{"id":2207,"date":"2011-05-11T01:05:34","date_gmt":"2011-05-11T07:05:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/?p=2207"},"modified":"2011-05-11T08:44:44","modified_gmt":"2011-05-11T14:44:44","slug":"missions-catalyst-05-11-11-practical-mobilization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/?p=2207","title":{"rendered":"Missions Catalyst 05.11.11 &#8211; Practical Mobilization"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>In This Issue: Four Reasons Mobilizers Avoid Social Media<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>FEATURE: Overlooking the Tools Right in Front of Our Face(book)<\/li>\n<li>SUBVERSIVE MOBILIZATION: A Meeting of the Mobilizers<\/li>\n<li>EVENTS: New on the Missions Catalyst Calendar<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.missionscatalyst.org\/\"><!--more-->Missions Catalyst<\/a> is a                  free, weekly  electronic digest of mission      news      and          resources      designed to inspire and  equip Christians         worldwide           for   global     ministry. Use it to fuel  your       prayers, find     tips     and          opportunities,  and  stay in     touch  with how God   is    building      his     kingdom      all  over    the   world. Please   forward it   freely!<\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>FEATURE: Overlooking the Tools Right in Front of our Face(book) &#8211; Four Reasons Mobilizers Avoid Social Media<\/h3>\n<p>By <a href=\"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/?page_id=610\">Shane Bennett<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Full Disclosure: These ideas are drawn largely from Gary Vaynerchuk\u2019s March 2011 book, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Thank-You-Economy-Gary-Vaynerchuk\/dp\/0061914185\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1305046521&amp;sr=8-1\">The Thank You Economy<\/a>. The thoughts about how Gary\u2019s points work out in the world of mobilization, well, I\u2019ve stolen them from a variety of people.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ve got a cause, right? A belief. A sense from God that there is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=luke%2010.2&amp;version=NIV1984\">huge work to do<\/a> and too few of us doing it. So you pray (a decidedly biblical response). But then God seems to nudge you to take further action: to enlighten, encourage, console, cajole, facilitate, and activate other potential pray-ers and workers. This is mobilization. Mobilization, throughout history, has been done both well and poorly, but usually with great vigor and often using the best tools available to the mobilizer.<\/p>\n<p>Over the past few years we\u2019ve watched as a really cool new toolbox (or toybox) has been moved from the shadows into everyday life: social media.<\/p>\n<p>Internet-based tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube allow users (most of us now) the kind of interactions with one another and with businesses that were once limited to a more \u201clocal\u201d lifestyle and economy.<\/p>\n<p>In <em>The Thank You Economy<\/em>, Vaynerchuk scolds businesses that don\u2019t engage the power of social media to care for their customers. If they don\u2019t, he asserts, someone else will.<\/p>\n<p>Now I don\u2019t want to encourage trying to snatch potential workers from other agencies, projects, churches, or ministries. \u201cOur new Facebook page for the Cemetery Auxiliary Committee snagged eight new members right from the Ladies\u2019 Aid. We destroyed them. Bwah hah hah hah!!\u201d Rather, we\u2019re competing against a more formidable opponent. We\u2019re going head to head with our human tendency to want to sit on the couch and watch TV in comfort, in proximity to people very much like us and our favorite flavor of potato chips. That and a few other cultural, social, ecclesiological, and spiritual factors.<\/p>\n<p>Given that the challenge is so large, I say we use every tool available to the best of  our ability. That includes Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and others. The thing that most of us do have is something Vaynerchuk hammers on mercilessly: We really care about what we\u2019re doing. You read Missions Catalyst because you care about missions. You put your neck out to invite someone to love people they don\u2019t know because you love those people. You also love the person you\u2019re inviting. And you love the God who will end up with the glory.<\/p>\n<p>That care has a new avenue of expression. Social media streams open huge doors for us. You may disagree. Or maybe you agree but your supervisor doesn\u2019t. You may just be kind of hesitant. But check out these reasons that businesses have given Vaynerchuk for avoiding engaging in social media. See how he responds. Consider the implications for people like you and me.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. We think the trend will pass.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The talk today is all about how fast the world is changing. Will social media even be an issue in a few years? If you invest money, time, and energy into building online relationships and systems, will you lose that investment? Facebook ate MySpace. What if you invest in a Facebook presence and something else comes along?