The Use of Social Media as A Commmunication Tool by Deliverance Church, Embakasi in Nairobi and all Saints Kinoru Methodist Church in Meru, Kenya.

Abstract

The use of social media has been very active for some time now and has grown tremendously as new digital platforms come to play. Social media has changed the way we interact, conduct business, foster relationships, and obtain and disseminate information. Churches have also embraced the use of social media in their communication with their congregation as any other institution to be relevant in today's digital culture. For their followers to keep informed, churches have included social media usage to provide value and effective interaction with members a thing that has completely altered how things are done. Despite social media cons like negative publicity and dissemination of fake news, digital media is definitely transforming the church and its activities with most of them across the world ultimately recognizing that connecting with their community in the digital space is crucial. Little is known about how the church makes use of social media, the skill level of users, or how evangelism has been impacted by social media use. This study’s objectives therefore were to determine the extent to which Facebook and YouTube have been adopted. Facebook and YouTube’s influence on evangelism and the challenges of Facebook and YouTube usage by Deliverance church, Embakasi and All Saints Kinoru Methodist Church in Meru. This study was based on Uses and Gratification Theory. The convergent mixed design was applied in this study. Pastors, Church Leaders and Members were the target population. This study used interviews and questionnaires as primary data collection instruments. Findings established that usage social media was more frequent on Facebook and YouTube. The primary purpose of Churches presence on social media was Online Church services, share information about upcoming events and activities, religious sermons and teachings. The Social Media platforms were utilized for the dissemination of evangelical information, Pastors' interactions with members on these platforms have provided comfort, reassurance, and spiritual guidance, especially during challenging times and that technical challenges like internet connectivity or technical glitches during live streams that disrupt worship experience. It was recommended that the Churches: ensure consistent posting schedule to keep members and the wider community engaged; clearly communicate the objectives and primary purposes of the church's social media presence to align member perceptions and expectations; Offer training sessions or workshops for church leaders and members to enhance their digital skills and keep up with evolving social media trends and technologies.