For generations, students have known that the classroom is the place to go for instruction. This has been true for both university education as well as Christian/religious education. In larger classrooms, the instructors are limited in their ability to interact with a large number of the learners. Twitter offers a creative way to facilitate interaction during and beyond the class session. Consider the example of Dr. Monica Rankin, Professor of History at the University of Read More …
Social Media
The Nativity: A 21st Century Tale (#0218)
As we begin Christmas week, I invite you to watch a short video: The Digital Story of the Nativity. My thanks to the folks at ExCentric for creating the video and Andy Sahl, who blogs at Unpackthis.com, for bringing it to my attention. It was posted one week ago and already has been viewed over 2 million times. So What? How do you leverage the power of new media to help you tell biblical stories in fresh ways that allow people to hear something familiar as if for the first time? Read More …
The Limits of Social Media for Ministry (#0214)
Maurilio Amorim is CEO of The A Group, a media, technology and branding firm in Brentwood, TN that consults with some of the country’s largest ministries, leading churches, and Christian publishers. Founded in 2001, The A Group has transitioned from a traditional marketing agency into a marketing technology and branding firm, leveraging social media and mobile technologies. To connect with Amorim, friend him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, or read his blog. Amorim recently Read More …
Leveraging Facebook – 7 Suggestions for Your Church (#0205)
Roughly half of all American congregations now have a presence on Facebook. While creating a presence is an essential first step, leveraging that presence requires effectively utilizing it and educating those who have affiliated with your page. Randy Vaughn, one of two real life twin brothers who have teamed up to create The Marketing Twins, recently blogged about how churches can effectively utilize Facebook as a part of their social media strategy. He recommends churches Read More …
An Advent Conspiracy (#0196)
The Advent Conspiracy is an international movement centered around bringing a deeper meaning to Christmas. It started in 2006 when five pastors decided to make Christmas a revolutionary event by encouraging their faith communities to unite around four principles: Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More and Love All. Over the last several years, this ecumenical alternative to consumerism has grown to include more than 1500 congregations representing a variety of Christian Read More …
Should Your Church Buy Ads on Facebook? (#0195)
Earlier this week, Justin Wise wrote an article for Church Marketing Sucks about his congregation's experience using Facebook ads. It is a brief but informative look at both the basics of setting up an ad and his congregation's positive initial experience. He concludes his article recommending that all churches consider trying Facebook ads: If you’re in a church that has a small budget for marketing, you need to give Facebook ads a try. If you’re in a church that has plenty of Read More …
Churches Embracing Social Media (#0185)
Catholics and Protestants are uniting around the importance of social media. Earlier this week at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops annual Fall General Assembly, Bishop Ronald Herzog of Alexandria, Louisiana, a member of the Communications Committee, gave a speech in which he said: Although social media has been around for less than 10 years, it doesn’t have the makings of a fad. We’re being told that it is causing as fundamental a shift in communication patterns and behavior as Read More …
Initial Experiences with RockMelt (#0179)
Meet RockMelt RockMelt is the new web browser everyone is talking about. Founded and financed by a group of Netscape alumni, which includes Marc Andreessen, RockMelt is based on Chromium: the open source project behind Google’s Chrome browser. RockMelt has been constructed with the understanding that most online activity today revolves around socializing on Facebook, searching on Google, tweeting on Twitter, and monitoring a handful of favorite websites. It is currently Read More …
Social Networking is . . . (#0177)
Yesterday, I explored the ever changing social network map. Today, I want to explore the meaning of the map as a whole: to consider what social networking means to you based on your own experiences. Spence Smith was the drummer for Big Tent Revival in the 1990s and has become a social networking guru in the 2000s. He currently works in artist relations for Compassion International and thinks of himself as "a connector, influencer, and thinker in the worlds of Read More …
Inviting Ellen – A Lesson in Silly Creativity (#0173)
The United Church of Christ, a progressive mainline denomination with 1.1 million members, recently launched a creative campaign designed to land Ellen DeGeneres as a keynote speaker at their General Synod, which will be held from July 1-5 in Tampa, Florida. Geoffrey A. Black, the UCC's General Minister and President, wrote a letter explaining why and how the denomination is pursuing Ellen: Your life, values and humor represent the best of what our church hopes to embody Read More …