It would be a mistake to think that social media is just for young people, and the impacts reach across the generations. It is almost universal among people under age 64; 72% of people 65 and older use it in some capacity.

The worldwide web has had a significant impact on humanity and is not going away. Now, the way in which social media has become integrated into everyday life, from politics to business to entertainment to family dynamics, means that we are often forced to engage with it. It has altered the way in which we perceive our fellow humans, and the way in which we interact with each other. If there is no going back to a pre-internet world, what is our way forward?

I am frequently confronted with this wrestling about social media in my ministry with children, youth, and young adults. It leads me to wonder about how to interact with social media, both as an individual and as a church community. You may have noticed in recent years that our online presence has not grown but rather stayed very simple. It can be tempting to look at other churches and be envious of their social media. What are the advantages and disadvantages of investing time, energy, and skills investment in social media and how does (or doesn’t) it fit into Living Hope’s mission and vision for a flourishing community of believers?

Investing our time and energy in social media gives it a certain credibility. By posting to online spaces, we are inviting members of our community to be in those spaces and looking for people already online. If we are going to be online, and give it credibility as a space to inhabit, what are the positives and negatives of our engagement?

What are the advantages? Increased connectivity has been an incredible advantage of social media! We have never been more connected before. The ability to have real time connection with friends and family around the world is wondrous. Think about the generations of families that immigrated to new countries for better opportunities, and the sadness that accompanied the feeling of permanent separation would bring to all. Now, we can video call and send photos instantly to share the big moments of life! This increased connectivity extends into church. Hosting our church services live on YouTube allows everyone in our community to tune in, even when they are sick, on holidays, or no longer able to easily leave their homes.

Social media also allows us to reach out to other church communities across the world. We can see numerous unique expressions of the kingdom of God! We can hear new worship songs, listen to different preaching styles, explore new artwork, be inspired by unique outreach! Social media can fuel our creativity by reimagining our own community in its context. It can also help us find people with similar interests, facilitating community building.

What about the disadvantages? Overwhelmingly, despite the widespread usage of social media, people are concerned about negative impacts on people, especially children and teenagers. Increased usage of social media can lead to isolation, loneliness, poor mental health, and cyberbullying. This is prevalent among “intense” users of social media on their smartphones, who check their phones every 30 minutes. This is correlated with age, with 44% of social media users aged 15 to 29 identified as intense smartphone users compared with 18% of those aged 50 to 64 (Source: StatsCanada). The times spent on phones and social media begins to replace physically connecting with other people. It is important to note that in the research, there is a difference between active and passive users. Active users are creating and posting content, while maintaining more consistent engagement with other users. Passive users simply consume content, without much activity. Passive use is seen to correlate more with the negative effects of social media. The way we engage with social media is as important to consider as the actual media itself.

We saw the intensity of this discussion play out at Synod this year. The report from the Virtual Church Task Force wrestled with the potential and limits of community in online spaces (Agenda for Synod 2025, p.311). It was clear from the report and discussion at Synod that opinions were divided on how the church can and should exist in online spaces. What was also clear was the universal emphasis on the importance of moving towards embodied worship and relationships.

Regardless of how one uses social media, the dangers are still prevalent. The gospel offers and alternative to the loneliness that comes with intense use. The gospel invites people to see the gift of salvation as coming with a community. Paul tells us that “in love, [God] predestined us for adoption” (Ephesians 1:5). Salvation is not just about our personal status with God. When we are saved, we are also adopted in a new family – the people of God! Throughout the whole of scripture, a relationship with God leads to a relationship with others. God never calls his children into a life of isolation or independence; it is always to join with others. Part of our work of witnessing is to bring people into community. If we choose to witness in online spaces, the end goal is the same.

At Living Hope, we don’t have a flashy online presence. It is consistent and the primary focus is to invite people into our church community. As we continue to wrestle with the best way to engage with social media, we must remember to be driven by the goal of intentional and personal community. Social media can be an easy space to make initial connections, a low barrier space to check out community to see what the church is all about. We will continue to exist in the online spaces, because that is where people are. But the direction that our social media presence should take, is to go out so that we can gather people into a personal relationship with the people of God.