Lausanne World Pulse – Mahalife.com and the Younger Generation of India
By Joseph Vijayam
April 2006
What makes Mahalife.com unique, in comparison to other evangelistic ministries targeting the emerging generation, is the fact that it leverages a medium which is especially well-suited for personal counseling. The Internet provides a platform which can be both personal and at the same time anonymous. It is one-on-one and at the same time one-to-many. It is a form of communicating one-way, while it is also interactive. It is low cost but perceived as high-tech, trendy and exclusive. It is no wonder that personal relationship-building websites such as those that provide a platform for pen pals and dating are so popular.
The key to the success of Mahalife.com as a website that draws young people to Christ is the strength of its counseling team. A major portion of our time and financial resources are spent on increasing the quality and quantity of our counselors. It is impossible to do this task through paid counselors. The costs would be astronomical and such a program would not involve the whole Church in this exciting work of reaching the next generation with the gospel. We believe there are many in the body of Christ who are already called to a ministry of counseling but lack the necessary training and appropriate platform to exercise their gifts. Mahalife.comidentifies those individuals and trains them in Christian counseling and Internet tools. Once equipped, these individuals are recruited as volunteer counselors through their local churches/fellowships. The goal is to involve the whole Church to reach the whole world around them with the whole gospel.
Mahalife.com reaches isolated seekers with the message of the gospel of Christ in a context that is familiar to them and relevant to their situation. Those who respond to the gospel by surrendering their lives to Christ are connected with believers and are encouraged to become a part of the local church. With eighty thousand hits per month, (resulting in over one million hits per year), Mahalife will reach many young people in India with the good news. Over one thousand people are expected to seriously seek Christian counseling and connection with believers directly through Mahalife over a period of one year.
|
Joseph Vijayam is managing director of Olive Technology, a computer software company. He has offices in Hyderabad, India and Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. |