What should a Christian post online—and when does a “personal” opinion start reflecting on the church?

From politics and public disagreements to preachers, elders, and church Facebook pages, social media has created questions churches can’t afford to ignore.

In this episode of Trends with Truth in Churches of Christ, Dr. Michael D. Jackson and Dale Jenkins look at new survey data surrounding social media use and policies in congregations.

One statistic immediately stands out: 92% of responding churches said they have no social media policy at all.

But does a church actually need one?

Michael and Dale discuss the line between personal expression and Christian influence, why a preacher’s personal social media rarely feels completely “personal,” how political posts can affect relationships within a congregation, and what happens when online disagreements spill over into church life.

They also tackle questions like:

• Should preachers and elders be held to different standards online?

• Does what a minister posts reflect on the congregation?

• When should elders become involved in a member’s social media behavior?

• Are political posts changing minds—or creating more division?

• How should churches handle conflict that begins online?

• Who should control and monitor an official church social media account?

• Would simple guidelines prevent problems before they happen?

The goal isn’t to police every Facebook post. It’s to ask a more important question:

Is what we’re posting helping people see Christ—or getting in the way?

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Should Churches Have Social Media Policies?

01:12 Celebrating Episode 16

02:22 Why Talk About Social Media Now?

03:24 92% of Churches Have No Policy

04:16 Should Churches Review a Preacher’s Social Media?

05:10 Is a Preacher’s Personal Page Really Personal?

05:48 Politics, Opinions & Online Division

06:40 Do Elders and Ministers Have Clear Expectations?

08:28 What Does “Use Good Judgment” Actually Mean?

09:30 Should Elders Be Held to a Higher Standard?

10:49 Has Social Media Caused Church Conflict?

11:54 Why Online Conflict Is Hard to Resolve

13:00 When Public Disagreements Get Bigger

14:14 What Should a Church Social Media Policy Include?

15:28 Clear Rules That Actually Worked

16:25 Harmful Posts vs. Unpopular Opinions

17:42 Rules for Official Church Social Media Accounts

18:50 Moderation, Messages & Missed Opportunities

19:19 Final Thoughts

Trends with Truth looks beyond assumptions and opinions to examine the real trends affecting churches of Christ today.

Like the video, subscribe, and share this episode with elders, ministers, deacons, and church leaders.

Comment below: Should congregations have written social media guidelines?

Want a Trends with Truth sticker? Email trendswithtruth@gmail.com

KEYWORDS

church social media, Christian social media, Christians and social media, church social media policy, churches of Christ, Church of Christ, Christian politics, Christians and politics, social media and the church, preacher social media, minister social media, elders and social media, church leadership, Christian online behavior, church conflict, social media conflict, church communications, Christian witness, Trends with Truth, Heritage Christian University, Dale Jenkins, Michael Jackson HCU

#churchesofchrist #ChristianSocialMedia #ChurchLeadership #SocialMedia #ChristianLiving #Ministry #ChurchOfChrist #TrendsWithTruth #HeritageChristianUniversity