Almost a year ago I wrote this post. It was about a church in Michigan that integrated twitter into it’s services.
Just the other day Time did a story on this church. Read it here.
I’m challenged by what this church is doing.
Twitter has been around for close to two years and too many people still don’t have any idea what it is. It’s kind of like this commercial below (pay attention at 0.33 seconds in).
Churches talk about innovation and their need to be creative, yet so many haven’t event embraced the dozens of ways that twitter can be used.
Last week I was at Orange. It was my second year. The first year it was an experience. This year I was a part of a community sharing an experience. Guess what year was better?
What too many people don’t understand is that twitter creates and enhances community. Isn’t that what churches are dying to create? Wake up church and smell the tweets.
The Body of Christ is about relationships and community, I agree, but the advent of mass communication through electronic means has made us know less about one another than more. I know tons of things about people on the surface, what they eat, like, hate, movies they watch, places they go, things they bought, etc. But I know nothing about the person that is leaving those remarks.
Don’t get me wrong, I use and love Facebook, email, text, and blogs, but God help us if these mediums ever replace the face to face, voice to voice conversations that we as people have to have to survive.
So the real question is, do we find more joy in having hundreds of people on our friends list that tweet us, or shaking the hand and looking into the eyes of that one person that really needs answers?
Great point. I agree. Social media can be a crutch, an enabler of shallow relationships. I remember having a conversation with someone who was resistant to sign up for facebook because she valued friendships and didn’t want to commit to a friendship she couldn’t maintain and the idea of having 200 friends or more was unattractive. I tried to explain that being a friend on facebook didn’t mean you had to talk to them every day… or ever. Yeah, that’s kinda sad.
However, social media like twitter, facebook and the rest have proven to be a great starting point. I’ve made some very good connections through social media. They are people who I now talk to on the phone on a regular basis and meet whenever I’m close enough to do so. In addition, social media adds a new element to traditional relationships. Being new to Austin, my wife and I met a couple and had them over to dinner. It was a good first meeting. However what made the next get together even better was that we connected socially over the web many times between. It basically sped up the process.
Like any tool, it can be abused. Thanks for your thoughts.
“Wake up and smell the tweets.” Can I quote you on that, Kenny? That’s too funny.
Tony, I don’t disagree with you. Social media can be another bridge to one-on-one contact. I can say that I’ve known Kenny and a few others in kids ministry via social media tools (i.e. blogs, twitter, tokbox, etc) for a year. Yet, it was only last week that we met face-to-face. It was like a reunion… only it was the first time we’d actually met. I agree with Kenny, it’s a tool. Used properly it can be highly effective.
*referring to comments made*
I guess it depends on how you use different social networking sites.
Through twitter I stumbled onto @kennyconnely, started reading his blog, and thru some incredibly informative posts, we are revamping the way we do Baby Dedications!
Through facebook I’ve actually been able to learn more about the leaders in the other ministries within my own church. I love seeing them at staff meetings, and around the campus during services, but I’m naturally more connected with the leaders in Children’s Ministry (were I serve) than say the singles ministry, college ministry, youth ministry etc… Facebook, and twitter have changed that. In a big church these two social networking tools have been quite productive at keeping us all in the loop with each others lives, and ministries!
AND I always stop for the personal interaction of a handshake or a hug when I do see them.
I love following leaders of different churches around the country. We are one church, and it’s awesome to see what my brothers and sisters, though we’ve never met face to face, are doing in Seattle, or Austin, or even in my home town of Kansas City!
I also really enjoy following the lego guy… too fun! (@dailylego)
Good thoughts everyone. Twitter can enhance community or even be a springboard into community. Churches need to do a better job of using technology to enhance community since it is both our mission and what our audience is craving!
@eugenecho’s thoughts can be found here:
http://eugenecho.wordpress.com/2009/05/06/to-twitter-or-not-to-twitter-at-church/
Makes for an interesting read.
Anthony Prince’s last blog post..West Coast CM… now on Alltop!