5Q4 > An Internet Minister

Pastor Josué Sánchez, who describes himself as a pastor, youth speaker and columnist also has another role—Internet minister. He runs a number of web sites for teens and young adults where he dispenses advice, wisdom and a little bit of fun on the side.

1 How did you get into the blog/web side of ministry? > The youth leader of my first church created a web site for our youth. Then I asked him out of the blue if I could have an advice section in it, to which he gladly agreed. Shortly after, I decided to start a teen site on my own. The blog came a few years later, in an effort to have my personal space on the net, like a soapbox, where I could be “just Josue.”

2 How long have you been doing it? > JustSmile Ministries was born in 2002, and my first blog hit the blogosphere on 2004. By the time you read this, a few more siblings will have joined the family :)

3 What are the most rewarding elements of it? What are the most frustrating? > What I like the most of the online ministry is that I can see first-hand how God touches thousands of teens. I’ve seen miracles of hearts transformed, suicidal teens opting to live and many young people recommitting their lives to Jesus. What frustrates me terribly is that I cannot do it full time. I do it in my “spare time.” I wish this were my paying job!

4 How does it compare to your “normal” ministry? > It’s very similar and radically different at the same time. How’s this possible? OK, there is the building (site), the church board (director and forum moderators), departments (forum sections), members (subscribers) and visitors (guests). However, it is different in the sense that there are no walls and it’s open 24/7. Also, JustSmile Ministries is non-denominational. My team of almost 30 volunteers comes from Catholic and Pentecostal backgrounds to Adventist homes. We just focus on sharing Jesus with teens :)

5 What role do you think the internet can play in reaching out or connecting people with Christianity? > It plays a huge and decisive role. Most teens will never knock on the church’s door and ask for an interview with the pastor. But they purposely google the web in search of answers to their existential questions. If God were to rewrite the Bible nowadays, I bet he’d assign a few webmasters to do the job, and his blog would be one of the most read on the blogosphere!

Find out more about Josue’s ministry at:

• JustSmile Ministries (teen ministry) www.justsmile.org
• Just Josué (personal blog) www.justjosue.org
• Pocket reviews (gadget blog) www.justjosue.org/pocketreviews
• Just Devotions (ministry blog) www.justdevotions.org