United Methodist Reporter Blog

Would Wesley tweet?

Blackberrys, iPhones, tweets and Facebook statuses may be more Wesleyan than we think.

It used to be that Wesleyan Holy Clubs would chronicle their day in 15-minute increments, but now United Methodists are more likely to keep a rolling list of appointments, notes, tweets or statuses saved to their cell phones or desktops. Nonetheless, they’re participating in an old Wesleyan practice.

The Rev. Tom Arthur of Sycamore Creek United Methodist Church in Lansing, Mich. will most likely pull out his Blackberry when asked to recount his daily time use.

“That’s the main thing I use my phone for, to keep track of where I’m supposed to be and when,” he wrote in a Duke Divinity Call & Response blog post. “So here in my pocket was a record, a journal if you will, of how exactly I use my time. It was a little scary. What did this journal say about me and my ministry? What did it say about what I love?”

“Keeping a journal of how one used his or her time was a key method of spiritual growth for the early Methodists,” he wrote. “I suspect that Wesley would be proud of these conversations I’ve recently had, and I’ve gained a new appreciation of how my smartphone is helping me grow spiritually.”

Other tech-centered projects like the Rev. Jeremy Smith’s Pastor’s 24 project on Twitter, and the Rev. Becca Clark’s new #OurExamen Twitter campaign call for lay leaders and clergy to examine their ministerial doings. A simple hashtag allows them to instantly (and easily) log praises, prayers, revelations and concerns, ultimately making note of where and how they see God working in their lives and the Church.

So what do you think—would John Wesley tote a smartphone and join the Twitterverse? 

Techy ways to teach your kids Bible stories

Let’s face it. There’s a point in every child’s life when Bible-based coloring books and felt-board stories lose their awe, and today kids want the computer-generated imagery seen in their older sibling's video and computer games.

Well, Creation By Design isn’t going to let Christianity lose its relevance in this age of technology. In 2008, the company introduced their first product, “My Bible Cards”—a set of trading cards that recount the “greatest story ever told” with 200 computer-generated images of Biblical characters—to Christian bookstores and comic stores across the nation.

And now, a second series of 818 Old Testament cards, featuring events and people in historical order, will be released just in time for Christmas. 

Creation by Design has also published two book series utilizing the new images. The first is a chapter book designed for ages 6-8 that features nine-year-old explorer, Xander Nash, who travels back in time to meet Bible heroes. The second book product is a line of activity books for kids that use puzzles and games to teach kids their Bible stories.

Think your Bagukan-Yu-Gi-Oh- Pokemon-loving kids could benefit from My Bible Cards?

 How do you help bring the Bible to life for your kids?

 

A day in the life of a pastor...tweeted

A police station in the U.K. recently tweeted every call they received and every dispatch they issued in a 24-hour span. Why? To prove that police work is actually more than eating donuts and “catching bad guys.”

“The reality of police work is that although crime is a big part of what we do, we do much else besides,” Chief Constable Peter Fahy of Manchester said in a message posted on YouTube. “We’re very much the agency of last resort, and a big part of our workload is related to wider social problems of alcohol, drugs, mental health and people having problems with their relationships.”

The public’s misconception of the police’s duties has inspired the United Methodist pastor Jeremy Smith to update the public on the daily happenings of a pastor. Believe it or not, pastors do more than just preach on Sundays.

Mr. Smith is asking pastors and people in ministry work to tweet every single ministry-related thing they do Wednesday, Oct. 27, and to include the hashtag of #pastors24 so people can easily find and follow the updates.

Due to Twitter’s 140 character limit, the updates will be simple, but nonetheless, the world (or at least the Twitterverse) will get a better idea of the complexity of pastoral issues and the diversity of ministerial duties.

To learn more about the Pastor’s 24 hour Twitter Project and to join the “24-hour force”, check out Mr. Smith’s blog.

iPhones, iPads and Apps in ministry

Whether I am packing for a local mission trip or an overseas adventure, these are my must-bring items: sunscreen, closed-toe shoes, peanut butter, coloring books (a favorite of children everywhere), Bible, journal, camera and wet-wipes. I never imagined that an iPad (or iPhone) should be added to this list. (Granted, I may be the only twenty-something in America currently without an iPhone.)

