Meet: Unmistakablymelissa

Who are you (the person behind the account)? My name is Melissa Schiffbauer. I am 27 years old and I live in FL USA with my husband Braxton and our two cats.

How did @unmistakablymelissa come to be? The account ”unmistakablymelissa” started out as my personal instagram page. I did not create it with the intention of becoming a ministry. I only had a few hundred friends and family who interacted with me. Then at the start of the pandemic, I started to write Biblical posts on my instagram to practice my writing. I also started to create ”reels”- short video clips on Bible hot topics. One of my reels went viral with over 100,000 views and that is how my account began to grow into what it is today.

What motivates you to continue to share christian content? I am motivated to utilize social media for the sake of the gospel because I love Jesus. I believe he has given me talents in this area and it would not be right for me to use those talents for selfish gain. Instead of trying to become famous by posting on fashion or pop culture, I would like to use the online space to do outreach. My ultimate goal is to equip others with the ability to also effectively share on social media for Christ. What is your best tip for young people who wants to share their believes on social media platforms? My best tip for someone who wants to start a social media ministry, is to first strengthen your own personal relationship with God. Make sure you know what you believe in your own heart before trying to encourage others to believe. Social media can be very impactful but it can also be high risk. You can say or do the wrong thing online and within minutes thousands of people could potentially see your error. People online are also often unkind. So it is important to find your identity in Jesus and have a good support system away from the internet, before you start doing this type of work. Sharing online is not a ”get famous quick” system. You must want to share for the right reasons.

*Bonus tip: It is okay to make mistakes! Your first few videos or posts won’t be perfect. As you share online you will learn more and more how to improve your content. Don’t feel like you need to be perfect when you start. Let it be a learning experience.

Melissa Schiffbauer www.thebiblegirl.com