This post is a part of the series 20 Ways to Share Your Faith Online leading up to Internet Evangelism Day on April 25. We encourage you to tweet, share, blog & discuss these ideas in your church & circle of influence.
CraigsList has revolutionized the classified ad industry. Not too long ago local newspapers had a virtual monopoly, and anyone looking to buy, sell, or hire had to pay big fees to run a classified in their local newspaper.
CraigsList changed all that with its free, online, community-monitored classified ads.
Now anyone can go online and post an ad for just about any item they want to sell, service they want to provide, or job opening they want to fill – for free!
That’s great, but what does CraigsList have to do sharing your faith?
I first heard this idea from Shelly Juskowicz, Pastor to Women at Mariner’s Church in Irvine, CA when she gave a talk as a part of Leadership Network’s AHA Online Conference.
The entire talk is inspiring and worth watching, but the part about CraigsList starts at 4:37
The idea is quite simple.
- Go to CraigsList.
- Click into the listings for your specific location.
- Under the “for sale” heading click the “Wanted” category.
- Find a listing for someone in need.
- Meet their need.
Shelly tells of how she went onto CraigsList, found a listing for someone who needed blankets, bought the blankets, and brought them to her.
Most of the listings in the wanted category are for people who want to buy things – cars, scrap metal, jewelry, etc – but as I look at the wanted board in my own Tampa Bay area I see needs like this:
OK HERE IT GOES -MY SONS BIRTHDAY IS SATURDAY 03-04-2010 AND I AM UNABLE TO BUY HIM ANYTHINGI , MY HUSBAND HAS ONLY BEEN WORKING ENOUGH TO KEEP OUR LIGHT ON…
hi my family just moved here 3 weeks ago we are getting out own place this week and we have very lil money and we are in need of kitchen supplys we have everything else so if you can help out we will greatly appreciate it im not asking for it for free but atleast cheap thank you so much
As with any kind of servant evangelism, you may not have the opportunity to share the gospel immediately (though maybe you will), but maybe you can give the person your phone number of email address and tell them to contact you if they need anything else. Maybe you can invite them to join you at church (bring a brochure or invitation card).
What do you think? Is this use of CraigsList a way you might connect with people in your community?
Co-founder & CEO, OurChurch.Com
Paul has been the CEO of OurChurch.Com since its founding in 1996, combining his passion for faith and technology to lead the organization.
An accomplished writer, Paul has authored over 2,000 articles on faith and technology, featured on platforms like ChurchLeaders.com, The JoyFM, and his personal blog, LiveIntentionally.org.
Beyond his professional achievements, Paul serves as an elder at Journey Community Church and is deeply engaged in his community through his involvement with the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch and the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce. He is a contributing author of the book Outspoken! Conversations on Church Communication.
30 Comments
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It's an interesting idea in many ways.
One has to think of the immediate concerns — is the post real, is it not — and consider typical personal safety rules about going.
I've not tried it, but it is a great idea and can help you make new connections in your neighborhood.
Chris
Good point about the safety concerns. You really don't have any way to know that the post is real or the person is who they say they are. Good idea to go with 1 or 2 other people. Maybe somebody big. 🙂
Getting back to basics. I love it.
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Wow, this is interesting. I had no idea of these sorts of postings on Craiglist. What a great way to find out someone's need and help them.
Dave
Dave, that was the same reaction I had when I first saw Shelly's talk.
Shelly is convincing.
I don't use CraigsList much but went straightaway to see what she was talking about. Couldn't find the "needs section."
Echo the safety concerns though.
She makes an excellent point about people reaching out through social media networks to have their needs met, not even thinking that they can call a church.
That challenge should be a part of every church's thinking as they consider using communication technologies for outreach.
It's not specifically called "needs section" it's listed as "wanted."
Might be why you had a hard time finding it 😉
Thanks. That's what happens when you watch the video and scan the article.
My "duh" moment for the day.
Like I was saying, "The idea is quite simple." 😉
I love the idea of this! There is a website out there that actually does this. It's called thecommon.org. But I imagine that most people with needs will not automatically think of this specific website. But craigslist is popular enough that people know that they can get results with it. And I love the idea of the church being the hands and feet that meets those needs in the community!
I'm going to actually suggest this type of activity in our church… maybe build a 'craigslist team' that is tasked with monitoring these needs, filling them where they can, and escalating others that may need greater support.
Good stuff!
Dan King
Dan, let us know if you do that at your church. I think we'd all love to hear the stories (good and bad) of what happens.
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What a fantastic idea.
I'm not too worried about safety concerns, personally. I'm a pretty big guys…and most of our 'ushers' at church are more like 'bar bouncers,' so I think we'll be ok 😉
I never thought about using craigslist this way. Great ideas!