On high school mission trips and youth group retreats, we were always asked to leave our electronics at home. I didn’t even take a cell phone with me when I spent a semester at sea in college. I was completely disconnected and engulfed in the present moment.

In a recent “Church, Culture and Media” blog post, the Rev. Larry Hollon, general secretary of United Methodist Communications, listed 19 ways he used his iPad while traveling in Africa and working on the Imagine No Malaria initiative.

I used to think smartphones (and iPads too) a catalyst for laziness and distracted people from the things that matter in life, but now I am beginning to understand that such powerful technology can be used for good.

How have you used modern technology to help advance the kingdom of God?

 

Social networking as outreach

Frazer Memorial UMC in Montgomery, Ala., already had an active Web presence before this summer. But the pace has picked up considerably since June 1, when the church hired a digital ministries coordinator. Brendan Harriff, a 22-year-old graduate of Asbury College, is responsible for regular updates on the church’s website and its social networking accounts.

“We get on Facebook and Twitter dozens of times a day,” Mr. Harriff tells Marty Roney of the Montgomery Advertiser. “... It allows us to get the word out about Frazer in ways that are less conventional. That's especially important in a city like Montgomery that has such a large military community. When all the new military families get transferred here, many are looking for a church home. Facebook and Twitter are ideal for that kind of outreach.”

Mr. Roney's article also includes comments on this growing ministry field from Mark Chaves, a professor at Duke Divinity School, and a good tip from Baptist minister John Johnston to never forget the irreplaceable impact of face-to-face contact within a congregation: “During difficult times and during joyous times, things like a smile, the touch of hand, just having someone to speak with, carries so much power.”

For more on the topic, visit my own story from last year.

Methodist message merch

Someone in the Indiana Conference has been enjoying the possibilities made reality through CafePress.

This particular store launched last year, but I learned about it on Wednesday when I saw it linked on the Rev. Jeff Slater's Twitter feed. In addition to the design pictured at right, they have merchandise bearing a variety of messages, including:

"I preach like a girl."

"PREACHERS WHO EXERCISE ARE LESS ANGRY."

And one made better because it's only offered in junior, toddler, and canine T-shirt sizes:
"HOOSIER BISHOP?"

I've seen -- and ordered -- other insider apparel (my favorite at the RevGalBlogPals store: "Does this pulpit make my butt look big?"), but this one is interesting in that it's asking -- no, telling -- fellow Methodists to behave. I think perhaps every 2012 General Conference delegate should have to wear one of these after about Day 8 in Tampa. Or carry the messenger bag that's offered with the same design. (I'm not going to go near the underwear selections, though. Some things I just don't want to know.)

'Aging Well' columnist in the secular media

It's always nice to see friends get attention, and when the issue they're raising is so important, it's even better to know that the impact their work makes is continuing to grow.

Missy Buchanan, who writes the Reporter's Aging Well column, has been featured on the Spirituality page of Good Morning America's website. Her piece "Who Forgot Grandma?" is posted as the site's Weekly Inspiration.

Thanks, Missy, for answering your calling to keep reminding folks how important it is to listen to, build relationship with and care for the older adults in our lives.

Wesley had Holy Club, we have Social Media Club

He's the pastor of Church of the Resurrection's online campus, so Andrew Conard knows how to keep up with the tools and trends of social media.

Reflecting on his experience with the geography-based Social Media Club of Kansas City (which uses the hashtag #SMCKC on Twitter), he is proposing that we get a little more formal in our United Methodist social media activities. There's a good bit of conversation forming in his comment thread, including a shared list of Twitter hashtags to be used at this year's Annual Conference gatherings.

So, are you in? If so, go visit his blog and let him know. I just did.

New place to discuss the itinerant life: Facebook

This development may or may not be a first, but it's the first I've seen: a Facebook Itinerant Ministry Discussion Group has been launched. It was started by the Rev. John Feagins of the Southwest Texas Conference, who states that the group will discuss "issues relating to the United Methodist practice of Itinerant Ministry, including but not limited to proposals regarding the abolition of guaranteed appointments for all ordained elders in full connection."

