Should a Church Blog and Tweet?

Many churches are out on the edge of technology these days, and in my opinion that is a good thing.  Culture is telling people that all kinds of things are available for them to use and enjoy, but many churches are still providing the same type of “services” as they were twenty years ago.  While blogging and services like Twitter may not be bleeding edge, they are still new to most people and will still be “new” for a long time as people pick up on them.  Young people, however, are already into blogging and tweeting, Facebook, MySpace, Ning and other social networks.  Churches are losing ground with a younger generation because they are trying to communicate to them the wrong way.

There are many benefits to ministry blogging that include immediate dispersion of the information, more open communication, a conversation with your blog readers, getting to know the author and commenters on a deeper level, high quality marketing and publicity for you and the church, and many more.

I think most churches  have good intentions.  They feel a burden to reach out to a younger generation, but maybe they just don’t get into worshipping with up tempo music or a fancy light show.  They like a piano and organ.  There’s definitely nothing wrong with that!  The research will bear out that most young adults don’t weigh worship style as highly as everyone thinks.  I mean, it seems like that is the obvioius reason for church growth. But in fact, a feeling of community, belonging to something greater than yourself, authenticity and service to the world are what young adults crave and are what draw young adults into any organization (including a church).

Lowering Barriers

So, back to blogging and social media for churches.  These exercises are important because they lower the barriers of entry for someone that may be considering coming to your church.  Some people have never met a stranger and don’t have any problems showing up to a new group or meeting for the first time and just getting involved.  I’m not like that.  I like to have a soft introduction into a new group.  The first day of school was always rough for me if I didn’t know anyone in the class.  I can’t imagine walking into a new church “blind” and having no idea what to expect.

How does blogging lower barriers?  A blog is a window into the church.  You can get a whole new view on the mind, thoughts and passions of a person by following their blog.  When blogging is done properly by a pastor and his staff then you get a wide angle view of the church as a whole.  You get the opportunity to have a constant flow of information from the church then just on Sunday mornings through the bulletin and announcements and the monthly newsletter.  I follow many pastors’ on their blogs and feel like I know them and know what is going on at their church.  I could almost feel like if I attended their church that weekend, it would be like I have been going there for months.

Twitter also gives you a picture into the lives of the staff.  While a blog allows the staff to take time to throughly communicate to you about what is going on in their lives, what they are hearing from God, what is happening at the church and so on, Twitter allows you to see what is going on in 140 character snipits of other people’s day.  Relationships and conversations are formed on Twitter in ways that can’t otherwise be done.

Stepping Outside the Box

Many churches already record their services on video or at least record the audio on CD or some other format.  This data can be used in the social media context to lower the barriers, give more people information about the church and style, and expand the reach and ministry of the church from just your local area to an unlimited reach on the internet.  YouTube, Itunes, Vimeo, Viddler and many other services will let you host video and audio of your services or portions of your services for free.  These videos can become “viral” and spread around the internet.

I hope this quick post gives you a taste of what you can do with blogging and social media and you see the benefits that blogs can have for businesses, ministries and churches if they are used correctly.  There are many reasons for using social media – even in the ministry context – and those reasons will direct the methods, technology, and ethics used in a successful strategy.