Evangelism in the Era of New Media

Considering that a great many new media users can be gratified by contents other than religious messages on the Internet, one wonders how evangelism will fare in this era of the new media. Besides evangelism, the new media are used for education, information, socialization and entertainment. However, churches which are ignorant of the potency of online evangelism are believed to be missing out on what is supposed to help them broaden the frontiers of fulfilling The Great Commission. This position paper which is an offshoot of a rigorous empirical study is, therefore, done to examine the practice of online evangelism by evangelical churches in Port Harcourt. Investigation shows, among other things, that the social media are veritable instruments in sustaining old members and wooing new ones. The study concluded that the churches that use the social media platforms are up-to-date; the social media used in evangelism are perceived as attractive and satisfactory; but that the cost of maintaining the new media workability is prohibitive. It was then recommended that despite the unethical and immoral posts that can be found online, the new media should not be avoided because of its potency in fostering bonds among old church members and evangelizing prospective ones.