Sowhatfaith.com launched in June 2009 as a means of sharing my thoughts with those beyond my parish. From the beginning, the blog has focused on contemporary issues and reviews of recently published books by providing a blend of information and questions. Written some time ago, the following words about the purpose of this website remain on the contact/about page: Individually and as faith communities, true growth is often the result of struggling with the so what questions of Read More …
Churches Fail the Twitter Test (#0226)
Mickey Mellen, a freelance web developer who works with small businesses, churches and individuals to help them further their reach on the Internet, recently wrote about a Twitter experiment he conducted. The article, "Churches Aren't Paying Attention on Twitter", appears on churchmarketingsucks.com and should be considered a "must read" for any church already on Twitter and those considering expanding their social media strategy to include Twitter. The Experiment Reach out to 25 Read More …
Bringing Twitter into the Classroom (#0225)
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 …
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 …
Bible Reading – There is an App for That (#0192)
LifeChurch.tv is one of the most technologically innovative churches in the United States. With over 26,000 in average weekly worship attendance, they are also the second largest congregation in the country according to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research. This multi-site congregation doesn't simply create leading edge hi-tech creative edge resources, they also share them for free via Open. In 2008, the church launched their own Bible app called YouVersion in response Read More …
Managing the Social Network Map (#0176)
Two maps offer a compelling visual case for the changing geography of social networking. The first map was created for XKCD in 2007. The second map was created by Ethan Bloch, Co-Founder and CEO of Flowtown. So What? Christian community has always been about helping people become and remain connected. Most local churches tend toward the extremes of being incredibly savvy or only marginally interested in social Read More …