The Gospel According to Twitter
June 25, 2009
I was reading on article on Adventist Review about how one church congregation uses Twitter to engage its members.
When I was at a conference a couple of months ago, I used this church as a case study on how Seventh-day Adventist churches can use social media to engage people.
One man in the audience didn’t like what I was saying. Because it was a small audience, he interrupted me, saying:
I think that’s ridiculous. Using that thing would distract the church goers and I can’t possibly see how it can help.
I replied by saying that I’m not here to convince him to do anything. All I’m doing is opening the mind on how churches can stay relevant in a busy marketplace.
How do you feel about churches using tools such as Facebook, Twitter and other social media tools as a way to evangelize in today’s world?
Comments
4 Responses to “The Gospel According to Twitter”
Got something to say?
It is inevitable that new technologies and media will be significant in spreading the good news (gospel) in the last days. New technology can deliver information to people where persecution and oppression prevent freedom of expression, as evident in the recent crack down on media in Iran and N. Korea. CNN got significant footage and news feeds using twitter and FaceBook. I agree with the thought that the gospel must be lived, but more important is Jesus’ command to communicate the gospel to all the world. Mark 16:15 ‘Go into the entire world and preach the good news to all creation’.
The church’s embrace of technologies like printing, radio, television are just examples that demonstrate that the gospel is not diminished but advanced by new methods of communication. A recent press release from Religion Press Release Services RPRS states ‘As a means of offering new ways for members to explore their faith, churches and ministries are increasingly using online video to reach their followers. These objectives are in line with survey results released this month by the latest Barna Group report, indicating that 75% of respondents are seeking alternative ways to experience their faith.
One alternative being employed is online video, which allows groups to reach followers where they are — on the Web. Matt. 24:14 ‘And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the entire world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come’. Those who resist new ways of communicating the gospel better be careful that they are not opposing the mission of finishing the work of witnessing to those who might otherwise never hear the good news.
Thanks for that statistic. I too believe that with the use of technology in evangelism, the message can be brought to more and more people.
I remember the gentleman in my session using the word “distraction” to describe the use of social media in the church setting. But distraction can mean so many different things. For example, I sit in the front of the church on purpose. When I sit towards the back, I get distracted by people walking through the isles. I turn to see who’s walking by, not because I’m interested in seeing who it is, but because it’s a distraction. That’s why sitting closer to the front allows me to focus on the worship service.
For others, people going through the isles may not be a bother, However, they may have distracting thoughts in their mind the entire service. Instead of focusing on the sermon, they’re thinking about lunch or the to do list they have next week.
My point? Distractions while worshiping are all around us. What distracts one person will not distract another. So to use the distraction as a means to discredit the use of technology in evangelism is a poor position to take.
In church today, I sat beside a family member (let’s call him twitter guy) who is into the social media stuff way more than I am. We were both being blessed by the amazing worship experience. I said my ‘thank you Lord”, Hallelujahs and “praise you Lord”. Only the five people sitting closest to me heard my testimony of praise. Twitter guy did the same, and we were both standing with hands raised to God and simply basking in His goodness. Oh, I guess you could not call neither of us conservative worshipers. However, within a minute of him sitting he pops out his iphone and tweeted to a few hundred people that follow him about the wonderful time he was having in church at Kanisa Fellowship. A lot of the people who follow him are not Christians. Hmmmm, the last time I heard of people sharing God’s goodness with unbelievers it was called Evangelism. Ha! we may be on to something here.
Alas, I shared my witness with five, twitter guy reached hundreds. Thanks to technology.
Peace and love always, LC
Of course. It is no different than television. We have no problem using television to communicate. Times are changing and the internet is a more effective place to spread the word than the television ever was. The only resistance comes when people are afraid of change. People resisted microwave oven’s. Heck I am even resisting twitter in my own business but that is just my own resistance to change.