1. Using Social Media with Youth
Charlotte McCorquodale, PhD
Ministry Training Source
S

2. Let’s Get to Know Each Other
S Who, What, Where?
S Why did you choose this workshop?
S What is one issue or trend that you believe is
a challenge you face in forming young
disciples?
S What is one question or issue you hope we
discuss today?

3. Where are
we headed
today?
 Examine research on social
media use.
 Share about where
teenagers are with faith
today.
 Identify various ways
today’s generation uses
various forms of social
media.
 Discuss practical uses for
using digital media and
social networking in youth
ministry

4. A day in the life of
social media….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iReY3W9ZkL
U
S

5. 2013 Social Media
Statistics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yxuljHX09I
S

6. US Bishops on Social Media
“Because it is so different from mass media and
mass communication, social media is creating a
new culture on this Digital Continent.
Young people use it as their first point of
reference....The implications of that for a church
which is struggling to get those same young
people to enter our churches on
Sunday are staggering.
If the church is not on their mobile device, it
doesn’t exist. The Church does not have to change
its teachings to reach young people, but we must
deliver it to them in a new way.”
6

7. Natonal Study of Youth and Religion
According to Dr. Smith, “In our in-depth
interviews with U.S. teenagers, we
also found the vast majority of them to
be incredibly inarticulate about their
faith, their religious beliefs and
practices, and its meaning or place in
their lives”
(Soul Searching, p. 131)…“Catholic
teenagers also tended to be
particularly inarticulate about their

8. Natonal Study of Youth and Religion
According to Dr. Smith,
“religion actually appears to operate
much more as a taken-for-granted
aspect of life, mostly situated in the
background of everyday living, which
becomes salient only under very
specific conditions”
(Soul Searching p. 130).

9. Subjective Measures
84% of Catholic
youth say it is
somewhat
(42%), very
(31%), or
extremely (11%)
important in
shaping their
daily life.
(NFCYM Report, p. 34)
Interest level in
learning more
about religion
Percent
Cumulative
%
Very interested
23%
23%
Somewhat
interested
51%
74%
Not very
interested
20%
94%
Not at all
interested
6%
100%
Total
100%

10. Objective Measures: Mass
attendence Catholic Youth Parent of
Frequency of
Attendance
Catholic
Youth
All Youth
More than once a
week
6%
5%
16%
Once a week
33%
37%
24%
2-3 times a month
13%
15%
12%
Once a month
8%
8%
7%
Many times a year
8%
5%
8%
Few times a year
21%
18%
14%
Never
11%
12%
18%
Total
100%
100%
100%

11. “…American youth actually share much
more in common with adults than they do
not share, and most American youth
faithfully mirror the aspirations, lifestyles,
practices, and problems of the adult
world into which they are
socialized….adolescents may actually
serve as a very accurate barometer of
the condition of the culture and
institutions of our larger
society…American teenagers actually
well reflect back to us the best and worst
of our own adult condition and culture.”
- Christian Smith, National Study of Youth and Religion (2004)
11

14. Generational &
Intergenerational
 iGeneration (2001 - )
 Millennials (1980-2000)
 Generation X (1964-1979)
 Boomers (1946-1963)
 Builders (up to 1945)

15. iGeneration &
New Ways to Learn
 digital natives: web, social networking, digital
media
 ability to use technology to create a vast array
of content
 learning style: active, engaged, creative
(project-centered), visual, practice &
performance, digital
 formed by media & visual learners
 openness to change
 desire for immediacy

21. Teens and Technology
2013 Pew Research
S
78% of teens now have a cell
phone, and almost half (47%) of
them own smartphones. That
translates into 37% of all teens who
have smartphones, up from just 23%
in 2011.
S
23% of teens have a tablet
computer, a level comparable to the
general adult population.
S
95% of teens use the internet.
S
93% of teens have a computer or
have access to one at home. Seven
in ten (71%) teens with home
computer access say the laptop or
desktop they use most often is one
they share with other family
members.

23. What is the
message you
want to
share?

24. Milestones
Faith Formation
Develop faith formation (learning,
worship/ritual, faith practices) around
lifecycle milestones, sacramental
celebrations, and life transitions to
deepen people’s faith, strengthen their
engagement in church life, and equip
them with practices for living their faith.

25. What are the
milestones in teenagers
lives that we can
celebrate?
S

26. How do we flip the faith
formation classroom for teens?
S http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H4RkudFzlc
S http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H4RkudFzlc
S http://confirmation.stedward.com/

27. http://instagram.com/

28. http://youtube.com/
• More than 1 billion
unique users visit
YouTube each month
• Over 6 billion hours
of video are watched
each month on
YouTube—that's
almost an hour for
every person on
Earth, and 50% more
than last year
• 100 hours of video
are uploaded to
YouTube every
minute

29. http://bustedhalo.org/
https://outsidedabox.com/

30. Presentation Sources
S Pew Research: pewresearch.org
S http://www.pewforum.org/2010/02/17/religion-among-the-
millennials/
S Lifelong Faith Associates: lifelongfaith.com
S Faith Formation 4.0 Julie Lyles
S Faith Formation 2020