People Still Talking About Twitter Church

I'm amazed people are still talking about Twitter Church and Westwinds' TIME article. But, tonight I saw a blog post by Rachel Motte in Siren magazine online and I had to respond.

You can read the whole article here but these are the parts that concerned me . . .

SIREN:

. . . Twitter, it’s argued, strengthens community ties and offers church goers a new way to express what they are thinking and feeling during the Sunday morning service . . .

. . . In other words, twitter allows people to begin silently “fellowshipping” with other believers before the Sunday morning coffee hour even starts . . .

. . . But is this genuine community? No, not really. That’s the problem . . .

. . . The writer of Hebrews told his readers, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25) He meant that literally. No matter how advanced communication methods become, there will never be an adequate substitute for face-to-face interaction, and there will never be a replacement for real-life fellowship . . .

. . . We have souls, and we crave interaction with other souls, but we also have bodies. When we communicate through technology, we functionally disembody ourselves. There’s a great difference, for example, between talking to your mother on the phone and talking to her in person. When you can communicate with someone unseen without even using your voice, you separate yourself even further. Misunderstandings become more commonplace and relationship building more difficult. Instead of bringing us closer to those around us, technologies like twitter actually tend to separate us – and it’s hard to teach people about the glories of the incarnation while dis-incarnating yourself online . . .

. . . So should you tweet during church? Not unless you are trying to help someone far away (say, in the mission field) feel marginally included. When you are in church, you should be in church, and you risk being less than fully present if you’re busy with your iPhone. So perhaps instead of asking WWJT? “What would Jesus tweet?” the real question should be WJT? “Would Jesus tweet?”

MY RESPONSE:

You make some decent points here Rachel and certainly I don’t mean any disrespect but I think your conclusions are a bit short-sighted. I hope we can have some friendly-fire here.

Your presumption is that the weekend gathering of believers is simply about community but I'm not sure that is the biblical apex of gathering together. If community is the goal of weekend gatherings then churches need to make a ton of adjustments. There is no community listening to a speaker for 30 minutes, there is no community watching people sing on a stage, there is no community watching videos, dramas, etc.

I agree face to face communication is preferable but your argument about communication is misplaced. When do people ever communicate with one another during church? It would be one thing if a church was trying to replace face to face communication with technology but instead, a church was introducing another kind of communication into an environment where interaction seldom happens.

You also said, “When you are in church, you should be in church, and you risk being less than fully present if you’re busy with your iPhone.” I see where you are coming from but you are making two different arguments here. You suggest that Twittering isn’t real “community” but you introduce another argument when you mention being “fully present.” If by being fully present you are suggesting one should be still and listen to someone speak, there is certainly no community in that.

At Westwinds we believe the Bible gives an incredible amount of freedom for corporate gatherings. We strive to create an original, unsullied, experience-rich, multi-layered environment where we increase the occurrence of people interacting with God, his Word, his truth, his people, and face their barriers that interrupt and antagonize the life Jesus invites. The only non-negotiable element in the whole weekend experience is God’s Word as the living, enlightening torrent of truth that must be present every week. Other than that one item, everything else is negotiable.

I certainly don't believe Twitter is for everyone. We experimented a few times three years back and we use it occasionally in different ways. One of the things it does is it gives people another way of being involved in the weekend gathering as opposed to just being a spectator. I think we need to think of many other ways of accomplishing this kind of interaction.

John Voelz

Twitter Church : : : Word Gets Around

Vacation has been great. I haven’t “unplugged” but I have certainly taken longer breaks between 2.0 exposure and the iPhone.

One of the things that have kept me coming back to my computer has been the massive response to my blog posts on Twitter Church. I have followed links to blogs that have linked backed to my posts. I have read the banter. I have read the responses. I have read the comments and the emails.

Most of the blogs have said wonderful things about Twitter Church experiments at Westwinds. On the other hand, I think it’s hilarious how some bloggers must have never heard of “Google Alerts” and either didn’t think I would find out about their post or they don’t care that I read it—either way, some folks haven’t been all that nice. I DO know about Google Alerts so I will reserve the name calling I have for some of them for the conversation I am having in my head.

The “Twitter Church” post—in and of itself—generated quite a few links to other blogs and the subsequent posts generated quite a few as well. If you are interested in reading a few of the responses click here.

I also received a tip that Twitter Church was being talked about at PodCamp Ohio and listened to on of the podcasts. Check it out!