<\/p>\n<p>Vaynerchuk says, \u201c. . . it wouldn\u2019t matter. If users one day abandon Facebook in favor of something better, they won\u2019t be jumping off the train, they\u2019ll simply be moving to a new car. Move with them. The relationships you\u2019ve worked to build won\u2019t evaporate so long as you follow your customers and keep up the caring.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. We need to control our message.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Some businesses avoid social media for reasons rooted in a fear that if opportunity allows it, someone will say something bad about their company. Maybe their employees will be the ones who blow it. Vaynerchuk says: great. You want to hear what people are complaining about. Hearing your employees speak out helps you know if you\u2019ve made good hiring decisions!<\/p>\n<p>For us, the issue here might be protecting friends who don\u2019t want their work widely discussed. This is an area in which we in the missions community need to grow. How can we do what we feel like God wants us to do in a world where identity and information is increasingly instant, global, and permanent? If you\u2019ve seen great examples of how ministries sensitively manage online information, please tell us about them in the <a href=\"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/?p=2207\">comments section of our website<\/a>.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve seen bad examples, please let the perpetrator know!<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. We don\u2019t have time for one more thing.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Maybe you feel like you just don\u2019t have time to launch into social media, start conversations, maintain online relationships, and respond to comments \u2013 and you don\u2019t want to or can\u2019t afford to pay someone else to do it for you.<\/p>\n<p>You may be right. But if your audience is moving this way, don\u2019t let them leave the station without you. Maybe some of us need to stop doing some stuff we\u2019re doing and start doing new things. This could also be an opportunity to enlist and empower someone who has the skills and time you lack.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. We\u2019re doing fine without it.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Yes, and you once did fine without copy machines, cell phones, and computers. My wife and I recently entertained the kids with our tale of how we produced prayer letters long ago. We\u2019d shoot a photo on film. Get it developed. Have the printer half-tone it! Affix it to the typewritten page, into which we\u2019d X-Acto-knifed a tidy window, with rolled-on molten wax! Then the printer would reproduce it. We\u2019d put it in an envelope onto which we\u2019d affix licked stamps. And we would have no idea if people read those letters. As I wrapped up the story, I realized how grateful I am for <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mailchimp.com\">MailChimp<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>So maybe you\u2019re fine without social media. But unless you\u2019re up to your ears in people you\u2019re sending to the ends of the earth, it may be time to try some new tools. Let\u2019s give this a go. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.frontiersusa.org\/site\/PageNavigator\/about\/about_unengaged_south_asia\">There are still peoples waiting for their first workers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Tune in next month for tips on how to effectively harness social media to extend God\u2019s blessing to Abraham to all peoples. In the meantime, you can connect with me on <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/shanedar\">Twitter<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/shanedar1\">Facebook<\/a>, and my occasionally updated <a href=\"http:\/\/shane.posterous.com\">blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>SUBVERSIVE MOBILIZATION: A Meeting of the Mobilizers<\/h3>\n<p>Here\u2019s one of my favorite pithy, snarky comebacks. Of course I didn\u2019t think it up in the white-hot moment of greatest need and potential impact. I read it online three days later while eating a bowl of cereal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour opinion is really none of my business.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I love that. I think it occasionally when someone is telling me what they think and I honestly don\u2019t really care what they think. In just a moment, though, I\u2019m going to ask what you think, and I really do care!<\/p>\n<p>A day after this column hits the ether I\u2019ll be attending a meeting of full-time mission mobilizers in lovely Indianapolis. The following questions will be chewed on relentlessly. Can you take a couple of minutes to scan the list and respond to the two or three questions that most capture your imagination? If so, three things will happen:<\/p>\n<p>1. The meeting will be helped by your wisdom and input.<\/p>\n<p>2. When I report the answers, I\u2019ll look really smart. (I promise that after a few minutes I\u2019ll tell where the answers came from. Really, I promise.)