Tag: church

Social networking and the church

So I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not – but there’s this phenomenon going on around you – Web 2.0.
I don’t know that anyone’s really settled on a definition of this new wave of Internet sites but I think everyone can agree on what it’s not – stagnant, outdated websites that simply push information onto people, rather than allowing them the opportunity to pull the information they want/need.

Think about sites like Flickr, YouTube, Myspace, Facebook, Wikipedia and Twitter where there’s a broad wealth of information and content that is typically user driven and user created. No more Mr. Corporate America telling people what they will and can’t read. Users are sharing content and connecting in new amazing ways.

Last week as Laurie and I were out and about I received an update via txt message from my mate Thomas over in Scotland. He was watching the final episode of 24, Season 6 with his wife.
I commented that I knew more about Thomas than most of my friends who live within a 30-45 mile radius of my home — and Thomas and I have never met in person. Thomas later commented that he knows more about Laurie and I than he does our next door neighbor – maybe a good thing and a bad thing.

As part of my job here at DCCCD we’ve been discussing our district’s and specifically our department’s Intranet presence. I was forwarded an article (must be a member to read) yesterday from Communication World that suggests most Intranet sites are built around early 1990 standards, not the new Web 2.0 ideas. I would hardily agree – at least of the few that I’ve seen.

Most companies chose to block Web 2.0 sites and applications from their users – I’m sure Laurie can give you an earful on how annoying that is for her where she works. She’s now blocked from visiting our own personal blogs and sites at work. She has to use a work around by using a VNC viewer to access the web over her computer and our DSL at home – very clever on her part.

The article in Communication World also suggests that because these Web 2.0 platforms work so well, people are finding their own work arounds for sharing information and building communities – even work related communities.

So what about our churches? Do we know folks we’ve met through Myspace or Facebook better than those around us at the ultimate community – our own church? And can churches use Web 2.0 ideas to build community – or should they?

After reading the article in Communication World it occurred to me, there may also be some Open Source Social Networking software out there. Sure enough – there is.
I found Elgg which looks like it’s super customizable (and also appears to have their entire website built around a Wiki). Could churches use software like Elgg to build their website, or at least expand on their current website? Or should churches simply build communities around social networks that are already out there?

I tend to believe we should be where the people are – not pulling them into separate realms or worlds but I don’t know. Maybe something like encounterSpace or iencounter would be beneficial. Right now our average attendance is between 180-250 each week. By far MySpace seems to be the most used social networking site used by folks at our church. We have 75 MySpace friends, we have 21 members in the encounter Facebook group and 4 or 5 people who have submitted photos to the encounter Flickr group. But would those numbers increase and communities form on a separate network “exclusive” for encounter folks? I don’t know. I participate in a semi-social networking site for geocaching but I don’t typically seek out other geocaches on places like Facebook and MySpace. Yet while my university offers an Alumni Social Networking portal, I’m more likely to connect with folks from UMHB through MySpace or Facebook. What do you think?

Understanding the Gospel

Josh sent me this via e-mail over the weekend. I’m assuming it was written or spoken by Rob Bell – but I can’t guarantee it was since I no longer subscribe to the magazine. Either way – love this… love it!

“We understand the Gospel to be how you are going to break yourself open and pour yourself out for the healing of the world.”
Rob Bell, quoted in an interview with Relevant Magazine, Jan.-Feb., 2008.

I think the problem is that when people say “church,” many mean religious goods and services where you come and there’s a nice inspiring talk, good coffee in the back, snappy music and everything ends up fine. Jesus speaks of His people who are willing to suffer and die so that the world can be healed – that’s an entirely different proposition. For us [at Mars Hill], if you can resolve the sermon in the course of the church service, then the sermon has failed. If you can resolve what’s being talked about just by listening to it, then something’s seriously wrong. The only way to resolve the church service you just experienced, and specifically the sermon, is that you’re going to have to go and wrestle with it and then live it out. Our interest is not in providing goods and services that will leave you with a well-packaged religious experience. We understand the Gospel to be how you are going to break yourself open and pour yourself out for the healing of the world.

