This is the eighth session in our multi-part video series on internet evangelism.

In this session, we look at Acts 2:42-47, another passage which demonstrates the need for Christian community as a foundation for effective outreach.

This is the seventh session in our multi-part video series on internet evangelism.

In this session, we look at another passage which demonstrates the need for Christian community as a foundation for effective outreach — Luke 10:1-9.

Here is the sixth session in our multi-part video series on internet evangelism.

In this session, we examine an important biblical principle of evangelism and begin a section of our series in which we will see how that biblical principle can and should be applied to internet evangelism. John 17:20-23 is the first passage we explore to learn more about this biblical principle.

Here is the fifth session in our multi-part video series on internet evangelism.

In this session, we address a common fear that can become a barrier to the effective use of the internet by the church. We then share several simple ways in which you can become involved in internet evangelism.

Here are some links to resources referenced in this video presentation:

• Sample Email Signatures
• Places to Submit Your Profile
• Evangelistic Websites
• Resources Section (for the Quotations Screen Saver)
• Ideas for Evangelistic Business Cards from The Web Evangelism Guide

Here is the fourth session in our multi-part video series on internet evangelism.

In this session, we share several examples of how the church has used technology throughout history and encourage the church today to make similar use of the internet to declare the gospel throughout the world.

Here is the third session in our multi-part video series on internet evangelism.

In this session, we examine the way in which first century Christian missionaries used the “agora” or the marketplace (the place where people gathered to buy and sell, exchange philosophies and ideas, interact socially, and obtain information) to declare the gospel. We also contend that the internet is the “agora” of today and that the church should be active in that marketplace, strategically using it to further God’s kingdom around the world.

Here is the second session in our multi-part video series on internet evangelism.

In this session, we briefly compare the circumstances which God had orchestrated in the first century to circumstances and events which we believe He is orchestrating today. This pattern presents a question for the church of the 21st century — will we take advantage of the circumstances and events which God is orchestrating to further God’s kingdom?

In the past, I’ve experimented a bit with video blogging on another blog I run (which is fairly dormant to be honest) — ProdigalGod.com. I have long wanted to create a series of videos on internet evangelism, and this post represents my first attempt at completing that project.

This is largely an experiment for me, and I recognize that the videos are not perfect. The video quality itself is better on this site than the quality of the videos on ProdigalGod.com because I used a Sony camcorder to create these videos (while the videos on ProdigalGod.com were created with a simple webcam — at least until I redo them with the camcorder). My “on-camera presence,” however, is just as “clunky” as it is on the ProdigalGod.com videos! And I know that the setup I have in my living room (it’s obvious my wife loves me a lot to put up with pushing the furniture around to make room for the v-screen and pvc pipe stand I’m using!) needs some work - the lighting especially.

Hopefully, these will improve over time. If you have any suggestions for better video blogging, please don’t hesitate to contact me — I would be more than happy to hear any feedback you might have!

I used software called Vlog It! to create the videos, and the videos are in Flash Video format and as such, require that you have the Flash Player installed.

This first session gives a little bit of background on me (primarily because I may upload these to GodTube and/or YouTube in the future so not everyone who sees them will know who I am) and also addresses ways in which God orchestrated circumstances and events in the first century to facilitate the spread of the gospel. I am purposefully keeping the sessions short so that they can be easily digested.

I was looking for a book on Amazon today and noticed several Listmania! lists devoted to the church’s use of technology:

Church and Technology Books, by Tim Fisher
Audio Recording Picks, by Devin B. Hedge
Preaching in a Postmodern Media Culture, by Carsten R. Jensen
Life Online, by D.J. Chuang

If you know of any other Listmania! lists or individual books devoted to the church’s use of technology, feel free to mention them in comments to this post.

Evan Donovan of TechMission.org wrote me a few days ago to tell me about a new site they have launched, ChristianVolunteering.org. Here’s what Evan had to say about the site:

ChristianVolunteering.org is a free directory with over 2,000 volunteer opportunities in ministries serving the “poor.” The site’s partners include the Salvation Army, GospelCom (BibleGateway.com), World Vision, the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions and over 1,000 ministries serving under-resourced communities.  In addition to volunteer opportunities for individuals, you can also search the site for opportunities that might be appropriate for church small groups and for short-term missions trips.  If you just type your postal code, you can get a listing of the volunteer opportunities in your region.

A second site, UrbanMinistry.org, is designed to equip people to serve the “poor.” Here is how the site describes itself:

(A) destination site for the urban ministry and Christian community development community: a website designed to connect individuals and Christian ministries, empowering them to bring social justice in Jesus’ name. On UrbanMinistry.org, you can meet others interested in urban ministry, start a blog, and share resources that have been helpful to you in the Urban Ministry wiki. You can also browse through an extensive library of sermons and lectures, recommended books, MP3 podcasts, justice-related videos, Christian workshops and presentations, and more.

Both of these sites are well worth bookmarking and visiting often. Thanks to Evan for telling me about them!

My friend Bradley Burck just launched a website for his new book — Conquering Nonprofit Chaos.

Bradley is a fundraising and marketing consultant who works with non-profits and Christian ministries to help them craft strategic development and marketing plans. His firm, Burck Communications, also provides design, copywriting and print services as well as training for non-profit boards and staffs.

When you have a chance, check out their new website. There is a lot of content which will prove helpful to churches and ministries.

Here is an interesting article about how Roman Catholic communities are using Facebook, blogs, websites, MySpace, YouTube, podcasts, etc. to attract young people who are potentially interested in becoming priests or nuns.

I found the conclusion to the article particularly interesting:

As always, personal contact — particularly with an admired religious role model at school or church — seems to be the clincher. “The Internet is a helpful resource, but it just doesn’t replace the one-on-one, face-to-face interaction,” Alvarez said.

So along with her Facebook presence, Sister Tracey has started a monthly coffeehouse night with local bands and an open-poetry mike at her community’s bookstore in Sweetwater.

“As great as technology is, there’s still this thirst for human connection,” she said. “It’s not about having the best Web site; it’s about what that Web site can facilitate.”