I’ve often wondered why it seems like the church is a late bloomer when it comes to social media. Oh, don’t get me wrong, the church is on social media, but too often, I’m finding that she just doesn’t know what to do with it.
Throughout my junior and senior year of college, this unexplainable passion for social media began bubbling up from inside of me. I see the incredible potential social media has for one important thing: creating conversations…perhaps, the one thing that church has been afraid to do.
This brings up another question though: why would the church be afraid of asking questions and sparking conversations? I think it boils down to the fact that we’re afraid to be real. We have this view of church that it’s supposed to be the place where everything is just right, every question is answered, and perfection rises to the top. The church is supposed to have it all figured out, right? That’s not what the church was designed for though! In Matthew 11, God calls those who are weary and burdened. As Christ walked the earth, he invested in the broken, the wounded, the weak. The church isn’t for the perfect…or those who have the answer to every question, because let’s face it, who does? The church is for me…for you…the broken.
Over the past several weeks, social media has lit up with matters surrounding justice. People have been searching, scouring, and begging for something to believe in…something to put their hope in when everything around them seems hopeless. Brands know how to step in, talk, and invite us to share what we’re thinking. Where is the church in all of this?
I can’t help but wonder what our news feeds would look like if glimmers of Hope were scattered everywhere. Rather than simply signing up for a social media channel and posting proverbial church bulletin-type information announcing when the next potluck is, what if the church asked hard questions? What if the church sparked conversation…a conversation that allowed people to come broken and battered, hopeless in search of Hope?
I’m done missing the mark. Communications is more than “announcements” or “advertising.” That’s not communication. That’s talking at people. It’s time to talk with people. It’s time to be real, step into the mess, and offer the incredible, life-giving Hope we find in Christ.
