Welcome to the online church/synagogue/mosque of the 21st century.

Here you can follow congregants' "tweets" about sermons delivered at Westwinds Community Church by Michigan pastor John Voelz.

Log on to Texas pastor Laura Heikes' podcast sermons -- one posted recently when swine flu worries shut down worship at First United Methodist Church in New Braunfels.

And in this new spiritual landscape, it's easy to find out what Roanoke College Lutherans are doing. Just "friend" Virginia Synod Youth Programs Director David Delaney, who organizes events and posts announcements via Facebook from his Salem office.

"Facebook is now the primary mode of communication with young adults," according to Delaney, who said he has about 1,200 Facebook friends. "If I want to get something out to the college-aged crowd, the first thing I do is send out a message through Facebook."

E-mail, Delaney said, is now his second choice.

From prayer tweets to YouTube religious education videos, faith groups across the country and in the Roanoke and New River valleys are using online social networking in the millennia-old pursuit of evangelism and ministry.

And none of those tools has proven more powerful than Facebook.

Launched in 2004, today the site claims 200 million subscribers around the world, who can connect to friends, family and even strangers. Friends can then invite each other to events and parties, share interactive photo albums and video and audio files, even play a Facebook version of Scrabble.

Facebook also works with other social networks such as Twitter, the popular micro-blogging site where users share short messages via computer, cellphone and other mobile devices.

While the business and marketing potential of Facebook is easy to understand, some may be surprised by its relevance to religion.

But Chris Forbes, author of the e-book and companion Facebook page "Facebook for Pastors," calls social networking "another door to your church."

Teens and young adults "don't read church newsletters," he said. "They are on Facebook or texting."

Creating a Facebook profile for a church, but especially for its pastor, is "opening a door and saying, 'I'm available.' By not opening that door, you're inadvertently saying you're not available," Forbes said.

Consequently, many religious leaders are quickly adopting the virtual ministry model. Forbes said the Facebook for Pastors profile has 6,000 friends and users have downloaded the e-book more than 30,000 times.

Locally, churches, synagogues and other religious groups are joining the trend.

"Facebook is an evangelical tool we would be foolish to ignore," said Christie Wills, spokeswoman for the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia.

Several rectors and churches in the diocese have created profiles, including Bishop Neff Powell.

"We can't depend on the denominational loyalty of the 1950s," Wills said.

In fact, faith groups can't even rely solely on e-mail or Web sites to get their message out.

"A Web site can be unintentionally cold. But Facebook is warm," Wills said. "It lets the unchurched see who we are."

The Catholic Diocese of Richmond, which oversees Catholic churches across Southwest Virginia, is experimenting with Facebook "to attract young, single men to the priesthood," spokesman Steve Neill said.

Beth Israel Synagogue in Roanoke uses its Facebook profile to strengthen ties between current and former members by posting photos and sharing news, Rabbi Fabian Werbin said.

Facebook has also presented new opportunities for pastoral care, Virginia Tech Episcopal campus minister Scott Russell said.

Facebook status updates that express difficulties with schoolwork, family, friends or a recent relationship breakup can alert Russell that he needs to check in with members of his online flock.

While Facebook "doesn't have the immediacy of face-to-face" communication, "it does have the intimacy," he said.

It can also spark discussion. Russell was contacted recently by a former youth group member who noticed Russell had posted an item to Facebook about gay marriage.

"He contacted me and asked what's up with that," allowing a dialogue on the issue, Russell said.

Another parishioner contacted Russell via Facebook after he posted links concerning swine flu infection risks and the Episcopal tradition of drinking communion wine from a common cup.

"It raised an issue with her, and she wrote to me immediately," Russell said.

Russell said he was able to direct her to other online sources to help allay her fears.

This kind of virtual communication is likely to become more common among the faithful, Forbes of "Facebook for Pastors" said.

He pointed to a CNN.com story last month that reported a 550 percent increase in the number of women over 55 who had subscribed to Facebook over a six-month period, bringing the total of those subscribers to about 1.5 million.

No matter the age group involved, Forbes predicts that the days of church ministry revolving primarily around the weekly sermon are ending.

"Pastors are used to having the privilege of standing in front of people and delivering a one-way message. One-way communication is over now," he said.