Seek and You Shall Find: Christian Spaces is Revolutionizing Social Media ^Featured

In this day and age of social media dominating our lives, it can be almost impossible to find a place of solace on the Internet. Even the best blogs and message boards can have challenging communities, no matter how well moderated. When you’re a Christian, it can even be more difficult to find an online community that’s supportive of your walk with Christ as well as your expressions of faith IRL. 

While Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram are great for staying in touch, the open access platforms make it tricky to form active, consistent faith-based groups. Shared beliefs are a crucial foundation for all relationships—from friends and partners to bible study and business ventures.  And with more relationships than ever being sustained via social media, wouldn’t it make sense to have a Christian platform for sharing, connecting, and organizing?

Kelly Bedrich, founder of Christian Spaces, certainly thought so. In fact, his genius idea goes live this month. A “new and private social network of Christians serving together,” Christian Spaces is a safe, free place for likeminded followers of Christ to hang out. It goes beyond simply socializing though, and Christian Entrepreneur Magazine was eager to find out exactly what inspired Bedrich to create the site. He graciously caught up with us to talk his founding principles, the goals of Christian Spaces, and what exactly was missing from the prominent pillars of social media that can be found in this exciting new community.

Christian Entrepreneur Magazine: Kelly, tell me about Christian Spaces--what is it, and what are your goals?

Kelly Bedrich: Christian Spaces is a social network designed to connect friends and family in a community of faith.  Our goal is to have a platform that connects Christians across borders and denominations but also serves small local Christian groups in a supportive way.

Christian Entrepreneur Magazine: How did you come up with the idea?

My wife and I have been involved with a small group at our local church for several years. Everyone in the group is connected on various social media platforms but the way we communicate about Bible Study, prayer requests, events or anything is through email with a long distribution list that everyone replies to and copies continuously.  We thought there must to be a better way to stay connected during the week and to keep all of the discussion topics organized. 

We have a habit of constantly checking our various social media accounts throughout the day and often feel drained afterwards. Christian Spaces is a destination that we can use throughout the day to renew our spirit, refill our tank and uplift us so that we can serve God better. 

Christian Entrepreneur Magazine: What was lacking in current social platforms that inspired you to create Christian Spaces?

The social media platforms out there have identities that most people associate with them. For example, Facebook covers a very broad spectrum, Twitter is more news, technology and information, and Instagram tends to be more fashion, trends and self-promotion. We envision the identity associated with Christian Spaces being one of a positive and caring community of faith which provides a specific place for Christians to share and connect.

Christian Entrepreneur Magazine: How have you seen online spiritual/faith based communities be successful? What lessons have you learned that you're bringing to this project? 

Technology is an incredible tool and the ultimate outreach for communities of faith. We have learned over the years that people are the most invested in something when they feel connected to one another in a small group where they feel known and cared for. Christian Spaces provides a technology platform for people to share their faith and be an inspiration to others but it also provides a way for small groups to organize and communicate privately to support one another in life and on their faith journey.

Christian Entrepreneur Magazine: Besides you, who else is involved? And what do they bring to the project?

My wife and I have formed a company to support this project. We plan on making this project a grassroots effort initially. We hope to partner with other on-line faith networks to expand and grow this platform in the future.  We would like to have daily devotions, Bible verses, and provide resources for in-depth Bible study.

Christian Entrepreneur Magazine:What types of communities will be built via Christian Spaces?

We envision this platform being a place for a number of Christian communities beginning with churches and small groups but also for our users to support a cause or an outreach on local, national and worldwide levels.

Christian Entrepreneur Magazine: Are there options for tweens, teens, and adults? What age range are you targeting? 

Certainly Christian Spaces is designed to meet the needs of any age group to share and connect with one another in a positive way.  We’ll promote this platform with youth groups, Sunday school classes, small groups, MOPS groups, Bible study groups, prayer teams, choirs, praise bands, 55+ groups and the list could go on.  Christian Spaces is a perfect place for anyone who wants to connect with fellow Christians for a common purpose in a positive way.

Christian Entrepreneur Magazine: What kind of service opportunities are you hoping to create? 

Christian Spaces provides a way for Christian groups to make their causes known, generate support for those causes, and organize service opportunities surrounding a specific cause or outreach.  With so many volunteer opportunities and ways to positively impact the lives of others in our communities, Christian Spaces can meet this need in two ways. First, it is a platform for groups to organize service opportunities. Second, it is the place a person can go and find a service opportunity that fits best.
Christian Entrepreneur Magazine: How do you plan to moderate the content? 

We will set a tone for the content but not moderate it.  We will promote a positive site that celebrates how our friends inspire us, support us and help us along our Christian journey.

Christian Entrepreneur Magazine: What has been the most exciting moment for you in developing Christian Spaces? 

God reveals himself in many ways. We feel strongly that God is leading us on this journey.  That realization is both incredibly exciting and humbling at the same time. We are extremely excited to share this platform as a way to bring together Christians from all regions and backgrounds to strengthen their faith and make faith a part of their daily lives.

Christian Spaces launched this month and can be found at www.christianspaces.com, with fantastic webdesign by www.seattlesoftwaredevelopers.com.