Major religions complement worship with media

“Are you a member of the Catholic faith who needs to confess your sins? There’s an app for that,” according to Julie Newberg, media relations specialist for Arizona State University.

After all, according to a 2013 Gallup Poll, seven in 10 Americans still consider themselves very or moderately religious (that is, they attend religious services regularly or semi-regularly).

Religion is a pillar of culture that has structured acceptable social conduct since the beginning of civilization—so it’s no wonder why clerical organizations have added social media to their toolkit.

Social media has proven to be a valuable branding tool for self-promoting as well as for businesses, and the collective church has not missed out on this opportunity.  Larger church communities are utilizing sites such as Facebook, Twitter and personal blogs to create awareness of their existence and activity, while also using private messaging options to create a personal dialogue with current or perspective members.  A quick Google search will render top results for the Facebook pages of The United Methodist Church and the Masjid Nabawi Mosque in Medina.

While Facebook’s original creative intentions may have been to stalk an ex-boyfriend rather than religious use, it has become a platform for various other activities apart from social interaction, such as online auctioning and diagnosing medical conditions— and now a complement to worship.

Social networking allows people with the same value systems to connect and discuss their beliefs, issues and concerns, while also allowing religious organizations to send out mass messages to unbelievers and personalized messages to devout followers.

In a culture where organized religion is stigmatized with “be quiet, sit up straight, pay attention, turn that thing off!”— the fact that some churches are now encouraging their members to keep cell phones on during worship speaks to the power of social media.  In Houston, Texas, Reverend Jim Liberatore of the St. Andrews Episcopal Church urges his congregation to challenge convention and keep their phones on to tweet and post about his sermons.

So what does this mean for religious organizations?  Is every major religious group on Twitter?  How has social media changed the global religious landscape?  Is it effective in attracting and maintaining believers?  Another question, another post, another day.

Blogging 101

Future faithful followers-

Hello!  My name is Samantha, and I am a graduate student at West Virginia University’s P.I. Reed School of Journalism.  I graduated in May 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in print journalism and a minor in history.  Aside from being a student and a Mountaineer, I also identify as a Buffalo High School alumna, small-town kid, 4-Her, resident assistant, new wife and Christian.

As a Christian journalist, I am constantly trying to find the good news.  I’d prefer a life where I could write feature stories all day, every day about all the small-town heroes and county fair award winners.  One great thing about my introduction to the blogging community is that as I start to read and follow more and more blogs, it seems that this news source offers a slightly more positive perspective on what’s going on in the world.

While this blog isn’t meant to be a statement on religion, I do hope people of any or no faith can find it inspiring.  I think (and hope) that the inspiration will come from realizing that using social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter can take an organization you care about to the next level.  If a local mosque, a non-profit or a school club is willing to take the leap into the social media revolution, it could change the future of their organization.

This blog will explore how religious organizations specifically are using social media to garner support, draw in new members, connect people with similar value networks, gain recognition and educate the world about what they believe.

For example, think of the most stereotypical religious icon you can.  When I engaged in this exercise, I immediately thought of two young Mormon men in their suits and ties knocking on my door.  This image is traditional and common.  And yet, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints recently announced that their missionaries would be embracing a social media approach in favor of less door-to-door recruiting to reflect the growing societal preference to connect over the Internet rather than let strangers into one’s home.

It is examples such as this that will inform this blog and inspire more investigation and lead to more questions.

While I have always seen myself in a reporter role, I’m excited to be able to use this blog to explore options for a career in Christian media, a potential (hidden) knack for blogging and any other post-graduation opportunities.  I look forward to sharing this experience with any readers willing to go the distance with me!

“I think people often come to the synagogue, mosque, the church looking for God, and what we give them is religion.” –Gene Robinson