mediasalt

Is it me or are churches really digging this whole (toungue in cheek) Twitter “fad”? The number of churches and church attenders embracing Twitter has really skyrocketed in recent months.

This makes sense to me. God wired us for community, and it’s amazing to see folks come back to this notion with the rise in popularity of social networking.

Where do we go from here?

A Sign Of The Times

Yesterday, I heard about a church in Texas, Trietsch Memorial United Methodist Church, that’s actually doing a entire sermon series on the “Theology of Twitter.”

Ah, Twitter. It is one of the fastest-growing online communities with an estimated 5 million users. Yet, more than 25% of you have never heard of it. With online communities like Twitter gaining in popularity, how does this new technology work inside the church? Does it change who we are and how we operate as a congregation?

Wow! I think more churches need to take this approach. This is definitely the “culturally relevant” topic we’ve been looking for.

“There is interdependence among people, a need for each other,” Dr. Allen said. “The church is called to be the ultimate social network.” In the series, Dr. Allen will address the role the church should play in connecting people to each other; how there is unity in diversity, based on the scripture in 1 Corinthians 12.
 

Even if you’ve never been in one of the virtual communities online, this series will have you thinking about the value of the community of the church.

Just Scratching The Surface

Here are a few ways churches are embracing Twitter. I think these are top notch, but we’re just scratching the surface. There is still so much potential that’s waiting to be explored.

• Churches using hashtags like #mhc for Mars Hill Church in Washington. These are searchable in real time, and folks are encouraged to Twitter during the service.
• Churches displaying tweets on their websites, or displaying tweets that reference certain hashtags. Healing Place Church does this well on their Servolution site. Twister is a great tool to do this.
• The Chapel, my church, is in the process of integrating their prayer requests system with Twitter. Twitter is updated as new prayer requests are addeded — Subject and shortened link to full prayer request.
• Pastors are getting on board and tweeting like rock stars (in a good way). This is a great way for folks to personally connect with the pastor, and definitely scratches an itch for attenders of larger churches to feel more connected.
• According to Greg Atkinson, during our recent conversations about the FutureofChurchWeb.com, churches are using Twitter to “listen” to folks. In other words, people are hurting and tweeting about it. Churches are following up and meeting their needs.

Let’s Take It Deeper: Think Tank Invitation

I’d like to invite all those interested in taking Twitter to the next level, for churches and ministries, to a “think tank” session.

Let’s take two hours out of our busy schedules to dream big dreams about the potential Twitter can have for the Kingdom — All from the comforts of our phones or webcams. The sky’s the limit as we ask God to lead our discussions.

Who wants to be a part of this?

Once we get a feel for participation, we’ll get everything organized and scheduled.

Leave your comments below, if your interested in the Twitter Think Tank, or email hello@mediasalt.com.