IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON CHURCH GROWTH
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ABSTRACT
The study examined “impact of social media on church growth”. The study objectives are to: investigate the level of exposure of churches in Nigeria in area of Social media; ascertain the benefits and challenges of computer literacy to religious leaders and members of Nigerian churches; determine the factors militating against better and wider use of Social media in Nigerian churches; proffer solutions to the identified problems because of the importance of ICT in effective management of church. The study employed the descriptive survey design. The nature of the problem was duly considered in the study. The research design used for this study is the survey design. The reason why this design was adopted was because the researcher would make use of the primary data obtained through the questionnaire. The population of this study comprises all the leaders of selected churches in Nigeria. Simple random sampling technique was adopted for the study. The research instrument used was questionnaire. A mean score rating method was used to analyses the data based on the 2.5 acceptance region format to answer the research questions, while to address the research hypotheses, the chi-square was used. The study recommended that efforts should be made improve the exposure of church leaders to ICT facilities. The study also recommended that there should be constant training and retraining of personnel in churches on ICT. The study concludes that that the factors militating against better and wider use of social media in Nigerian churches include but not limited to poor infrastructure; lack of IT knowledge; lack of trained human resources; the high cost of IT facilities and the illiteracy level of most church members.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- Background to the Study
Social media allows churches to connect with their members, as well as people who may not attend church. Websites like Facebook offer a free, easy way to promote church events and strengthen your community outside of Sunday services. However, misusing social media, even if unintended, can damage your ministry’s reputation and even put your church at risk of litigation. In order to enjoy the benefits of social media while also protecting against possible misuse, it’s wise to develop a social media policy for your church or ministry.
The wheel of progress each day continues to turn bringing about significant changes in human endeavours. Man, the rational animal on the face of the earth, has from crude methods of communication developed highly sophisticated ways of communicating. The new Social media are rapidly changing our old ways of sending, receiving, storing and analyzing messages and data. Many barriers that militated against effective communication are day-after-day being dismantled. Every sphere of life is now caught in this inevitable web of information revolution. Reflecting on this era of Social media Toffler (1980) ascertained that a new civilization is emerging in our lives, and blind men everywhere are trying to suppress it. This new civilization brings with it new family styles; changed ways of working, loving and living, a new economy; new political conflicts; and beyond all this an altered consciousness as well. Pieces of this new civilization exist today.
Undoubtedly, ICT is rapidly constructing the rhythms of tomorrow’s style and no one can stop it. Communication strengthens life, makes it enjoyable and meaningful. McBride et al, (1980) explained that communication maintains life. It is also the motion and expression of social activities and civilization; it leads various processes and systems of enquiry, command and control; it creates a common pool of ideas, strengthens the feeling of togetherness through exchange of messages and translates thought in action, reflecting every emotion and need from the humblest tasks of human survival to supreme manifestations of creativity or destruction.
The invention of the internet has greatly revolutionalized communication systems globally. This global network of computers has injected more strength into Social media dominated by the developed countries. In developed and les developed countries many media institutions, schools and colleges, organizations, individuals now make tremendous use of the Internet (Net) on daily basis to send and receive information within and outside their countries. The “Global Village” is rapidly turning into a “Global Parlour”. We now live in a world of “e-communication” (Okoro, 2006).
This global growth of telecommunications industry is making many countries, especially the less developed countries, feel uneasy for they strongly believe that what is happening now in the field of telecommunications will set terms of life in the near future just as 19th country industrialization set terms of life for our present ear. Indeed, many nations strongly believe that sovereignty, economic, social, political and religious affairs and other national issues, now and tomorrow, will greatly depend on telecommunications. It thus follows that to be left behind in the telecommunications “hot race” means disaster (Iyere, 2001).
1.2 Statement of the Problem
One of the major problems of social media is that face to face connections are endangered. A huge advantage of these social communities has a reverse side effect that is also a big disadvantage of social networking. They reduce or eliminate face to face socialization. Because of the autonomy afforded by the virtual world, individuals are free to create a fantasy persona and can pretend to be someone else. Such pretence is against the rule of the church.
Important changes in different aspects of human life are recorded daily as a result of social media. As a human organization, the Church cannot afford to be a passive observer of the fascinating benefits and challenges the new information revolution presents to mankind in this 21st century. Some Church authorities, especially those in urban areas in Nigeria, have taken dynamic and progressive steps to use some of the tools of information technology in their daily management, administration and evangelization of people. This study thus takes a firm stand by positing that Churches in the urban areas in Nigeria, should make adequate use of the abundant resources information and communication technology presents, if they are to be relevant and dynamic participants in the ongoing information revolution.
1.3 Research Objectives
The general objective of this study is to investigate the impact of social media on church growth. The specific objectives are:
- To investigate the level of exposure of churches in Nigeria in area of Social media
- To ascertain the benefits and challenges of computer literacy to religious leaders and members of Nigerian churches
- To determine the factors militating against better and wider use of Social media in Nigerian churches
- To proffer solutions to the identified problems because of the importance of ICT in effective management of church.
1.4 Research Questions
The following research questions will guide the study
- What is the level of exposure of churches in Nigeria in area of Social media?
- What are the benefits and challenges of computer literacy to religious leaders and members of Nigerian churches?
- What are the factors militating against better and wider use of Social media in Nigerian churches?
- What are the solutions to the identified problems because of the importance of ICT in effective management of church?
1.5 Research Hypotheses
The following research hypotheses will guide the study.
- There is no significant relationship between Social media and spiritual growth of the church
- There is no significant influence of Social media on church development
1.6 Significance of the Study
The significance of the study is to make the church see the importance of the new Social media in management of Churches. It will also help the diocese in efficient and effective planning and execution of her daily pastoral programmes and activities within and outside the diocese. Equally, the study being the first of its kind in the diocese, future researchers will find it very useful as it forms a springboard for further research work in related areas.
1.7 Scope of the Study
As this study focus on the impact of social media on church growth and therefore will be carried out among selected churches in Nigeria.
1.8 Limitation of the Study
The researcher encounter so many problems such as; stress, time, poor response from the respondents.
- Financial Factor:inadequate funds affected the way data were collected since the researcher had to travel long distances for the distribution of the research questionnaire forms.
- Material Factor: Shortages of relevant materials for literature review to obtain more fact about the study.
- Time Factor: limited time affected the size of the sample used for the study.
However, to eliminate and minimize these problems against future occurrence, the researcher suggested that enough time should be given in order to get quality information and better result. Materials should be made available in the school library to enable the researcher obtain more facts about the study.
1.9 Definition of Terms
The following terms were used in this study:
Social Media: social media involve websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.
Administration: it is the organization and direction of persons in order to accomplish a specific goal or end. Its main focus is on getting things done through other people by planning, organizing, directing and controlling (Adebayo, 1982).
Internet: It is a global network of interconnected computers that communicate freely and share and exchange information. It contains vast array of information.
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IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON CHURCH GROWTH