Ten years ago Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles invited members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to “fill the earth with goodness” by using social media to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“What has been accomplished thus far in this dispensation communicating gospel messages through social media channels is a good beginning — but only a small trickle,” Elder Bednar said during Brigham Young University’s Education Week devotional on Aug. 19, 2014.
“I now extend to you the invitation to help transform the trickle into a flood. Beginning at this place on this day, I exhort you to sweep the earth with messages filled with righteousness and truth — messages that are authentic, edifying and praiseworthy — and literally to sweep the earth as with a flood.”
Since then, millions of Latter-day Saints have responded to Elder Bednar’s apostolic invitation by sharing gospel messages on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X (formerly known as Twitter) and other social media channels. Church leaders have also expanded and increased their use of social media to share light and truth.
Today, with an estimated 5 billion social media users worldwide, Elder Bednar’s decade-old invitation to flood the earth with goodness through social media — as well as the guidelines he gave for doing so — remain increasingly relevant as digital communities continue to evolve.
“The light that will be associated with the messages that come from authentic disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ will become ever more attractive in a world where people will use these tools to enhance the darkness,” Elder Bednar said in a video interview shared on his Facebook page Sunday, Aug. 18, in honor of the 10-year anniversary of his address. “The light will shine ever brighter.”
What Elder Bednar said about social media 10 years ago
Elder Bednar’s address at BYU Education Week in 2014 built upon and expanded a message he gave to the young adults of the Church in 2009 titled “Things As They Really Are,” in which he taught about the spiritual potential and pitfalls of technology.
In his 2014 remarks titled “To Sweep the Earth As With a Flood” (see Moses 7:59-62), Elder Bednar discussed three related topics — “the dispensation of the fullness of times,” inspired technological and communication innovations of this dispensation, and how to use these tools to advance the work of salvation.
From telegraphs to radios to telephones to televisions to computers to the internet, “all of these advancements are part of the Lord hastening His work in the latter days …,” Elder Bednar explained. “Messages and pictures that used to require days, weeks and months to send and receive now can be communicated around the world in seconds.
“We thank Thee, O God, for the prophets who have taught and prepared us for the time in which we live — and who have urged us to use technological advancements to support the ongoing mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” he said.
Elder Bednar described social media channels as “global tools that can personally and positively impact large numbers of individuals and families.”
He continued: “And I believe the time has come for us as disciples of Christ to use these inspired tools appropriately and more effectively to testify of God the Eternal Father, His plan of happiness for His children, and His Son, Jesus Christ, as the Savior of the world; to proclaim the reality of the Restoration of the gospel in the latter days; and to accomplish the Lord’s work.”
To help Latter-day Saints use social media to convey gospel messages, Elder Bednar offered several basic guidelines:
1. Be authentic and consistent. “A person or product that is not authentic is false, fake and fraudulent,” he said. “Our messages should be truthful, honest and accurate. We should not exaggerate, embellish or pretend to be someone or something we are not. Our content should be trustworthy and constructive.”
Authenticity is strengthened through consistency, he emphasized. “The gospel messages you share will be accepted more readily if your Christ-like example is evident in the ongoing pattern of your posts.”
2. Edify and uplift. “We and our messages should seek to edify and uplift rather than argue, debate, condemn or belittle,” Elder Bednar said.
Share the gospel with genuine love and concern for others, he added. “Be bold but not overbearing in sustaining and defending our beliefs, and avoid contention. As disciples [of the Lord Jesus Christ] our purpose should be to use social media channels as a means of projecting the light and truth of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ into a world that increasingly is dark and confused.”
3. Respect intellectual property. “We and our messages should respect the property of other people and organizations,” he said. “This simply means that you should not create your own content using someone else’s art, name, photos, music, video or other content without permission.”
He explained that content on the Church’s online Media Library, unless otherwise indicated, has been cleared for use by members without seeking permission from the Church. However, members are not to use the Church logo or otherwise suggest they are speaking for or on behalf of the Church when sharing messages online.
4. Be wise and vigilant. “We should remember that the internet never forgets,” Elder Bednar cautioned. “Anything you communicate through a social media channel indeed will live forever — even if the app or program may promise otherwise. Only say it or post it if you want the entire world to have access to your message or picture for all time.”
Elder Bednar said his invitation to “sweep the earth” with messages of righteousness and truth is not meant to be a “one-time glitzy initiative,” nor is it necessary to spend inordinate amounts of time creating elaborate messages to post online.
Try to imagine the impact each individual can have as millions of Latter-day Saints contribute in seemingly small ways, he said. “May our many small, individual efforts produce a rainfall of righteousness and truth that gradually swells a multitude of streams and rivers — and ultimately becomes a flood that sweeps the earth.”
