Use of social media for evangelisation: A case of full gospel churches of Kenya (FGCK) Meru, Kenya

Abstract

The study’s objective was to analyse the use of social media in evangelisation. The study employed a descriptive research design to seek information from various congregants. Interview guides, observation schedules, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and questionnaires were used to collect data. The clergy and lay leaders were interviewed, and the congregants of different age groups filled out questionnaires. Key informants were selected by the use of a purposive sampling technique coupled with stratified random sampling. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis, whereas descriptive quantitative data analysis was performed in SPSS 21. The results indicated that social media had been used for evangelisation through ICT tools such as mobile phones and computers. However, the use of social media for evangelisation has been faced with various challenges, including lack of internet connectivity, misuse of social media by non-Christians through posting of pornographic materials and unavailability of ICT tools. Some proposed ways of mitigating these challenges include educating Christians on the proper use of social media for evangelisation and maintaining active Gospel-based church websites.