Case Study
We are an incense-swinging, sanctus-bell-ringing, stomp-your-feet-singing ancient way of following Jesus with more than enough room for you to bring your compassion, curiosities, and complete self. An Episcopal church on the edge of Austin, we are three years old and bursting at the seams with a multi-generational, colorful community that worships in a strip mall. We aren’t trying to do “church” in a new way, necessarily; we are simply trying to be a church for folks who haven’t felt at home in any other church. We were founded in the summer of 2022, first in a living room, as a dream from God and midwifed by Rev. Lizzie McManus-Dail and a faithful team of lay leaders.
“Jubilee” is a word that not only means celebration, but also reflects a year of liberation, restoration, sabbath, and joy as commanded by God in scripture. The scripture, a Jubilee year was supposed to occur every 50 years, marking a whole year set aside for extravagant feasting, debt release, community tending, and ensuring that those who had nothing to eat were fed from a bountiful table. We strive to embody the spirit of Jubilee in our common life, worship, and community care, because Jubilee reminds us that God’s justice is rooted in God’s joy. In a time of great cynicism, oppression, and despair, our prayer for our world and our community is rooted in our name: that God may shield the joyous.
Our community grew exponentially because of our vicar’s use of Instagram and TikTok, making lighthearted viral videos about God’s love for all people. These lighthearted videos had a deeply serious message: that Christianity is not synonymous with Christian nationalism; that church should be a place of forgiveness, joy, restoration, and compassion, and that each of us should be generously anticipated and welcomed at God’s table. Most of what you find tagged as “Christian” content online does not reflect the heart of God’s commandments to love one another, and much of it feels like the ominous billboards proclaiming judgment. At Jubilee, we want people to know God loves them, God is in solidarity with our suffering, and God will not leave us in the pit, but will walk with us now and always into freedom.
We capitalize on trends, we don’t take ourselves too seriously, and we demonstrate a spirit of joyful playfulness when sharing our message online.
We work to replace toxic theologies and doom-scrolling with messages of God’s love and liberation right here, right now. We share the “obvious thing”—little messages on scripture, the saints, and traditions to use these platforms not just to evangelize, but also to form and educate people.
Even as we engage on multiple platforms, we are mindful that social media is not inherently a social good and our end goal is not views and likes, but communion with God. We don’t engage with trolls, and we invest in security and privacy for our people.
In our first year of being a church, we welcomed more than 200 first-time guests, 75 percent of whom found our tiny but mighty community because of social media. We also see it as core to our work to disrupt toxic theologies and doomscrolling panic with messages of God’s love and liberation right here, right now. Many people who worship in our community say they watched our content online for months, if not years, before joining in person because it took some time for them to believe they would be safe and welcomed with us. We see how genuine friendships are blossoming, loneliness ebbing, and people are building real solidarity with each other, even in the face of big media stories that Texas is not a place where LGBTQIA+ people or immigrants or marginalized folks can thrive. We are a living testament to God’s goodness in all places and at all times.
Instagram: @JubileeATX
Website: JubileeATX.org