Should the Church Use Social Networking

to Reach People

Recently after a meeting of the house church I pastor, we were discussing social networking when one of the participants said she would not sign up for Facebook or for Myspace.  Her reasoning was it was too intrusive and she could just call her friends if she wanted to talk to them.  She is a Baby Boomer (born 1946-1964) and was on the internet about four times a week.  Is she typical of our church population?    Should the church expend its energy and resources to become involved in social networking?  Is social networking an effective means to reach lost people?

This is the first of a series of articles about the church using social networking to reach people.  This article will cover the who, that is who is using social networking.

According to a Pew survey, the number of Americans using social networking has more than quadrupled in the past four years rising from 8% in 2005 to 35% in 2008.  It is expected that by the end of next year that this figure will be close to 50%.  Where else can a church go to find a third of their community? 

Just who are these people using social networking?  As would be expected, one will find a large number of under 35’s on social networking sites. Based upon a study done at the end of 2008, of the 18-24 age group who use the internet and who in that age group does not, 75% use social networking.  In the next age group, 25 to 35, 57% use social networking. 

What about the over 35 age group, do they use social networking?  The answer is yes for nearly a third of adults 35-44 have an online profile and right at 20% of those 45-54 have one.  The interesting fact is that the fastest growing segments of those using social networking sites are older adults.  Gen Y, those 14 to 29 years old, increased their use of social networking by 2% between 2008 and 2009.  But Baby Boomers, those 42 to 60, increased their use of social networking by 59% during the same time period.  Currently it is estimated that 28% of Baby Boomers have a profile on a social networking site.

So no matter what age group you are trying to reach, you will find them on social networking sites.  The next question is can we use social networking to reach unchurched adults?  Certainly not the way most churches and pastors use social networking!  Currently most pastors I know that are using social networking have their own Facebook account.  But typically this is social oriented and not directly related to their church; they share information about their family, their activities, and the such. This is of interest to their friends and maybe to their church members; but, not to those looking for a church or for a lost person.

In the next article, we will look at how to use social networking to reach the unchurched person. If your church needs help using social networking to reach people or with a website, please feel free to contact me at steve@slusherstech.com or 678 522-1134.