People of Peace
Suppose I’m not a public figure and I only have a couple hundred followers. I can tweet often and tweet well, but I will only ever reach my limited number of followers with my message.
How do I spread my message farther? Retweets.
If I can deliver relevant and interesting content to my followers, maybe one or two will retweet me. Now, I can multiply my reach exponentially.
The first lesson here is that planting a church is good, but planting a church that plants other churches is better. More people are reached with the gospel, which is our ultimate goal after all.
The second lesson is that expats shouldn’t be the only church planters. Rather, they should find indigenous people of peace who will run with the Good News farther than we can as cultural outsiders. Influential locals especially can reach more people more quickly with clearer language and superior cultural understanding.
It’s usually more strategic to have locals do most of the teaching and preaching.
Message Context
Sometimes, people will tweet a mystery link with no explanation. Now, the link may be a fantastic article, amusing video or heartwarming story, but I will never see it.
I don’t bother clicking on stuff I don’t understand.
Likewise, it is good for us to offer the full gospel couched in terms people can relate to. Redemptive analogies can help a lot. They pull people into the gospel narrative in ways mysterious concepts lacking context never can.
Content
What tweets do I click on?
- Tweets from people I respect
- Pithy quotes
- Photos and videos
What does that mean for CPM?
Be worthy of respect
Workers need to be perceived as men and women of honor. Our reputation directly influences Jesus’ reputation. All of our activities need to be viewed through the lens of, “How does this make Jesus look?”
Be fluent
Learn the languaculture! The ability to communicate important spiritual concepts effectively is invaluable to church planters. Make this a real priority.
Be colorful
Whenever he helps revise my work, my writer friend likes to say, “You’re telling me. SHOW me.” Don’t just talk about the gospel; live it.
We want a CPM! It’s not enough to accurately recite the gospel. We need to teach others what it looks like to swim in it. We are example-setters to example-setters and people need to see us in action.
What else?
What else can Twitter teach us about CPM?
Comment or tweet @welcomeethne.
Welcome Ethne 