Workflow – Social Media Pastor

August 30, 2008 · Comments

church ( cowritten and deeply inspired by Jon Swanson) Emilio rises at six and starts coffee. His RSS reader has many blogs to read, plus links to a “Bible in a Year” website that sends him daily updates. It’s no longer strange to be reading the Bible in his RSS reader. It just feels like another way to connect. Emilio is thinking of setting alerts for his community in general, plus for specific issues facing the people in his congregation.

Emilio has a personal blog for reflections, and a website for the Church, as well. Most recently, he’s added a section for using UStream.tv to show live sermons. Not that every house has a broadband Internet connection, but if this is another way that someone who can’t make it to the church can feel connected to the community, why not give it a try.

Other churches are putting up sermons and special events on YouTube and GodTube. Emilio has found ideas for sermons online regularly, or rather, ways to refresh his own ideas with the wisdom of others.

Some churchgoers in his extended online community are doing things like Twitter their local service. Others have been confronted for bringing technology into the church. In some affluent churches, there are even Second Life outposts, and online campuses. It’s a balance of concerns and considerations: are you still part of a community when represented digitally? Does God hear your prayer in pixel form? Emilio leans towards yes, but he knows that others aren’t as understanding.

Emilio knows that there are more challenges to taking religion into social media. He’s read and studied the book UNCHRISTIAN, by David Kinnamon. In this book, Kinnamon talks about what outsiders think about Christianity: hypocritical, focus on conversion, antihomosexual, sheltered, too political, judgmental. Emilio feels there’s a much greater risk of these concerns spreading in the online world, where some context is lost.

Emilio recently upgraded his cell phone, which allows him to receive email from people with questions, receive text messages from people seeking a quick check-in during a rough moment, and it’s allowed him to be able to take pictures and share them online with the larger community. As Emilio visits a lot of hospitals, he sometimes records quick audio messages with someone sick, to be able to store and play this message for a family member later on.

There’s still so much face to face that he does, and much that doesn’t require an Internet connection, but through these options, Emilio has reached out far beyond his local congregation. He feels friendship with people from all around the world, and he understands the larger struggles people are having through his exploration of other blogs and online media.

With so much more to do, Emilio is happy for his first steps, and looks forward to even more respectful contact with others.

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How does this sit with you?

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Photo credit, Chicago Eye

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  • check this boy out too...

    http://dg.hollums.com/

    (met him at Ohio podcamp)
  • Great post Chris.

    I can see where some people, and even members of this pastor's congregation may have a problem with this approach, but I support it. As someone that believe social media is a way to connect to people; why not use it as a way to connect to people that are searching for a church, for answers to their faith, etc.?

    Social media will never replace the church community, but it is another way to reach those that are searching and to keep in contact with the members.

    -John Lusher
  • I think this rocks! We're in process of doing this at my church, where I'm currently the person responsible for social media. We have a facebook page, we've got the members connecting on twitter as well. And, of course, every Sunday (where applicable) I'm tweeting the message (sermon) on @tweetjericho.

    Additionally, we've found it provides opportunity to *be* what we believe to a community that is skeptical about the church (and for decent reasons). Good on both Emilio and Jon!
  • Throughout the history of Christian evangelism, preachers have used the best available technology it spread their message. By no means is it an accident that the first movable-type book printed in Europe was a Bible, and by no means was it an accident that Martin Luther used the then-cutting-edge technology of pamphlet printing to spread his message of reform through the German-speaking lands.

    George Whitefield used a powerful voice and awesome delivery skills to enthrall huge open-air audiences during the American colonial period. Billy Sunday used the radio. Billy Graham used television. For generations now, pastors have used the phone to stay in touch with parishoners and pray with them when they couldn't be present in person.

    Regardless of anyone's resistance to the introduction of e-mail, Twitter, etc. to the equation, it's clear as an observation of fact that ministry *is* being performed through these media. That doesn't mean that Grandma will be comfortable praying via e-mail, and that's fine -- pray with her in person. But realize that doing so says everything about Grandma's preferences -- and the need to meet people at their own point of contact -- than it does about the universal validity of the technology.