A couple of years ago somebody I love very much, somebody very close to me, was addicted to cocaine. He was wrestling with suicidal thoughts, addiction, and was in a downward spiral. He was not going to make it. A group of us who love him begged him to come to my house. He came over, and we all sat in a circle in my living room and begged him to get help. We literally pleaded for his life. One of the guys in the circle said, “I’m here. I’m going to be with you every day through this.” Another person in the circle said, “You know what? You can come live with me. I struggled with addiction, and I know what you’re going through trying to get clean. You can have the downstairs bedroom in my house, and I’ll make sure you get up every day. I’ll make sure you get to recovery meetings.” Eventually, he was able to get clean, and since then has totally turned around.

To me that is church. Church is when you are sitting in your living room with people who would give their lives for each other. So I don’t have any time or tolerance for nice services where we feel good about ourselves and give a little bit of our money to some people over here or there. To me, church is the people whom you are journeying with, and I think we are already seeing all sorts of new understanding of what that looks like. It has nothing to do with the building you’re meeting in; it has nothing to do with the name. It has nothing to do with how great your website is – it’s about the new humanity. It’s about people connecting with each other at the deepest, deepest levels of our being.

You have to challenge everything, and people should challenge Mars Hill. We have these giant services with thousands of people, and I think that public gatherings beyond 10 or 20 should be questioned.

Jesus, Liberal Or Conservative?

This January, Church of the Resurrection (Leawood, KS) is beginning a new sermon series called “Seeing Gray.” Pastor Adam Hamilton will be searching for insight to some complex gray areas of faith, morality, and politics by studying the Bible and Christ’s example.

Are there gray issues surrounding your faith?

What I really like about this series is they’re posing the question to YouTube viewers and seeking their responses. Similar to a man on the street video like we’ve done in the past – but this lets people post their own videos from where ever they may be in the world.

Here’s a trailer:

And here’s the first question:

It already has some input and responses. How would you respond?

Hat tip to ChurchRelevance.com

thoughts on nouveau-Christianity

There continues to be the fear that people are suddenly losing sight of Christ and Scripture in the emergent/emerging churches and new forms of expressing Christianity. I continue to see this broad paintbrush splattering paint everywhere trying to give some kind of recognition to something people don’t understand. It’s as if they don’t understand a new expression of faith so they assume it must all be heresy and evil (which by definition, heresy is: theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the Roman Catholic or Orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. By extension, heresy is an opinion or doctrine in philosophy, politics, science, art, etc., at variance with those generally accepted as authoritative so couldn’t any form of protestantism be considered heretics? Also isn’t theology simply man’s study of, or best guess at knowing a God whom we can never totally understand, know or comprehend?).

Anyways, Brian’s been reading Un-Christian and shared some new thoughts today:

Barna research ministries has revealed 4 mega-themes that are impacting culture today. One of the 4 is what they refer to as “nouveau Christianity” – the idea that a new form of Christian faith is taking shape in our day. Here are their research results:

The research discovered that people are reframing not just faith in general, but Christianity in particular. While slightly fewer adults – and many fewer teens – are identifying themselves as Christians these days, the image of the Christian faith has taken a beating. This battered image is the result of a combination of factors:

  • harsh media criticism
  • “unchristian” behavior by church people
  • bad personal experiences with churches
  • ineffective Christian leadership amid social crises
  • and the like

The result is that those who choose to remain Christian – however they define it – are also reformulating the popular notion of what “Christian” and the Christian life mean. Some of those changes are producing favorable outcomes, while others are less appealing.