There are tons of concerns out there related to United Methodist elders' promise to go where the Bishop and Cabinet sends them. A recently-emerged concern involves social media itself: I know several clergy who have been very careful to keep news of their new appointments off of Facebook until all affected people have been notified via other communication channels, which is a kind and appropriate course of action.

Considering the broader concept, though, perhaps there hasn't been enough open dialogue about itinerant ministry among those who are most affected -- the itinerant clergy themselves. Groups like this one could prove useful for that reason and others. One practical advantage: When clergy move to another church, they get to keep the same Facebook account, so they can keep participating in the same discussion.

Clearing the lines of church communication

Just returned from the annual Communicator's Conference UMR Communications hosts every year for church communicators, regional newspaper editors and other interested parties. As I did last year, I was part of the panel on social media with Amy Forbus--unlike last year, we were joined by UMR board member (and technological gadabout) Gavin Richardson and Liz Applegate.

The topic is as popular as ever, and the four of us hosted two panels on the topic back to back. The changes from last year's questions were instructive: they were far less "how to," 101-style instructions in the setup and use of Twitter and Facebook and far more to do with the more subtle applications of social media, from outreach strategies to proper decorum in your personal and professional presences online. And, as with last year, the discussion was less "we tell, you listen" and more "we guide, everyone converses."

And the proof of social media's versatility and usability came during the first of the two sessions. Just offhand, someone brought up the Change the World event scheduled for late April. Few people even knew what that was, despite it being a worldwide initiative. Gavin twittered this observation on his Twitter account, got a response from someone in UMCom, and then heard from Taylor Burton-Edwards, who promised to move on this apparent lack of communication swiftly. Twitter in action.

There's a great meta-conversation about the conference going on right now on Twitter--people passing around links, observations, citing quotables, and so on. You can find this discussion by going here and searching for "umr10."

Plans forming for young clergy national gathering

I'm one of many people who received an email today from Jenny Smith, a seminary student I've gotten to know primarily through her work related to www.umcyoungclergy.com. She's asking folks to spread the word about a gathering of young clergy, tentatively set for October 5-6, 2010 at Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kan.

Jenny asks that anyone interested in participating fill out this brief interest form. When I replied to let her know I'd blog about her request, she told me, "I love social media. In just an hour, 45 young clergy have indicated their interest and given a ton of ideas as to how it might look."

Even as a connectional denomination, we have never had such ease of connection as we've seen develop within the last few years. It's amazing. (Every so often, I pick up my iPhone and think to myself, "I. am. holding. the. future.") This is another opportunity to take advantage of it. If you're "young clergy" or on track to become one, visit the links above. Share them with others. See what you can work together to build, for your generation and for those coming after you.

"How is it with your soul?"

I've been thinking about that traditional Wesleyan question since I reviewed the proof copy of Bishop White's most recent column (Feb. 26 issue).

Almost a decade ago, I took an 8-week course from my then-pastor called "The Methodology of Methodism." There were only three other people in the class, and one of them was my husband; yet, when we faced up to how the original Wesleyan small groups related to each other, the question "How is it with your soul?" just seemed too daunting.  "We're not there yet," I remember my pastor saying. Everyone nodded in agreement and we moved on to our next topic.

Given that recollection, I honestly didn't expect much when I posted the question as a Facebook status update yesterday. But I got quite a few comments from that experiment, some of them amusing ("Medium Well") and others downright raw ("aimless and drifting"). And there were lots of references to the classic hymn text by Horatio G. Spafford (number 377 in the United Methodist Hymnal). While it's a helpful hymn to many, I couldn't help but wonder if those folks were giving the answer they thought I wanted.

Perhaps we should be more intentional about asking each other how we are -- how we really are, rather than that "How're you? Okay, well, I was calling because..." kind of inquiry. It can be hard, because to ask the question, we have to be willing to hear the honest answer.

Might make for a worthwhile Lenten practice.

New churches and the people who plant them

Occasionally my Twitter feed gives me a glimpse into an event in progress. Today it has been the New Church Leadership Institute being held at Mount Sequoyah Conference and Retreat Center. At least one person I follow on Twitter is there, and is sharing snippets of her experience.