Third Day News

I have been a Third Day fan since I heard the first bit of amp feedback before the words were uttered, "on and on and on and on and on she goes and where she stops no one really knows."

If you don't know what I am referring to, go buy everything Third Day ever recorded.

I have seen these guys play countless times and I have had the opportunity to take my kids backstage twice (which leads me to say--when you are any age it is cool to go backstage at a rock show but when you are 15 there is nothing greater).

I became an even bigger fan of the band when I had my first conversation outside of a quick handshake with Mark Lee--Third Day guitarist extraordinaire-- a few years ago at cre:ate in Nashville. Mark was approachable and funny and his wonderful wife Stephanie was very kind to my wife Tahni.

So, being the fan that I am--of the band and the "people" of Third Day you can imagine the great week I am having in light of the following two things taking place:

#1 Yesterday, I got an email announcing tickets go on sale Friday for the "Music Builds" tour starring Third Day, Switchfoot, Jars of Clay, and Robert Randolph and the Family Band. August 21st at 6:00pm Detroit Rock City will get its hot pants rocked off. Yeah, guess who is going to that show. I am taking the whole freaking day off so I can eat a good breakfast and prepare for the rocking.

#2 I check my Google reader today and find this:
Mark Lee, Third Day guitarist posted about my blog--the blog you are reading-- on his blog This Guy Falls Down!

I have enjoyed Mark's blog immensely over the past few years. It is full of all the good rock and roll jargon and humor I would expect from a rock and roll guy's blog. Mark has great taste in music, tells it like he sees it, and often shares fun bits of trivia and invites his readers to participate in the conversation. Mark is also very tech savvy and has a lot of good web 2.0 talk on his blog. The thing that impresses me most is Mark's commitment to his family.

If R.E.M. or The Black Crowes are a regular part of your vocabulary, you will especially dig Mark's blog.

So, read Mark's blog. Subscribe to it. Buy Third Day tickets. Buy the t-shirt. Look for the new album, Revelation out on July 29.

Guest Blog for Hugh Hewitt

Years ago, I got serious about blogging through a conversation with my friend Randy over the book we both read entitled, "Blog" by Hugh Hewitt. Hugh is a blog rockstar. I don't always agree with Hugh on politics but I highly respect him and his blogging efforts.

Well . . .

Today, my friend Randy was a guest blogger on Hugh's site. Randy's post is a response to An Evangelical Manifesto. Read the Manifesto here. Read Randy's post here.

After you read his post, you can read my response below : : :

I appreciate Mr. Elrod's post. While we need creeds and a core orthodoxy as Christ followers, we need to be careful to stand "for" rather then "against." "Christians" for too long have been known as the "stand against" group.

It is wise to know what mountains you are willing to die on. But, manifestos--or more specifically the way they are marketed--run the risk of further distancing Christians from the people we are called to love into the kingdom and perpetuate an asceticism that does not give us any right to speak into the lives of others.

If you want to speak into my life, you need to have my ear. If you want my ear, I need to trust you. I need to know you love me. Period. The old adage, "people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care" is very true. I am not "opposed" to the Manifesto as much as I am not motivated by it.

We will be effective when people have to stop and ask why we love them so much. What compels us to love? When they start asking those questions, we know we are in the right dialogue.

Mr. Elrod's brief mention of "Taylorism" should cause each careful student to do some reading and investigate that one further. Insightful. Christians for far too long have concerned themselves with scientific measurements of rhetoric to know exactly at "what point" we have shared the gospel.

Evangelism doesn't "happen." It "Happens." Evangelism comes from the same word as gospel--good news--good headlines. People want to hear good news. They seek it out.

Rules, regulations, etc. do not change a culture. If anything, we need a Jesus manifesto. We need a refocusing on Jesus as our sovereign. External regiments will never change the heart of a people or a nation. Just ask Moses.

Posts that Don't Suck

Lore Sjöberg once commented on Wired.com, “Creating your own blog is about as easy as creating your own urine, and you're about as likely to find someone else interested in it.” While that may be true, keeping someone interested in your blog long-term outside of people who go to your church and/or share your last name is a bit more difficult.

You can have the slickest looking blog in town but if the posts suck, well . . .

Not all posts are created equal.

I have made a list of the things I believe are essential for good blog posts. In order to stay creative, hold attention, garner an audience, and ensure longevity there are a few unwritten rules every blogger should know. Ummm, now they are written I guess.

This is my personal opinion and I am sure I have broken my own rules a few times but, nevertheless here are the observations I have made as I grow as a blogger and continue to read countless blogs.

