Social Media: The Next Mission Field

When it comes to digital, most churches are doing it wrong. We post our events and blast what we are doing inside our four walls to the world. We talk about Jesus, but we focus on our events. We invite those looking for a church, but we don’t speak to the lost or to those who are hurting. In short, our digital outreach is nothing more than a billboard for believers.

The Copy Machine

There was a time in the church when a copy machine was an unheard of expense and necessity. I can imagine the arguments that came up between the little lady who all but had her name on her pew and the young pastor who was proposing spending hundreds of dollars on a copy machine. There was likely the argument of how it could be a good tool for evangelism and ministry outreach. And that argument would have been valid, which is why it eventually won.

The church is at crossroads again when it comes to technology. We have long been behind the curve on creative expression and we are simply aren’t approaching the digital realm as another mission field like we should be.

Your Digital Ministry

The way I see it, a true digital ministry should be focused on the lost. It should be clear from our digital communication that Jesus is the way and the only truth. It should be elementary in its use of scripture and explain things as if the reader has never heard of the Bible before. This is what a ministry should be. We should be focused on the lost while, at the same time, equipping our members to share and get the gospel message into their social media feeds to reach their network.

I want to take a second to draw a likely correlation here. It is said that upwards of 95% of millennials use social media on a daily basis. It’s also said that this particular group is falling away from the church at the highest rate in history. To me, the correlation is simple. Churches aren’t going where this unreached people group has access to hear the gospel, simply because we don’t want to put in the resources and time to use the main medium they communicate on.

What can the church do?

When the church decides it’s going to see the digital world as a mission field, things will change. The power of the gospel will not be undermined and it will draw the lost to salvation. And, while millennials are the main users of social media, they aren’t the only lost people there.

Your church can use social media more effectively by focusing on the lost. Consider setting up a team of a few people to develop and schedule content out for a few weeks in advance. Make the focus 80% on the lost and use the rest on things going on at the church or for posting content for believers and members.

Keep it simple. Social media doesn’t have to be complicated or really time consuming. Focus on one platform such as Facebook and use it well. Don’t spread yourself too thin or you will fail.

Have a mission mindset. If you have a mission mindset for the initiative, you will be able to stay on track and keep people engaged. Consistency is key for social media and this mindset will help maintain what you are doing long term.

I hope this helps shed some light on a very important topic for our churches today. We have a message that needs to be spread and we have the largest communication platform the world has ever known. Let’s use it to it’s fullest potential to get the message of Jesus to the lost at all costs!