Do you remember Saint Paul’s journey to Athens in Acts of the Apostles, chapter 17? At the time, Athens was the cultural center of the world. It was the birthplace of democracy and philosophy, but it was also full of pagan idols, strange rites, and all kinds of temptations for Saint Paul – the Pharisee-turned-Christ-follower from Tarsus. It must have been a bewildering place. Ancient Athens is the perfect metaphor for today’s social media environment. Sure, Paul could have turned tail and run the moment he set eyes on that bewildering place. He could have kept Christian communities small and isolated – away from the chaos of the city. But he didn’t. Instead, he went right to the middle of Athens and preached boldly. We are being called to do the same thing today. We aren’t called to find some pure, perfect place from which to preach – we are called to stand up in the middle of the chaotic mess that is the internet and speak the name of Jesus Christ. Your parishioners are counting on you. Most Catholics today spend hours and hours on the Internet, and they need their local parish to be a bigger part of their life. They want to be inspired and reminded of the beauty of their Catholic faith and they want to belong to a parish that is alive and vibrant. And we know that you want to do that for them. It’s just that you might not have the time, the graphic design resources, the theological training, or access to the images to create fresh, inspiring posts every day of the week. |
A study done by the Barna Group found that around 35% of Christians will create and post something religious on social media. But 86% of Christians will share religious content that’s already created! That is an enormous opportunity for any parish. Give your parishioners fresh, fun, Catholic content to bless their timeline! |