Social Media Use and Effectiveness of the Youth Ministry at the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, Nairobi Central Presbytery, Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

Youth ministry continues to face significant challenges of declining participation, weak engagement, and high attrition of young people from the church, despite the rapid expansion of social media use. In Kenya, while churches increasingly adopt social media platforms, there is limited empirical and theological understanding of how specific dimensions of social media use influence the effectiveness of youth ministry. This study examined the influence of social media use on the effectiveness of youth ministry at the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA), Nairobi Central Presbytery, with particular focus on social media platforms used, social media usage patterns, and social media personnel. The study was based on a practical theology framework guided by Osmer’s four tasks together with insights from digital ecclesiology, which understands digital spaces as legitimate contexts for fellowship, discipleship, and mission. Socio-technical systems theory and the two-way symmetrical model of communication further informed the study. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was employed. The target population comprised 2,925 youths and 35 youth leaders across seven parishes, from which a sample of 352 respondents was selected using stratified random sampling. Data was collected using questionnaires and interview guides. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data was analyzed thematically. The findings revealed that social media platforms used, social media usage patterns, and social media personnel significantly influenced youth ministry effectiveness in terms of participation, membership, behaviour, and spiritual growth, jointly explaining 47.3% of the variance. WhatsApp, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube emerged as the dominant platforms, primarily supporting communication, fellowship, and spiritual content sharing. Usage patterns were strong predictors of effectiveness, while personnel competence emerged as the most influential factor. The study concludes that the youth ministry effectiveness in a digital age depends not merely on social media adoption but on theologically informed, intentional digital ministry practices. By integrating Osmer’s four tasks and digital ecclesiology, the study contributes to youth theology by demonstrating how social media can function as a meaningful space for discipleship, fellowship, and participation in the mission of God.