Creating for a friend
You’re here because you want to share the gospel.
Inspired by a particular theme or a cultural event you want to point people to Jesus Christ, show him to be relevant in their lives, explain the connection to the salvation he offers and invite people to become part his story, his kingdom and his family; that’s why you’ve joined a Greenhouse Collective.
But if you’re anything like me you are already feeling overwhelmed by the task you’ve given yourself. You – a normal person with social, familial and financial obligations – do not have the time to explain all of that. You don’t have the mental capacity to get it right (and you’re terrified of getting it wrong). You have no idea how to create something that will appeal to the wildly varied corners of the internet and make converts out of them.
DON’T PANIC – you don’t have to do all that!
You are a normal person – one with friends and family, some of whom don’t know Jesus yet.
You are a normal person – one with ideas and interests, hobbies and habits, like, loves and a life.
You are a normal Christian – one who knows and loves Jesus, who has experienced that he is the best, and who wants others to experience that as well.
So rather than put yourself under pressure
· to create the perfect bit of content,
· to give a complete gospel explanation, and
· to reach the entire internet,
Let’s chat about how you can create something personal to you, that one or two people you know might click on and which will by the power of the Spirit help them move one step closer to knowing Jesus.
FOCUS
You are going to create something for at most 5 of the people you personally know. A number less than 5 is better, just 1 person is excellent. The fewer people you have in mind the more you can tailor this project to them, and the more likely they are to actually respond!
But from all the people you know, how do you narrow it down to just 5 or fewer?
· Who have you spoken to recently about this topic?
· Who is already engaging with this event on social media?
· Who has expressed an interest in your faith in the past few months?
· Who regularly interacts with your socials?
· Who turned up at that last evangelistic event at your church?
· Who do you hope to get back in touch with?
· Who are you already praying for?
Perhaps a couple of people came to mind, they might be similar enough (parents at the school gate, fans of a TV show) that you can create for all of them, but perhaps you thought of a few very different people, in that case just pick one – the one who is most likely to connect with this particular Greenhouse topic.
Write their name(s) down. Commit to praying for them for the length of this Collective. Share their first name in the Whatsapp group. Invite them for a coffee, say ‘hi’ at the gym, accept their offer of a lift, whatever is a normal interaction, keep doing that. And as you think and pray about what you’re creating for this Greenhouse Collective, keep them in mind: where are they at in their spiritual journey? Which aspect of the gospel do they need to hear right now? What is their particular association with this event or topic? What are their assumptions about the world?
· Write for them, not for the internet.
· Be specific as you plan.
· Focus on their story.
· Plan how you’re going to get this in front of their eyes.
And if even one extra person interacts with what you’ve created – that is a bonus blessing!
FORM
Now that you have your (very small) audience in mind, what kind of social media post are you going to make for them?
Occasionally we ask you to create something in a specific format, in which case you only need to consider how you intend to share it. But most of our collectives offer you the complete freedom to create whatever you want. In the past people have made short videos, blogposts, poems, songs, a whole series of social media posts, spoken word poetry and short stories, just to name a few of the creative ideas we’ve seen.
Consider then what your friend is likely to engage with. If you both love music, could you write a song? Or would you rather write something short and edit it into a video over one of your favourite pieces. Do you chat about news articles and think pieces? Then you could probably write a longer blogpost or a listicle. If they only ever read the headlines, then go for something short like an Instagram post or a little series of them to catch their attention. Are you in a creative writing group? Write a short story. Do you visit galleries together? Paint something, make a video or write about a favourite picture. Could you review a film or tv series you know they love? If you can’t quite work out what form you want then you can check their social media to see what they most regularly interact with.
But remember, because they know you, if you specifically send them something you have done they are likely to engage with it regardless, because it’s something personal to you!
FILLING
Now you’ve decided on what kind of content you’re creating for your friend then you have to think about what to say. You do not have to do a complete and perfect gospel presentation! Think about where they are in relation to God and what their next step might be to get to know him better. Here are some options:
· Raise a question in their mind about whether a god could even exist.
· Share a personal experience you have had relating to God.
· Question the way they interpret the world in one area and demonstrate how you as a Christian think about that one area.
· Present a specific aspect of the gospel and have a follow up question for them to think about (and which you will follow up with personally later on).
Once you’ve thought about this, you may want to rethink your form and perhaps narrow your focus, if it turns out the people you have in mind are starting in different places. That’s good, you are tailoring what you write to your specific audience so they love it, rather than mass-producing something for everyone which everyone will ignore. This will take prayer and effort but it IS doable.
~ Hannah Lewis
