From Social Media to Social Ministry: A Guide to Digital Discipleship

Description

This book outlines digital discipleship principles for building an online community and provides practical instruction for how to do it no matter how big or small a local church may be. There are more than 2.3 billion professing Christians in the world and more and more new churches launching globally, yet statistics show that in-person church attendance is declining or plateauing in every nation. Although social technology has been around for more than two decades, church leaders have long bristled at the idea of church online, ranking it as the last concern on their minds in Barna's 2020 state of the church report published February 3, 2020. And then, three weeks later, COVID-19 closed the doors of every church on earth and suddenly forced them entirely online. Nona Jones, a globally acclaimed thought leader on leveraging technology for ministry, had been leading a movement and sounding the alarm for several years to make digital discipleship a central part of every church's ministry approach. In From Social Media to Social Ministry, she outlines her digital discipleship principles and provides practical instruction for how to do it no matter how big or small a local church may be. There are plenty of books to help churches build a social media strategy, but this is the first book of its kind that goes beyond digital marketing to digital ministry. Readers will leave this book with: Clarity on what discipleship truly is The data that underscores the urgency for digital discipleship Understanding of the resources required to do it well A step-by-step guide on how to implement digital discipleship into ministry plans Knowledge of the differences among and purposes of the most popular social platforms, as well as the tools best positioned for digital ministry

Nona Jones is an international speaker, preacher, author, and the head of global faith-based partnerships at Facebook. Previously, Nona held executive leadership roles across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. A graduate of the Presidential Leadership Scholars Program, Nona was named one of Essence magazine's Under 40 Women to Watch. Nona and her husband lead a church together in Gainesville, Florida.

'The barrier to entry for online ministry is lower than it's ever been. In From Social Media to Social Ministry, Nona Jones equips readers to use social technology for so much more than we have in the past. With her singular perspective as a global thought-leader in this space, she shows us that online ministry is more than an opportunity. It's a responsibility.' * Bobby Gruenewald, Founder, YouVersion * 'Nona has been pioneering in social media ministry for years. Not only is From Social Media to Social Ministry incredibly rich and deeply practical, but it is extremely timely. There has never been a better time to shift our thinking from social media to social ministry and Nona leads the way.' * Carey Nieuwhof, Bestselling Author, Podcaster and Speaker * 'Nona Jones occupies a uniquely critical role in the ecosystem of the 21st century church. From Social Media to Social Ministry is prophetic and prescriptive and a must read for those who are serious about cultivating a relevant and effective ministry.' * Dr. Jamal Harrison Bryant, Senior Pastor, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church * 'Nona is a visionary. In a time of massive digital disruption within the Church, she brings together her life-long experience in ministry and her knowledge with social technology to help the Church strengthen community and bring people deeper in their faith. From Social Media to Social Ministry uncovers the power of using social technology for discipleship. It is a must-read.' * Troy Pollock, Chief Ambassador at Pushpay *