Over the past few weeks I have seen a growing number of blogposts about Twitter, specifically in regards to its relation to the church. I am excited to see so much interest from the church in something that is still in it’s infancy. Even between last week and this morning I have seen a number of new posts that have helped me get a better grip on how we can leverage Twitter in church.
With anything new, there is always push back. I didn’t sense any from my leaders, but I did notice a lot mixed in among the blogs I have been reading. I know that there are fears that older members won’t like it or will be alienated because they are not online. People said the same thing about using guitars in worship, wearing jeans to church, and having imag (image magnification) on the screens during worship. Cultural norms are always shifting and for a long time, the church has been behind the curve. It’s time to step up to the plate. As William Vanderbloemen puts it, there is a breakthrough coming in The Kingdom through communication.
Today, we’re standing on the brink of arguably [the] greatest communication breakthrough in history. Something’s gonna break through for the Kingdom, and I believe that those who strategically leverage our new electronic world will help usher in a brave new world for the Church.
There is a number of ways to use new technology. Understanding that is the first step in leveraging it and making it your own. It’s not a question of should you, it’s a question of how you’re going to do it. Even small churches can see exponential growth in their realm of influence with something as simple as Twitter. How will you leverage things like Twitter and other new technologies for The Kingdom?
Updated: helpful links:
4 reasons to worry about something other than whether to stop twittering
Time Article on Westwinds Church and Twitter
John Voelz’s blog on Westwinds and Twitter
Small church grows exponentially through Twitter
Great post! Thanks for linking us up. I’ll be sure to be following your posts and look forward to connecting.
So, is this twitter feed aimed towards those not in weekly attendance?
Or, aimed towards those of us that sit perched on any of the various social networking sites 24/7, like our iPhone twitter apps?
very insightful post. I’m anxious to watch it unfold, brother!
🙂
There is a lot of discussion on how to best use it here. It’s ultimately up to the elders and executive leadership team to decide how they want to implement it. I talked about its uses in updating people on events, broadcasting sermon notes, getting feedback and thoughts that come up throughout sermons. Pastor Jay brought up sending out immediate prayer needs and having all the pastors twittering to some degree. It’s a lot to digest, but I can assure you that we will be doing something with Twitter in the very near future. Some of the pastors are already there, I’d just like to see us integrate it into services.
rock on!