Churches have been using social media for a number of years now. Some Churches really embrace social media as an opportunity to reach the unchurched and some other Churches are still hesitant. Where is your Church in its view of social media?
Recently, in reports from We are Social/Hootsuite October 2021 Report and Social Pilot, more and more stats are pointing to how great of an opportunity Churches have to turn simple social media usage into social ministry. Here are 4 stats from those reports that are particularly noteworthy.
STAT: "More than two-thirds of the world’s population uses a mobile phone today, with global users increasing by almost 100 million (+1.9 percent) over the past 12 months to reach 5.29 billion in October 2021."
SOCIAL MINISTRY IMPACT: More and more people are in possession of a smart phone or smart device. With so many people with access to this, the potential to reach is great. Whether it is text messaging, social media, Facebook ads, online groups and Bible studies, people can stay connected to God's word and be encouraged to grow in their faith with a simple click of a button.
STAT: TikTok announced that it had passed the 1 billion monthly active user figure at the end of September 2021, making it just the seventh social media platform to join the exclusive billion-user club.
SOCIAL MINISTRY IMPACT: If your Church isn't using TikTok yet, you are missing a huge ministry opportunity. You can do fun things on it like participate in a trending theme, you could do short devotionals, post follow up encouragement from a message or even clips of worship. There are lots of ways you can engage people on this growing and very popular platform.
STAT: 60.5% say that the reason for using the internet is to find out information. 50.5% say they use the internet to find out how to do things.
SOCIAL MINISTRY IMPACT: It's the new Yellow Book or White Pages (if you are old enough to remember those). Before people will ever come to your Church they will check your website, online service and social media accounts first. Having a social media presences that engages people, encourages them in Christ and informs people about what your Church is all about can really go a long way to helping people come and experience your Church in person.
STAT: 74% of Facebook users visit the site daily.
SOCIAL MINISTRY IMPACT: That means that if most people are checking out Facebook daily, we, the Church, should have content up there designed to encourage, inspire and inform people. Consistency matters and if you are post daily, there is a greater chance your people will be encouraged, inspired and informed, which will keep them coming back to your page or group.
Conclusion:
Social media is not something Churches can discount. We are well past that by now. These are just 4 of an ever growing number of stats about social media that highlight how big of an opportunity social media has to be a social ministry. It's time to start investing more time and intentionality into social media so that more people can discover who God is, maybe for the first time.
What do you think? How have you seen social media be a social ministry? Share your ideas below or on social media.
Also, if you are interested in being a Digital Missionary or want to learn digital tools to expand your reach in ministry this year, join the Digital Bootcamp Facebook Group!
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