You Are Already an Internet Evangelist

By Frank Johnson on October 6, 2019 0

You Are Already an Internet Evangelist — Photo courtesy of Kaitlyn Baker. Used by permission.

In her excellent article entitled You’re Already Doing Internet Evangelism, so Do It Well, Amber Stamper interviews Tony Whitaker who was the founder of the Web Evangelism Guide and then coordinator of Internet Evangelism Day until his retirement in 2015.

Amber prefaces her interview with Tony with this incisive paragraph:

If you’re a Christian and you’re online, you’re engaging in Internet evangelism. For some, this may be an inconvenient truth. But if we are honest with ourselves, regardless of how explicitly Christian the content is that we share, our online activity — pages we Like, photos we Instagram, articles we tweet, and all other interests, opinions, and personal details we make publicly available — is a depiction of our lives in Christ and serves as a witness.

In response to Amber’s questions, Tony provides helpful information — not only about Internet Evangelism Day (which was the main subject of the interview in many ways) — but also about digital evangelism in general. Having corresponded with Tony from time to time in the past, it was no surprise to me to see that he emphasized relationship, noting that “most lasting adult conversions results from a period of 2+ years in which the most significant factor is a relationship with a Jesus-follower.”

This dovetails with our conviction that community is the foundation of all effective outreach.

About Frank Johnson

Frank is a 1985 graduate of Bethany College in Scotts Valley, California (B.S. Ministerial Studies) and a licensed minister with the Northern California and Nevada District Council of the Assemblies of God. Frank has been an internet strategist for over 20 years, applying principles of digital media strategy to spread the gospel. In addition, he is the author of Find A Job Through A Temporary Service, “Bringing in the Outcast” (under pen name, John Norman) in Issue 43 (January 1, 1988) of Discipleship Journal, and numerous articles in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

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