10 Ways Social Media is Changing Churches Build Faith

Social media has influenced every interaction we have online.

Social media allows you to engage all your friends and their connections.

From sharing our latest news, what happened to our friends throughout the day, to sharing a picture of someone or something that we are proud of.

This wasn’t possible 15 years ago. You and I wouldn’t have been able to let our friends around the world know about the blessings in our life within seconds.

Today, we’re living in an unprecedented time. Our life updates can be shared with a few taps on our smartphones on social pages.

Churches have found success in using social media. We have more engagement, sharing and teaching about core values of faith.

Social media has also opened the doors to unconventional and versatile ways for you to practice your faith. 

It serves as a constant reminder to work on our journey and be inspired by every situation that life could possibly throw our way.  

So how exactly has social media impacted those who follow faith online?

Here are 10 reasons why churches engaging in social media

1. Social media serves as a constant reminder of faith.

Those who follow social media accounts of churches and their pastors see the church’s posts in their daily feed.

Whether it’s a verse from scripture or a daily motivational, churches can effectively reach and remind its members the importance of engaging in daily prayer.

Often times, you get wrapped up in your daily routines. So these informal reminders from social media can help out you back on track.

A gentle nudge from your pastor or another church member might just come at the right moment in your busy day.

If you are in Facebook groups or follow preachers, you will definitely be reminded of your blessings when their content shows up in your feed.

2. Faith is being viewed in more unconventional ways. 

Faith for many is going to church and making sure that they say their prayers at night.

When I was growing up, my pastor pulled me to the side and told me, “Derek, praying is not a display of faith. It’s meant to be a conversation between you and God.”

While this notion of prayer remains the same, churches are exploring new methods that resonate with the new generations.

As technology and innovation continue to change the landscape of communities, churches are embracing the need to adapt as well.

The added benefit of churches using social media helps broaden the horizons on how we are exactly viewing and interpreting our faith.

It allows us to be more flexible with how we pray, and gives us new ideas on how we can practice our faith every day, from anywhere.

A story that we saw posted on the church’s social media page about kindness can do amazing things.

It reminds you to be kind to others which can inspire you to be nice to the next person that we see while we’re out grocery shopping.

The more positivity you let into your life, the more positivity will flow outward from you.

3. If social media is unavoidable, then so is faith. 

The average person opens their social media accounts at least eight times per day. If you’re like everyone else, your smartphone is glued to your hands…figuratively speaking.

We’re engaged with social media to a point where anything that we follow on our personal accounts is unavoidable.

Well, unless you block it. But humans are wired with an insatiable need to know everything. And social media enables and feeds that desire.

Imagine if you opened your phone to your news feed and saw a reminder of the church’s faith with every scroll.

Of course, your church or pastor or motivational figure you follow must also be actively producing amazing content for you to want to follow them.

10 years ago, this level of reach was impossible. Even if you attended church and engage in other activities surrounding our faith every week.

Accessibility to conversation and engagement into our faith has gone from a few times a week to a few times a day, at the least.

We can connect with our community down to a hourly or daily basis, only strengthening and securing our personal values and life journey.

Social media helps the journey of faith to be a consistent, rather than pushing it aside to work on later.

4. Working on faith is more accessible.

We now have the ability to practice our faith everywhere. On the bus, when waiting in line at the convenience store, or even when we are waiting to pick our kids from school.

Anytime we have access to our smartphones, we have access to social media and our churches’ social pages, which serve as a constant inspiration to work on our journey of faith.

Having the ability to have faith and reassurance at our fingertips allows us to frequently be reminded that we need to constantly carry faith in our hearts.

If there’s ever any doubt or questions and concerns, the answers are just one instant message away.

5. Social media encourages conversation. 

For various reasons, some people are shy about their faith, or afraid to ask a question, or make a statement out loud for fear of ridicule.

Starting conversations online can give those people a chance to view what others are saying and talking about.

