An outreach ministry that specializes in sharing the gospel through online media announced Wednesday that it reached a record-breaking 687,000 people in just one day last year.
Global Media Outreach, founded in 2004 by Campus Crusade for Christ, said that in just one day in December 2010 it reached that ministry-high figure. The 687,488 people that GMO said it presented the Gospel to were from all 191 countries, and out of the total number, 56,854 people indicated a decision for Jesus Christ.
The internet ministry’s media representative, Monica Sales, explained that GMO counts presenting the Gospel to one person when someone submits a request to one of GMO websites to speak to an online missionary.
There are more than 5,500 trained GMO online missionaries worldwide who respond to questions asked by seekers through emails. The online missionaries are volunteers who answer the emails whenever they have time, so essentially any Christian who meets basic requirements can be a GMO missionary.
This evangelism system allows Christians to do mission without having to leave their full-time job or relocate.
But Walt Wilson, chairman and founder of GMO, clarified that the ministry’s goal is not just to get people to make decisions for Christ online, but to disciple new believers and to connect them to a local church.
“In addition to online evangelism, we expanded our discipleship offerings in 2010 to now include systematic studies on an e-learning platform so that progress can be measured and tracked by the individual new believer,” Wilson said in a statement Wednesday.
GMO has more than 150 websites that seek to attract those that are searching for spiritual answers online. Some of GMO’s English-language websites include WhoisJesus-Really.com, GodLovestheWorld.com, 4StepstoGod.com, and GrowinginChrist.com, among many others.
Last April, Wilson said he believes that with current technology there is the potential to share the Gospel with everyone on earth by 2020.
“We are the first generation in all of human history to hold within our hands the technology to reach every man, woman and child on the earth by 2020,” said Wilson, a former Apple executive, during the iSummit at Biola University. “Our generation has within its grasp everything that is required to fulfill the Great Commission.”
GMO will go through some big changes soon, including separating from CCC, it announced Wednesday. The two evangelism ministries, however, plan to remain close partners. CCC president Steve Douglass will be a member of GMO’s board of directors.
“Our vision with God’s help remains the same: Giving every person on earth multiple opportunities to accept Jesus,” said Wilson. “We’re proud to have been a formal part of Campus Crusade and look forward to the new possibilities this partnership brings. We are trusting God for a great year ahead."
The internet outreach ministry will also consolidate its more than 150 websites later this year under one source, Godlife.com.
In 2010, GMO said it presented the Gospel to more than 112 million people and saw more than 15 million indicate a decision for Christ.
