5 tips for evangelizing on social media

ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 28, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Friar Nelson Medina, a Dominican known for his extensive apostolate on the internet, offered five tips for Catholics to do a better job evangelizing on social media.

The Colombian priest, who holds a doctorate in fundamental theology, shared the following recommendations with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

1. Practice gratitude.

“Consider it a privilege and a great opportunity to use these new means of communication to bear witness and reach many people,” Medina said, encouraging the faithful to be grateful.

2. God doesn’t need a perfect façade.

The Dominican also encouraged internet evangelists to avoid “the temptation to present your life or person as if you never had problems, because the people you are addressing certainly do.”

3. Be aware of your responsibility.

Medina also pointed out that anyone presenting himself or herself as a Catholic evangelizing on social media “somehow represents the body of Christ.”

“Consequently, the immense price of his blood is at stake in everything we do with our social media,” he emphasized.

Consequently,  the Colombian priest stressed: “Stay faithful to the sound doctrine and morality of the Church.”

4. Don’t give too much importance to haters or trolls.

“You may encounter ridicule or attacks. In such cases we must remember that Christ told us that this was going to happen,” Medina noted.

So, “we shouldn’t give it utmost importance but rather handle the situation with the tools that social media itself gives us and move on,” he said.

5. Always nourish your personal life as a Catholic.

“Remember that nothing can replace the life of prayer, the sacraments, and belonging to a real community of people like yourself who are on their journey to the Lord,” he concluded.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.