At the Core (Part 1)

So far I've addressed three of the barriers pastors have cited as preventing them from adopting or further using social media. For the next few weeks I'm planning on addressing the central findings of the research: The promise and danger brought on by adopting social media. Specifically, the promise of a community with deeper and stronger spiritual connections; the danger of individuals who have lost touch with other Christians. This week, I plan to address the beneficial power of social media to strengthen the community. Next week, the focus will shift to the dark side of the technology. Finally, in two weeks, I'll take some time to take a look at how the church can negotiate this challenge.

For today, the benefits. One of the most common comments from pastors about the benefits of social media was the idea that this new technology can strengthen relationships in the community. Building community is the essence of ecclesiastical existence. Churches are created so Christians have a home to fellowship with others. We share our victories and defeats. We hold each other accountable for those times when we fall short. Most importantly, we embrace to share the love of God as it flows through us. There's a reason churches are referred to as faith communities. It should be no surprise that a technology designed to simplify connections would be perceived by church leaders as a powerful tool. As an aside, the comments I make in this post do not assume that all churches have adopted social media. In fact, many have not. When I refer to the comments of pastors, they were made as perceptions of the medium, regardless of whether or not they were using it. So here's the thing, even pastors that have not adopted social media found it powerful. Their use of social media as a community development tool fell into three categories: Prayer Concerns, Encouragement, and Distance Communication.

Communicating with individuals at a distance was the most common theme throughout the interviews. Pastors talked about social media as it if had the ability to maintain community in cases where physical presence was impossible. For the most part, shut-ins were cited as the biggest possible growth area for online media. Kind of an interesting perspective considering many pastors cited the absence of internet connection as a barrier to organizational adoption. Still, the thought was that people would appreciate the ability to stream the service online if they were prevented from leaving. Snowbirds (People who leave town for the winter and return in the spring) were the second most commonly cited audience for online streaming. These individuals are more likely to have internet access, and a willingness to participate. At the same time, only a small handful of churches had readily adopted technology to stream the service online. Some were offering audio files of the weekly sermon, but most pastors merely noted the possible benefit of the technology, considering it a great opportunity to help people stay connected whether they can't leave the house, disappear for cold weather, or travel for work.

The second most common theme relating to social media as a community-building tool was that of prayer needs. This theme, however, was not without controversy. On one hand, many people suggested that Facebook was a great place for sharing issues with the congregation. Some pastors even described situations where a simple Facebook post put clothes on a family's back or sent the pastor quickly to the bedside of a dying father. On the other hand, others voiced concerns over privacy issues, citing the ability of anyone to post anything. There is merit in this fear, especially when dealing with amateur computer users. What could be considered appropriate conversation for fellowship time following a service might be inappropriate when shared in online space. Part of avoiding these concerns while taking advantage of the strengths is related to an understanding of the relationship between prayer and social networking. Theologically, we need to consider why we share concerns with other people, and with whom we share those concerns. Most churches have some form of intercessory prayer group. Many of these groups walk a fine line between being a prayer meeting and a gossip fest. Facebook has the potential to go either way, but from the conversations I've had, the sense is it leans toward the latter. The potential of social media to operate as a tool for prayer is positive, but our leaders need to understand how they can be used, and educate their congregation.

The final theme in using social media for community building was related to encouragement and support. There was a sense that Facebook provided an ability to share in the triumphs of others. Not only did it give us this opportunity, it also made the process of support easier and more convenient. A process that once required active notification, like a phone call or a face-to-face visit, can now be done through simple and passive means. Instead of seeking out information, like a youth doing well at Quiz Bowl or football, the information is presented to us in the news feed. Instead of having to seek out the individual, our response can be as simple as clicking "like." What we end up with is a situation where we can develop community by promoting numerous small acts of love and recognition. Moreover, these acts of love can come from people with whom we may not have the strongest or deepest relationships. One of the most effective elements of my ministry, when I was a youth director, was involving older members in youth activities. Older members were given the opportunity to experience anew the joy of spending time with teenagers (yes, there is joy in teenagers), while the youth developed relationships with adults who loved them unconditionally and yet were not their parents, or even connected in to their parents' social network. Social media offers us the opportunity to share the love of God with EVERYONE in the community.

So three reasons why new communication technologies can develop community: Distanced Communication, Prayer Concerns, and Encouragement and Support. I feel as though a word of caution is necessary here. First off, most pastors were quite amenable to the idea of adopting new media, they were just unsure about how to make progress. Most considerations of these new technologies were placed in a paradigm of church that views the building and the administration as the central clearing house for information. When streaming video was considered, it was done so in the context of one-to-many communication that has defined religious media usage for a century. When considering prayer requests, the assumptions were focused on a pastor informed of every medical procedure, illness, or other private need. Encouragement was perhaps the one area where social media have been embraced for their strengths. In the case of prayer concerns and distanced communication, to adopt new media in ways that reiterate traditional media, like radio and television, is to negate the interactive potential of new communication.

Here is my advice: If you are considering adopting new media in your church, ask why you are considering adopting it. Then, consider the potential of the media, and embrace it. If you plan to stream your services live, provide a chat room where people can discuss the service as it happens (for the really brave, find volunteers to staff the chat room, responding to questions and providing contact info). If you are considering providing audio or video files of the sermon, offer a discussion board, or at least a Facebook group where people can discuss the topic throughout the week. Taking this route, the pastor should toss in their two cents a few times each week so the conversation keeps going. If you are thinking about how to use social media for prayer concerns, consider what information comes into the office, and how people share truly personal concerns. Then, provide a way, either through the website or through some other form of media, for people to respond to the needs. Prayer works best when the community is made aware of needs. Finally, if you aren't already using some form of social media to provide encouragement and support, start. Even though it's nice to get accolades for our tremendous accomplishments, social media allow us to give those little words to sustain us between mountaintops. Banquets are great, but we need snacks to get us through the day.