    If you believe that God hears prayers within the hearts of the faithful, how could prayers via e-mail go unheeded?
  • This isn't just a far-off fantasy, it's happening now in large and small churches alike. I think it's great...why not leverage new tools to share the greatest message ever?
  • The foundation of Christianity is community and relationships. Much of the New Testament is written in the form of letters so that the Apostles could connect and communicate with the communities. I see this as an extension of the Early Church philosophy and while not a replacement for in person contact when used in the proper context (as outlined above) it can enhance and enrich the community experience.
  • I think the message that is emerging from your series of social media in the work place, is that clearly not all of their applications have been explored. One of the types of twitter message I've noted is "the words of wisdom tweet," and clearly spiritual leaders can meet and develop this expectation well.

    (p.s. and I thought Chris Brogan was a social media pastor...)
  • We have nothing like that in the UK.

    My first brush with ‘christian’ social media has been @thechristianguy on Twitter.

    He's a good guy to follow. Keeps it real, tweets some random stuff once in a while.

    To answer your question, I suspect this will be par for the course in just a few years.

    You are a church of X hundred/thousand regulars.

    You’ve got your channel on cable, you’ve got your website nicely optimized and ranking high for Google searches for your area, you’ve got your church blog and video podcast…
    you’ve got your church Twitterers.

    Nothing wrong with that.
  • Liz
    My field of study is sociology of religion & I've been adding church leaders I find on Twitter to my Following list. There are plenty of online churches (both individual & the Vatican) & networks (prayer, dating, etc.) and evangelical groups in particular take the time to invest in technology. It will be interesting to see where this all goes next.
  • I think its great.

    When TV first arrived on the scene, at first the general consensus in the church was that it was "of the devil".

    Such a mentality led to the church getting left behind in the advance of communication skills. But then some woke up, and look at outreaches there are today (TBN for example, who is reaching the world through television).

    Just yesterday over Twitter came this quote from http://www.twitter.com/JPmicek:

    If your message isn't strong enough to turn some people off... it'll never be strong enough to turn even more people on.

    Some people will embrace the use of social media in the church, some will reject. Everything new creates both dropouts and enthusiastic followers.

    The christian church needs to use all the media available to day.

    I have a website in spanish which has been up for several years (and not even maintained - its on the list). Just the other day an email arrived from a young lad in Venezuela. Who knows if I will ever travel to Venezuela, but a life was touched through a webpage on the internet.

    All social communications need to be a vital part of the christian community is my consensus.

    Let Twitter help tell the world there IS good news in this world!
  • A handclap of praise for this thoughtful approach to extending the word of God. I am really frustrated, right now, with my church for its wonderment that our young adults are disengaged, even as they continue to use antiquated communication styles and messaging to deliver the Gospel.

    I am pretty excited about this approach because technology is how I keep up with what's personally important to me while I continue to be stretched further and further professionally. Finding a pastor who understands and adapts to folks who, while they want a closer relationship with the Lord, also are necessarily pulled in so many directions on a daily basis they need outreach tools because the bricks and mortar church becomes less "available."

    Well done and best of luck!
  • A handclap of praise for this thoughtful approach to extending the word of God. I am really frustrated, right now, with my church for its wonderment that our young adults are disengaged, even as they continue to use antiquated communication styles and messaging to deliver the Gospel.

    I am pretty excited about this approach because technology is how I keep up with what's personally important to me while I continue to be stretched further and further professionally. Finding a pastor who understands and adapts to folks who, while they want a closer relationship with the Lord, also are necessarily pulled in so many directions on a daily basis is fantastic.

    The church needs to embrace every outreach tool available as the bricks and mortar church becomes less "available."

    Well done and best of luck!
  • "What would you think of a social media pastor?" "How does this sit with you?"

    It's great. Sits just fine with me.

    There are so many religious organizations embracing these practices, and with positive results.

    As with all social media initiatives, it isn't going to be appropriate with many (actually most) if only due to connectivity and online activity of the congregations.

    But, from youth groups to individual pastors, and priests to the Muslim Bloggers Association (MBA) and more - it is an experiment for most and it is working for many.

    Locally, a college youth group podcasts their weeknight services. The college age and youth groups love it. The parents? They really don't pay attention.