Participants have tweeted quotes from the event's speakers, as well as responses to what's happening in the room and on the Twitter stream. I was happy to see a discussion on the role church planting plays in various Conferences of the UMC, particularly in regard to whether the person in charge of new church starts is someone who serves on the Bishop's cabinet, and specifically, on the appointive cabinet. (It appears to be a growing trend that the person in this role has an influence on where pastors are appointed, which would make sense if we really intend to be as aggressive with new church starts as we've been challenged to be.)

To see more, visit this link and start reading.

The $7 million text message

Wow. Another example of the power of social media has come in the reaction to the need for funds in the relief efforts following the Haiti earthquake: As of last night, the American Red Cross has received $7 million in donations via text message, with the word being spread via Twitter.

One of the companies that waived fees associated with donating via text message is Verizon. "These are donors who are typically the hardest to reach: young people," said Verizon Wireless spokesman Jeffrey Nelson.

Sounds like the Red Cross has just successfully tapped into that demographic that the UMC has had trouble reaching in recent decades... and the world is better for it. Church, take heed.

Mourning in online community

I didn't know Gideon Addington, a voice in the Emergent conversation, but several people I follow on Twitter did. Or, at least they knew him through his blog, his Twitter feed and his Facebook status updates. In his brief bio on those sites, he described himself as, "Proto-Seminarian. Progressive Christian. Pluralist. Episcopalian. Blogger. Would-be Monastic. Practical Mystic. Wearer of pants."

Gideon took his own life a week ago.

There was a funeral in Tulsa a few days back, but today his online friends are remembering him as they share prayers and reflections through #tworship. Several have published reflections on their own blogs. For those like me who are interested in the spiritual dynamics of online community surrounding the death of a community member, clicking around is worth some of your time.

My condolences to family and friends of this man who was obviously beloved, and to those who are mourning his valued voice, now silenced.

Got 30 minutes?

Earlier today I received an email from Jenny Smith of umcyoungclergy.com. This same website that hosted the 40 Days of Prayer effort earlier this year is now trying something on a more concentrated timeline.

On the evening of Thursday, December 17, from 9 to 9:30 Eastern time, the UMC Young Clergy group invites the wider church to "engage in 30 Minutes of Prayer for all who will encounter the Christmas message this season." They'll be using Scribble Live; the link in my previous sentence takes you to the event guidelines, and the link to the Scribble Live site itself.

For those praying along on Twitter, the hashtag is #pray30. You can also join the Facebook event page to stay connected.

Church of Facebook

I had a phone conversation yesterday with Jesse Rice, author of The Church of Facebook: How the Hyperconnected Are Redefining Community.

We talked about several aspects of the rise of social media, and he shared that part of the inspiration behind his title is that Facebook behavior can follow a pattern similar to church life: "It’s a gathering of people from all kinds of backgrounds and experiences, their own ideas of faith and spirituality, and they’re all coming together in this one environment to sort of figure themselves out, to figure out what is meaningful and what is true, and to be entertained and all these things."

Having thumbed through the review copy of the book before I talked with Jesse, I've now taken it home for a closer read. He's a worship leader with a degree in counseling psychology, so he's attentive to both the psychological and spiritual needs that people may be seeking to have met through social media.

We touched on that a bit in the phone chat, including the thought that in our desire to stay connected online, we might be losing other opportunities for connection right in front of us. I'm one of those people who has looked up and realized that I've been guilty of ignoring an entire room of in-person humanity because of the little communication gadget in my hand. I've also noticed how that mode is now standard operating procedure for many of us, and soon we'll have a big chunk of the adult population who grew up with it that way by default. I wonder what ramifications that will have in a few years.

Check out Jesse's blog if you're interested in more of his thoughts right now, and look for my Q&A with him in an upcoming issue of the Reporter.

John Wesley and Guinness Stout: the connection

I feel as though I should preface this revelation by citing Paragraph 162. III. L. of the 2008 Book of Discipline:

We affirm our long-standing support of abstinence from alcohol as a faithful witness to God’s liberating and redeeming love for persons. We support abstinence from the use of any illegal drugs. Since the use of illegal drugs, as well as illegal and problematic use of alcohol, is a major factor in crime, disease, death, and family dysfunction, we support educational programs as well as other prevention strategies encouraging abstinence from illegal drug use and, with regard to those who choose to consume alcoholic beverages, judicious use with deliberate and intentional restraint, with Scripture as a guide.

