Tri-Synodical Theological Conference Wrap-Up

January 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Tri-Synodical Tweetup

  I have enjoyed my time in Waco. I always enjoy catching up with colleagues and and learning about their ministries. The conference also severed as an important networking event for the ministry of Faith Growth. It was a time to inform everyone of the great websites and social media consulting that I offer. Monday night's tweet-up was a blast and I am thankful to everyone who attended. Below is a picture from the tweetup and pictures of the drawing winners.         Headed back to Dallas in a few hours.  See everyone next year! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Community, Faith Growth, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Tri-Synodical Tweetup – #3synod12

January 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Tri-Synodical-Tweetup

  UPDATE: I now know my room number. The tweetup is in Marriott Courtyard Suite 226. Next week I will travel to Waco, TX to attend the Tri-Synodical Theological Leadership Conference of the ELCA churches in Texas and Louisiana. I am looking forward to catching up with my Lutheran colleagues from around the state. One of the speakers, Roger Paynter, is my former Spiritual Director. So I am particularly excited to see him and hear him speak. I was able to secure a sweet suite for the conference, and I would like to host a tweetup during the conference. (Bad pun intended ;-)). So come one, come all.. Monday, January 23, 2012 7:30pm - 10:30pm (Come and Go) My suite at the Marriott Courtyard (across the street from the Waco Convention Center) Refreshments Provided At this time I do not know my room number, but I'll get that info out as soon as I know. Be sure to follow me on twitter. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Community, Faith Growth Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Facebook Got Me a Job

December 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Social-Media-Job-Hunt

  I am sure you have heard stories of individuals losing their jobs because of things they have posted on social media sites like Facebook. This happened to one of my very good friends. Some people fear social networking sites because they have heard stories such as these. I think this is misplaced fear by many. It is a fear of the unknown or the unexplored. As a society we have long established communication norms. Norms for what is confidential, what is over sharing, and even norms for the small talk that leads to more substinative sharing. Social network aided communication is no different than any other channel of communication. These norms still apply, and when they are violated there are consequences. My friend would be the first to tell you that it is not because of Facebook that he lost his job, but because of what he shared. Had he shared the information in an offline context he still would have lost his job. It is common to hear stories of people loosing their jobs because of Facebook, but how common is it that you hear stories of people finding jobs because of Facebook. The infographic below, 'Can Facebook Get You A Job?' shows that 36.6 million American report using social media to land their current job. That's far more than I have heard lost their jobs because of social media. In my own experience I can report that social media has been instrumental in landing new clients for web design at Beyond the Building. Social Media is a reality in our society's communication structures and ministry organizations would be wise to incorporate social media into their communication strategies. Sites such as Facebook should not be feared, but we in the church need to master these new communication tools to more effectively communicate the message of incarnation this Advent season. Created by: MBA Online Your Input How do you think churches and ministry organizations should incorporate social media into their … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Beyond the Building, Social Media

Pastor As Social Media Guru

November 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Church+of+Facebook

  I had the wonderful opportunity to present at the Austin Seminary Recent Graduate Seminar yesterday. My topic was the Pastor's Role as Social Media Guru. The presentation flew by and the discussion was engaging. In this post I will share my rough speaking outline, power point slides and links to the resources I mentioned in my presentation. I hope you find this information helpful. Please feel free to post questions and comments below. Rough Speaking Outline Intro Me Background Your Expectations My Biases How we are going to do this Socialnomics Video Other Social Media Stats Shifting trends in human communication Comm Model Oral, Written, & New Media Parenthetical Tele-Media Vs. Social Media Need for the church to become digital natives learning the digital language (learn a CMS like you know MS Word) invest in your website like you do a copy machine for the church office It is more about repurposing content and making digital the central communication method than one more thing Examples of ministries doing social well Best Practices Consistency Doesn't have to be perfect Not about doing something new, but strengthening current process and making digital primary Final Thoughts The Slides Pastor as Social Media Guru View more presentations from revrevwine Examples Of Ministry Uses of Social Media Mentioned Socialnomics Video (This is the newest revision) Liturgy Link Liturgy Link Video Presbyterian Women Article Pr. Keith Anderson's Two-Minute Bible Studies Western Presbyterian Pod Cast Church Social Media Chat … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Faith Growth, Social Media, Speaking

Communication in the Church of the Future

September 7, 2011 By 6 Comments
social_media

  Social Media is all the buzz these days. For those in the church this new technology leaves us wondering how to use this tool as a means to support our ministries. There are questions of mastering the technology, engaging the conversation, social evangelism, social media polices, Facebook group vs. a Facebook Page, and the like. The cultural shift occurring in society is greater than social media alone.  Social Media is just one of the first manifestations of this shift. A Shift in Communication We are in the beginnings of a communication transition. Only the second such transition in the history of humanity. The first was post Gutenberg when society transitioned from the Oral tradition to that of print. This communication transition precipitated a cultural revolution and ushered in Modernity.  All of modernity was built on the written word. Information was controlled by the select few with the funds to produce and publish content. It was a communications model of one to many - pulpits, stadiums, books, TV, and Movies all existed within this model. Many to Many The popularity of Social Media is in part because it shifts the one to many model on its head. Social Media allows for communication of Many to Many.  This communication occurs with out the gatekeepers of publishing houses, TV networks or big Movie studios. Anyone can sign-up for a social networking site and instantaneously have a platform in which to communicate with Many.  Geography is no longer a barrier to communication These social networks bring individuals together without regard to national boarders, and with programs such as Google Translate language in no longer barrier to communication! Many to Many communication allows everyone to be creators and publishers of content. What Does All This Mean for the Church? I don't know exactly. We are just at the very early stages of this transition and technology continues to evolve at ever increasing pace. I do … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Beyond the Building, Community, Social Media Tagged With: , ,

September 11th Worship And Teaching Resources

August 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment
He Qi - Freedom and Peace

  The tenth anniversary of the tragic events September 11, 2001 falls on a Sunday this year. How will your congregation commemorate those events? My friend Rich Melheim and the folks at Faith Inkubators have prepared some excellent 911 worship and teaching resources to help your congregation commemorate. A Pause to Remember Pause for a moment to… Wonder… Think… Thank… and Consider… Who would our Lord Jesus have us to be in this new strange, dangerous, churning, hopeful world? These resources will help your congregation remember and commemorate as well as challenge them to be about things that make for peace. Rich prepared a brief YouTube video overview of the resources. I invite you to watch it now.   What’s included: Opening reflection Children’s time skit Suggested scriptures w/ responsive songs Sermon/teaching outline Closing Promotional material – posters, post cards, bulletins Also included are customizable power point slides, digital recordings of the songs as well as sheet music. Click here to download the resources. Scroll to the bottom of the page and enter your contact information and then you will be able to download a .zip file with all the resources listed above.   … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Worship Tagged With: , , , ,