MinistryNet: Antalya 2009 October 18-22

What strategies should we use to help more new believers online pursue discipleship?

1. How fast I connect them. I should connect them as soon as I can.
2. Personal relationship online. So people will feel that there is someone in the other side understands what he is saying.
3. The way of answering emails should be attractive and brief answers. And also it should be personal not copying an article and paste it the emails.
4. We should have training of how to answer emails in a good way.
5. Automatic emails. Ask questions in emails.
6. Ask eMentors to email people who have not responded.
7. Connecting them with social networks or instant messenger. Invite them to continue in this way.
8. Encourage them into the virtual discipleship process.
9. Skypleship.
10. Rescue strategy from TopCretien.com. Screen appears when someone tries to leave from the homepage. “Before leaving, we would like to tell you that by continuing on the site, you can get free resources, free Bibles, and free interaction with our coaches.” 70% recovery rate and don’t leave the site. Don’t use popups which are blocked. Use Windows warning message.
11. Have different options for the followup process. Offer options like: Online chat. Automatic emails. Online bible study.
12. Investigate how to better use social networks. The power of Facebook. People feel very secure in groups, especially with their friends. Create small discipleship groups on facebook. Train someone to lead. After some time, the eMentor withdraws from the group and the newly trained leader continues leading. Then he/she can multiply by training another person to lead.
13. Use online “person of peace” strategy. Look for a person of peace. Train the person how to collect a group around him/her.
14. Count “virtual” time as ministry time. Change the idea that time on Facebook is non-ministry, wasted time.
15. Encourage face to face meetings.
16. Respond quickly when a message arrives. Quick responses communicate value.
17. Use autoresponder system.
18. Connect converts to similar people. People like people like themselves.>
19. Invite people into our social groups. Invite them to join your facebook group.
20. Encourage converts to tell someone about their faith.
21. “Baptize them”. Baptism means identify and become part of a community. Help them publicly identify with others. Enter into accountability with others as a necessary step.
22. Don’t drop the ball. When we delegate contacts to our teams, use metrics to know if they waited too long or whatever. Use a followup administration process/system to prompt and train them to respond.
23. Have video followup. Real people, really talking. Short films or short pieces asking questions. Open possibility for anyone to be involved in these conversations.
24. Have eMentors make a short YouTube video of themselves that they can send a link to inquirers.
25. Have small social groups for study. Use social networks to get converts into groups.
26. By asking questions. Trying to understand the new converts.
27. Present truth in small pieces, not large theological dumps. The focus should be on the interaction as much as on the content.
28. Use a push, not only a pull. Push information to them.
29. Providing an online community. Get people into groups. Allow them to relate to each other. Move to communication other than email. (Email is one-to-one, we need group interaction.)
30. Find multiple ways to increase the  relational element. Keep the conversation going to help deter dropoff.
31. Find other ways of connecting with the person. Become a friend in a social network. Use chat messenging. Ask questions about non-theological things to communicate that you are interested in his/her life.
32. Look for ways to disciple by groups, not by individuals. Get into online groups.
33. Give them a lot of options, not just one thing.
34. Get into groups so that you can learn from one another. Use 2 group leaders and several group members. Learn from one another.
35. Give them opportunities that increase commitment. Opportunities to get involved locally.
36. Be clear about what will happen in the groups they join.
37. Some people like to read things. Some people like to watch videos, listen to music. Find out how the person likes to receive ideas and direct them appropriately.
38. Make videos of people who have completed our online groups or courses. Allow them to tell what they learned, how they enjoyed it. Make these videos available to new converts to encourage them to join a group.
39. Help new converts know how “Christian things” work. Explain how church works. Explain what Christian things are.
40. Formerly, believe-behave-belong. Now behave-belong-believe. Help them get to the end.
41. Engage people to pray.
42. If someone tries to leave without filling a response form, open another window with options for online followup.
43. Suggest good questions the person may be facing. Allow them to ask for information on a question selected from those above the form.
44. Include information that would increase their interest in continuing. Followup email should include the same additional information to make good continuity.
45. Followup should focus on truth, relationship and service. In relationship part, encourage to join groups. Can be done through Facebook, mobile phones. For service part, encourage convert to volunteer, to eMentor new friends from the website.
46. Deal with misconceptions about what it means to be a Christian. Pre-followup.
47. Mobile learning applications that walk people through the discipleship process.
48. Pursue some mobile applications
49. Introduce virtual multiplication from the initial contact in follow-up.
50. Find out about them so you can best understand them and their needs.