How to reach out to fellow students and friends online
This is a changing/adjusting document as we get feedback from students. So please let your coach/discipler know your thoughts and any suggestions you have! If you have other ideas, please please let us know :)
Look through the links below and find what’s relevant to you and what would help you in your own personal ministry. Click on the link and then click “bookmark” to take you there.
Knowing how to share the GodTools app online will be essential. If you don’t know how to share, ask your coach.
Look here as well for some helpful tips and perspective: Teach Me to Share
Engaging with friends you already have:
Could be that you’re actually friends, or, you’re simply “friends” on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, etc.
Ways to start spiritual conversations and share the Gospel one-on-one:
➔ Falling Plates Video
Watch here if you haven’t seen it : Falling Plates
Then follow these steps (taken from this Cru Article )
Pick 10 friends (and/or anyone on Instagram/Facebook chat).
Look to see who is online at that moment (the green dot)
Message them the link to the Falling Plates video and say:
“Hey! I just saw this video and was wondering what your thoughts would be on it. It’s really short, could you watch it and let me know what you think?”
Or, what’s another way you would personally introduce this video?
Ask 1 or 2 followup questions:
What was your favorite part?
Which picture stuck out to you the most?
What was the most interesting part for you?
When I saw this, I thought ________.
Have you ever searched for something?
What do you think you are searching for right now?
Share, with their permission:
“I really enjoyed hearing your thoughts and I’d love to get your opinion on what it is I believe about this question Jesus asks in the video, “Will you follow me”. Could I share a bit with you and you can tell me what you think?”
If they say “no” that’s totally okay :)
Consider asking them if they’d mind if you prayed for them and if they have any prayer requests.
Then, you’d share Knowing God Personally with them from GodTools
How would you introduce the app at this point in the conversation?
Ask if you can video call with them. Send them the App or the web version
➔ Sharing your Personal Testimony
Record your personal testimony (3-4 minutes) and send it to your friends on messenger.
Ask follow-up questions.
Ask if you can share the GodTools app with them.
If you don’t know how to write or record your testimony, ask your Cru coach/discipler
➔ GodTools App
You can also simply share the GodTools app with your friends over text message, Instagram Messenger, Facebook Messenger, FaceTime, etc. :)
GodTools is easy to share on Zoom and Google Meet with screen share
How would you personally introduce the app to a friend online?
How would you introduce the app to someone who is struggling with a particular situation?
➔ Pay attention to what your friends are posting about
Did they post about feeling anxious? Worried? Unsure about God?
Send them a relevant article from https://www.everystudent.com
Send them a message that says: “hey! I noticed you posted about feeling anxious. I was reading this article recently and wanted to pass it along to you. Let me know if you get around to reading it and if you want to talk about anything more. And are there any ways I can pray for you?”
Follow up with them in a day or two.
Check in, see if they read the article, and tell them you’ve prayed for them
Could also be a good time to introduce the GodTools app to share the Gospel.
How would you introduce the GodTools app to someone who is struggling with a particular situation?
➔ Having a “sometime” conversation
Pick 10 friends you can Message on Instagram or Facebook
Ask your friend if you can video call sometime to talk about their spiritual journey and hear about their story. “Sometime, I’d like to hear about your spiritual journey … would you be up for that?”
During that conversation (or in the next one) you will ask if you can set up a time to chat and hear their story and share your own.
Prepare to share your own story with your friend at your meeting.
Also try and share the GodTools app :)
➔ Sharing what you’re learning on SnapChat
Think through three things you’ve learned this year about faith and/or God. Write
those down and decide the best way to share those thoughts through Snapchat.
Create a video where you share what you’ve learned
Take a picture of a verse or image and use the text option to share more details
Share a picture of yourself, use emojis and text to talk about a heart change or thought change made
Pick 10 friends that you can send your Snaps to. Send them three things you’ve learned. That can be through three different Snaps or through one video. However you want to talk to your friends.
Send one more Snap that invites your friend to ask you more about what you’re talking about. Ask them if they’d like to video call sometime soon so you can share more about what you’re learning about God.
Make sure to set up a time to talk with your friend and prepare to go in more detail on the three things you shared with them on Snapchat.
Ask them if they’re interested in learning more about God (non-Christians) or growing more in their relationship with God (Christians).
Share the GodTools app
➔ Before and After (2 words)
Pick 2 Words (one that describes your life before walking with Christ and one that describes your life after walking with Christ).
Write a script or bullet points (max. 400 words/under 1 minute) detailing how you have changed from the first word to the second word.
Practice! Give yourself time to think and embody your story.
Film and record yourself.
Edit the footage (add text animations, etc.)
Send a friend your “Before and After” Video. Text Message or on Social Media.
Include on of the following blurbs:
Hey! I just made this video that shares a bit of my story. I’d love to hear what you think. Is there any part of my story that relates to you?
Hey! My friends and I are making videos to share our stories of what God’s done in our lives. I want to hear honest feedback from you on what you think about it. Could you watch it and let me know what you think?
Or for Instagram:
Take a photo with your first word and another with your second word.
Use a photo editing app to put the two images together. Or just post the 2 photos together.
Upload your photo to Instagram or Facebook, and invite your friends to ask you more questions about your before and after story. Share the script you created with your post.
