Whoa…General Assembly is just around the corner! I know everyone is excited to see old friends and colleagues that they haven’t seen in some time. And, as usual, there a ton of great resource groups and learning opportunities to be had. I hope I’ll get to see and meet a lot of you at the Church 2.0 resource group that I’m leading along with Wanda Bryant Willis and Rebecca Woods. I’m really excited to have the opportunity to discuss what is happening in the world of social media and churches and why it is important.
I need your help, though. Maybe it’s because General Assembly is less than two weeks away and I’m still working on my part of the presentation, or maybe it’s because the true spirit of church 2.0 is one of collaboration and engagement, but I’m asking you what you want to learn about in the Church 2.0 resource group? What puzzles you about this new social media thing? What churches do you know of that are using social media well? Why do you think these communications trends are so important to the church? Are they just fads?
Leave some comments below and let me know what your take on social media and churches is. Remember, no matter what anyone tells you, there are no experts in this subject. That is one of the beautiful things about it…we are all learning together. Next Monday, I’ll be back here to talk a bit more about what to expect in the Church 2.0 resource group. Until then, I look forward to hearing what you have to say and learning about what you want to get out of the resource group.
Will Boyd is a social media and new media producer and consultant. His company, Will Boyd Media Solutions, specializes in helping faith groups and non-profits navigate the world of social media, podcasting, and technology to tell their stories to the world. He has worked with Sojourners Magazine, the Disciples of Christ Historical Society, Goddard College, the Disciples Divinity House at Vanderbilt, and others. Will also recently finished a bachelor of arts degree from Goddard College that focused on the role of new media and social technologies in the world of sustainable marketing. Will lives in Seattle with his wife, a Disciples pastor.
3 comments
Comments feed for this article
July 20, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Joel
I think one of the most important things to know about social media is that it is never a strategy in and of itself. It is only a new tool among others. For example you can’t say “we are going to reach young adults with Facebook.” The message you have is still of utmost importance.
July 20, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Joel
I think the church needs to talk about professional boundaries and social media. Just because openness, transparency, and direct connections are possible with social media doesn’t mean that is necessarily a good thing.
Basically if you wouldn’t do it in “real” life, don’t do it online. I have heard of youth ministers having late night on-line chat conversations with teenagers from the youth group. This is not okay! We need to maintain our professional boundaries especially online. How are we to be spiritual leaders and best buds?
Social media can lead to inappropriate relationships between church leadership and parishioners. It can also lead to disproportionate access to a pastor by the privileged tech savvy.
I would encourage you to explore professional boundaries in your Church 2.0 resource group.
July 20, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Will Boyd
Thanks Joel,
You make some really good points. Personally, I couldn’t agree more about your “strategy” point. You second comment did get me thinking down a road I hadn’t given a lot of thought to. We in churches are, unfortunately, forced to take extra safeguards to protect our children at church. What safeguards are putting into place to protect them in our virtual church spaces? I’ll be giving that a lot of thought. Thank you.