Online Social Networking and Ministry
The Church must realize the importance of online social networking before it is too late.
Online social networking is not some fad that will run its course. Its popularity is growing in leap and bounds. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, “More than half (55%) of all of online American youths ages 12-17 use an online social networking sites.”
If the Church is serious about reaching the next generation for Christ, then serious steps should be made in acquiring tools that bridge the gap between the traditional American Church and today’s young people. I wonder if this is possible, given traditional models of local church?
If leadership within local churches is not “in-tune” with new technology, especially the internet, how will local churches successfully reach young people in their communities?
Many years ago I helped coordinate a youth retreat at a Methodist outreach center in rural Tennessee. Over 100 young people attended. One of the activities they were asked to do was write their names on a small paper bag. These bags were then taped to a wall everyone passed by each day.
The youth were then encouraged to drop comments into the bags. These could be words of encouragement, favorite scriptures; anything that was uplifting. The goal was that everyone’s bag would have “good comments.”
The youth went way beyond the call of duty and made sure everyone, including new people, had new comments in their bags each day. The youth used this as a form of ministry, and it worked extremely well.
I find similarities between this activity at the retreat and social networking sites. Young people return regularly to their online profile pages to see if comments have been posted. According to the Pew survey, “Almost half of social networking-using teens visit the sites either once a day (26%) or several times a day (22%)."
May I suggest that young people use social networking sites to invite “ministry” into their lives. They want simple recognition and encouragement. They want to know if anyone out there really cares about them– enough to make comments on their profile page.
Church leaders, I strongly encourage you to “bite the bullet” and spend some serious time exploring new technology, especially online social networking. The internet can be a powerful tool for ministry in the hands of Christians. Please seize the moment.
Visit the following research sites:
Pew Internet & American Life Project
www.pewinternet.org
Social Networking Websites and Teens
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/198/report_display.asp
Barna Research Group
Surveys about teens and the internet
2007 Digital Future Report
http://www.digitalcenter.org/pdf/2007-Digital-Future-Report-Press-Release-112906.pdf
