The Great Digital Commission
Embracing Social Media for Church Growth and Transformation
Imprint: Cascade Books
Attendance in US churches continues to sharply decline. As church leaders struggle to identify both root causes and possible responses, they often feel a sense of despair . . . but there is hope! When social media is used intentionally, it is the greatest tool that the church has ever had to fulfill the Great Commission. In our time, we should hear a Great Digital Commission. The Great Digital Commission offers a theological reflection on the importance of social media--while acknowledging its shortfalls--and suggests practical steps that can help congregations think about strategies for church growth and transformation. This book is designed to be approachable for pastors, church leaders, and church social media managers, as well as congregants who want a clearer sense of why social media is important to use within the church and how they can foster healthy social media accounts. The Great Digital Commission has been commanded! We have been called to spread the Good News from our doorsteps to the ends of earth using not only our words, but our posts, our tweets, our memes, our videos, our events, our pins, and our very lives. May it be so.
Caleb J. Lines is an ordained minister with standing in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ. He currently serves University Christian Church in San Diego, California, and as Co-Executive Director of ProgressiveChristianity.org..
“The church is being pushed to go digital, whether we want to or not. In this lively, wonderfully useful book, Caleb Lines suggests that part of the prodding toward digital may be Christ and his determination to embrace all of God’s world. Caleb stresses the importance of churches using digital media for specifically Christian reasons, is honest about the pitfalls and temptations of the digital world, and gives church leaders specific guidance. Caleb even ends with Ten Social Media Commandments for congregations who go digital as a way of being more faithful as God takes us into God’s future.”
—Will Willimon, Duke Divinity School
“In The Great Digital Commission, Caleb Lines makes a compelling case for embracing this new age of digital connection as one of the most exciting times in Christian history. For the first time in human history, we can shift the cultural narrative away from a story of fear and scarcity to one of love and belonging on a global scale. At a time when we are deeply divided, Caleb speaks to a pathway back to one another and the God who loves us relentlessly. Highly recommended!”
—Cameron Trimble, CEO, Convergence
“Caleb Lines has long seen what we all now know to be true: congregational leaders must engage with social media, faithfully shaping the church’s presence in the online world. But to be clear, this book is neither simply a how-to manual nor an abstract academic exercise on the subject. For those seeking thoughtful, theological, practical engagement with questions of ecclesial presence and witness in the complex context of social media, this book is for you.”
—Jeffrey Conklin-Miller, Duke Divinity School