For instance, a generational analysis of the Barna data showed that spiritual practices among those who claim to be Christians are shifting dramatically. New practices are in vogue:

  • embracing racial diversity and tolerance within congregations
  • pursuing spiritual diversity in conversations and relationships
  • valuing interpersonal connections above spiritual education
  • blending all forms of the arts and novel forms of instruction into religious events
  • and accepting divergent forms of spiritual community (e.g., house churches, intentional communities, marketplace ministries)

Traditional ventures such as integrating discipline and regimen in personal faith development are becoming less popular. Repeating the same weekly routines in religious events is increasingly deemed anachronistic, stifling and irrelevant. Rigidity of belief – which includes the notion that there are absolute moral and spiritual truths – perceived by a large (and growing) share of young people to be evidence of closed-mindedness.

The result is a nouveau form and structure for the Christian faith that will have broad-based consequences on the practice of Christianity for years to come.

I know there are many today who are concerned with this “nouveau” development in Christianity. I am not frightened by this changes but instead embrace them for they are the bridges of grace to a generation that needs to know Christ. None of them deny doctrine, the deity of Christ, the Scriptures, or the essential footings of the faith. They represent method changes and reflect the needs and longings of a generation. As “encounter” we stand in the gap of heaven and a generation to bring them to the reality of the cross. What a time to be alive!

The best campaign website

Zephyr Teachout, writes that “Mike Huckabee’s campaign has the most effective online operation of any of the candidates.”

I think there are a lot of things folks can learn from this in any organization – especially in ministry.
I think each of these areas are ones that churches, ministries and other political candidates and organizations can put into play.
Here’s the highlights:

  1. He has the best use of video in the year that YouTube matteres the most. He is the only candidate consistently–every day–sharing user-created videos on his blog.
  2. He has done minor blogger outreach since April, to great effect; the twice-a-month phone calls with Huckabee and bloggers (homeschoolers, godbloggers, anyone who wanted to sign up)
  3. His blog has typos. This is not in itself a good thing, but evidence of a good thing. A website is not a candidate, and it is not a flyer, but most people encounter websites more like they do an individual than they do a flyer–does it excude some authenticity, does it actually attempt to communicate, or does it try to shut down any conversation except “My candidate is the bees knees.”
  4. His website is not a Stepford Site. It has big buttons that are about making it easy for users, not slick presentation that are about making it impressive for the webteam.
  5. He encourages independent action. He encourages people to go to Meetup. He encourages the growth of Huck’s Army (a very active independent Huckabee forum).

“All of this has led to massive rise in traffic (now well above Clinton’s and Obama’s, only lower than Ron Paul’s). And like Ron Paul’s supporters’ use of the internet, it is helping him in the polls and in support around the country. Unlike Ron Paul, the “help” may lead to winning key states and the primary.”
In what areas could you improve your ministry website/blog by utilizing some of these tips?

Sesame Street may not be suitable

ChurchRelevance reports that the new volume 1 and 2 DVDs of Sesame Street come with the following warning:

These early “Sesame Street” episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today’s preschool child.

Why?
Executive Producer Carol-Lynn Parente says that Cookie Monster smokes and eats a pipe during “Monsterpiece Theater.” And other characters may seem too grouchy, depressed, slow, or drugged. The NY Times also notes:

On the very first episode, which aired on PBS Nov. 10, 1969 — a pretty, lonely girl like Sally might find herself befriended by an older male stranger who held her hand and took her home. Granted, Gordon just wanted Sally to meet his wife and have some milk and cookies, but . . . well, he could have wanted anything.

Seems like culture is changing for sure. As ChurchRelevance points out, when you think about the church and ministry, what worked 40 years ago, probably doesn’t work like it used to.
Should we post warnings to people that our services may not be suitable for the needs of today?
Hopefully that’s not true. But what do you think?

NPR has more on the story as well:

Newly released Sesame Street DVDs of its early episodes show material that would never air today. For example, the set features a closeted gay couple living in a basement, a puppet who binge eats on cookies and lengthy psychedelic segments.

1969 Sesame Street Intro

Recent intro