How Should Churches Use Social Media?

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by David Hagenbuch - professor of marketing at Messiah University -
​author of Honorable Influence - founder of Mindful Marketing -
author of Mindful Marketing: Business Ethics that Stick 

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A Vatican influencer summit, TikTok nuns, hot priests – these are just a few examples of how the Roman Catholic Church seems to have gone all-in on reaching Generation Z, and it’s working: Catholicism is seeing “a surge of new converts.” Some protestant churches also have turned to avant-garde approaches for outreach. In many ways, church growth is good, but do progressive promotional means justify the conversion ends? Or, to use the popular Christian interrogative: If He were in charge of current church promotion, “What would Jesus do?”
 
Across the country, many Catholic dioceses report welcoming their largest numbers of new parishioners in years or even decades. Some dioceses are experiencing “increases of 30%, 40%, 50% and even more than 70%.”
 
Similarly, half of Protestant churches are growing, namely evangelical denominations like Holiness, Pentecostal, and Baptist, and ones with congregations of 250 or more. Many nondenominational churches also have experienced rapid year-over-year growth, e.g., Journey Church of Fern Park, FL (+56%), City Church Fort of Fort Wayne, IN, (97%), Elevate Life Church CT of Wallingford, CT (+158%).
 
In market segmentation terms, religious belief is a psychographic characteristic that cuts across demographics like gender, race, nationality, and income. However, there seems to be one demographic trait that’s common among many of the new congregants in both Catholic and Protestant churches: youth.
 
Research by Barna Group found that one of the biggest drivers of the resurgence of belief in Jesus has been Millennials and those in Generation Z. In fact, Barna’s research also suggests that Gen Z’s church attendance is higher than that of any other generation, including Gen X, Boomers, and Elders.
 
So, what’s caused the surprising resurgence of religion among young people?
 

 
Research that the New York Times conducted with 24 Catholic Church dioceses found that a variety of non-marketing controlled factors have led more people to turn to faith including social and political instability, technological change, and the desire for community.
 
However, the same research also found that “outreach to young people,” i.e., marketing, has positively influenced the influx.
 
What are Catholic and Protestant churches doing to cater their marketing to Gen Z? The following five ecclesiastic strategies seem both intuitive and effective:

1. Encouraging Gen Z church members to invite others
2. Addressing mental health, e.g., anxiety and depression
3. Focusing on issues that matter to them, e.g., inclusivity and social justice
4. Being authentic vs. “salesy”
5. Leaning into digital platforms

 
It’s unlikely that many in the Church object to any of the first four tactics; however, the fifth is likely to give at least some pause, particularly given the double-edged sword that social media has become. On one hand, it has helped people make and maintain relationships with others like no technology ever has. On the other hand, social media has caused considerable personal harm such as:

• In a landmark court case, a jury recently found Meta and YouTube guilty of negligence for allowing addictive features in their products that caused mental distress for a young user.
• Cyberbullying and harassment thrive on social media.
• Unrealistic standards of beauty are pervasive on many platforms.
• Envy can easily develop as people often see the best, highly filtered versions of others’ lives.
• The platforms’ algorithms sometimes serve up content that is violent, highly sexualized, and racist.

Most churches that use social media steer well-clear of those potential pitfalls, using the platforms in benign ways such as having a dedicated Facebook page, sharing announcements of upcoming events on Instagram, and posting sermons on YouTube. However, some places of worship and Christian leaders have embraced more innovative social media use, including one of the biggest trends in marketing promotion: influencers.
 
From beauty products to smartphones to vacations, “influencers steer billions of dollars in sales for the world’s largest brands, with the global affiliate marketing industry projected to reach $40 billion by 2030.” As mentioned at the outset of this article, the Catholic Church also has gone all in on influencers.
 
From July 28-29, 2025, the Vatican convened its first Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers. Pope Leo appeared at the event, which drew more than 1,000 content creators from around the world. Its aim was to encourage the evangelizers, who “proclaim the joy of the Gospel through social media, video platforms, blogs, and apps, offering a creative, accessible, and engaged Christian witness within the digital continent.”
 
One of the pious promoters is Mackenzie Hunter, aka acaffeinatedcatholic, who has over 28,000 followers on Instagram. Her reels, like one of her excitedly opening a book-of-the-month box containing a hardcover about Saint Paul, are very much on-brand for a faith that has long espoused zeal for God and holiness. However, the content of certain other faith influencers, with still larger followings, may cause even some nonreligious people to blush.
 
Affectionately known as “hot priests,” these Catholic clergy combine Christian leadership with chiseled physiques. One of the pumped-up padres is Father Giuseppe Fusari, “a rugged-looking 58-year old priest in the northern city of Brescia [Italy] with a bulging set of muscles.” Fusari’s 68,000 Instagram followers often see him wearing a snug-fitting clerical shirt and blue jeans.
 
