Digital opportunities

A few of us on the staff have been taking part in a series of webinars about discipleship. This week’s preparation for the webinar had some startling statistics with respect to what was described as “Digital Disruption.”

From A.D. 2000 to A.D. 2020 Sunday newspaper circulation went from 50 million papers to 25 million. People are getting more and more of their information online. In that same time frame the sales from department stores declined the same percentage. We shop online.

With respect to churches in the United States, the percentage of people who belonged to a local congregation was 67% in 2000. In 2020 it was reduced to 47%. For the first time in America, church membership is in the minority. As for the average weekly attendance of a congregation, it fell from 137 people to 65 people – and that was before the pandemic. In our church body, the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, we have lost more than 30% of our membership in that time. (Thank you, Rev. Zach Zehnder, for these numbers).

So, do we throw up our hands? Throw in the towel? No. Our loving Lord is still in control. We have work He has called us to do and that involves bringing His saving grace to a world deeply in need of the gift of forgiveness.

What then? It was suggested – and I believe that this is true – that we need to make much better use of our digital presence. I will always maintain that I would rather be face to face with people, dealing with cashiers and clerks in stores, for example. That is especially true when the body of Christ gathers for worship, witness, and service.

But might we do a better job of curating what we do when together and offering some things very much like them online? That will be a major consideration as we move into the days ahead. We will need to be wary of any artificial intelligence (AI) tomfoolery. But social media is here to stay and a tool to be used.

We read in 1 Chronicles 12:32 Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command. Please keep us in your prayers as we seek to understand our times and how effectively to apply the Word of the Lord to them.