running ads to connect with seekers and find persons of peace.
One of the stories he shares is about Madonna, a young Muslim woman drawn to Jesus. However, she ultimately lacked a local disciple-maker to walk with her, underscoring the critical need for on-the-ground believers.
Challenges in Using Social Media for Disciple-Making
• Media doesn’t make disciples—only disciples make disciples.
“It’s easier to teach a disciple-maker how to use social media than it is to teach a social media person how to make disciples.”
• Broadcasting faith content isn’t enough; engagement and relationship-building are key.
• Online seekers need local, Spirit-filled believers to walk with them.
How Social Media to Movement Works (Finding People of Peace Online)
“Yes, social media is a dark place, but we need to be shining the light of Jesus into this darkness.”
1. Attracting Seekers – Media is used to attract spiritual seekers who are already on a spiritual journey.
2. Identifying Seekers – When engaging with people online, the goal isn’t to convince them but to identify those who are genuinely seeking.
3. Filtering Responses – Digital filterers help discern legitimate seekers through relational engagement rather than debate.
4. Connecting to Face-to-Face Discipleship – Once seekers are identified, they should be connected with local disciple-makers as quickly as possible. The faster they meet in person, the more likely they are to multiply.
Observations from the Most Fruitful Fields
• Disciple-making happens face-to-face, not online.
• Digital filterers should have bridge-building spiritual gifts. They focus on relational engagement rather than debating or convincing people.
• Effective disciple-makers prioritise starting groups within existing networks of seekers.
• Local, experienced, and proven disciple-makers are best suited for filtering seekers.
• The focus should be on disciple-makers, not just hiring people for online or offline engagement. This is spiritual work—social media is only an access ministry. We are not making disciples online.
• The most fruit often comes from the hardest places.
Steve’s Vision & Next Steps
Steve’s vision is to create systems, processes, and tools that anyone can use to find persons of peace online. The goal is to test, refine, and replicate these processes to train disciple-makers in DMM. The hope is to develop scalable systems that can be freely shared across the Kingdom of God.
What We Need to Use Social Media for Disciple-Making
• At least two committed disciple-making movement workers
• Access to laptops, computers, reliable phones, and internet
• A network of disciple-makers who can meet face-to-face with seekers
Steve’s Final Encouragement
“Let’s go and take everything we have learned to the ends of the earth.”
This episode challenges us to see social media not as the end goal but as a tool—one that can help find seekers and connect them with real-life disciple-makers. Are you ready to use digital tools wisely and shine the light of Jesus into the darkness?
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:23 — 11.8MB)
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