Hi everyone!

I must tell you, there were some very interesting responses indeed! I asked two questions on twitter/facebook yesterday:

#1. if Jesus had our technology, would he use Twitter & FB?
#2. which celeb is really worth my time to follow on twitter?

I also sent to the ministry mailing group (you) a link to an article about church and technology. It prompted responses as well, and I will mention some of them when I comment on the results of Q. #2.

Let me deal with #2 first, as it is was really meant to be fun, and it had less responses: You will /might remember a month or two ago, when there was a race on to see who could get more than a million followers on Twitter first. CNN or Ashton Kutcher. Larry King ended up interviewing Ashton as the ‘king of twitter’. Now all sorts of celebrities, (entertainment, political, sports, religious) are using Twitter. So I thought I really needed to as k the questions.

Cor from BC (sarcastically, ‘tongue in cheek’ I hope) responded to #2 “well Brittany Spears, obviously” – like, how could I ignore her! Cindy F. in Brockville was emphatic with her bold letters, preaching to the preacher, “NONE”! And Chris from New Hampshire suggested Rick Warren of Saddleback Church.

Q. #1 was more successful in generating responses.
• Amanda from Brockville was clever: “I don’t think Jesus would be twitterpated”. She obviously had been reading her Urban dictionary.

• Christi-Anne from Calgary said yes to FB (“because lots of people would want to be his virtual friend”) but was unsure about Twitter.

• Marg from Brockville says yes to both.

• Chris from NH says “Definitely! And the Church should really be using them more, too! Some churches already are seeing great things happening as a result. Continuing the Sunday AM connection to 24/7 networking can be great for building unity in a local body, clearly communicating vision, fostering a better sense of connection and familiarity between congregations and pastors, and between the ‘early service’ members and ‘late service’ members of the same church”. It was Chris who directed me to a very good read on why a pastor is using Twitter and FB. Check it out here John Piper Here is a sample of what Piper writes: But it seems to us that aggressive efforts to saturate a media with the supremacy of God, the truth of Scripture, the glory of Christ, the joy of the gospel, the insanity of sin, and the radical nature of Christian living is a good choice for some Christians….I find Twitter to be a kind of taunt: "Okay, truth-lover, see what you can do with 140 characters! You say your mission is to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things! Well, this is one of those 'all things.' Can you magnify Christ with this thimble-full of letters?" To which I respond:
The sovereign Lord of the earth and sky
Puts camels through a needle's eye.
And if his wisdom see it mete,
He will put worlds inside a tweet.
• Cor from BC had actually thought about that same thing: “could he cut down his parables to however many characters twitter allows? 'Rich man grows lots of corn and doesn't share. Dies in sleep.’ Think that would work?”
• Yvonne from Brockville thinks it just might work due to people’s shortened attention spans these days.

• David from Brockville raises the question about church members that don’t have computers or cell phones. How prudent is technology if a high percentage of the church people are not connected via technology?

• Lou from Florida legitimately points out that modern technology does not guarantee faithful discipleship, righteous behaviour or the prevention of hypocrisy.

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I am so grateful to all who took time to give their opinion. Thanks!

My brief comments (an remember I sometimes overstate to make my point! – and that’s an understatement, just ask my family!):

1. Whether we like it or not, it is now a world of instant communication. The faster you can do it, the more effective you will be. Those who live and breathe in the digital/virtual communication age see it as essential and legitimate. Critics can tell us it isn’t the same as ‘face to face’ or even telephone – it isn’t; but don’t try to tell us that it isn’t legitimate. Try suggesting to your teen that the text message they just got from their best friend is less real, less significant, than a letter that arrives in the mail later in the week saying the exact same thing.

2. Whether we like it or not, it is now a visual world. Much more than baby boomers who were raised on TV, or their children who were raised on computers. It is the world of YouTube. Short video clips speak to young adults and youth in a phenomenal way. Cell phones are not for talking!! Churches must learn to speak the language of the people. We would not think of reading/preaching from the Bible in Latin or a foreign language and expect people to stick around, never mind love it, obey it, embrace it. Ya, I’ll take the Gospel to a long lost tribe in the Amazon, I’ll help them with hygiene and food cultivation, but I won’t attempt to learn their language. They better learn to read and write and speak my language first, or they don’t deserve any help! Yup, that will work won’t it. Interesting: I just read a newspaper article on a new form of mystery/novel writing. A younger generation has trouble with books. Movies are preferred. This author has written a novel, and after every few chapters, a password is given to go online and watch a professional movie quality video that leads you into the next series of chapters. Mixing the media to tell the story. Can the church learn something here?

3. If I’m looking for a new Dentist, I will choose one that has the newest technology and expertise. I expect x-ray equipment and something more than just a pair of pliers and drill from Canadian Tire. If I am going to a travel agent (actually I don’t anymore, but let’s just pretend) I want one who has a computer, not just a phone and a few brochures. If I am looking for a house to buy I want a real estate agent who actually at least has photos to show me, and preferably on line virtual tours. If I am trying to sell my house I want an agent who does MLS not just ‘word of mouth’. So why is it we think that people looking for a church set out hoping to find one that still uses gestetners, flannel graphs and unrecognizable religious terminology and ritual. Replica churches at Upper Canada Village are quaint. When someone is desperately searching (‘shopping’?) for God they don’t want quaint!

4. In a past church I started an email ministry (just like this one, safe@first, leadership first). I updated the website as well. One elder/leader came to me and insisted that nothing should be communicated by email or on the website that is not communicated by mouth from the pulpit or at least in the bulletin – lest those without computers miss something. The compromise was to make paper copies for a half dozen leaders every time an email was sent. Carry this thinking to its logical conclusion. I’d better not say anything on Sunday just in case some people are missing. Only speak/preach if every single person is there…. Because some don’t tweet and some don’t surf is no reason to back off on new forms of communication/contact. (Granted care must be taken not to make one group feel like second class citizens – and I have probably been guilty of that sometimes – and care must be taken to make sure traditional forms of communication, like talking face to face, are not abandoned – LOL) … Some churches long ago junked the paper bulletin for power point, website and email announcements.

BOTTOM LINE: Church is about connecting people to God, to each other and to their community. Whatever makes that happen – let’s go for it!

Blessings,
Doug