When Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to a Wittenberg church door and started discussions that transformed Western Christianity, he was using the social media of 1517 to get the word out about God’s grace to everyone.
In 2015, why not use all the tools you have for ministry? Mobile devices and social media are tools many of us have to share and engage our friends and the public with our faith.
This Sunday, October 25, 2015, is Social Media Sunday – a perfect time to share something from church on social media. Tag it with #SMS15. Together people of faith can use the power of social media to share the message of the Gospel outside our church buildings. Consider it an opportunity keep your mobile on, and quietly, purposefully, intentionally, and gracefully use it to share.
There are many ways on social media to show the intersection of your faith and your life. Some simple ideas are:
- Check in at church
- Share a photo with a caption on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram
- Share an insight from your time at church
What began in The Episcopal Church in 2013 has grown into an ecumenical event for people who use social media to share their faith and the Good News in a contemporary and now-mainstream way. For our Lutheran sisters and brothers, the 2015 date falls when they will celebrate Reformation Sunday, remembering when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to a Wittenberg church door and started discussions that transformed Western Christianity. Hanging paper in a public place was the social media of Luther’s day, and one of the key parts of the Protestant Reformation was to get the word out about God’s grace to everyone.
Is social media a big deal?
Nearly two-thirds of all American adults (65%) use social networking sites, a nearly tenfold jump in the last decade, up from 7% when Pew Research Center began systematically tracking social media usage in 2005. Social media is not just a young person’s world; since 2010 there has been a surge in usership among those 65 and older. Nearly two-thirds of Americans (64%) are now smartphone owners, putting social media at their fingertips; this is up from 35% in the spring of 2011. Over 85% of American adults are internet users.
Of social media sites, 72% of online adults are Facebook users, amounting to 62% of all American adults; 70% say they are on Facebook daily.
Connect with our diocese on social media
- Facebook (we have 550 fans)
- Twitter (we have 1788 followers)
- YouTube (we have 30 subscribers and 1678 views this year)
- Pinterest (we have 179 followers)
Our Presiding Bishop-elect Michael Curry has urged us all to go and spread the word about Jesus. So pick up your mobile device and go!