Bethsaida and Capernaum were part of Jesus’ home base for his ministry in Galilee. When you read the Gospels, you’ll discover that many miracles happened in these “sister cities.”
He healed a blind man there (Mark 8:22), walked on that water in that area (Matthew 14). He fed a crowd of 5,000 people (Mark 6:30) and found a coin in the fish’s mouth. Some of the disciples actually came from there. Philip, Andrew, and Peter were from that area.
Both cities were known for being great fishing spots and many fishing companies were based there, like Peter’s. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel even says that Bethsaida was a fisherman’s village; read about it here.
All this to say that Jesus’ first disciples came from a fisherman’s village and there were fishermen themselves. You can read this in Matthew 4. His first four disciples were fishermen. No wonder when Jesus calls them, he challenges them to “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19 MEV) They surely totally understood the analogy.
But if today, someone called you to be a fisher of men, most would have a hard time grasping the idea. The concept still exists though, even in a more and more virtual world. Yet, the question begs for an answer, “how can you be a fisher of men in the digital age?” Here are a few cues on how to accomplish just that. Let’s begin by defining what fishers of men means.
Jesus, about ready to start his public ministry, has already been preaching. He’s casting out his message, the good news of the Gospel, a message of freedom and healing. To better understand what Jesus is stating, let’s look at what was going on.
Specifically, at this moment, he meets fishermen during the daily routine of their grinding work. They’re fishing, casting their nets, repairing them, working on their boats. So being fishers of men is exactly that: fish, cast off your net, repair your net, cast again, make sure the boat floats and prepare the fish you catch. In this analogy, you can understand these terms.
- The fish are the people
- Casting and fishing are about sharing the Gospel
- Nets are about how you share the Gospel
- Repairing the nets is about being efficient in your presentation
- Working on the boat is about making sure you can actually go out and cast your message
- Preparing the fish is about discipleship
So now, how can you be fishers of men in the digital age?
Remember that even in a digital age, the physical still really exists! In other words, you can share the Gospel and your testimony to people in your surroundings. Your friends, family members, and coworkers all need the message of saving grace that is the Gospel and we can and should still encourage them to lean into their proximate church or find a Christian community locally.
In the digital world, however, it is a little different even if the six tasks of the fishermen still apply.
1. Fish / People
In the virtual, the crowds are big! How many people are watching online? How many views of church videos or posts? Those are all real people. If your auditorium can sit 100, 250, or 1,000 people, you are limited by space and restrictions. Your online audience can be sitting in any chair on any continent at any time! In the digital age, those limitations of space and restrictions do not exist. There are many more “fish” out there that need the Gospel.
2. Casting / Gospel Sharing
As mentioned, the Good News can be shared in a virtual world as well, quite easily actually. As a fisher of men, you are required to go cast your net. You wouldn’t be a fisherman if you never went fishing after all. Your privilege is to share the Message in a virtual world. Let’s see what type of nets you need to accomplish that.
3. Nets / Methods
It is easy to say that your net IS the internet. And that would still be a very big net. There are a few more evident methods you can use. From putting your weekend service online to posting excerpts of your sermon or worship, you’re allowing more people to taste the Message.
Having an active and up-to-date website is a must these days. Before people visit your building, they will surf your site and check four main pages: about us (who we are, beliefs or what to expect), team (meet the team, leadership), ministries (kids, youth and other services) and past messages. These pages will give people an idea and feel of who you are and what you stand up for.
Using Facebook and Instagram is also a must in a digital age. Having your information up to date and posting regularly is necessary. A few things to post are things like quotes, message or worship excerpts, testimonies, stories. Mostly show people. People are looking for others that are like them! The use of reels and invitations is useful.
By joining an online team, you become a fisher of men. When you post or repost content on the Web, you are fulfilling your role. As a moderator for your online campus team, you engage people virtually.
4. Repairs / Refining the Message and Methods
Discovering the number of likes is important, as much as your number of views. What makes it best, though, is to discover how much traction you’re getting with your content. You may be getting 150 likes but 500 people looked at it. In other words, find the metrics that will allow you to refine your message.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and Google Analytics and Engagement Metrics will help you with this. There are likely people in your church that are knowledgeable on the subject. Allow them to be a fisher of men as well with the algorithms!
Have some of your team test your digital platforms out, making sure they’re user-friendly and stable.
5. Boat / Possibility to Fish
One can be a fisher of men by giving the possibility to have boats and a crew. Generous and Kingdom-minded givers are part of the team. Building online platforms, buying good quality cameras and a sound system, as well as having the capability to use all that hardware to its best efficiency is being a fisher of men in a digital age.
6. Preparing / Discipleship
Many people forget that once people join you online, they are now your responsibility to grow and make disciples of them. When someone mentions it’s their first time online with you, or if they’re asking questions on your website or social media, you need team members to be able to engage with them.
Those teammates are as valuable as every other volunteer. When engaged, people may, just possibly, join your church live on Sunday in your building.
As you can see, being fishers of men is a reality in a digital world. Yet, your congregants may need to grasp that idea. And when you use Jesus’ methodology, you will succeed.
