I use two primary social networking tools: Facebook and Twitter.
To be honest, I’m rarely on Facebook anymore. I basically go on to check email that may have been sent to my account. That’s about it. My status updates on Facebook via Twitter, so it seems like I’m on Facebook a few times a day.
Still, I think a Facebook profile is good to have. You can view mine here. Once again, it gives people a little insight into who you are. It makes people feel connected to you. As a pastor, that’s never a bad thing.
Twitter
My main focus these days is Twitter. What is twitter? It’s micro-blogging. You are limited to 140 characters per post. It’s designed as a quick way to update people on what you are doing. You share everything from what you might be doing at a particular moment, to a cool site you just checked out.
Why on earth would you want to do that? Good question.
Seth Godin, in his book, Tribes, explains Twitter this way:
The converts, though, understand the true power of Twitter. Twitter is deceptively simple: it’s a Web protocol that makes it easy to instant-message people with short notes like “going to the gym.” In fact, the limit is 140 characters, about half the length of this paragraph.
The difference between an instant message and twits, though, is that your instant message goes to one person and a twit goes to anyone who has chosen to follow you. Example: Laura Fitton, a young mom from Boston, has thousands of people following her on Twitter. Every time she types in a short blurb, they see it.
Over time, twit by twit, Laura has built trust, which has led to a successful career as a consultant and a worldwide speaking practice. She’s met fascinating people and changed the way her tribe sees the world. She now has true fans, people who seek her out and talk about her.
Laura couldn’t have done this with one speech or one blog post. But by consistently touching a tribe of people with generosity and insight, she’s earned the right to lead.
The value of social networking for ministry was explained to me this way:
Jesus lived with twelve people. I mean he lived with them. He ate, slept, and lived life with these people. They watched how he did the mundane. They learned how he responded in every situation.
Tools like Twitter help us lead the same way. The people we pastor have the opportunity to “watch” us live life through our tweets. They know you spent the night watching a movie, or they laughed when you sent the quick picture of the funny thing you saw while at the park. In a very technological way, they are living life with you.
Twitter is a phenomenal tool for mentoring daily life.
But it’s not just a one way street. I have found myself connecting with other ministers and people from around the world. People I’ve never met, and yet, in a small way, I feel like I know them a little. I laugh at some of their observations, and I pray for some of their expressed needs and struggles. And yet, if we were in the same room, we might walk right past each other without even realizing it!
How to Begin
When it comes to Facebook, you start out by signing up for an account. Once you’ve done that, you allow Facebook to search your address book for people who have signed up already. You’ll be amazed at how many friends you already know on Facebook.
With Twitter, the easiest way to get started is to follow a few people for awhile and see what they type. Add me if you’d like! Check out who others are following and add a few to your list.
Promote your Twitter and Facebook profiles on your website. At one of the two churches that I am currently pastoring, they have a line in the bulletin inviting people to check out my blog. My blog then has a link to my Twitter account (actually, if you look at the top left corner of the blog, you’ll see my most recent twitter updates).
The key is to see these tools as a way of connecting. It’s an easy way for others to get to know you a little more. And trust me, your people want to know you a little more.
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