- The document discusses how young adults are disconnecting from the church and lack personal interaction. Social media and technology are impacting personal relationships.
- Church use of new media and technology is lagging behind other organizations in reaching young adults. The church must increase its online presence through videos, social media, and mobile technologies.
- Engaging young adults will require the church speaking to them through the technologies they use while still maintaining personal contact which is a vital foundation.
The King Great Goodness Part 2 ~ Mahasilava Jataka (Eng. & Chi.).pptx
Church Communication in the Digital Age
1. • Social media is an effective way to communicate
• Digital age impacts young adults
• Church and New Media – Louisa Howard
• Disconnect with the Church
• Person-to-person interaction
3. What do you think?
Is an expression of simple hospitality dissipating only among
young adults?
“Howdy” has died a quick death the last
10 years.
“Simple hospitality”… took a deathblow
from technology.
4. • Do you feel a personal
relationship with God?
• Do you attend mass regularly?
• What’s missing?
• What language is the
Church speaking to you?
5. The following statistics are based on
young adults in the Millennial
Generation…
› Only 40% of self-identified Catholic young
adults are certain that you can have a
personal relationship with God.
› 64% of Catholic Millennials attend Mass a
few times a year.
› Only 15% go to mass regularly.
6. … “The Church lags behind in reaching young
adults…”
… “The Church is years behind the rest of our
society in using New Media…”
…”We must speed up our use of
technology …”
7. Increase consumption of videos and
social media
(YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
Develop personalized marketing.
Increase use of smart phones and
other mobile technologies.
8. Busted Halo
Ministries
(www.BustedHalo.com)
Spirit Juice Studios
(www.SpiritJuiceStudios.com)
Busted Halo
Ministries
St. Mary’s
Catholic
Center
Catholics
Come Home
Word on Fire
Spirit Juice
Studios
The Catholic
Register
The New
Evangelization
(ewtn.com)
Sonitus Sanctus
CatholiciCast
9. “The Holy Father said we must examine if the
communications of the Church are helping
other to meet Christ”
“The challenge is to rediscover, through the
means of social communication as well as
personal contact, the beauty that is at the
heart of our existence and our journey, the
beauty of faith and of the encounter with
Christ”
2013.09.21 Vatican Radio/Pope Francis
11. Do you feel disengaged from your
Church?
Do you see a decline of person-to-
person interaction, simple gestures of
hospitality?
Does your church use social media? If
so, how is it used to reach out to you and
other parishioners?
12. What social media and mobile
technologies do you own and use?
Do you use any of these technologies to
connect with the church?
Do you feel that they help you to
connect spiritually?
13. Does the church
lag behind in
reaching you
personally?
Would you search
for spiritual topics
on your own in
order to
reconnect with
the church?
Do you subscribe
to, use or read
blogs, podcasts,
etc.?
14. St. Joseph the Worker
Weirton, WV
St. Paul Roman
Catholic Church
Weirton, WV
St. Mary’s
McKees Rocks, PA
Watch “Tour of The Park” by
Parkway Fellowship:
http://vimeo.com/39354092
Christ the King
Chapel, Franciscan
University
Steubenville, OH
Our Lady of Lourdes,
Burgettstown, PA
15. St. Joseph the Worker
Weirton, WV
St. Paul Roman
Catholic Church
Weirton, WV
Watch “Tour of The Park” by
Parkway Fellowship:
http://vimeo.com/39354092
Christ the King
Chapel, Franciscan
University
Steubenville, OH
St. Mary’s
McKees Rocks, PA
Our Lady of Lourdes,
Burgettstown, PA
16. • Do you leave mass spiritually fulfilled?
• Do you look forward to the next mass?
• Did you feel connected – did your
priest/pastor “speak your language?”
17. Personal Contact is a critical
foundation
Social Media is essential for keeping
communication lines open, sharing
information, learning, speaking a
language to reach many
And last but not least…
Age is irrelevant when we are
disengaged from the Church and
looking for a way to come back home
Click here to watch my interview with
Fr. Ryan of St. Mary’s Church
Hinweis der Redaktion
Busted Halo Ministries (www.BustedHalo.com)Focuses their attention on the digital world.“What Works” provides spiritual direction.“Facts of Faith” podcast answers little-known facts and other pieces of Church trivia.“Search Church” finds local parishes known for welcoming young adultsSpirit Juice Studios (www.SpiritJuiceStudios.com)Creates relevant, fresh, and captivating media.
As Pope Francis said on Vatican Radio “The challenge is to rediscover, through the means of social communication as well as personal contact…” this could not have been said eloquently. This is the challenge that all churches must take; not just a select few. The resources are out there – it’s time to take advantage of them.
Local parish Churches left me empty. The delivery matters to me. The ceremony matters to me. The music, the responses and the Eucharist matter to meI love church and I love worshiping God – my heart and mind are in the right place when I enter church, but within the past year I’ve lost the desire to attend. I’ve not lost my love for God or my yearning to receive the Eucharist, but I’ve left the church far too many times feeling empty – frustrated even.I attended mass at Christ the King Chapel at Franciscan – there, I felt fulfilled. The music and energy were uplifting, but it was more than that – the priest touched and mastered that critical element that I was missing from my parish. Let’s call that element “personal contact.” So why did I not continue to attend masses at Franciscan. Because I felt as an outsider – this Church was not intended for me – it was intended for the young adults – the students, the faculty. I believe the same would be true for many Catholic Universities. This is where the package comes together for the select few of young adults attending the University. As Pope Francis recently quoted “…means of social communication as well as personal contact, the beauty that is at the heart of our existence and our journey, the beauty of faith and of the encounter with Christ”I attended St. Mary’s church in McKees Rocks for a funeral. As I entered the church my mouth fell open. It was magnificently beautiful, breathtaking. The music was simple, familiar and in a key which I could sing… But it was the priest that deeply reached my heart. So much that conducted an interview with him. I will soon share a portion of that interview so that you may meet him too. As with Franciscan, he provided that element of “personal contact.” So why not continue to attend? Well, it’s in a very “questionable” section of the city which I would not comfortably travel alone and it’s an hour’s drive from home. I will however, go again some day soon.When I was visiting my last living aunt in Texas, I attended a fellowship church. There I was blown away by the high energy, the use of social media, kiosks, music, and most importantly the message. The atmosphere was not what I was used to, there were no stain glass windows, but the personal contact element hit a most extreme high. I felt so complete when the mass was over that I was anxious to access the internet to view the Various videos, listen to the past sermons, and read some blogs… Did I keep up with the social media connected with this fellowship church? No. Why, because as I mentioned, social communication (social media) is empty without it’s critical counterpart of personal contact. Once I could no longer experience that personal contact, I lost my desire to seek the information via the internet. Texas is awfully far away.