I have been thinking a lot these days about how Church leaders use or do not use various forms of media. It is a point that seems to keep coming up. Should the Church use social networking sites? Should Church leaders twitter? facebook? blog?
As a person who twitters, facebooks and blogs, I guess I have an opinion on this. I am interested in new media and I do love to explore how it can be used. But that is the key - the various media I choose to engage in are all tools for a purpose.
The Church used to be on the cutting edge of the creation of new media - the movement from parchement scrolls to manuscript books were a part of the birth of the Christian faith. The movement from handwritten manuscript books to the printed type was a major factor in the Reformation of the Church. The Church ceased upon these new forms of media - even developed these new forms of media, as a way of manifesting its mission. They were tools to spread the good news.
The same is true with new media - they are tools that allow us to create community, to invite people into a interactive, open discussion of faith. They allow us to connect to believers around the world and people in need around the corner.
So should Church leaders get up to speed with new media? Well, it depends on what they want to do and why. If you enter into cyberspace without a plan - you will be surfing to nowhere. First, know what you want to accomplish and then seek out the latest web 2.0 tool that will allow you to fulfill your mission.
It takes a bit of work and a lot of patience - just like any other pastoral task before us.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
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Quite right, Joanne - one needs a plan, knowing why one wants to use new media and be sure that one will reach the people one would like to reach. I tried years ago to blog for my people here in Huettlingen and had to realize quite soon that nobody (not even the young people back then) really cared much for it. They prefer much more to see me face to face. More people use the internet now. Maybe the time has come to try again - though I am still quite sure the personal encounter is still the most important one in our community. Olivier
ReplyDeleteThe Church should at times think like a business (it is an organization...so why not?!)...and any business that does not plan and strategize with the changing external and internal environment will, in some way, fail.
ReplyDeleteAn organization does not need to change its value, mission, or underlying support system. But it will need to incorporate new and innovative forms to keep them stable. Perhaps some people think FB, Twitter, and Blogs are tacky and perhaps "short-lived" but if that is the current demand and hyped-medium then so be it.
Andrew, in fact, uses MSN to contact his servers and his future confirmands!
~Christine Nussey
I get so frustrated when I find a parish that either has a website that hasn't been updated in ages, or one that doesn't have a website at all!
ReplyDeleteIf we are called to spread the gospel, we need to meet the masses where they are, and today that's on the internet. That doesn't mean changing who we are or what we believe, it's just another tool we can use.
Of course, we can't force people to visit our websites/Facebook pages/blogs/etc. any more than we can force them to visit our churches. But just as we are expected to be a beacon of light in our physical communities, we have the same role to play in our virtual community.