    Perhaps I'm wrong, but the tone of your post suggests to me that this is something new. It isn't, in the least.

    From "Church Marketing Sucks" to preachers on Twitter, it is all happening all over the world.
  • Thanks Chris for such a thoughtful post. As a broadcaster at a contemporary Christian music station in Nashville geared to the 18 - 34 crowd, I'm always looking for ways to more intimately engage my listeners.

    If terrestrial radio is to remain relevant to a generation that is increasingly leaving it for other forms of media, these kinds of ideas will have to be embraced.

    For me - because I've learned so much from you - that has recently included using Twitter and saving searches via Twitter and Google to see who is saying what so that I can participate in the conversation and, in the process, become better at what I do.

    I for one am thrilled to see churches doing what you've described. I hope to be able to take some of these same ideas and apply them to my industry.
  • My Uncle did the same thing in Australia with great results. Sometimes people can open up to a computer screen rather than in person
  • Kat
    Emilio is brilliant and his willingness to move forward with the rest of the world may just alleviate the predjudice some people have of the church.

    Give me a local pastor that's willing to understand my world, both on and off line; who doesn't judge people who are doing their best to live from a place of love - whatever that looks like - and I would gladly become part of his flock.

    Please tell Emilio he has a fan in Canada.
    In Gratitude
    Kat
  • I think this is great. Many churches have pastors on staff who have already embraced this and some churches have developed a social media strategy into who they are as part of their value system. I just finished 7 years as a college pastor in LA and saw the need. I just finished a 9 part series on a strategy for college ministry and have received great feedback. More and more pastors are tuning in to what social media people are saying and trying to apply it practically in the church. Rhett
  • Yeah, if anything, I'm frustrated with the slow response of many churches and denominations to get on board with socialmedia. Back in the pioneer days of the Internet, my denomination had its own forum on CompuServe. within a few short months there were several thousand of us from around North America, and other global outposts, communicating via 9600 baud modems.

    We had forums, chat, posts, group chats - virtually everything that can now be obtained through many of today's technologies. Unfortunately, due to the inability of the denomination's inability to "control" the content, they shut it down after a few years. That was sad because there were several people with emotional, social, or physical (deaf and hearing impaired) challenges that were able to reconnect through this medium.

    I started my first socialnetworking church website about three years ago, using Ning.com and am currently using a variety of tools (Ning, Twitter, multiple blogs, FriendFeed, BrightKite, Ping.FM, Flickr, Last.FM, GoodReads, etc) to communicate with not just my church, but the world around me.

    Unfortunately, one of my more enlightened leaders (and board chair) asked me to drop my online contacts in favor of taking care of the old guard. I don't know how to understand this argument.

    Thanks Chris for a well written article!
  • I give this gentleman a lot of credit for his recognition of the Digital World !
    I think his creative approach will be appreciated by his younger member's who are active in the Digital World ! These efforts are very unselfish !
  • Just to follow up, there are 128 pages (20 sites/networks each) with the word "Church" in their titles in Ning. There are even 21 pages (again, 20 sites/networks each) with "Baptist" in their titles in Ning. Now, certainly not all of those are active, but it is a testament (sorry) to the spread of this activity already.

    http://www.ning.com/?view=search&term=church

    http://www.ning.com/?view=search&term=baptist
  • Bob H
    Hi Chris,

    It is is refreshing to think of all the possibilities where social media can fill some humanitarian gaps. Many people feel more called to touch lives instead of working to maximizing a company's bottom line.

    Granted, profit and humanitarianism are by no means mutually exclusive. In fact, the most successful organizations strike a good balance between humanitarianism and profit. As social media starts to take hold in our culture, it must also find the balance.

    And, as you have shown in some of recent posts, the possibilities are endless.

