evangelists W
In praise of digital
Confessions & tips in 140 characters or more By David Hansen
hen I go to the coff ee shop, I check in on Foursquare and Facebook in case my
friends want to join me. If I’m watch- ing the Grammys or Oscars, I’ll give
my reactions on Twitter. If I’ve got an amazing plate of food in front of me, I might post a photo on Instagram. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube,
Twitter, Google Plus, Foursquare and more. Social media are changing the ways we relate to one another. Whether it’s a family reunion,
a new product that excites us, or a news story we read, we have more ways than ever to share our passions with the world. T rough technol- ogy, we have become evange- lists for the products we buy, the restaurants we visit, the TV shows we watch. And then, we walk
into church and are told to turn off our phones. If we attempt to share church in the same way we share the rest of our lives, we’re met with stares and head shakes shaming us into putting our phones away. Christians
have been given a daunt-
ing task: to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the whole world. Never before has this been more attainable than now, using tools of technology and social media. Like it or not, we have a sphere of infl uence, and it can be used by the church to spread news about our congregation and the message we proclaim. Social networking can connect
our congregation to everyone con- nected to our members. Imagine what would happen if 120 worship- ers each posted something about worship. T ose posts would be seen by an average of 100 people for each post (a low estimate). Suddenly, and without a penny from the budget, 12,000 people have heard about Sunday morning worship. You can’t buy that sort of adver-
tising. And even if you could, people no longer trust advertising. T ey trust word of mouth and their friends’ recommendations. Our members are already digital
evangelists. We have the opportunity to help them become digital evange- lists for the church. Consider these 8 tips for a new Acts 1:8: “And you will be my witnesses on Facebook, in all Twitter and Instagram, and to the ends of the earth”: • Help older adults keep in touch with family and friends by off ering a Facebook class. • Off er Wi-Fi in the building, and let people know how to access it. • Update your church Foursquare page and make sure you have a Facebook page and Twitter account. • Put a note in the bulletin encour- aging worshipers to check in on Facebook or Foursquare; off er a prize to those who check in every
SHUTTERSTOCK/MICHAEL D. WATSON
30
www.thelutheran.org
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