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Facebook: Helping Those Called Find Christian Education

Higher Christian Education Support Through Facebook

The social network known as Facebook has come a long way since it began back in 2004. Originally used as a method to stay connected to friends, its current outcome of over 500 million active users most certainly was not expected. Due to its rapid success, Facebook has been able to take on unique business ventures such as social media marketing, otherwise known as a form of "viral" marketing, and is something that is currently sweeping the realm of new market ventures. With that said, here is one fellow Christian Facebook user's interesting story to how Facebook is being used for those called of God to find Christian education.

As one of the administrators of Nazarene Bible College's fan page, I like to keep up to date with the impact NBC has in the Facebook society. While searching for Nazarene Bible College in the search bar, I came across a unique page related to NBC that gives details from Wikipedia about what our bible school is all about. Beyond that, it has a "Related Global Posts" section. It might sound unusual, but if anyone in the Facebook community mentions "Nazarene Bible College" in their Facebook status, it appears on this particular pages wall. Now, we do control what is said on Wikipedia, but how this page works is a virtue of the intuitive programming enlisted by Facebook programmers, and frankly, a mystery to me. However, this does provide yet another way for NBC to reach out with its curriculum and ministry to all areas regardless of how disparate using Facebook as a method may appear.

Provided with this brand new avenue of reaching out to prospective students, I stumbled across this page and read a post from someone who had been seriously thinking about attending either NBC or Trevecca Nazarene University, potentially through online education. Both being fantastic options, but this person was seeking prayer and likely guidance. After reading this message, and as a staff member of NBC, I had to think about what Facebook means to our students and fans, and how a prospective student may feel if we reached out to them. It was inevitable that I posed a question to myself: "Was this a comment meant for only family and friends, or is this God stepping in?" After much introspection, I finally decided to send a message and offer my help and prayers. Maybe it was meant to be, or maybe the credit goes to Facebook, but at NBC we strive to reach out in any way we can. In the past, these thoughts would've gone unanswered, but now we are seeing things a little differently. With NBC's newfound ability to reach out and touch the hearts of those compelled towards a Christian education, even if it is through a media as seemingly arbitrary as Facebook, we have a unique and authentic opportunity to change lives; and the power of Social Media Networking for NBC has un-measureable potential.

Published: 11/12/2010

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