    Best,
    Bob
  • Paulette Beete
    I agree with everyone who says that using social media is a great way to spread the gospel and speak to a generation who's more comfortable learning and communicating this way. It's not a substitute for coming together with a church family on the Sabbath, but I think it's a powerful way to communicate outside the four walls of the church and the church service. At my congregation, we're in the midst of putting together a "How Would Jesus Vote" forum in DC, and I wish I'd been more savvy about social media when we did the first forums in Atlanta and Richmond. I think it would have gotten us a wider audience, particularly the Blackberry/Facebook generation. We do have a pretty good Web site and are podcasting thru I-tunes. I just sent my very tech-friendly Pastor this post, so I have high hopes for the future.
  • Love it. Great example of someone using Social Media tools and services to expand and enhance what they are already doing. It's not about Social Media, it is about using Social Media to extend his reach, to enable him to touch more of his community, and perhaps even touch them deeper than he was able to before. You can replace the Church with any business, and the Pastor with anyone who has a mission to listen, communicate and engage. Thanks for sharing!
  • For many, this is the present and for most, this is the future. Great post.
  • Bringing social media to the church is long overdue!

    From what I have seen the faith based world is very much like the non profit world at large in that they are always behind the curve in technology. Not that they couldn't do great thing and have great impact, but that its not their main focus an generally speaking pastors, evangelists, etc ... Are on the older side so social media is not something they have grown up using.

    I work with a lot of faith based groups. More and more they are seeing the power of social media.

    One of the BIGGEST challenges that I have seen them face is 'moderation' of what they share, post, engage in, allow on their sites, etc ...

    Its a new world that brings new challenges that over time will lead to great breakthoughs and success, but it will take time for the conservative to adopt.

    Chris - you are doing great work posting these 'personas' to make people think.

    I'm still interested in how u do this day to day. I would love the opportunity to speak some time.

    __
    http://twitter.com/franswaa


    _
  • The "seeker sensitive" church movement is the only current growth sector in Christianity today, I think. What we're seeing with alot of these churches is the use of new technologies and new methods to grab the attention of users.

    The church I attended when I lived in Northern Virginia has a cool website, several blogs, several facebook pages... and they're really active in the community they serve. They have ESL classes, recovery classes and an array of services that anyone is invited to take advantage of. They also run several faith-based initiatives that are way cool. Each one has its own web site. Link to post on that church...

    http://livepath.blogspot.com/2005/08/ice-cream-...

    Churches that approach ministry this way tell newcomers "This 'aint your grandma's church" and leads to the production of some pretty innovative ways to get the message across...

    Here's one example...



    As a Christian, as long as the church is Bible-based and solid... as long as they are focused on the right message and on loving people, I'm a total proponent of this!
  • For using twitter as a church body, I'm going to give GroupTweet (http://grouptweet.com) a try. I've found a few people at my (small) church using twitter. I'd prefer to go with identi.ca, but will try more mainstream to start with. I gather that the majority of my church is already using facebook.
  • It's networking, it's broadcasting, it's connecting. Just new tools for what people and the church have always done.
  • Dawn Carter
    As the Bible teacher for the moms group at Sandals Church, I've seen the ways social media have forged us together. We post weekly homework, share prayer requests, announce practical needs and post crazy pictures of our kids for each other. Many of us blog after the kids are down and it helps us keep up on each others' lives and know how to love each other better.

    My core prayer team gets regular "Hay-elp!" txt msgs from me throughout the week when I need strength. I also tweet a running commentary of "God moments" when they happen. Social media is about connecting the highs and the lows.

    I want my group to know I'm human during the week and just yelled at my kids (yet again) and need their prayers. I believe my church's motto "Being real with ourselves, others and God" and communicating with the tools out there helps me align my life with these core values.

    I love this stuff. Its just another way that God connects his body.
  • Love it. If I could have a conversation -- rather than being preached and lectured at -- I might actually consider religion again.
  • Another terrific thought experiment! I'm really enjoying this series. Applying social media to religious communities seems like such a no-brainer -- which is why so many commenters are chiming in to inform us that many of these tools for communication and connection are already being used. Community is one of the foundations of any religious group; whether that community is centered around a church, a synagogue, a mosque, or a place in nature, it exists to bring people together. Many of these technologies allow people who are busy or aged or disabled or far away to maintain a connection to that community -- and perhaps deepen that connection -- even when they aren't physically present.
  • Way to get our attention Chris! You're evangelizing the Church for us. As St. Francis said "preach the gospel and if you must, use words". Looks like the internet might be a useful tool for delivering hope after all.

    http://twitter.com/cynthiaware
  • The power of social media and networking can certainly grow a church community. I've seen it work favorably with some churches around my neighborhood.

