Is social media replacing the church?
Recently I’ve started thinking that there may be a good argument that social media is replacing the church, at least in a number of ways. Now, when I say church, I’m mainly talking about individual congregations, but in some ways one could argue that social media is also replacing national and international denominations as well. I don’t know if I buy it completely, but it’s definitely worth contemplating as many of us in the church examine where the institutional church fits in society today.
I first started thinking about this topic after reading an article in the New Zealand Harold a few weeks ago talking about the fact that social media filled some of the rolls of churches while people couldn’t enter buildings after recent earthquakes. Reading the article started me wondering whether social media is replacing the church in the larger society as well. I’ve been thinking about it for a bit now and I’d have to say there are at least a few areas where I’d say social media is indeed replacing the church.
A Community Gathering Place
Churches used to be a place where the community gathered to share news about their lives, the lives of others, what was going on in the community as well as national and global events. We all know that how we communicate has changed dramatically due to the internet, but sometimes I think we forget just how that changes our behaviour. As in the Christchurch example, many people now share updates via Facebook and other social media in online gatherings rather than physically assembling in one place, like a church to do so.
At one time churches were also considered a great place to meet people and make connections for work etc. This is still the case, but as fewer and fewer people attend church, especially mainline churches, church is less and less the best place to network. Today people are much more likely to start up conversations with people on social networking sites like LinkedIn and Twitter in order to foster working connections, then go to a church.
A Clearing House for Community News
As I mentioned above, the church, like the local coffee shop, used to be where you got your news. While that has been gradually changing due to the introduction of various types of media, until recently with the introduction of social media and the mass penetration of the internet (including into many people’s pockets) there was no media that could replace current neighbourhood news. This left the church as one of the places community news was shared. Now that we can communicate with friends using Facebook, Twitter and other networks, plus being able to learn things from complete strangers even (for example using Google+’s Nearby feature which lets you see public posts that were made close to your location) the need to gather in one place to share news is dramatically reduced.
Digital Prayer
I’ve read a couple of posts recently that reference digital prayer. One post talked about how digital prayer can be useful, but also referenced social media as a way to bring people into church buildings. The other, made more of the fact that digital prayer can really help people feel loved and cared for, making no mention of using social media to ‘put bums in pews’. Now I recognize that the points of the posts were different, but it struck me as I thought about whether or not social media is replacing the church (building) that these different ways of seeing things are important.
So Is Social Media Replacing the Church?
I still haven’t decided whether or not I feel that there is a full replacement taking place, but I definitely see signs that this could be happening. I also think that it may be worthwhile for church leaders to consider how to minister online without looking for corresponding ’bums in pews’.
What do you think? Am I way off base? Or is it possible that social media is replacing the church?
Regardless of whether social media is replacing the church, how do you think the church should respond to this cultural movement towards digital interaction? Do we keep doing what we are doing, even if it is not making the same connections it once was, or do we adapt our format, so that the good news might be accessible to all in a new way?
Good questions Rosalie. I think in general doing what we’re doing can be important to those it’s working for, but that shouldn’t be our only goal. I think it is important however, to be present where and how people are. This is what Jesus did, and I’d argue what his successful followers did as well. I don’t know if this will be adaption, or reinvention, but I think to be faithful we need to do something.
What exactly we do, is harder to say for sure at this point. I would say though it’s important to be present in digital spaces. But potentially more important is teaching other church goers how to be Christian in digital spaces. This includes how to show hospitality and how to seek justice. One of the reasons I think Jesus is such a great example is because he lived what he preached, and he did it where he found those who needed him.
Dear mr Buckingham,
Thank you for this interesting line of thought. I think this is an issue that concerns every aspect of human interaction.
I am working in advertising, where this issue has been studied for quite some years.
That question is not ‘Should we respond to this?’ but rather, ‘How fast can we get something in place?’ If we consider the generation that is now in their teens my guess is that it will be almost impossible to even get across the concept of ‘live communities’, places where people gather to expierence a shared idea. Don’t be surprised when, in the near future, you ask a young person
if they’d like to go to church, they’ll answer: ‘ Sure, send me the app.”
It’s a whole new ballgame, but it’s full of possibilities.
Best regards,
Mark
Thanks for the comment Mark. I think you’re right about it being full of possibilities, but I do still think there will be a desire to get together in person, my feeling though is that for it to happen things will need to be a lot more compelling then they need to be today.
Hey, appreciated this post. I think you’re on to something, especially the point about the church being a place where people shared community news. The church as a medium for news has mostly been sidelined by newspapers and now the Internet and Facebook. The church no longer has control over that communication network. Having been sidelined it has to drum up new ways to maintain a foothold in people’s lives, hence an emphasis on relevance.
Good stuff. Thanks!
Thanks for the comment Adam. I agree that many churches are seeking how to be relevant in peoples lives these days. I do wonder sometimes if some churches are looking for something to replace the lost influence in peoples lives (like the control over local communication networks) rather then better ways to make the Gospel relevant to them today.
Just stumbled across this article, its certainly a fascinating idea isn’t it! I have my doubts about, for me its just a bit too superficial still to replace church. Social media doesnt allow me to properly share my joy or my pain, or whatever I happen to be going through, and so for me face-to-face church will always have its place.
Cheers
Rowan
Thanks for your comments Rowan. I agree that we’re certainly not there yet, and for some people we probably never will be. It’s definitely a wait and see game, but I do think it’s something churches should be thinking about and getting ready to respond to.
I do not think the social media can effectively replace the church. What I understand social media to be doing is reach to people who may otherwise never come anywhere near the church but spend a lot of their time online.
I believe that people need and enjoy other people’s company, with social media you are on your own as you surf the net. For those who may value their faith they will want to be in the company of other people of like mind. The writer to the Hebrews echoes that sentiment when he says in Hebrews 10:25 ‘Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Instead, let us encourage one another all the more, since you see that the day of the lord is coming nearer’ People as social beings will always need other people, the social media can not physically replace the need of other people’s company. The church will provide people in physical sense.
Thanks for your comments Mabel. I agree that people still greatly appreciate meeting people face to face, and I don’t see that going away any time soon. It will be interesting to see however if being ‘social’ online can provide some people with enough company that their need for face to face company diminishes.
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