Our ministry recently handed out lemonade on campus. Several times a year we pick a day and time and we set up at a crossroads on campus to give away either hot chocolate (in the winter) or lemonade (in the summer). As students go back and forth between classes, we hand out the lemonade with a smile and “Have a good day!”

I noticed this time as we did it that there were three approaches to handing out the lemonade. The first was just to stand there, not say much, and hope people walk up to us and ask for some. Not many people did.

The second approach was to stand there at our table and call to people from our spot and ask if they wanted lemonade. Some people said yes, some said no, and a few ignored us altogether.

The third approach was to pour out cups of lemonade, hold one in each hand, and extend the lemonade to those walking by while asking, “Would you like some lemonade?” Most people said yes, very few people said no, and no one ignored us. In fact, I am pretty sure that some students who would have ignored us or walked on by, took the lemonade and did so with a smile.

This is a real life example of the power of incarnational ministry. In The Message, Eugene Peterson paraphrases John 1:14 this way, “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.” Peterson’s imagery of Jesus, the Word, becoming our neighbor captures the essence of the incarnation. God living, moving, and being among us. God being within reach.

This is how I have come to view the role of social media in campus ministry. Many of us know that our students are living much of their lives on or through Facebook, twitter, tumblr, Pinterest, etc. We also know real, authentic relationships cannot be created through such means, but being aware of our students on these spaces does put them within reach. Students may not make it to every worship gathering, fellowship event, small group, or mission trip/retreat. There may be weeks when I don’t even see certain students in person because they are so busy with school related activities. But there is one space I always see them. No matter how busy they are they always find time to check Facebook or pin to Pinterest. Though they may be out of sight, they are within reach.

Social media, therefore, plays an important incarnational role in campus ministry. Through social media, we have the ability to encourage, celebrate or mourn with, converse with, and see the lives of our students…even when we are not with them. (This is not to be confused with “Facebook stalking” – the practice of researching others out of sheer curiosity to an unhealthy degree.) The incarnational nature of social media simply means seeing that space as a place where students are within reach, a place where we can extend a virtual cup of lemonade and say “Have a good day!”

And adversely, it also puts us within reach. Just as Jesus moved into the neighborhood to show us the way of life, so too our online lives can help us continue to set a good example for our students. Through my Facebook posts, my students get to see me as loving father, supportive husband, passionate sports fan, and current events reader. They get to see me as a whole person and not just a campus pastor, and hopefully as a person whose life is completely impacted by my faith. By making my life within reach, I am helping my students feel more comfortable with me as a person, but most importantly, feel more comfortable in their faith as well.

[ BACK TO THE TECHNOLOGY, SOCIAL MEDIA & MINISTRY HOMEPAGE ]