There is simply no denying the power of technology in our lives and as a former youth pastor and social media specialist in ministry, I have seen the benefits of what comes from a great ministry that is tied in digitally. I also know many of the concerns, both rational and opinion-based. As someone that wants to see technology practically implemented into spreading and strengthening the Gospel to every person, I have to understand the facts and not let my own individual bias get in the way of reporting appropriately.
The infographics below are a taste of this data I draw from. Here are a few of my own personal takeaways that might be important for Christians and specifically pastors to note. In the comments, I would love to hear your pushback to my observations and any you saw that I missed.:
- Millennials are by far the most experienced with mobile technology. If the church is being pastored by 45-65 year olds, are they going to be missing a whole generation because they do not understand their culture? And let me be clear, this is a culture shift.
- Millennials are more interested in wearable tech, but does that get in the way of worship? And can Generation X and Baby Boomers look past their own bias to accurately and appropriately address this? If not, a whole generation could be missed because of pride and lack of personal insight.
- Teenagers are engaging more on the Internet with video than ever before and much more than the rest of the demographics. Not having video will certainly not end ministry, but having it could drastically improve it if you have the capacity.
- Instagram is not big, it is vital. Honestly, ask a teenager to throw some great images from church together and see if it makes a difference! 29% of teens are on it, that’s HUGE!
[via GlobalWebIndex | Iron men image via JD Hancock via Compfight cc]
Darrel Girardier says
I think point #1 is very valid. What I’m seeing is gap in understanding how the technology is being used. I often see baby boomers making fun of millennials because they seem “addicted” to their phones. I would argue however they are no more addicted than a boomer who watches TV 4-5 hours a day. Older generations need to see understand that millennials see their phone as connection point to the outside world. If older generations can grasp that concept, they could see more opportunities for ministry.
Jeremy` says
Love it! So if this is the case, how do we move forward? Have you thought about how to address this at your church?
Darrel Girardier says
Good question. We’re experimenting with SMS campaigns. We had huge success with our first one. I’m finding that when working with boomers I need to give them a quick win. If they get a quick win, then they’re more likely to emotionally connect with the campaign. For example, for our pastor we try to give him Facebook numbers on a monthly/quarterly basis to let him know how his content is performing. If we find something is spiking in traffic/likes then we alert him immediately. That way he know’s what’s working.
Jerem says
Yes! Communicating success FTW!
Eric Dye says
I love this roundup of stats!
Jeremy says
Agreed