The use of social media platforms can be incredibly rewarding in our day. I have met some of the kindest people through online interactions. I have stayed in their homes, though we had only met previously via Facebook or another platform. I have built a network of alliances on moral and theological issues. I have been strengthened by quotes, moved by the kindness of God among hard providences, grown in my writing, and seen thousands of people interacting with my work over the years.
While some may demur the use of social media, and while some waste away their time lurking at 3 in the morning, entangled in political battles at 4, and opining needlessly at 5, and while some have used platforms to form their own priesthood, undoubtedly, the use of social media has provided the Church with a clear sense of the current temperature on a host of issues and has been overwhelmingly good. When used wisely, it can be a glimpse into the human soul and the hunger of our culture. Social media is what flows out of the heart (Matt. 15:19).
Churches have benefited enormously through this platform by allowing the world to see that it is not dormant or tucked away in some isolated ideological place but is vibrant, doing church in feasts and fellowship; word and sacrament. The Church is, by definition, a visible institution. She is not a spiritualized force dispensing goods on one day and returning to the cave on the others.
To be more precise, social media is used by almost five billion people. Over half of the world’s population is tuned in to some media or another, finding their spirituality and sexuality and satiating their appetite with what is offered. We must take advantage of this season of Church History by using this platform to show who we are to the world.
We are not professionals, but neither are we ascetics. Only the Church is the fountain of life to the nations, only the Church provides bread and wine to a hungry world, only the Church baptizes into a Triune Name. She is the bride of Christ, and we are to make her works known. And we have access to an essentially free means to tell our communities that we exist and stand ready with the Gospel of peace.
This is especially crucial in our day. Most people find new churches on one of these platforms when they move into town. The growth of the Reformed faith is mainly due to the propagation of essays and videos via social media platforms.
While websites can be effective, they are no longer the leading source for searching and finding new congregations. My own assessment is that most people who have joined our Communion of churches (CREC) have come by finding our songs, sermons, and culture through platforms like Facebook.
We are missing an opportunity to proclaim to the desert places, to bring those eager for truth into the blessings of the Church. Use this platform for the glory of God and offer a vision of Church life that is compelling, conservative, vibrant, and biblical for the glory of Christ.