Okay, now that we're clear on that, here's the cool part: One of the many people who heard John Wesley preach was Arthur Guinness, founder of the brewery that bears his name. It seems that Wesley's perspective helped shape the young man's business practices. From a blog entry by USA Today columnist Stephen Mansfield:

This rising entrepreneur hears and allows Wesley's words to frame a vision for his fledgling company: a vision for producing wealth through brewing excellence and then for using that wealth to serve the downtrodden and the poor.

I just might have to raise a glass to Wesley and Guinness tonight.

(Hat tip: Jennifer Rodia, via Twitter)

Gone, but still networking

It's October. We're approaching All Saints' Day/Dia De Los Muertos, and there's a fake cemetery set up in my front yard. So it's no surprise that my mind wanders to the morbid side of things.

A tweet from the CEO of social media guide Mashable appeared earlier today to let folks know that Facebook has a process for "memorializing" accounts belonging the deceased. Several other social media sites have similar policies, but not all are so prepared.

I joined Facebook on the last day of 2008. For weeks afterward, a certain friend suggestion kept surfacing in my right-hand sidebar, one I couldn't act on. But I let it keep popping up; it felt wrong to just click the little "x" to make it disappear. A few weeks before I first logged into Facebook, that friend had died... but her account hadn't.

It's an issue that has cropped up over the last few years: What happens to the online accounts of someone who has died?

Something Special

I realized Tuesday night that something is growing in my house that I didn't know was there.  It's not in the kitchen sink or the laundry hamper, either.

This is my first time to contribute to the Reporter blog.  I'm one of the sales and marketing guys at UMR.  They usually don't give me the keys to the company car, so to speak.  My wife and I are both Elders in the North Texas Conference.  We are no strangers to callings, and our family is well-acquainted with ministry and things of the church.

Tuesday evening started as many in our house - chicken nuggets, waffle fries and homework - but our family routine was soon interrupted by an unveiling of our immediate connection to the work of God through the United Methodist Church.

After doling out dinner to our kids, I sat down in the study and logged on to our home computer to watch Hope 10_13, the live streaming of the Service of Commissioning for 40 new missionaries being sent to serve by the General Board of Global Ministries.  As I watched, my 8-year old daughter, Olivia, climbed in my lap and began to watch with me. 

Leadership Institute buzz

Folks attending the Church of the Resurrection Leadership Institute 2009 are sharing what's going on there. In addition, you can watch live streaming of the general sessions by visiting the link in the first sentence of this blog entry.

Steve Heyduck's recent blog entry is just one example of what attendees are saying. There are a variety of reports, thoughts and related ideas being shared out there. You can follow comments on Twitter, too, by searching for the #li2009 hashtag, which includes the substantive, whimsical and mundane all mixed together.

Twitter and spirituality

In our July 31 issue we have a campus minister's commentary reflecting on the three months she's been using Twitter. And today, we received a press release highlighting "25 reasons why Twitter is spiritual." (In case you're not familiar with it, Twitter is essentially micro-blogging: your limit is 140 characters per post.)

Well, it doesn't take much to convince @amforbus. The first item on the list got my attention:

1.) Twitter challenges us to pay attention to what we are doing, to stay awake and totally alert.

Just ask my friend and co-worker Andy James (currently on a mission trip with his eldest daughter, as you'll see from his recent tweets). Andy took some heat for his frequent tweeting at our Annual Conference gathering this year, but he will tell you that he has never listened more closely to a laity address or a bishop's word to the Conference than when he was using Twitter to summarize what was being said.

And have a look at this one:

3.) Twitter provides opportunities to connect with others around the world so we can sense how self and world are linked in ever-expanding circles.

Specifically, yesterday it helped me arrange this morning's breakfast tweetup with @andrewconard. He's in town for a leadership conference and we were able to catch up before he heads back to his home base, Church of the Resurrection, later today. I don't think I would've realized his proximity to our office if it hadn't been for Twitter.

Go ahead, read the whole list. (And if you're tweeting yourself, give @umreporter a follow.)

