Cambridge Dictionary defines “community” as “the people living in one particular area or people who are considered as a unit because of their common interests, social group or nationality.” When used in the context of social media, “community” is defined as “a group of people who have similar interests or who want to achieve something together.”
I am a mom who has spent years as a church youth worker talking with the next generations. In these conversations, it is becoming more and more evident that geographical closeness in relationships does not mean as much to young adults as it does to me. We no longer wait a week for a letter to arrive from a friend to know what is happening and how we can encourage or support them. We can quickly send a text message or make a phone call to keep in touch, even at great distances.
There has been a shift among young people to think of community more in the social media definition than the dictionary’s first definition. Through advancing technology, complex conversations and solid relationships can now be built without regard for geographical proximity. Our relationships no longer have to begin with meeting someone at school, church or work. In fact, a quick google search shows that one in three marriages start online in America.
Building relationships online
This shift in the definition of community really hit me in a recent conversation with my young adult daughter and her husband. In talking about sharing the gospel with others, both Kaylee and Daniel told of spending a great deal of time sharing who Jesus is and what he has done in their lives with people they play video games with online.
My son-in-law said that over the last couple of years, a friend from Europe has grown in his curiosity about Jesus. Daniel prays that these conversations will become more frequent and open.
I am inspired by how they have turned this pastime into an opportunity to minister to people, many of whom don’t have a good impression of Jesus for one reason or another and are lost, isolated and often hopeless.
Kaylee has been sharing about her love of Jesus with Chrysten who talks about the terrible impression he has of who Jesus is. My daughter’s heart breaks that many people she interacts with have such a flawed view of her Savior, often because of what people have done or said to them. Yet, Chrysten’s willingness to have conversations with my daughter about why Kaylee loves Jesus and what the Holy Spirit does in her life have become more common. Kaylee feels blessed to be able to represent the loving truth of who Jesus calls us to be as his followers.
My daughter and her husband have grown in these communication platforms not just in understanding how to present the gospel but also in learning to pray for others. They want people to know they are Jesus followers and seek to have an online presence that is worthy of his calling, making themselves available to others for prayer and support.
Through these online interactions Kaylee and Daniel have found they can interact with and encourage many unique people they would never have known otherwise. I am inspired by how they have turned this pastime into an opportunity to minister to people, many of whom don’t have a good impression of Jesus for one reason or another and are lost, isolated and often hopeless.
Offering our support
Young adults have the task of developing an understanding of who they are created to be while their brains are still developing. Their development is hugely affected by the community around them. Unbalanced social interactions online can certainly lead to unhealthy social media identity bubbles and echo chambers of thought, reinforcing unbiblical ideas. We need to have conversations with the young adults in our lives about what they are experiencing. It’s often hard for them to stand up for Jesus in a place that is commonly filled with everything this broken world has to offer.
While we recognize people from the digital generations are greatly impacted in how they find and see community, we can offer them a balanced offline community that supports, encourages and teaches them.
While we recognize people from the digital generations are greatly impacted in how they find and see community, we can offer them a balanced offline community that supports, encourages and teaches them. Our connection with young people in our churches can signal our recognition that they are impacting their online communities and the next generation in the church. They may be interacting with people who rarely leave their homes or who would never be willing to step into a church building.
Young people today are in a unique position to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth in ways I could have never dreamed. Think about the words of Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age”
I am astonished to think God knew that someday my children would be obeying this command through the power of a microphone and a keyboard connecting them with someone on the other side of the planet. As the next generations harness the systems they grow up with, they can use them for the advancement of the kingdom of Yahweh in incredible ways.
The next generations can fight the lies that try to steal souls by sharing their lives and stories of faith authored by their loving and faithful Creator. There is hope in that. There is a future in that.
May we remain curious about what the next generations are doing and stay engaged with the ideas God gives them, encouraging them in every way to remain faithful to the leading of the Holy Spirit in their lives, trusting God knows and has a plan for every generation of his church.
Michele Fiester is an elder at Renewal MB Church, a USMB church plant in Rapid City, S.D. Fiester, a registered nurse, and her husband, Jon, planted Renewal in 2018. They have two daughters.
