Items of Interest June 3, 2013 ISSUE

Millions of seekers online

Sentinel staff

“The global embrace of Internet technologies has reconfigured the fabric of society for congregations in a contemporary context. Adaptation to these new tools of ministry in the 21st century is no longer the luxury it was in the 1990s. The use of technology is now a congregational necessity,” declares a “Faith Communities Today” study carried out by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.

Based on data gathered in 2010, the study showed a dramatic increase in congregations’ acceptance of e-mail—from 66 percent in 2005 to 90 percent in 2010. There was a slight drop in the number of congregational websites—from 77 percent to 69 percent—but the study suggests the drop could be the result of more churches using social media like Facebook and Twitter.

Size of congregation, age, and gender are among the factors in receptivity to technology, said the study’s authors. While smaller churches tend to be less likely to use Web technology, the report notes that Web activity can open the door to new members. The report indicated that the average congregation in the study was over 60 percent female, and that its findings revealed that the more women who were in the church, the less likely it would be to employ Internet technologies.

Despite this conservative thread in the cloth of Internet activity, other reports such as one from “Yahoo! News” indicate general receptivity to modern technology in the form of new apps for Bible study on iPad and Android mobile devices. This includes the King James Version of the Bible as narrated by Alexander Scourby.

A Pew Internet Project report reveals that 245 million Americans are now online.

Given the global nature of the Internet, churches are, to some extent, using it as a way to spread the faith as well as to minister to those who are already committed members. In addition, this global audience can include people in countries where Christian churches or certain denominations are less welcome or where members are far away from population centers and long for spiritual sustenance.

As the aftermath of the recent attack on the Boston Marathon shows, the Internet also provides ways to be a comforting and positive influence. Given the volume of comments on Twitter and other social media when a tragedy happens, an uplifting, healing message of God’s love and power at such times is essential.

Still, is it really worthwhile to go to all this effort? Consider this: A Pew Internet Project report reveals that 245 million Americans are now online. Those numbers include 93 percent of teens aged 12–17, as well as 93 percent of young adults aged 18–29. Overall there are nearly 2.4 billion people online worldwide.

Among them are surely many of the “millions of unprejudiced minds” Mary Baker Eddy writes about in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (p. 570 ). Even as this article is being written, new apps and other developments are appearing. Whenever these tools can enhance a seeker’s or a member’s experience in learning about God, it’s a plus!

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