The Catechetical Review - Communicating Christ for a New Evangelization

Youth & Young Adult Ministry: Thinking Win/Win with Your Volunteers

Authored by Bob Rice in Issue #33.3 of The Sower
In Jesus' public ministry, He not did not just want to share the Good News. He wanted to empower His followers, especially His Apostles, to do the same. And though He desired all of humanity to hear His voice, He spent most of His time with twelve men, and even more of His time with three. This goes against every piece of advice that contemporary experts on marketing and media would propose. Were Jesus alive today, they would position Him at peak times of social networking and made videos that were sure to go ‘viral’. They'd get Him a billion followers on Twitter and even more on Facebook. He would do a world tour that would visit every continent and country, but only for a short time. Though Jesus didn't have those media opportunities two thousand years go, I have the feeling that even if He had He probably wouldn't have changed His strategy very much. Instead of spreading Himself thin to reach the masses He would still invest most of His time in a few people who would know Him well and could replicate what He did.

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This article is from The Sower and may be copied for catechetical purposes only. It may not be reprinted in another published work without the permission of Maryvale Institute. Contact [email protected]

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