This document discusses the potential dangers of media ministries losing sight of their ultimate goals in focusing too much on metrics like recorded decisions. It argues media is meant to connect people to Christ and local fellowships, not be the end itself. It acknowledges the temptation to prioritize what donors want to hear about. The document advocates for measuring engagement and follow-through, not just audience reach. It emphasizes the journey to belief is process, not event, and media must partner with churches to shepherd seekers to commitment and discipleship.

2. ALWAYS A POTENTIAL DANGER
IT’S POSSIBLE TO FOCUS ON
REFINEMENT OF “MEANS” &
LOSE SIGHT OF THE “ENDS”

3. MY ASSUMPTION
“Media” are not the end game. In FEBC
International, the point of our efforts is
to see people come to a full, personal
relationship with Christ & be in
relationship with other believers in some
type of local fellowship – demonstrating
the transformational power of Christ at
every level of the community

4. WHAT’S THE TEMPTATION?
“OUR ENTIRE FOCUS IS ON
RECORDED DECISIONS BECAUSE
THAT WHAT OUR DONORS WANT
TO HEAR ABOUT…”
MAJOR INTERNET MINISTRY LEADER

5. THE MEDIA WORLD IS
INTENSELY COMPETITIVE
“We write the
equivalent of some
520 million books
every day on social
media and email.”
Clive Thompson
Thinking Out Loud
WIRED Magazine
09/2013

6. EXAMPLE OF THE NEW MEDIA
THE MOBILE WEB
2013 figures
80 per cent of the world’s
mobile handsets will be
smartphones by 2015*
2008 figures

7. EXAMPLE: THE DIGITAL MIDDLE EAST
Over the last three years 200,000 Bibles have
been downloaded to the Arabian Peninsula
(AP). The Arab world is booming in websites –
with nearly 15 million hits per month.
Christian chat rooms aimed at the AP are
visited by 50,000 people/day. Satellite TV,
radio, Bluetooth – a whole new generation is
being exposed to the gospel as never before.
Cited by Arabian Peninsula Network

8. THE BIG PICTURE – IN BUSINESS TERMS:
 Christian media have often developed a
spectacularly successful customer
lead/prospect generation system
 But, they have effectively little or no
intentional customer and/or sales followup!

9. THE OBVIOUS CHALLENGE:
WHAT TO DO?
Electronic/Digital Media –
Provides “Personal Proximity”
That Is Part Of A Distant,
Massive Footprint
Christian Fellowship –
Provides “Personal Proximity”
That Is Highly Local & Face to
Face

10. QUESTIONS
 Do we need a new basis for measuring
media effectiveness – how about an
“engagement index”?
 Consider the full challenge -- indices for
 Getting the audience?
 Holding the audience?
 Engaging the audience?
 Connecting the audience?

11. JOURNEY TO BELIEF: IMPLICATIONS FOR
THE MEDIA
LUKE 8:40-56/ HOLY SPIRIT PROCESS
 Communications is a process not
an event.
 Decision to follow & grow in
Christ is a process not an event.
 All decisions have contexts – the
audience is always changing.
 Beginning the journey with Christ
is just that – a beginning.

12. EVERYONE: JOURNEY TO BELIEF
KNOWLEDGE
(+)
MOTIVATION &
ATTITUDE
(-)
(+)
(-)

13. AUDIENCE JOURNEY TO BELIEF
Bartemaeus, Nicodemus, & the Pharisees
With thanks to Everett Rogers, Diffusion of Innovation
Innovators
Resistant
Early
Adopters
Late
Adopters
General Public
High Motivation: High/
Acceptable Risk
Low Motivation: Low/
Acceptable Risk
Adoption of New Ideas/Practices & Risk/Reward Considerations

14. BUILDING THE CHURCH -- TOGETHER
Matthew 13, John 4:35-39, I Corinthians 1:4-9
Growth of Church
 Active in Evangelism/
 Faithful Life Bearing Fruit
 Growing Maturity
 Babe on Milk
Discipling
Point of Commitment
Reaping
Watering
 Sowing
 Stone clearing
 General Revelation
Does Not Know Christ


 Mature
 Early
Believer
Believer
 Decision
 Seeker
 Indifferent
 Antagonist

15. JOURNEY TO BELIEF: DECISION MAKING
LUKE 8:40-50 / HOLY SPIRIT PROCESS
COMMITMENT
ACTION
DECISION
CONVICTION
INFORMATION
REFLECTION
REINFORCEMENT
MOTIVATION

16. EVERYONE’S JOURNEY TO BELIEF
Knowledge
(+)
Motivation &
Attitude
(-)
(+)
(-)

17. GENERAL
REVELATION
MEDIA
RADIO/TV
INTERNET
LARGE GROUP
EVENTS
INTERPERSONAL
PRAYER &
FAITHFULNESS
A
N
T
A
G
O
N
I
S
T
S
I
N
D
I
F
F
E
R
E
N
T
IMPLICIT MSG
STONE
CLEARING
S
E
E
K
E
R
S
B
E
L
I
E
V
E
R
S
HIGH
MEDIA
IMPACT
LOW
MEDIA
IMPACT
EXPLICIT MSG
SOWING/
WATERING
REAPING
DISCIPLING

18. PARTNERSHIP?
IMPERATIVE FOR THE
MEDIA & THE CHURCH

19. EFFECTIVENESS A FUNCTION OF
SPECIFICITY: CONTEXT IS AS
IMPORTANT AS THE SYSTEM
1. Nature of the Audience
2. Socio/Religious History of Reception
Area
3. Hostility/Risk Index
4. Security
5. Status & Nature of the Church in the
Reception Area

20. TYPICAL F-U & “INTEGRATION”
MODELS








Audience relation response (auto reply)
Send evangelistic/discipleship materials
Refer to online discipleship course such as
www.LooktoJesus.com, www.alpha.com,
www.ichristianlife.com
E-coaching conversation/chat
Pair e-coaching with discipleship site
Point them to start simple house church
Invite to an online church/virtual church
Refer to OTG one-to-one follow-up

21. E-COACHES/ONLINE MISSIONARIES

Why.Jesus.net has over 1000 “e-coaches”

BCC has 60 chat operators
GMO has over 8,000 “online missionaries;”
demand is there for 10,000 now

Even the largest follow-up system cannot
stay ahead of the numbers

22. PARTNERSHIP: ACTION STEPS?
 Awareness about,
acknowledgement of the problem:
Media & Investors
 Motivation/Commitment to Change
 Agreed “Industry” Standards &
Metrics: Media & Investors
 Regional/Local Church Engaged
(FEBC Regions?)
 Build Effective Case Histories

23.  Will It Be Easy? No
 Will It Happen Quickly? No
 Will It Take Vision and
Tenacity? Yes
 Will It Take The Sustained
Backing of A Few Major
Influentials? Yes!
 Will It Take The Blessing of
God? Yes!

25. http://www.slideshare.com/visionsynergy
http://conversation.lausanne.org/en/resources/
detail/13351