By Lisa Cannon Green
Are you looking to reach more people for your church?
They’re probably looking at their screens.
More than a quarter of American adults (26 percent) say they’re online “almost constantly,” Pew Research reports, up from 21 percent in 2015.
And while young people are at the forefront of the trend, the middle-aged aren’t far behind.
Thirty-nine percent of Americans 18 to 29 say they’re almost always online. For those 30 to 49, the number is barely smaller (36 percent) and growing quickly. It’s up 12 percentage points since 2015, Pew reports.
Fortunately, many churches are embracing digital technology, says Scott McConnell, executive director of Nashville-based Lifeway Research.
“Not long ago churches’ use of technology was often limited to a website that functioned like the Yellow Pages or a bulletin board,” says McConnell.
“Now they see technology as a way to interact with people.”
In a recent Lifeway Research survey, most Protestant senior pastors said their churches have a website (84 percent) and a Facebook page (84 percent), and more than two-thirds (68 percent) provide Wi-Fi for both guests and staff.
Related:
- Should you count online viewers as worship attendees?
- 8 essential elements of a church website
- 10 traits of Generation Z
- Digital detox: Unplugging from the online world
LISA CANNON GREEN (@lisacgreen) is senior editor of Facts & Trends.
