The “Nones” were a frequent topic of conversations at a recent “eFormation” conference several Saint Georgians attended at Virginia Theological Seminary (#eForm15). The conference was designed to address how the Church can use the tools of digital social media.

The “Nones” are the growing percentage of every population cohort, but especially Millennials and younger, who identified themselves in a recent Pew survey as having no religious affiliation.

If you are reading this blog, you probably do have a religious affiliation, particularly with the people of Saint George’s Episcopal Church in Arlington, Virginia, and maybe with the greater Episcopal church in the USA, and possibly even with the Anglican Communion, or even with the holy catholic (lower case c) church as we profess in the Nicene Creed each Sunday.

But it is a mistake to assume that the “Nones” do not have an active spiritual life, despite their lack of institutional affiliation with the Church.   Much of what people post or tweet or share or like on FaceBook/Twitter/Instagram/LinkedIn and other media reflects a deep desire for connectedness, community, caring, social justice, awe, thanksgiving, comfort – the very things we affiliated Christians look for (and find) in church.

Beyond the use of social media by the institutional church to try to turn “nones” into “somes,” we as people of God can share the love of Christ in our digital world through our personal interactions just as we do in our “real” world. That doesn’t always mean inviting someone to attend church (though it can). Sometimes it just means being a caring presence. Or seeking to see the Christ in someone else who may be suffering and lashing out. One conference speaker reminded us to refer not to Trolls, but to people who are trolling, when we witness that notorious bad behavior in online comments.

When we see injustice, misogyny, hatred, online can we counter with a message of peace, love, and Truth? When we see pain, can we offer comfort? To counter the newly identified phenomenon of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) generated when people share only their accomplishments and fun, are we willing to share our own vulnerability and uncertainty? 

For those who are already active in digital media, there are little things we can do to share the joy we have found at Saint George’s, to invite others into our community, or simply to provide a model of what it means to have a religious affiliation in a time when many don’t. We can "follow" Saint Georges on Twitter and tag Twitter posts @StGeorgesArlVA.  We can "hashtag #StGeorgesArlVA when we post pictures or comments about the church we are affiliated with. We can “check-in” our location when we are at St. George’s for a special service or event, to make it easier for others to find information about St. George’s. We can “friend” or "follow" other Saint Georgians on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to deepen our personal relationships with fellow parishioners. We can “like” the St. George’s Facebook page. We can “share” upcoming St. George’s events on Facebook. We can post positive reviews on Yelp, or reply to other's posts. As more and more people tag St. George’s in their posts, we can search #StGeorgesArlVA to see what others have posted about us.

Have the social media changed your spiritual life? What evidence do you see of spirituality in your digital world? How can we be the people of God online? How does the light of Christ shine in the glow of our laptops and tablets and smartphones? You can share your experience by commenting below.