The new, hot UMC number: 6

As the site to which I'm linking states, the UMC has 1 mission (no mention of 2 anything), 3 simple rules, 4 areas of focus (folks in the newsroom are sick of the plural "foci"), 5 practices, and now 6 questions.

6 Questions for the United Methodist Church is a follow-up to the 40-day prayer campaign spearheaded by Jenny Smith, Ben Simpson and others who have become involved at www.umcyoungclergy.com. I received an invitation earlier this week and added a few questions to the list myself. One of the people I invited has asked me how this effort is different from any other conversation we've attempted in recent years. My answer? I don't really know how different it is, but I figure it's worth giving it a try.

So, if you're curious, go visit the site, and follow its link to the list of questions on Google Moderator, where you can add new ones and vote for those already posted. You can also follow the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #6qumc, and become a fan on Facebook. We'll see what comes of it when the push concludes on September 30.

Early Web action by Methodists

“A church with a home page? That’s totally awesome, dude. Go for it.”

That was a conversation from the 1980s recalled by popular blogger Gordon Atkinson in a post where he reflects on churches having an early Web presence. What a concept!

And he gives a shout out to Lorena United Methodist church near Waco, Texas, as being among the first in the Lone Star State to have a Web site.

Here's a link to his post: http://highcallingblogs.com/blog/covenant-stories-the-website/2384/

Annual Conferences filled with Tweets this year?

I am such a church nerd.

Many of the people I follow on Twitter are clergy and active UM laity. Several of them are in the Kansas West Annual Conference, which is meeting now -- one of the earlier meetings in the 2009 Annual Conference season. So, I'm far more aware of what's happening on the floor of the Kansas West gathering this year, without really trying to be. Some examples:

- Real-time reports on the discussion over proposed constitutional amendments (ballots are being tallied as I type);

- Andrew Conard is serving as a teller, and has even been instructed to report for duty via Twitter;

- Reports on the civil nature of discussion and debate, and how tension in the room seemed to lift as soon as constitutional amendment ballots were submitted;

- Mary Lou Reece, spouse of Bishop Scott Jones, apparently had some time at the microphone this morning, during which she elicited a "You're right, dear," from the Bishop and mentioned that his 55th birthday is tomorrow;

- Gifts to the Bishop from the youth included a firefighter-in-training shirt (a fire damaged the Conference office earlier this week);

- News that the Conference office should be fully functional again by June 8;

- Introductions of young clergy on the floor of Annual Conference;

And lots more info in real-time.  Follow it via the hashtag #kswumc.

I'm wondering: How will Twitter change the face of Annual Conferences all over the connection this year?

More Amendment videos

Several years ago, Thomas Friedman's book The World Is Flat made a big impact on the business world, and on some of us in the church, too. The flattening of the church has become more evident in the last couple of years, and most recently through new postings on YouTube.

Last week staff writer Bill Fentum, who did tons of research for his story on the UMC constitutional amendments up for ratification by this year's Annual Conferences, posted a blog entry linking to a few videos. Since then, I've become aware of a couple more, both made by clergy and geared toward Amendment One:

Jim Bankston of the Texas Conference introduces Bill Taylor and his son Dawson, who share their personal story (a rather uncomfortable one);

And Sam Powers of the Oklahoma Conference presents his stance on why we should ratify Amendment One.

They're both worth a viewing if you're still thinking about what your vote will be. There are others out there now, too (check the "Related Videos" sidebar at the links above), but these are the ones I have watched in their entirety.

Church is a Social Network. Now, put it online.

Fellow Methoblogger Andrew Conard pointed me to a post on the DisciplesWorld staff blog (DW is an independent magazine for the Disciples of Christ denomination): Three Things Every Church Member Should Know About Social Media.  United Methodists included, y'all.

Go. Read it.

Fellow Reporter staffer Ken Lowery and I led a social networking practicum at last week's UMR Communicators Conference, and what Will Boyd's writes in this post falls completely in line with the overarching message we hope we conveyed. I'll close with a quote from Mr. Boyd's blog entry, just in case you didn't already follow my instructions above:

After all, church is nothing more than an offline social network.  Churches connect us with God and with each other.  The relationships that are formed in church, much like the relationships formed via social media, do not stop at the church door.  They penetrate every aspect of our lives.  Social media is not about the technology…it’s about the relationships.  This is why the church is in such a good position to use social media.  Churches understand how to form relationships.  It’s just what they do.

