One of today’s pressing ministry challenges is reaching and discipling youth who spend most of their time online. Pastors and workers presently struggle to keep up with the fast pace of technology, much more with the disruption and disorientation caused by the pandemic on almost every aspect of life.  So how can churches reach youth through a digital ministry?

To  address this concern, CSM Publishing partnered with Cru, formerly known as Philippine Campus Crusade for Christ in the “Digital Ministry Start-Up: Connecting to the Youth in the New Normal” webinar on two Saturday mornings last June 19 and 26, 2021. The three-man Cru team led by Team Leader for Student-led Ministry Jason Baldueza trained over a hundred participants from 35 churches in different parts of the Philippines on the basics of setting up a digital ministry. The other team members were campus missionaries Arvin Lim and Renier Wel Lana.

“Digital ministry is a way for Christians to join God in making disciples in the digital space,” Baldueza told participants who were mostly leaders of existing youth ministries held back by the current restrictions on gatherings, a crucial element in youth ministry before the pandemic.

“We use digital strategies not to dilute the message of the Gospel but to package it in such a way that it will be relevant to our target audience, the way Jesus did. We don’t just create content or manage pages, we make disciples,” Lim emphasized.

In ministering to Gen Z (born 1999-2015), Lana reminded that the bottom line is still the Gospel, “The Gospel is true and there is hope in God. He will make a way to reach out and disciple this generation. Gen Z will also be an instrument to go and make disciples to their next generation.”

Participants were given a week after the first Saturday to create their personas (target audience profile), then shared these to the rest of the group on the second Saturday. They also learned how to maximize existing social media channels, to create a content calendar, and to identify which materials to post online. Lastly, the Cru mentors encouraged participants to use all the instruments at their disposal to reach today’s youth.

CSM Publishing’s next webinars are for worship teams and Bible teachers: “#UsapangWorship:Tuloy Pa Rin Ang Pagsamba!” to be led by Ptr. Rommel and Susan Guevara on July 17, 2021 and “How to Effectively Study the Bible: Understanding the Books of the Prophets” with Dr. Michael Janapin on July 31, 2021. Registration fee for each webinar is P200. To register go to www.csm-publishing.com/events.

Quotable quotes from the Cru Team

Group shot of participants and the speakers (in red box)

Participants shared their thoughts about Gen Zer characteristics and persona creation