1. An interesting post title is essential. Draw us in. You don’t have to be funny or witty (although that helps) but you do need to surface a need to know. Titles like “what I did today” do not make we want to read any further than the title.

2. Forget what you learned about paragraphs. This is not English Lit—it is the web. It is still “written language” and it does follow some of the same rules but it is always better to write a post as close to the way you speak. Use short sentences. Incomplete sentences. Break your post up by “ideas” even if this means you have “floating” ideas. Space is good.

3. As often as possible, use links. We want to know where you got your info. We want to check out the things you did that led you to write. Plus, links often lead to other ideas and some of us like to go down the rabbit hole.

4. If everyone has already posted about it, don’t post about it. Unless you have something really interesting to say. A twist. Some humor. A different side of the story. Otherwise, don’t be a copycat.

5. Mention other bloggers in your post and make sure you link to them. People tend to talk more about your blog if you are talking about them in your posts. However, few things are more frustrating than reading about someone without that someone being linked.

6. Speak your mind. We want to know what you are thinking. However, don’t be offensive just because you can. Remember the many you represent. But, don’t be afraid to say what you think either.

7. Talk about your personal life but not too much. Sure, we want to know what makes you tick but inert ideas about the mundane don’t make us want to come back to your blog. If you can talk about your personal life but frame it in a larger story it is helpful. Too many blog posts about nothing is danger Will Robinson.

8. Use images. Photos. Art. Etc. We like stories with pictures. Pictures also help your overall blog by making it visually interesting and constantly changing.

9. Be original. Develop your own style. Reframe stories in your own vernacular. It’s easy to tell when someone has cut and pasted or stolen and idea form elsewhere when their post doesn’t sound anything like them.

10. Don’t talk to a small audience. Mentioning your friends by nickname and using insider jargon is annoying. Let us in on the joke. Fill us in. Your post is on the WORLD WIDE WEB. Too many posts written for “you and your homies” is a big turn off. Tune out.

11. Create an identity. Sure, you can blog about whatever you like—it is YOUR blog. But, it is fun to know we can go to your blog because “you are the guy who always . . . “ or “you are the girl who often . . .” Hosting a regular weekly or monthly feature can be helpful.

12. Break from the routine every once in awhile. If your blog posts are predominately about “church stuff” or “politics” or “justice and mercy” break it up with something to hold our attention and give us a breather.

13. Don’t be a downer. Woe is me blog posts get old real fast. We all have seasons. Just don’t stay there long. Say what you have to say and move on. Don’t whine.

14. Don’t give us old news. Sometimes it may be tempting to post “old news” because you can’t think of anything else to say and you don’t want to go a day without a post. Resist. Resist.

15. Don’t sell the sizzle without giving us the steak. In other words, don’t talk about the “great meeting” you had where you solved the world’s problems or “the giant revelation” you had or the “whole bunch of cool places you visited” without filling in the details. What did the meeting solve? What was your revelation and how will it help me? Where are the places?—I may want go there.

16. Grab attention. An apt quotation, a startling statement, a short story, a joke, a cultural reference, a statistic, or a controversial headline are all good examples of something you may want to include in the intro to your post. Posts that start boring usually end boring.

17. Surprise us with a "new find" every once in a while. A teacher once said he'd "rather his students drink from running water than a stagnant pool." In order to be a creative post-er you are going to have to invest some time in research, in honing your surfing skills, in knowing where to go to get the info your readers want.

18. Don't re-post. Re-posting is kinda like re-gifting. Except, re-gifting is acceptable and re-posting is shady. Re-posting is when someone posts what someone else has already posted without giving them credit. Use blockquotes when quoting more than 2 or three sentences from another source. Reprinting entire articles make your readers lose respect for you and/or confidence in you as a blogger they want to follow.

19. Break up the text. Learn to use italics and bold and ALL CAPS where appropriate (Note: ALL CAPS sometimes looks like yelling so use wisely). These devices help the reader stay on track and move them through the text.

20. Use Spell Check. Please. Please. Please. If your blog editor does not have a spell check option, type it in Word first and then copy and paste. An occasional oops is bound to happen but repeat offenders get sidelined. No excuses.

Can you think of anything else?

This post is part of the cultural phenomenon known as Watercooler Wednesday. Check it out! Be part of the in-crowd. Everybody who is cool is doing it. How is that for peer pressure?

Another great community to check out is Creative Chaos where this little diddy is also posted. Go there now!