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.

David Hansen, St. John Prairie Hill, won a copy of The Word Made Fresh: Communicating Church and Faith Today by Meredith Gould.

Heather Hansen, SWT Synod/TLU, won Getting #Married: Using Social Media to Celebrate the Sacred by Meredith Gould.

Jerry Wirtly, First English, Victoria, wins a gift certificate to Kirik’s Custom Coffee!
Clayton Faulkner, Faith Bellaire, won Outspoken: Conversations on Church Communication.

Not pictured is Tim Lenz, Christ the King Houston. He won Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business by Eric Qualmann.

Headed back to Dallas in a few hours.  See everyone next year!

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.

Please stop by and let’s enjoy some refreshments and fellowship together. I’ll even provide the refreshments.

Questions? Feel free to shoot me a text at 512.415.3324 , email me: Christopher [at] faithgrowth.com or ask them in the comments.

Not sure what a tweetup is…

A tweetup is an event where twitter followers meet one another irl (in real life).

If you’re not on twitter, that’s ok. You are still welcome to stop by! You can bring all your social media ministry questions to the gathering, if you’d like.

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 communication’s strategies? I would love to hear your ideas. Please share in the comments.
 

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

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

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 believe that social media is just the catalyst for this transition and those of us in the church would be wise to be thinking beyond the tools of Social Media and the implications they have on social communication.

Consider this… The high school Class of 2011 was the last class to graduate that was born before the mass spread of the internet. In the last eighteen years we have become a digitally connected society.

All future generations will only become more digital. Many schools are already replacing printed text books with digital readers.  In a few short year this will be the norm for all students.

Soon your pocket book will be replaced with your smart phone. The need to carry cash or credit cards will be replaced by waving you phone by a terminal at a cash register.

Researchers have already developed LED contacts that enable you to place a screen directly on your eye.

So I say again social media is only the beginning of this digital transition in communication, and will have lasting impact on how all future generation communicate the Gospel.

As the church we not only need to be mastering the tools of social media to connect with and communicate with society, we also have to be studying how these transitions in communication will transform how we are community and how we exist as church.

I propose we will look extremely different as a body in just a short 20 years, but more on that in a future post.

Please share your thoughts on how shifting communication norms will change how we are church in the comments below.

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:

1. Opening reflection
2. Children’s time skit
3. Suggested scriptures w/ responsive songs
4. Sermon/teaching outline
5. Closing
6. 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.

On the first anniversary of Lily’s birth I would like to offer her prayer book as a resource to all who have lost children in stillbirth and miscarriage. These prayers have been most helpful to me and my family in the last year.

At the end of this post I have included a .pdf of Lily’s prayer book for download.

Lily René, may light perpetual shine upon you. +

Prayer Book for Lily René

For my niece , Lily René, and her parents, Ted and Kristina.

 

Psalm 145:18

Lord, you are near to those who call upon you, to all who call upon you faithfully.

 

Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where is my help to come?

My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved and he who watches over you will not fall asleep.

Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep; the Lord himself watches over you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand, so that the sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon at night.

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; it is he who shall keep you safe.

The Lord shall watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time fourth forevermore.

 

Prayer for Comfort

Lord god, Father of mercies and God of all comfort: We thank you for your care in this time of trial and sadness. Console and comfort these your servants with assurance of your tender compassion and unfailing love; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Psalm 130

Out of the depths have I called to you, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice; let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.

If you, Lord, were to note what is done amiss, O Lord, who could stand?

For there is forgiveness with you; therefore you shall be feared.

I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for him; in his word is my hope.

My soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.

O Israel, wait for the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy; with him there is plenteous redemption, and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins.

 

Prayer for the Grieving

Merciful God, comfort your servants whose hearts grieve, and grant that they may so love and serve you in this life that, together with this child, they may obtain the fullness of your promises in the world to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Romans 14:7-9

None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. If we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

 

Prayer for Entrusting Lily to God’s Care & Mercy

O God our Father, your beloved Son took children into his arms and blessed them. Give us grace, we pray, that we may entrust Lily to your never-failing care and love, and bring us all to your heavenly kingdom; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Lamentations 3:17-26

My soul is deprived of peace, I have forgotten what happiness is; I tell myself my future is lost, all that I hoped for from the Lord.

The thought of my homeless poverty is wormwood and gall; remembering it over and over leaves my soul downcast within me.

But I will call this to mind, as my reason to have hope: the favors of the Lord are not exhausted, his mercies are not spent; they are renewed each morning, so great is his faithfulness.

My portion is the Lord, says my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

Good is the Lord to one who waits for him, to the soul that seeks him; it is good to hope in silence for the saving help of the Lord.

 

Prayer for Lily’s Parents: Ted and Kristina

Compassionate God, soothe the hearts of Ted and Kristina, enlighten their faith, give hope to their hearts, and peace to their lives.

For those who trust in God, in the pain of sorrow there is consolation, in the face of despair there is hope, in the midst of death there is life. Lord, as Ted and Kristina mourn the death of Lily place them in your hands and grant them strength, healing, and love.

Lord, grant mercy to Ted and Kristina and comfort them with hope that one day they will live with you, with your Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever.

 

Psalm 23

Yahweh is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

In grassy meadows he lets me lie.

By tranquil streams he leads me to restore my spirit.

He guides me in paths of saving justice as befits his name.

