From Social Media to Social Ministry: A Guide to Digital Discipleship

There are more than 350,000 churches across the United States and more than 2.3 billion professing Christians around the world. Yet studies have shown that 65% of churches in America are either declining or plateauing in attendance. Many of those who tell you they attend church aren't actually showing up.

Many today are actively searching for a church experience, but they are doing their search digitally. Long before they set foot in your building, they've "experienced" your digital presence online. Most churches see social media as a means of getting people to attend programs and services, for getting "butts in the seats." But Nona Jones, who facilitates Facebook's relationships with faith-based non-profits, believes there is far more untapped potential for churches to utilize social media, transforming it into social ministry. Social media focuses on driving people to a building for one to two hours of interaction each week. Social ministry focuses on helping people mature in Christ the other 168 hours of the week. And while social media is about marketing and attracting people to your church, social ministry is about life-long discipleship in a digital age.