A perfect mission field?

If we were going to design the perfect mission field, here is what it might look like:

1. It would be filled with millions of unsaved and accessible youth and young adults.
2. It would be a place where people openly, regularly, and publicly share their opinions, thoughts, feelings, concerns, fears, and needs without anyone asking them to.
3. It would be a place where people connect with other people in community, and people like and expect to meet new people.
4. It would be a place where many people provide a picture and a little information about themselves so you can know a little about them before you communicate with them.
5. It would be a place where it is okay to be creative, different, and to just be you.
6. It would be a place where people openly debate, discuss, and exchange ideas including spiritual matters.
7. It would be a place where people like to go and hang out. It would be fun, sometimes silly, and people would smile and laugh.
8. It would be a place that is very close to our home so we could get there quickly when we have some time, and getting there would not require immunizations, or passports, or plane trips. And it would all be free.

This perfect mission field exists right now, down to the last detail. It exists on the Internet in public online services that connect people in community: blogs, personal webpages, and discussion groups, including social networking sites such as MySpace.com.

Taken from Web-Empower Your Church [webempoweredchurch.com/support/weycbook/] Unleashing the Power of Internet Ministry, Mark Stephenson, Abingdon Press, Dec 2006. Used by permission.

The worldwide potential

The Web has a unique potential to reach into many unreached nations and people groups. The tragedy is that many of these opportunities, for Japan and other nations are barely yet used.