Kent Schaffer founded Church Relevance to "help ministries become more effective and efficient." Earlier this month, Church Relevance published its annual list of the top 200 church blogs, including an explanation of how it determined the rankings. So What? While certainly not a comprehensive this list, it provides a wealth of possibility for the would be reader. I plan to visit each of the blogs listed at least once over the next few weeks, and look forward to being introduced Read More …
Social Media
Before Visiting a New Church (#0858)
Before visiting a new church, most people seek some basic information online. Evan Courtney, Family Life Pastor and Communications Director at The Fields Church, provides the following list of website must haves for would be first-timer guests: What does the pastor look like? What size of church is it? What do I wear? What happens in a service? Will I be asked to give money? What do my kids do? How do I get to your church? So What? Most first impressions are virtual. Read More …
Elders + Social Media (#0856)
While senior centers, assisted living facilities, and organizations focused on mature adults have been providing computing classes for years, many have recently added "how to" sessions on Facebook, Twitter, and blogging. Julie Andrews recently wrote about some of the benefits older adults experience when they use social media, including increased connectivity to family and friends. So What? Church is a community. It should also be concerned with connecting people to one Read More …
My First 3 Years on Twitter (#0853)
I just completed my first three years on Twitter. As I have done at the end of prior years (year two / year one), I took some time to review my experience and to ponder future possibilities. According to Tweet Grader, I earned an A (93 out of 100). Tweet Grader also provided me data about trends in the number of people I am following as well as the number who are following me. As the chart below illustrates, over the last two years both groups have grown considerably. Reflecting Read More …
Facebook, Retirees, and Church (#0845)
Robert Saler, Research Fellow and administrator with the Center for Pastoral Excellence at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, recently blogged about how his experience as a pastor of a congregation comprised primarily of retirees challenged his assumptions about their use of social media. As a younger pastor, he entered the parish assuming that leveraging Facebook as a part of the congregation's ministry would require heavy lifting by young adults. In his Read More …
Social Media Benefits the Homeless (#0833)
A recent study conducted by Art Jipson, a sociologist and criminologist at the University of Dayton, found that "social media . . . tear down economic and geographic barriers to help homeless people connect to their families and support networks." More specifically, Jipson learned that homeless people leverage free services like Facebook and Twitter to find food, shelter and job services, and to keep up with family and friends. All they need is a smart phone or public library Read More …
Virtual Connectivity (#0828)
Writing for the Naples Florida Weekly, Ella Nayor explores how many congregations in Southwest Florida are using technology to connect people to one another and to the life of the faith community. Clergy from multiple religions see value in leveraging technology for connectivity in a variety of use cases. While some congregations have just a few dozen followers on Facebook, many have more robust offerings. North Naples United Methodist Church's staff includes a Read More …
Religious Engagement via Social Media (#0824)
While America remains a country with high levels of belief in God, most Americans are not talking about religious matters via social media. According to a recent (July 2012) survey of 1,026 American adults: 13% have downloaded a religious podcast of a sermon or listened to a sermon online 11% have posted status updates about being in church 10% have used a cell phone to take pictures or record video during worship 6% belong to one or more religious groups on Facebook 5% Read More …
Pastoral Engagement on Twitter (#0788)
Bo Emerson's recent article explores how pastors are using Twitter to engage their congregations while also reaching much larger audiences. Twitter executive Claire Diaz-Ortiz found that "religious leaders were completely punching above their weight on Twitter" and "were super-engaged." For example, Joyce Meyer has far fewer followers than Lady Gaga (26 million and 1 million respectively), yet Meyer has a greater impact. So What? While the article focuses on notable Christian Read More …
Thinking Theologically – Social Media (#0783)
It is important that Christian leaders understand and engage in social media. This activity must include both learning about new social media tools and theological reflection. Since finding the balance between these two is difficult, many have given inadequate attention to the theological component. Verity A. Jones, project director of the New Media Project and a Research Fellow at Union Theological Seminary, recently wrote an article that should be required reading Read More …