Following Elder Bednar’s address in 2014, the Church launched an initiative and webpage to help members get started with his invitation to flood the earth with goodness using the hashtag #ShareGoodness. The webpage featured videos illustrating creative ways members could share positive and genuine messages.
A Church News article in 2016 reported that a quick search of #ShareGoodness on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social media sites produced thousands of results. Posts included quotes from general conference talks, scripture references, pictures of temples and personal experiences.
How Church leaders are using social media today
Over the last decade, Church leaders have continued to expand their use of social media to connect with members worldwide, share faith-promoting stories and insights, and extend invitations to build faith in Jesus Christ.
The 10-year anniversary of Elder Bednar’s address comes during the Church’s global initiative #99plus1 honoring President Russell M. Nelson’s upcoming 100th birthday.
One hundred days before his 100th birthday on Sept. 9, President Nelson posted an invitation on social media for Latter-day Saints to participate in his birthday celebration by reaching out to someone in need.
“At age 99, I have no need of physical gifts,” he wrote in a June 1 social post. “But one spiritual offering that would brighten my life is for each of us to reach out to ‘the one’ in our lives who may be feeling lost or alone.”
Using the hashtag #99plus1, Church leaders are echoing President Nelson’s invitation on social media, and Church members are sharing stories of when they or others have been cared for as “the one.”
Throughout his prophetic ministry, President Nelson has used social media to share video messages for Easter and Christmas — messages that have gone to hundreds of millions of people around the globe. He has also shared New Year counsel, reiterated invitations from his general conference talks, provided updates on his health, and condemned racism and pleaded for peace during a time of protests and violence.
In November 2020, amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Nelson took to social media to ask the world to embrace and experience the “healing power of gratitude.”
President Nelson invited all to turn social media into a gratitude journal using #GiveThanks and to thank God through daily prayer. Church leaders, members and others across the world immediately responded to the Prophet’s invitation.
Within the first hour of the video release, it had been viewed more than a million times, according to a Church News report. On Twitter, within hours, #GiveThanks was trending in the United States at No. 1; and by the end of the day, it was trending at No. 2 worldwide.
The video message President Nelson shared was not one that came by chance, he later wrote in a blog post on ChurchofJesusChrist.org. “It is one that came from heaven.”
Each member of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has an active account on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter). Members of the Relief Society, Young Women, Primary, Young Men and Sunday School general presidencies also have official social media accounts and post often.
In a recent Facebook post, President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, shared a picture with his wife, Sister Kristen M. Oaks, expressing how much they enjoy finding evidence of God while they are in nature. “How grateful I am for a loving Father in Heaven who has provided such a beautiful place for us to live, learn and grow,” he wrote on Aug. 14.
From San Diego, California, Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson recently posted a video on the Relief Society Worldwide Instagram account. The caption stated, “Need some ministering inspiration?” A local stake Relief Society president, Sister Pingree, shared her stake’s rock project, in which sisters write a short message on a rock and drop it off to those they minister to.
In the last 12 months, the Church has launched Relief Society Worldwide, Young Women Worldwide, Young Men Worldwide and Primary Worldwide accounts on Facebook and Instagram to help members in these respective organizations find connection, unity and strength within a global community.
Youth and youth leaders who follow the Church’s Strive to Be Instagram account can stay up to date on the latest youth music and events. Parents and Primary leaders and teachers who follow the Church’s new Instagram account for the Friend magazine can find videos, “Come, Follow Me” activities, crafts, recipes and tips for teaching the gospel to children.
A complete list of the Church’s official social media accounts can be found on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
‘We are the gospel message’
As a follow-up to his address given 10 years ago, Elder Bednar recently met with a few media representatives to discuss how Latter-day Saints can use social media to share the “good news” of the Savior’s gospel.
Elder Bednar shared a clip from the video interview on his social media channels, and the Church posted a 10-minute segment on its YouTube channel. The full 48-minute interview can be found on the True Millennial YouTube channel.
“Just be normal and natural,” Elder Bednar said in response to a question about what to post on social media.
He encouraged individuals and families to consider their normal routine and think about what they would be interested in posting. “It does not have to be a gospel message,” he said. “We are the gospel message. … What we do is much more important than what we may write or say.”
Perhaps someone could highlight one aspect of their home evening, such as a young child giving the lesson. “Now, we all think that is normal,” Elder Bednar said. But to those not familiar with home evening, “that is abnormal in a home to have a child taking the lead in providing some instruction.”
Latter-day Saints live a “distinctive lifestyle” that some people may find interesting, Elder Bednar said. “Just live the gospel. Let some of that be in your social media posts, and it will create a curiosity.”
When asked what his invitation is now, 10 years later, Elder Bednar said: “Do not make this harder than it is. Do not complicate it. It is a remarkable learning process. It is not hard. Keep it simple. Do not be afraid to give it a go.”
Social media is not going away, he emphasized. “This is how the world communicates, and you need to learn how to do it for righteousness.”