<\/p>\n<p>3. The Miss Cat Crew, that\u2019s me and you, will get a voice at this meeting without paying for the registration, booking a flight and hotel room, or having to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.chilis.com\/EN\/Pages\/home.aspx\">eat at Chili\u2019s<\/a>. That\u2019s what makes this subversive mobilization!<\/p>\n<p>Here are the questions. Thank you for your valuable time to answer one, two, or a few of them in the comments.<\/p>\n<p>1. How would you define mobilization?<\/p>\n<p>2. How would you describe your organization&#8217;s philosophy of mobilization?<\/p>\n<p>3. In your experience, what mobilization practices seem to best serve potential candidates?<\/p>\n<p>4. What mobilization practices seem to best serve your agency or denomination?<\/p>\n<p>5. What mobilization practices seem to best serve the receiving teams where candidates might serve?<\/p>\n<p>6. What mobilization practices most honor other agencies or denominations?<\/p>\n<p>7. What mobilization practices most honor the Lord?<\/p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; Share your brilliance in the <a href=\"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/?p=2207\">comments on our website<\/a>.. (Don\u2019t forget to tell us which question you\u2019re answering.) Thanks!<\/p>\n<h3>EVENTS: New on the Missions Catalyst Calendar<\/h3>\n<p>June  02 to 04 \u2013 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.acmiconference.com\">ACMI Annual Conference<\/a> (Columbia, SC, USA). Sponsored by the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.acmi-net.net\">Association of Christians  Ministering to Internationals<\/a>.\u00a0 Featuring foreign  affairs journalist David Aikman and many helpful seminars.<\/p>\n<p>&gt;&gt;  Take a look at the <a href=\"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/?page_id=596\">Missions Catalyst Events Calendar<\/a> and help us populate it! Surely  there are more upcoming mission events we haven\u2019t heard about. <a href=\"mailto:msmith@orlandoteam.com\">Let us  know<\/a> and we\u2019ll put them in our May 25  email. Thanks.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:shanebennett@takeitglobal.org\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" title=\"ShaneBennett\" src=\"..\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/ShaneBennett1-201x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"124\" height=\"184\" \/><\/a><a href=\"mailto:shanebennett@takeitglobal.org\" target=\"_blank\">Shane Bennett<\/a> has served in missions mobilization since 1987, much of his energy    going to recruiting, training, and sending short-term teams. He\u2019s been    on research teams in Bangkok, Bombay, and Turkey. He coauthored <a href=\"http:\/\/r20.rs6.net\/tn.jsp?llr=zaeaz4bab&amp;et=1104439231559&amp;s=0&amp;e=001JFwnltQYuyiHt6lM0XjZzUjW5YeT8DY3EuTsut0M7XjT_LltRp1EDaeDHgC-9vV0yc3IprbKAOo0U4fI50Wo776bejR1s9k1WXUFv3byNIQ8D10Y1wQgs0wAQKdS8xDAbkFs-0xcxpjEn6XR9yHuwA==\" target=\"_blank\">Exploring the Land<\/a>, a guide to researching unreached peoples, and has written numerous articles.<\/p>\n<p>Shane now works as a public speaker for <a href=\"http:\/\/r20.rs6.net\/tn.jsp?llr=zaeaz4bab&amp;et=1104439231559&amp;s=0&amp;e=001JFwnltQYuyiHt6lM0XjZzUjW5YeT8DY3EuTsut0M7XjT_LltRp1EDaeDHgC-9vV0yc3IprbKAOqFuy_XASOJW4fCx73EpAEJrrSU4Rt8gOc=\" target=\"new\">Frontiers<\/a> and is part-time missions pastor at <a href=\"http:\/\/r20.rs6.net\/tn.jsp?llr=zaeaz4bab&amp;et=1104439231559&amp;s=0&amp;e=001JFwnltQYuyiHt6lM0XjZzUjW5YeT8DY3EuTsut0M7XjT_LltRp1EDaeDHgC-9vV0yc3IprbKAOq2-qmYMjTRt-RLT1ZacP3VheWspMqhMr8=\" target=\"_blank\">Union Chapel<\/a>. He and his wife, Ann, have five school-aged children. They live and work in Indiana.<br \/>\n<!-- AddToAny BEGIN --><a class=\"a2a_dd\" href=\"http:\/\/www.addtoany.com\/share_save?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionscatalyst.net%2F%3Fp%3D2207&amp;linkname=\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/static.addtoany.com\/buttons\/share_save_171_16.png\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Share\" width=\"171\" height=\"16\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\/\/ <![CDATA[\nvar a2a_config = a2a_config || {};\na2a_config.linkurl = \"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/?p=2207\";\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><br \/>\n<script src=\"http:\/\/static.addtoany.com\/menu\/page.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- AddToAny END --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In This Issue: Four Reasons Mobilizers Avoid Social Media FEATURE: Overlooking the Tools Right in Front of Our Face(book) SUBVERSIVE MOBILIZATION: A Meeting of the Mobilizers EVENTS: New on the Missions Catalyst Calendar<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-practical-mobilization"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2207"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2207\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2215,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2207\/revisions\/2215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}