Articles:
- Holy Twitter! They're tweeting from the pews (This article serves as an overview of the topic for those who might be short on time)
- Twittering in Church, with the Pastor's O.K.
- Social Networking - Churches on Facebook
- Germans summarise Bible via Twitter
- Pope Uses Facebook to Woo Young Believers
Our discussion primarily focused around the issues of Twitter in church worship services and the use of technology as an evangelism tool.
Questions that arose surrounding this use of Twitter during worship were:
- Does it really help focus the energy of congregants? How many are actually paying attention to the sermon?
- How is Twittering in church any different of a distraction than daydreaming or other activities? Just because someone appears to be paying attention doesn't mean they are actually taking a sermon in.
- Would the pastor really change her/his sermon based upon the congregation's tweets? If not, what is the point?
- Would using Twitter in church be just as effective if it was done after church rather than during the worship service?
- Does tweeting things like the Passion Play or the Bible cheapen them?
Questions that arose surrounding the use of technology as an evangelism tool were:
- Who is really benefiting from the use of technology, believers or unbelievers?
- How is this new trend any different from previous trends like Contemporary Christian Music? Using CCM as an example, who listens to it now, believers or unbelievers?
Opinions on the use of Twitter during worship service were strong. The dominant opinion was that it was distracting for it to take place during a worship service but could be appropriate afterwards. Further, it would not be suited for churches with a more traditional structure (e.g. Duke Chapel) but seemed more probable in those churches that have already adopted a more contemporary service.
There was general agreement that technology is useful for believers to connect with one another, either via facebook groups or websites. Churches should have websites in order to let people know more about them (which spurred conversation concerning the Congregation's website's lack of visibility). However, it is unlikely that the "un-churched" will be converted to Christianity based upon a facebook group. For those who previously were involved with a church, it might encourage greater connection but only if the individual is of the seeking mindset. Even then, any technological approaches must be followed up with personal interaction. The Great Commission requires more from us than just starting a facebook group. The shaping of disciples is a process that involves forming relationships, which cannot be done as well virtually. While it might be easier for some people to watch church services and read the Bible on the web, this must just be a first step. Unfortunately, many people stop with this step.
Questions for further consideration:
- What can Christians do to encourage those that have taken the first virtual step to become physically involved with the church?
- How can relationships formed online be cultivated?
- If a congregation and its pastor are in agreement that using Twitter during worship is a helpful exercise, who are we to tell them otherwise?
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