The FOF Challenge originated in the spring of 2009 at the Youthmark Mission Venture Spring Retreat. This Challenge was set up as a practical way to get participants who were being trained for their upcoming mission trips to understand that mission is not just there (wherever “there” may be), but mission is here & now.
Brian Aaby, Youthmark Founder & President
Brian Aaby, the Founder and President of Youthmark wanted the participants of the YMV Spring Retreats to walk away with something very practical they could do to be a missionary wherever/whenever. “Teens are online, so why not be a missionary online?”
The strategy is simply to create a conversation online which can lead to a person being able to share his or her faith. It is Brian’s hope that this is NOT the only place believers are found faithful in witness. In other words, one should not just be a missionary online, rather an extension of who the person is in in-person relationships as well.
One student who participated in the Challenge in the Spring of 2009 said, “the FOF Challenge made me so much more comfortable sharing my faith offline; if I was willing to do it online, why not off?”
89% of those aged 13 to 26 have an online social profile. The most popular sites are Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Because Facebook was the most used at the time, we named it the FOF Challenge (Faith on Facebook), however, one could easily do an FOM Challenge (Faith on MySpace) or FOT Challenge (Faith on Twitter) if either of these is the preferred Social Network.
The name of the challenge is not the point, the challenge itself is to use the social networks as a conduit for a believer to create spiritual conversation in which he or she is able faithfully share about Jesus in this every growing meeting place.
Don’t hesitate to visit Youthmark.com to find out more about Youthmark and other creative things they are doing. Brian Aaby has his own blog (brianaaby.com) as well, he quite often shares stories of his own endeavors in his Jerusalem sharing his faith.
