How Facebook Killed the Church

Who would have thought Facebook would end the church?

Have you ever wondered why it seems so hard to get people to come on a Sunday morning? Especially if you grew up coming to church, it just seems like what you are supposed to do. Why is it so hard to get people in the doors? And more importantly, to STAY in the doors? Richard Beck thought he had the answer. And the culprit was Facebook. Way back in 2010, he wrote a blog post called, “How Facebook Killed the Church,”[1] and to be fair it wasn’t Facebook itself that was killing the church – we were. In 1956, 96% of Americans identified as Christian; today that number is down to 68%.[2] And it’s not like they are flocking to other religions. Instead, they are increasingly becoming disengaged from the church.[3] It’s no big secret church attendance is down. Across the country, church attendance has dropped over the last couple of decades in nearly every major religion – not just Christianity. At the turn of the century about 42% of adults in the US were attending worship weekly or almost every week, but as of a few years ago that number had dipped to just 30%.[4]  Attendance at Sunday worship has dropped whether you live in the Bible Belt, the Sun Belt, the Rust Belt, or even the Jell-O Belt.  Yes, it’s a real thing.  The Jell-O Belt, also called “the Mormon Corridor,” was given its name because Mormons like Jell-O. In fact, Jell-O is the official snack food of the state of Utah.[5]  But I digress. All that to say most people are just not interested in coming to church.

The reasons are not all that surprising.

They question the teachings of the church, they don’t like organized religion, or they don’t feel like they need religion.[6] They find God elsewhere, they feel church is irrelevant, or just plain boring.[7] But here is the interesting thing. While all those things are true, they are also not new.[8]  Beck’s argument is there is a reason people have chosen this time to abandon the church instead of say the ‘80s or ‘90s, and that’s because we’ve been replaced by something else – Facebook. Or social media in general. And it’s not just social media but technology in general has taken away the spot church used to fill.

“How Facebook Killed the Church” is about the loss of that “third place” in American culture.

Home and work are the first two places in our lives.  They are the places we spend most of our time, but this “third place”… this “third place” is where we connect to the broader community.[9]  Third places are important. It’s where we gather, where we form bonds, where we meet our future spouses. And Church used to be one of these “third places.”  In its heyday back in the 1950’s, church was THE place to be. Even if the services bored you, even if you weren’t learning anything, even if the preacher was no good, you came anyway because it was the social hub of the community. That’s not true anymore.  Technology has made us HYPER-CONNECTED.  Through Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and so many others, there is a plethora of ways to stay connected, find a spouse, or talk about any subject on the planet and that “third place” is being transformed into something different.  As Beck wrote, “Millennials are in a different social situation. They don’t need physical locations for social affiliation. They can make dinner plans via text, cell phone call or Facebook. In short, the thing that kept young people going to church, despite their irritations, has been effectively replaced. You don’t need to go to church to stay connected or in touch. You have an iPhone.”[10]

Not surprisingly, people are leaving organized religion. 

Now that we can fill that social connection virtually, it eliminates or at least drastically reduces the need for a specific physical location to be that “third space.” And with the flight of so many people, maybe it’s time we go back to that fundamental reason the church exists – to make disciples for Jesus Christ. Instead of trying to be another Starbucks, we should focus on what only we can do – bring people closer to Jesus, whether that is virtually or in person, through worship or outreach.  We need to do what only we were created to do.  In this passage, Paul is writing to the church at Colossae because they have lost their way.  They’re beginning to lose their focus on Christ and turning to mysticism and angels and stuff like that instead of keeping Christ at the heart of the church.  Sounds a lot like religion today.  So, Paul is encouraging them and reminding them of who they are and what the church, the followers of the Way, are supposed to look like. 

 ¹²Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

 ¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. – Colossians 3:12-17

Paul’s words are as timely now as it was back then.

Churches lost their focus and instead started turning to things other than God. Again, like many churches today. So, Paul is reminding them who they were created to be – disciples of Jesus. The kind of people who are compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, and patient.  People who bear with each other instead of complain, forgive each other instead of holding grudges, and overall, love one another in unity. But what makes the church truly special is what Paul writes in the next few verses.  “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…”  “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another…” “And whatever you do…do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  When we focus on these things, things the church was created to do, we have limitless potential. Dr. Howard Hendricks, a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, once said, “There are many things in life you ‘can do’ for God. And the more success you have, the more opportunities will come. But most opportunities are distractions in disguise. Therefore, find the one thing you ‘must do’ for God…The secret of concentration is elimination”[11]  

People still need the church.

They may not need the buildings, but they need the church.  Everyone struggles with the questions, “Why am I here?  What’s the meaning of life?”  They are questions that haunts us and we spend a great deal of our lives, either consciously or subconsciously, wrestling with them.  As Kerry Shook, the author of One Month to Live said, there is a God-shaped hole in our hearts that only God can fill, and until we find him, it will continually gnaw at us.  People try to find all sorts of substitutes to fill that hole, like power, money, fame, but until we know the overwhelming love of Jesus Christ, that hole will always be there.  There will always be something missing.  Facebook and all of social media has become a substitute for those third spaces, but maybe it’s a blessing in disguise. Now we can focus on what only we can do best. Fill those God shaped holes that exist in all of our hearts.

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[1] Richard Beck, “How Facebook Killed the Church,” Experimental Theology, March 5, 2010, https://experimentaltheology.blogspot.com/2010/03/how-facebook-killed-church.html

[2] “How Religious Are Americans?” Gallup, March 29, 2024, https://news.gallup.com/poll/358364/religious-americans.aspx

[3] Ibid.

[4] Jeffrey M. Jones, “Church Attendance Has Declined in Most U.S. Religious Groups,” Gallup, March 24, 2024, https://news.gallup.com/poll/642548/church-attendance-declined-religious-groups.aspx – Two groups did show increases over this time: Jewish people and Muslim people, but the increase was minor compared to the droves leaving the Christian churches.

[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_Corridor#.22Jell-O_Belt.22

[6] “Why are ‘nones’ nonreligious?” Pew Research  Center, January 24, 2024, https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2024/01/24/why-are-nones-nonreligious/

[7] “What Millennials Want When They Visit Church,” Barna Group, March 4, 2015, https://www.barna.com/research/what-millennials-want-when-they-visit-church/

[8] In his article, Beck argues for a different set of reasons why people are leaving the church, but his point is there is another reason why people are choosing to leave rather than put up with it.

[9] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place  – the concept of the “third place” is from sociologist Ray Oldenburg.

[10] Beck, “How Facebook Killed the Church.”

[11] Will Mancini, “Epic Quotes on Discipleship from Prof Howard Hendricks,” VisionRoom,