The June 2010 issue of Tabletalk Magazine has some helpful articles on Social Media and the church, available online. In his article, Ed Stetzer reckons that social media assist churches and Christian leaders in at least four ways:
- Social Media assist in Community
- Social Media assist in Communication
- Social Media assist in Inspiration
- Social Media allow better Introductions
Here is his conclusion:
Like all good things common to man, social media can be either a distraction or a blessing. It depends on what we do with them. Some say they take too much time — which tells me they may not be familiar with tools such as Twitter or Facebook.
Resisting social media and being unengaged in online community is safe but unwise. The gospel was not lost in the move from the scroll to the book, and it won’t be lost in the move from the page to hypertext. Social media are helpful tools that many in your congregation are already using — and your church (including its leadership) needs to be a part of that.
As I consider social media in the twenty-first century, I can’t help but think of the spread of the gospel and the church’s growth in the first century. Communication was greatly aided then by the common language of Koine Greek. Since the New Testament was written in a language accessible to so many, the Word of God was able to penetrate different cultures rapidly. Perhaps today the new media will be the “common language†for the masses to hear the gospel.
Ed Stetzer: The Blessings of the New Media, Tabletalk Magazine, June 2010