Carol Howard Merritt, a Presbyterian pastor and the author of Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation (2007 – read my review here) and Reframing Hope: Vital Ministry in a New Generation (2010 – read my review here), recently was interviewed by the Christian Century. Among other things, she was asked to “say more about what you find so appealing about Twitter.” Her response, in part, follows:
I use Twitter in a couple of ways. It’s a news stream for me . . . As a pastor, I use Twitter to resource my ministry. Blogs and Twitter are the main ways that I learn about new curriculum, religious news, new research and a variety of publications. When I have a question, I ask people on Twitter—and I get immediate responses from highly regarded sources. It has become invaluable . . . for the most part, I’m thankful for a medium that has deepened my face-to-face interactions and allowed me to stay in contact with people on a daily basis.
So What?
This weekend I found myself involved in a conversation about tweeting with two colleagues. Both have Twitter accounts, but have hesitated to make many tweets, much less leverage the opportunity for engagement. I was delighted when one responded to our interaction by reevaluating her perspective.
- Do you use Twitter for ministry? If so, why? If not, why not? If you use Twitter as a ministry tool: how would you respond to someone who has yet to create an account, but is curious about the possibility?
- How many of your congregation’s clergy tweet? Do you follow any of them?