About three in 10 Christians say they have shared their faith with non-believers and others on their social media accounts, according to a study by the Barna Group.
The Barna Group and Lutheran Hour Ministries released the report this week, finding that 28 percent of Christians reported they shared their beliefs on social media. Some 58 percent of non-Christians surveyed said someone at one time or another had shared their faith with them on social media.
“Through posts, comments and profiles, many Christians believe that technology and digital interactions have made evangelism easier,” noted Barna in a statement released Tuesday.
“Still, spiritual conversations are fraught in a digital age, and younger generations are among the most cautious about engaging.”
The survey, “Spiritual Conversation in the Digital Age,” included 1,714 adults in the U.S.
According to the report, 30 percent of Christians surveyed said they were equally likely to share their faith online or in-person. About 88 percent said they share their faith online.
Nearly half said that social media and technology has changed how faith is shared.
“Technology and rapid cultural shifts may have altered the face of evangelism, but the Great Commission remains. This new report tracks what has changed so that leaders can coach Christians to be effective in sharing the unchanging Good News,” Barna said in its report.
The report noted that many church and ministry organizations have turned to the Internet to evangelize.
The Internet Evangelism Coalition and Global Media Outreach host an annual “Internet Evangelism Day.”
“Until relatively recently, if someone wanted to be involved in online evangelism, it had to be a fairly intentional activity, i.e. writing a website or blog,” said Tony Whittaker, Internet Evangelism Day coordinator in the U.K.
“But with social media, anyone can do it. You don’t need writing or technical gifts. The three-fold cord of Facebook (or Twitter) with YouTube video shorts and mobile phones is a powerful mix,” he said.
Other online ministries are reporting similar results. The Christmas online campaign, #GodWithUs, reached some 6.8 million people, according to The Christian Post.
Photo courtesy: ©Thinkstock/SonerCdem
Publication date: June 28, 2018
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