Guerilla Outreach

Not too long ago local newspapers had a virtual want ad monopoly. Anyone looking to buy, sell, or hire had to pay big fees to run a classified in their local newspaper.

CraigsList changed all that with its free, online, community-monitored classified ads. Now anyone can go online and post an ad for just about any item they want to sell, service they want to provide, or job opening they want to fill – for free!

A colleague sent me a Craigslist outreach idea last month. He said that CraigsList is a great place to find people who are in need and touch them with God's love. I have used CraigsList but not as a tool of ministry.

Hearing stories about how some use CraigsList for the wrong reasons, I proceeded with caution . . well not really.

Here's what we did:
- Go to CraigsList.
- Click into the listings for your specific location.
- Under the “for sale” heading click the “Wanted” category.
- Find a listing for someone in need.
- Meet their need.

We connected with a young lady who had just moved to town with only what she could carry in her little car. I advertized for household items and got a good response from our congregation. The next step was to contact our Special Operations Team who delivered the items and expressed support for our client.

As with any kind of servant evangelism, you may not have the opportunity to share the gospel immediately (though maybe you will), but maybe you can give the person your phone number of email address and tell them to contact you if they need anything else. Maybe you can invite them to join you at church (bring a brochure or invitation card).

What do you think? Is this use of CraigsList a way you might help people in your community?