Social media has received plenty of negative attention over the past several years. More than a few of my friends have sworn off Facebook and Twitter. They are not without reason. Beyond draining time and productivity, it’s well documented that social media has been linked to depression.

There have been more than a few times I’ve considered deleting my Facebook and Twitter accounts. In the end, I’ve decided that in a social media age, I shouldn’t stay on these platforms: it’s my responsibility as a pastor to connect with those in my care where they are (I wrote more about that here).

Now, more than ever this is true.

Church, I encourage you to engage online.

In this new world of social distancing and (in some locations) shelter-in-place, there are more reasons than ever to utilize social media. Here are four:

1. Others are using social media more than ever.

   Anecdotally, our church social media engagement has been through the roof in the past week. Our page views are up over 280%, our post reach is up over 570% and our post engagement is up over 840%. My hunch is that many churches are experiencing the same uptick in engagement.

2. Most are feeling the loss of relationships.

   With schools closed and many businesses closed or having their employees working remotely, we don’t have nearly the amount of social interaction we had just a couple of weeks ago. It’s not surprising that people are spending more time on social media: they’re hungry for relationships.

3. Many have more time now than they’ve had in a long time.

   If you’re like our family, we just went from a calendar slammed with evening and weekend activities to newfound non-scheduled time. Spring is the season of Lent and Easter, Little League and March Madness, graduation and year-end school parties. What’s on the calendar for many now? Survivor and a good book.

4. Many are worried or anxious.

   With COVID-19 coverage wall-to-wall, the stock market plunging, and the length of the economic recovery in doubt, it’s not surprising many are struggling with anxiety. You have an opportunity to speak peace and encouragement to your anxious friends.

Let me be clear, I don’t encourage you to jump into social media so without any restrictions. The same concerns about social media remain and unfettered or mindless access to social media can be as problematic as ever. Keep bounds on it. Make sure that with any newfound time you have, you’re getting outside, connecting with family and friends, and spending extra time in worship and in prayer.

We’ll never forget these months. They’re uncharted waters and who knows how long we’ll be here. Let’s make sure we use them for God’s glory and our neighbor’s good. For me, I think that will involve leaning into social media a bit more.

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