However, Fusari’s social media following, and perhaps his physique, are small compared to that of Father Rafael Capó, the vice president for Mission and Ministry and dean of Theology at St. Thomas University in Miami, FL. Capó’s 121,000 Instagram followers are just as likely to see him in his priestly frock, speaking to a congregation, as they are to find him in a taunt t-shirt, flexing with fellow body-building enthusiasts in a gym.
 

  
Both Fusari and Capó find that their interest in physical fitness appeals to many who would otherwise not think about faith or come close to the Church.
 
Priests aren’t the only ones leveraging social media. Many catholic sisters also are having huge impacts through other social media. For instance, a group of Dominican sisters have many on the Internet riveted to their podcast that features wholesome and often hilarious conversations about far-ranging topics: from cooking to Ultimate Frisbee.
 
Another captivating catholic conscript is Sister Albertine, “a young French nun turned viral faith-influencer, whose social media presence is sparking a quiet revival among Gen Z.” Her 337,000 Instagram followers can find her doing everything from eating pizza with fellow parishioners to chatting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
 
However, Catholicism is far from the only religious order leaning into social media for outreach. Many megachurch pastors have enormous social media followings. Here are a few with their respective numbers of Instagram devotees:

• Joel Oslsteen: senior pastor of Lakewood Church; 6.6 million
• Joyce Meyer: author and speaker, founder of Joyce Meyer Ministries; 4.9 million
• Bishope T.D. Jakes: bishop of The Potter's House, a global humanitarian organization; 5.8 million
• Rick Warren: Pastor of Saddleback Church; 1.1 million
• Beth Moore: Bible teacher and founder of Living Proof Ministries; 625K

 
It’s true that social media is a communication tool, but it’s not ‘just like any other tool.’ As the potential harms identified above remind, it’s a tool that can easily be misused, both by organizations and individuals, including young and vulnerable ones.

Knowing the precarious potential of the tool, should churches dare to use it?
 
First, it’s helpful to reiterate that social media is a preferred means of communication for a great proportion of today's population – not just for Gen Zs on Instagram but Gen Xs on LinkedIn, Boomers on Facebook, etc.
 
However, that effectiveness doesn’t morally justify the tools’ use. So, secondly, it’s important to recognize that churches can and very often do use social media in ways that are overwhelmingly benevolent, for example: Facebook announcements to raise support for youth mission trips, uplifting photos and reels on Instagram, sermon series posted on YouTube.
 
What’s essential is that churches and faith influencers using social media are cautious of three potential pitfalls:

1. Addiction: Churches should avoid using social media communication excessively or exclusively. Although it’s unlikely that many people will fall into ‘sermon addiction,’ it’s important to realize that most individuals’ social media use likely isn’t restricted to a single page or platform, so when they’re viewing their church’s TikTok, they’re also viewing other content served by an ever-enticing, but not morally moored, algorithm.
2. Questionable Content: Given the pressure in social media to post content that’s trendy and unique, it can be easy for anyone, including Christians, to share things that border on bawdy or are otherwise objectionable. Despite their salacious moniker, the “hot priests” mentioned above may be okay provided that the focus is on physical strength and mental wellbeing, as it seems to be. However, oversexualized content that causes people to lust and perhaps even lead to pornography addiction is harmful for those individuals and contrary to church teaching.
3. Shift in Focus from Mission to Myself: When individuals gain fame and notoriety, it’s easy for them to develop an inflated view of themselves, which can easily happen when they enjoy the admiration hundreds of thousands or even millions of followers. In such situations, noble purposes can fall prey to ego and personal success. That’s an unfortunate outcome in any situation, but it’s especially regrettable when Christian leaders are involved.

 
It’s time to return to the question that opened this article: If Jesus were walking the planet today, would he support the use of social media to promote the Church? Of course, no one can know the mind of God, but for several reasons I think He would:

1. Jesus was a master communicator:  He used engaging and often provocative parables, or stories, both to capture attention and to drive home learning points that people might otherwise overlook or ignore if shared in less compelling ways (Matthew 13:13-15). That use sounds somewhat like storytelling in today's social media.
2. He was effective no matter the size of the audience: Whether it was a few children sitting at his feet (Matthew 19:13), a room full of His disciples (Mark 14:12-25), or a hillside overflowing with five thousand townspeople (Luke 9:12-17), Jesus adeptly tailored and scaled his messages, just as many current influencers do.
3. He encouraged people to use ‘tools of the world’ for kingdom purposes:
   • “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16)
   • “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings” (Luke 16:9).

 
However, if Jesus were to use social media, He certainly would avoid the three pitfalls mentioned earlier and not: encourage addiction, employ questionable content, or lose sight of the greater mission.
 
From accounting to finance to HR, many churches very effectively use ‘the tools of this age’ to manage their operations and advance their missions. Good marketing can and should be one of those tools
 
Social media that maintain mission and support what’s sacred can uplift everyone involved and play an important part in a larger plan of Mindful Marketing.

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