    But, ultimately, the power of a church is the community coming together once a week. I have mixed feelings, but if done right the outreach should be positive.

    Rosh
    http://www.newmediaphotographer.com
  • Great post! I am an Internet Campus Pastor at Flamingo Road Church in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Social media and the Internet have allowed us to reach people in so many different ways! We use every tool available to get the gospel out there...and believe that it is our responsibility to do so. I would never say that the digital church is out to replace what many consider a "real" experience...but I would say it does a great job partnering with brick-and-mortar churches to help make an impact in the world.
  • Awesome as always Chris! Cool that I was in your comments :)
  • Hi Chris, great post.

    Interestingly, I think your post illustrates how the church and social media are facing many of the same challenges. Both are at the very beginning of finding their application in people's lives. Social media can't be viewed as a unique phenomenon unto itself, it needs to be used by people as a tool for connecting. Same thing applies to your faith - if you practice it only in church, on Sunday, then you're not getting the real message and you are far from understanding the true promise of Christianity.

    Thank you for this, and my best to you and Jon.
  • D.G. Hollums
    thanks Frank! Yeah Chris, I would love to talk about the amazing use of social media within those that consider themselves to be Christian and especially ministers. I personally see social media as a huge opportunity to grow and develop authentic community. Please feel free to contact me and let's continue the discussion from the place of Twitter, podcasts, blogs, plurk, friend feed, etc... Blessings on ya!
  • Our Pastor has been doing a sermon series on the 'church without walls'. This is an excellent demonstration of that - far-reaching beyond the walls of his own church building. Love it!
  • Chris:

    I see more and more churches trying to reach out to the community in different ways like using social media. I think it's a great idea - I sent this post to my pastor.
  • Social media is a great way to humanize big companies and monolithic organizations so people can find a way to finally connect with what they are doing and learn more about them.

    When I put together a list of "monolithic, misunderstood and in need of serious public-relations outreach," religions are on that list.

    I hope Emilio's work and tactics are encouraged and he's able to continue.
  • To a large extent this is what I do, and there are many other people already utilizing the internet to spread the Gospel. Our head pastor is at the 5,000 friend limit on Facebook and has close to another 5,000 waiting for Facebook to upgrade. Social media is a great way to include a large number or people in the goings-ons of large churches.

    We had a 9 part sermon series ( http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/religionsaves ) in which people asked questions online, and we opened up the questions to a vote. Then the preaching pastor spent over two months answering people's questions on stage.

    We also open up some weekend services for people to text message their questions, and have them answered that day.

    We're always looking for new ideas to communicate better-if any one has any ideas, let me know:)
  • Chris,

    Thanks for this take on social media. I have been struggling recently to understand why I am in this internet thing. I am a believer and I now see how I have separated my faith and my work in ways that I had never really imagined. There is work to do and the more I am exposed to things like this the more I am inspired. Thanks, Chris and Jon. Peace.
  • Be great if you could do one of these for musicians, give us all some ideas :-)
  • What Emilio has done is give people a way to connect to someone they need in the way that works for them.

    Jon does that for me. He surprised me when he managed it. Overcoming my resistance to something is a mean feat. And just because he calls it chocolate milk doesn't make it any less meaningful or loving.

    Just as the gift of hearing that family member Emilio might record in the hospital later on is just that a loving caring gift delivered in a different way.
  • Great post! I'm on staff at a church and have been the biggest supporter of using technologies like facebook and blogs to better reach the community. Very few people have agreed with me at first but, when they saw people responding, they started to "warm up" to the idea. I'll keep pushing. Thanks for the encouragement.

    -a
  • Gale
    That's right about the further exploitation of christianity and the confounding influence of a liberal, one-sided view of the church spread exponentially via these new media sources. There is no other way than for the church or those with faith to use the same resources. We are an age of information and inculcation into popular myths. People need God quick.
  • rveturis
    Thank you for sharing this post about Emilio Chris. It's time we stopped putting God in a box and opened ourselves up to the possibility that there are hurting people out there who need hope and real touch from a real God; if they can find Him through social media, so be it.
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