Why Churches Need to Keep Experimenting with New Digital Media

After over 20 years in prison for a murder he has always denied he committed, Adnan Syed, was released from prison. It’s been a traumatic week where both the prosecutors and the defenders made the extraordinary move to jointly request he be released as the Prosecution no longer had confident in his conviction.

But how did it come to this? There were many factors and LOTS of hard work that went into making this possible. In fact, you can read about all the details regarding Adnan’s case and conviction vacated here. It is truly fascinating.

One of those factors happened in 2014, when Adnan’s case became the subject of the podcast “Serial”. In this podcast, they replayed the evidence against Adnan and the trial. At the end of the series many people questioned whether or not Adnan received a fair trial and was, in fact, guilty. The podcast was downloaded over 300 million times and became the first true viral podcast.

In addition to “Serial”, Rabia O’Chaudry, Colin Miller and others started the podcast “Undisclosed” which went into even greater detail of the case and created a massive following while they updated everyone on the case. Because of these podcasts, there were Reddit threads and others really looking into the case, helping Adnan which ultimately helped him become a free man.

Digital media made an impact in this case and can make an impact in your Church as well! Podcasts were not particularly popular back in 2014 but Serial and the inclusion of the Podcast app on the iPhones helped drive people to them. It was newer media and people were not totally comfortable with them at that point. But that changed. Now, podcasts are an intracal part of peoples media consumption.

Here are stats on podcasts as of May 2022 (Influencer Marketing Hub):

• There are more than two million active podcasts
• Almost 60% of all US consumers older than 12 listen to podcasts with an estimated 162 million US citizens older than 12 have listened to a podcast
• The MIDAS Survey found that in 2020 54% of men compared to 46% of women listen to podcasts.
• Mobile phones account for 79% of the podcast listening hours

Podcasting is just one of the newer forms of media. Short form media on platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram has become very popular in recent years. People are consuming and engaging in these digital media platforms a lot, yet they seem that most Churches and ministries stay away from them, unless they are working with teens.

While you may not be comfortable with all forms of new media or tech, it can be extremely helpful for getting your message of hope to those in your community. For example, Gen Z and Alpha are growing up in a world with more and more new digital media and tech. They say Christianity is just one generation away from extinction. In fact, in a recent Christianity Today article, “Decline of Christianity Shows No Signs of Stopping” it highlights a Pew Research study that found Christianity will continue to decline in the years to come with no reversal in sight.

There are many reasons for the decline of Christianity and Church going over the years. However, one thing that the Church has always been slow to adapt to is new digital media and technology. Failing to adapt to the new technology could cost you opportunities to reach the younger generation for Christ as they are on this new media more often. However, Boomers adapted very well to new media over the course of the pandemic, as well. Not only are they comfortable with it, sometimes it is a preferred method to stay in touch with their friends and Church community today. New digital media often provides opportunities for connection that doesn’t replace in person connection, but adds to it. That is why Churches need to keep experimenting with new digital media.

Conclusion

Digital media is always changing and evolving. The more the Church and ministry organizations can continue to be open to what is happening with all the new digital media, the more likely you will be able to reach the younger generations for Christ. That doesn’t mean you have to jump at all of it all at once, when it first comes out. For instance, the Metaverse may or may not be something your Church decides to do, but you should start exploring it. People, even older generations, people have shown the proficiency to adapt to it and it can be used to build community and connection. What are you doing to embrace and encourage these at your Church? How can you keep pushing forward rather than scaling back digital activities?

What do you think? What new media or tech are you experimenting with for your Church or ministry?  Share your ideas below or on social media.

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