Also can do this on Instagram stories
Use a question sticker to get feedback
Include one of the following blurbs:
This is my photo that shares a bit of my story. I’d love to hear what you think. Is there any part of my story that relates to you? #BeforeAndAfter
This is my story, do you have a story? Let me know, I’d love to hear it. #BeforeAndAfter
Here’s my photo that shares a bit of my story. Something I’m doing this summer is hearing where my friends are at with their spiritual journey. Could you watch it and let me know what you think? #BeforeAndAfter
I took this photo that shares a bit of my life story and am wondering if you’ve seen this change in my life. What do you think of it? #BeforeAndAfter
This is my photo that shares a bit of my story about what God’s done in my life. Something I’m doing with this image is hearing where my friends are at with their spiritual journey. If you were to rate your desire to know God on a scale of 1-10, what would it be? Let me know. :) #BeforeAndAfter
Be intentional to follow up with those who respond to your story, questions, etc.
Ways to start spiritual conversations and share the Gospel broadly:
➔ Posting Falling Plates onto your page or in your stories
Post the video
What caption would you put with the video?
Post a question sticker or poll sticker on your stories on Instagram
Watch to see who likes or comments on your video and/or story
Send a DM to whoever likes your video: “Hey! I saw you liked the video I posted. Did you get a chance to watch it? I’d love to know your thoughts on it!”
Continue the conversation in the same way as mentioned above.
➔ Posting your personal testimony
Similar to Falling Plates, post your testimony and then see how likes and comments and send a follow-up DM.
➔ Sharing about your own “real life” and struggles
“I’m struggling with this today”
Not just your “highlights” but also getting vulnerable about what you’re actually facing and dealing with and how God and community is helping you
Short video
What people are struggling with, and how they can identify with that
How do I move forward well in this disappointment?
If you’d like to discuss this more
Discuss topic, and then opportunity to receive Christ or get involved
Share an article
Watch this video for more online tips:
How to Share the Gospel Online by ikan
According to the Spiritual Multiplication Pathway, what will you do with the people you’ve had spiritual conversations with / shared the Gospel with?
Engaging with people you don’t know:
Finding new contacts on Instagram
How to find students on Instagram
Goal: find “strangers” on Instagram and begin a conversation through DMs that will hopefully lead to a Gospel presentation.
Places to find people:
Start following people based on the questions below:
What is your target audience? Does that have a specific account?
Ex: the UNCC engineering account
Dorms sometimes have their own accounts, too
Do you know who is in your classes?
Class roster?
Follow them on Instagram
Start the convo based on your class
Going to your school’s Instagram page and seeing who follows it
Click on the people and look at bios
Do they say your University?
Going to Hashtags relevant to your school and/or year, department, dorm, ect.
Follow people there
Another idea:
Post something of your own and use a specific hashtag relevant to your school/year, dorm, department, etc.
Your testimony, introducing yourself, a graphic about knowing God, offering a mentorship, etc.
Get creative!
Example hashtags:
What hashtags do you know of?
Anything you’ve seen in emails you’ve gotten? Promotional stuff?
○ #UNCC24 #uncc2024 #Queensuniversityofcharlotte #unccharlotte #uncc22 #uncc21 #uncc23 #future49er #queenscharlotte #ipickuncc #CPCC #MCC #LRU #LenoirRhyne #boldrush #uncctransfers #goldstandard #charlotte49ers #ninernation #queens24 #winthropu #chooselr #gobears
Example Accounts
Unccstudentinvolvement
Unccstudentlife
Cabunccharlotte
Uncc_2023
Uncc.2024
Unccadmissions
Uncc_lead
Unccengr (engineering)
Unccstudentunion
Unccgogreek
Unccharlottehrl (housing and resident life)
(other accounts for sororities / fraternities)
Class council pages
When does someone become a contact?
When they follow you back
Stranger: haven’t followed you back
Contact: followed you back
Don’t message someone until they follow you back , not just when they accept your follow request :)
What To Do Next
If they follow back, send immediate message back.
Short, quick messages are best.
Hey, I’m __. Thanks for the follow! I see you attend _____, so do I! How are you feeling about the semester? Anything you’re struggling with?
Or if you’re in a class together, talk about that.
How would you introduce yourself to someone?
Probe, Process, and Present (look at past DM’s for examples of conversations):
Probe: ask an open ended question
How is your semester going so far?
Where are you from?
Process: ask them questions that allow them to process this unique season
What role has God played in your life during COVID, if any?
Would you say God plays a role in your life at all?
What questions would you ask to get into a spiritual conversation?
Present: the gospel, your vision, your testimony, etc.
Set up a video call with them
If someone doesn’t respond after you get to a spiritual topic:
Tell them what you’re offering them
What would you like to offer someone?
A chance for them to explore topics of faith and God with someone. If they’re ever interested in learning more about God, they can reach out whenever.
Send them the “Knowing God Personally” webpage and tell them this message had a significant impact in your life
Send them the GodTools app as well if they want to download it; tell them to look at the “Knowing God Personally” section.
Keep track of your contacts
How would you like to keep track?
Come up with a plan
Pray :)
Who will you target?
Where will you find them?
How many mins-hours a week will you do this?
Or for Facebook
Is there a group for your university, year, major, dorm, etc?
Join
Friend request people
When they accept, start the same process
Maybe: you might be able to join a freshman group (try and see)