Often times others have already asked the same question. They are able to simply go through and read the advice and answers on social pages.

While there are cases of cyber bullying in social networks, this article will focus on the empowerment that social media is able to provide.

Social media can also give those who are shy a voice and allow them to speak up and start a conversation. You can join a conversation and further their learning of faith.

Whether we are shy, or just enjoy engaging in conversation online about what we are most passionate about in our faith, or what we feel we need to work on, social media has become an amazing medium to further the learning that we engage in at church.

So spark up a conversation. Join your community and get to know others who share the same love for faith so you can grow.

6. Social media allows people to connect from all over the world. 

Prior to social media, connecting with others from all across the world who share the same faith as you was next to impossible. Unless you traveled to find and engage with them.

Additionally, learning about the progress from your missionaries on mission trips can be shared online in real-time.

Using tools like Facebook live, Instagram TV, and other live streaming tools, you can broadcast instantaneously.

Today, we can share a conversation from anyone, anywhere, at any time.

+Our Church having social media that can be discovered from anywhere can help to spread the love and passion that is shared for our faith.

7. Remote access to faith opens the door to new audiences.

Sometimes, people do not choose faith. Rather they stumble into it when they are experiencing a difficult time in their life.

Or maybe, someone feels lost so they look online to see if they can find an answer or solution to the way they are feeling.

Often times these people will turn to faith.

The internet has given us the ability to readily have any information at our fingertips in a matter of seconds.

Information like the closest church, community conversation on faith to find what they were looking for during a time of need.

The church having the ability to have a record of all of the conversations, engagement and encouragement on the benefits and truisms of faith is something invaluable to each individual who may stumble upon it.

8.Faith on social media encourages positivity and engagement.

We all had our fair share of bad or difficult days. We feel we might never get through because one frustrating thing happens after another.

However, the church at your fingertips can help ease the soul and calm the mind. Letting you turn to your faith and serenity whenever you feel so much is being thrown at you.

Social media for churches serves as a constant, by being able to be there for each one of its members. In moments of both relaxation and stress, sadness and joy or any other moment that life journeys us through.

Our bond with both the church and our faith is strengthened in all these moments. Through engagement of social media, because it reminds us that there is always a shoulder to lean on in faith that will get us through anything.

We learn to rely on faith, and social media gives us that constant ability. Often times on our journey we can forget in moments of frustration and happiness what exactly it is that we are supposed to do.

9. Church engagement in social media allows followers to feel a constant sense of community.

Imagine that feeling of community at church when everyone in one room is sharing the same love for their faith, or in a study when everyone is engaging with each other, striking conversations about things that they want to discuss on their journey with faith.

Now, imagine access to that feeling anywhere you go and no matter what you do.

Social media has allowed community members of the church to feel this way, all they have to do is simply open social media pages and engage, or just simply observe what is happening on the church’s page.

10. Social media allows people to easily share their love and faith of their church.

On average, it takes less than five minutes to post on social media.

If it’s something you are passionate about it might take even less than that.

Many times, you don’t even have to post.

You share and its re-posted for all of your friends and followers to see.

Social media has given us the ability to share and post about what we love.  We can share whatever we want with our friends and followers.

The benefit of church posting, engaging and creating shareable content is that all of our community members will share to those that they love. And in turn will grow our community together.

Conclusion

So, how do you view faith differently through the lens of social media? We hope that the church engaging in social media has helped your journey to faith and love continue.

The hope of using social media is to give inspiration, comfort and peace. Knowing that we’re close to faith even when they cant be engaging in the traditional sense.

Using digital platforms to reach a wider audience, and start conversations in those who may not want to speak up in person are just a few of the ways that the digital world has helped everyone to journey with faith.

It has opened the doors to viewing faith in more diverse ways.

We are able to apply it to our daily lives thanks to ease and integration of social media. It allows us to see the good in everything that we go through and grow closer in growing in our faith.