Even were I to walk in the ravine as dark as death I should fear no danger, for you are at my side.

Your staff and your crook are there to soothe me.

You prepare a table for me under the eyes of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup brims over.

Kindness and faithful love pursue me every day of my life.

I make my home in the house of Yahweh for all time to come.

 

Prayer for God’s Presence

Out of the depths we cry to you, O loving God. Come near those whose hearts are torn with grief and sorrow, for you know and share our tears. Help us trust your care, so that even in the pain of losing Lily, we may be assured that we do not walk alone in the valley of the shadow of death; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

 

Romans 8:26-27

And as well as this, the Spirit too comes to help us in our weakness, for, when we do not know how to pray properly, then the Spirit personally makes our petitions for us in groans that cannot be put into words; and he who can see into all hearts knows what the Spirit means because the prayers that the Spirit makes for God’s holy people are always in accordance with the mind of God.

 

Prayer for Comfort through God’s Presence

Merciful God, your Spirit intercedes for us even when we do not know how to pray. Be present among us now, that we might commend Lily into your loving care and, by your presence, find comfort; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Savior.

 

St. Mark 10:14-16

“Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. In truth I tell you, anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Then he embraced them, laid his hands on them and gave them his blessing.

 

Prayer for Hope and God’s Love

Heavenly Father, your love for all children is strong and enduring. We were not able to know Lily as we hoped. Yet you knew her growing in Kristina’s womb, and she is not lost to you. In the midst of our sadness, we thank you that Lily is with you now, and with you forever.

 

St. John 1:1-5

In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word was God.

He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things came into being, not one thing came into being except through him.

What has come into being in him was life, life that was the light of men; and light shines in the darkness, and darkness could not overpower it.

 

Prayer for Commendation

Lily, Child of God, we entrust you to the arms of God’s Mercy.

Almighty God, who formed us all out of the dust of the earth, receive you in peace.

Christ, the Good Shepherd, enfold you with his tender care.

God the Holy Spirit, our Comforter, bear you to life in god’s new creation.

May you dwell forever in the paradise of God.

Amen.

 

Psalm 139 13-14

You created my inmost self, knit me together in my mother’s womb.

For so many marvels I thank you; a wonder am I, and all your works are wonders.

 

 

Almighty God,

Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit,

Bless you now and forever.

Amen.

Download Lily’s Prayer Book.

I curated this prayer book from  the following resources: Lutheran Book of Worship, Evangelical Lutheran Worship, The Book of Common Prayer, Shorter Book of Blessings, and Book of Common Worship.

My topic was Digital Natives: Raising the Facebook Generation.  The focus of my talk was on the current context in which we find ourselves sharing the faith with younger generations.

My thanks to the class and Andy Sahl for inviting me to speak.  They were most hospitable and an attentive audience.  I wish them many blessings in their ministry to, with, by and for young people. I promised that I would make slides and resources available - hence this post.

The internet and in particular social networks give us the ability to be producers of content not just consumers. These channels allow for communication from many to many as opposed to one to many like newspapers or television.

I presented some of Doug Pagitt’s work from his book, Church in the Inventive Age. I also talked about cognitive surplus from Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age by Clay Shirky.

I briefly talked about the website http://www.ushahidi.com/.  Great information about Ushahidi can be found in one of Clay Shirky’s Ted talks on YouTube.  This is a better explanation of the site than I was able to cover in my brief talk.

Below is my slide deck from Slide Share.  I hope you find this information beneficial. This is a topic that I enjoy conversing about, so comment below with your thoughts and ideas about the ministry landscape in light of the communication changes in civilization.

If you spin time fast enough, then time-past, time-present, and time-to-come all blend into a single timelessness or eternity, which is the essence of all times combined. …

Inhabitants of time that we are, we stand … with one foot in eternity. God, as Isaiah says (57:15) “inhabits eternity” but stands with one foot in time. The part of time where he stands most particularly is Christ, and thus in Christ we catch a glimpse of what eternity is all about, what God is all about, and what we ourselves are all about too.   ~Frederick Buechner

Our main goal at Faith Growth is to assist faith communities in developing the required digital media foundation to support their ministry. Social media is a key component of this foundation. We refer to using social media tools as doing ministry “Beyond the Building.” I have come across some information this week that is of interest, and I want to pass it along to you. These resources provide helpful suggestions for organizations regarding social media.  They are targeted to the business community, however, I feel there is a great deal that ministry organizations can glean from them as well.

1. Brian Solis has a great interview with Charlene Li author of Open Leadership.  The video is about 15 minutes and offers great insight into leadership in our current times.
2. CIK Marketing has a good piece titled, “Link Bait.” Churches produce a great deal of content.  I do not believe that the church needs to produce new content for digital media, but repackage what is already being produced for digital consumption.  This article gives 5 suggestions for types of content that is attractive to readers.
3. Amber Naslund shares, “4 Ways To Give Your Presentations Legs.”  Her article offers good tips for giving your offline presentations a life of their own in the online world.  Once again I reiterate that participating in the digital world is not about necessarily creating new content, but making it available in new ways.

I hope you find the resources helpful for your ministry.

Let me know what’s working for you as you engage ministry in a digital context in the comments below.

Disclosure: If you choose to purchase Charlene’s book from the link above Faith Growth receives a commission form Amazon.com.