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Today, the teenagers in your youth group interact with their friends more through social media than face-to-face conversations—constantly snapping pictures and sharing funny “memes” with each other.
While social media provides a lot of fun, it also comes with dangers and temptations that can make any parent or youth pastor nervous. So how do we help our students wisely use social media as followers of Christ?
Well, instead of telling Christian teenagers to simply run away from the danger, what if we taught them to play the offense and reclaim social media for good—for the gospel?
With the hundreds, if not thousands, of friends that teenagers have on their social media accounts, they have unprecedented potential to share the gospel with a big crowd. They’ve got the platform and the audience—all they need is some practical training, prayer, and encouragement to start bringing up the gospel.
Sharing the Gospel, One Post at a Time
There are lots of creative ways your teenagers can bring up their faith to get their lost friends thinking about God. Here are a few ideas to get them started:
1. Ask gospel-conversation-starting questions
Challenge your students to post a few of the following thought-provoking conversation starters, maybe in a Tweet or a Facebook status.
- Experiencing God’s forgiveness in my own life challenges me to be less judgmental of others because…
- Here’s why I know I’ll go to heaven after I die…
- My personal relationship with Jesus made a difference in my life this week by…
2. Let a powerful video do the talking
Videos can often communicate what a written message can’t, helping us feel the emotion and understand difficult concepts. Sharing a spiritually thought-provoking video can trigger a follow-up conversation of eternal significance with an unsaved friend.
Dare 2 Share’s YouTube channel has tons of video resources your teenagers can easily share online. Be sure to check out the SALT video clips and the Life in 6 Words presentation of the G.O.S.P.E.L. that will get their friends thinking about what Jesus means to them.
3. Use a picture and caption to bring up the gospel
Ask your teenagers to find quality pictures they could use to bring up some of the “big questions” in life on a Facebook or Instagram post. Or better yet, if you have aspiring photographers in your youth group, challenge them to share their own pictures for the purpose of launching a thoughtful spiritual conversation, when paired with captions like: “What do you think God is like?” or “Why are we here, anyway?”
Ask your kids to come back to youth group ready to share what they did and what conversations resulted from their posts. By sharing the hope they have in Christ, your teenagers can truly reclaim social media for God’s kingdom.
If we want to meet lost teenagers with the gospel right where they’re at, we don’t need to look any further than social media. This 21st-century tool is one of the most strategic platforms our students have to reach their friends for Christ, so let’s equip them to post, message, and share for the advancement of the gospel!
For a more in-depth guide to advancing the gospel on social media, including tips for youth leaders, ready-to-post links, and more, check out Dare 2 Share’s newest eBook on 4 Tactics to Advancing the Gospel on Social Media.