Making Jesus known through social media in West Africa

In global missions, social media is increasingly being utilised to connect with least reached communities by sharing the Gospel in their local language and through contextualised content. Ministries then follow up with those who engage with the content, connecting them with local churches for face-to-face follow-up and discipleship.

In West Africa and Central Africa, 30% of the population have internet access, compared to 51% of the world’s population (World Bank 2021).

Bethany, a SIM Australia mission worker, has been serving in West Africa since April 2017. In 2022, she oversaw the launch of a social media ministry, aiming to use content posted in the local language to share the Gospel with those who have never heard it before. The strategy identifies individuals ready to learn about Jesus and connects them with local trained church planters.

“This strategy grew out of a desire to see our existing audio resources more widely used. Our heart is to make the Gospel available to people in every town and village of our region,” Bethany explains. She adds, “Although we are currently covering only a small part of that area, we are excited by the initial results. Some of the statistics have been mind-blowing – especially with over 7,000 people listening to the testimony of someone who has left the majority religion to follow Jesus.”

Bethany serves alongside local team member Daniel, and admits it was a steep learning curve for them, but they were grateful to receive training and support to set up the website, Facebook page, and behind-the-scenes elements like the prayer team. While Bethany handles content and technical setup, Daniel focuses on translation and filtering the messages they receive to identify those who are ready for face-to-face interactions.

“About 30% of people in our area have internet access, and it is often irregular,” says Bethany.

Bethany notes that nearly 600 people sent messages in the first six months of the year with regular contact from one young man who especially enjoys the audio recordings with Gospel teaching, saying “Each time he has internet credit, we receive a message saying he wants another episode!”

Their posts typically include a three-minute video featuring a Bible passage and a reflection or challenge. “On an average week, approximately 800 people watch the video to the end. Some weeks, the video truly captures people’s attention, and around 2,500 people view it,” says Bethany.

Last year, they focused on a series about the statements Jesus made about himself: The story of Lazarus (Jesus is the resurrection and the life), the Samaritan woman (Jesus is the source of living water) were particularly popular.

“Whether 800 or 2,500 people watch to the end, it represents individuals engaging with the truth about Jesus in ways that weren’t available a year ago,” Bethany shares.

The team is also pleased to witness local believers being encouraged to use the resources SIM has produced to reach their neighbours.

“Local believers from other language groups have also embraced part of the vision – sharing existing audio materials more widely with friends from the majority religion. There is so much room for expansion and improvement in our efforts,” Bethany concludes.