So, go. Read it. If your church isn't already taking advantage of these tools, the post could start some conversations about how you might use them.

'New UM Hymnal' group on Facebook

I'd heard about it a while back, but today marked the first time I've visited the "New United Methodist Hymnal" group on Facebook (just search that phrase and it'll pop up).

A sampling of the discussion topics: Hymnal - Good; Hymnal - Not-So-Good; Tempo; Projection Version; New Hymnal and the Economy; Amens at the End of Hymns; Inclusive Language About God. 

I'm pretty sure that where two or three United Methodists are gathered, there will be at least four opinions.  But the cool thing about Facebook in this situation is that it levels the playing field a great deal more than was possible 20 years ago. Diverse opinions can be heard more easily. People who think a new hymnal is a waste of money have the power to say so, and to have upwards of 900 other people see their words. And those who can explain some of the rationale behind the decisions made for hymnals current and future can do that, too.

That said, I'm pretty sure I saw a comment on there from someone who got on Facebook just to ask if there was a way to participate in the discussion without being on Facebook. The short answer: no. True, we can't hear absolutely every voice through one medium. But I'm impressed to see the level of interaction that's taking place.

Going on toward technological perfection?

My buddy Guy Kent, aka Questing Parson, posted an interesting story last night.

He's got me wondering: How many full-time, non-retired pastors are behind his curve here? 

Twitter and the church

Much has already been said about how churches can -- and should -- use Twitter. So I won't say a whole lot more about it, except:

• It can simultaneously be a bane and blessing, as I've noted before.

• Twitter is where I've actually deepened some relationships, learned about deaths, pregnancies, new jobs... and yes, the fact that Andy was bored on Friday night, but the significant does outweigh the mundane.

• Fellow news staffer Ken Lowery and I will be leading a practicum on social media at next month's UMR Communicators Conference (registration deadline is Friday... come on, you know you want to come see us).

• If you haven't Googled "Twitter church" yet, do so, and see what you find. No, you don't have to go full-blown TwitterChurchy and display a Twitter feed during sermons, but you can at least dip your toe into the Twitter-stream and follow a few people.

Digital community overload

I left my regular level of computer access for a few days over the Christmas holiday. Even though it's happened before, I'm still amazed at how quickly things started to stack up in my various inboxes. I don't have everything totally cleaned out and caught up yet.

Then, to complicate matters, I broke down and joined Facebook on New Year's Eve -- and I'm glad I did it on a day off, as it was extremely time-consuming.

Is UM social media too little, too late?

When I attended my very first Igniting Ministry event as a church staff member in 2001, the Rev. Sammy Hargrove got up on the platform and announced with great energy, "I'm here to tell you that the United Methodist Church is on the cutting edge of 1968!" It was one of those classic it's-funny-'cause-it's-true moments.

So, how far have we come since then? Have we hit the '80s yet? Sometimes I wonder.

Here's a bit that a couple of fellow bloggers (including the co-author of the resource it promotes) have highlighted recently:

A discussion has ensued over at Gavin's post (confession: I weighed in rather snarkily as my after-hours blogging alter-ego) about how the denomination is doing with social media. The consensus: not well enough (even admitted by one of the Discipleship honchos in the comment thread). Gavin mentioned there's fear associated with reluctance to have free, or even user-generated, content out there to create buzz. So, does it really boil down to getting us to admit that we're just a denomination full of control freaks?

Tweets, or twits? Maybe both.

So I got myself a Twitter account this week. (Why not sooner, Ms. Digital Community Builder?  someone's asking. Answer: Leave me alone. Or sign up to follow me. Whichever.)

In some ways, it's basically volunteering yourself to be stalked. In other ways, it's an exercise in narcissism -- perhaps an even bigger one than blogging. I mean, why do Twitterers assume somebody cares what they're eating for dinner? Who needs to know that? Since I told my husband I'd jumped into it, he's asked several times about "the twits," even though he knows "tweet" is the preferred term. Yes, he does take full advantage of twit's multiple definitions.

But there is some substance there, even if only 140 characters at a time.