He concludes:

Facebook: A Tool for Ministry
If Facebook is tapping into this spiritual need then the church at large must ask the question of how this social networking site can be used to further bless people. For many people in the church, Facebook may initially seem like a threat to “real” community. But the reality is, if the church were to ignore Facebook and other social networking sites being used today, it would lose touch with a significant way that people are trying to experience community.

In our current society, trying to create community in ways that are prescribed by scripture is a very difficult task. Given all that has been mentioned about the fragmentation of our world, it makes sense that creating this type of network of relationships is challenging. Michael Hayes in his discussion of ministry amongst Generation X and Millenials described it as an attempt at “herding cats.” With the diverse and mobile presence of young people in society, there is desire for connection to happen instantaneously. The attempt to gather people in the context of church services and small group meetings may not prove to be the most effective in initially establishing relationships.

Ministers who seek to reach people know that an important part of their work lies in listening. As mentioned earlier, people are eager to share their stories, and in many cases are looking for someone to listen to them. Effective ministry begins with the ability to listen, observe and see how God may be already at work in a persons life. We see this posture vividly displayed in Acts 17 as Paul interacts with the Greek philosophers in Athens. It is only after he observes their city, their religion, and studies their poetry that Paul begins to speak about the name of Jesus. The crux of his message ultimately centers on this idea that what they are worshipping in ignorance, can ultimately be known through the person of Jesus. John Drane notes this important part of Paul’s ministry and makes the claim that according to the Biblical model of ministry, there is “a need to listen before we speak.”

Had Facebook been present during the time of Paul’s visit to Athens I would assume that he would have “become friends” with many Athenians before he began his sermon. Facebook allows for ministers to listen and observe the stories, thoughts and ideas of people that they are ministering to. Though they may not always be things that are holy and righteous, often times what we find on Facebook is an authentic picture of what is going on for a person. These web pages are an opportunity to listen and observe and can be an important tool for any person who seeks to be a spiritual influence in the lives of people.

Another reason why Facebook is a powerful tool for ministry is that it is a significant avenue by which the church can become incarnational. Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch, in their book “The Shaping of Things to Come” speak of the need for the church to move from an attractional mode of ministry to an incarnational mode of ministry. Instead of inviting people to “come to us,” the call of the missional church is to “go to them.”

Often times Christians who have been absorbed in church life and culture, find themselves surrounded with relationships that are only within the church. In order to alleviate this, Frost and Hirsch suggest that Christians need to create a web of relationships where they can come into contact with people outside of the church.

“We propose that the web of relationships, friendships, and acquaintances that Christians normally have makes up the net into which not-yet-Christians will swim…Some will know each other, others will not, but the network of friendships will intersect at a variety of levels and degrees. Some of these not-yet-Christians will be close to identifying themselves as Christians, and other will not want to at all. But it’s in the commitment to strengthening these bonds that the missional-incarnational mode functions best.”

The idea of finding this type of “net” can be a difficult task for many Christians. But with Facebook, the “net” becomes easily attainable. Everything about Facebook is catered towards creating a web of relationships. It may be that Facebook can serve as a tool for developing relationships outside of the church, so that the Kingdom of God can indeed come near to people.

Conclusion
Facebook is among other social networking sites that have accessed a part of people’s soul that are longing for something more. Though we live in an age where it seems that information and machines are taking over the souls of humans, it is clear that no matter how powerful they may become, the cry of the human soul will always ring louder. Jeremy Rifkin in an article from the Los Angeles Times” claims:

“The techno gurus promised us that instant access would lighten our loads and give us back more time. Is it possible, instead, that the nanosecond culture is enslaving us in a web of ever-accelerating connections from which there seems to be no escape?”

After looking at how powerful Facebook has become, the question that we must ask is whether or not there is even a need to “escape.” As Christians who are looking to be missional we may need to learn how to navigate these ever-accelerating connections. Though it challenges our concepts of ministry and relational connection, it may be that God is giving us an opportunity to further his Kingdom in a way that will address what people really need.

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