I think it is a great question and it took me a few moments to process an answer for her.  Technology is rapidly changing the life of pastors. I see it impact my job more and more with every year that passes.  I would break it down into three primary areas:

1. Connectedness

For pastors, our job is people first.  I desire to connect with people so I can help them build a better relationship with God and with one another.  Today, that connection is not only established face to face but also digitally.  The average church in the United States is less than 100 people and if we truly want to reach others we have to communicate with them:

• - The average teenager sends 50-100 text messages per day (adults are rapidly adapting texting as a form of communication as well)
• - 75 billion text messages are sent every month
• - 22% of people say that a text is easier than a phone call
• - 50% of facebook users log in daily to use the social networking tool
• - The average facebook user has 130 friends
• - As a group people spend over 700 billion minutes per month on facebook

I could add twitter, skype, and blogging statistics, but I think you get the point.  Digital media and social networking tools are a part of relational connectedness with the world around you.  Plus, the younger you are the more you rely on it to maintain your friendships.  I’m in my late 30′s and I use facebook regularly to stay in touch with people around the world.

Now translate that into the local church and we’ve got something really powerful and important to add to the working life of a pastor.  When I first started serving at Hope Summit one of my first compliments was around my use of facebook.  A woman my first Sunday at church thanked me for my facebook usage! She said, “Frank, thanks so much for talking with us on facebook, we’ve been waiting for this!” It was neat to see how something so simple like facebook gave us an opportunity to know one another in a better way.

I’ve also noticed another interesting trend.  I ask every new person I meet at Hope Summit this question, “How’d you find us?” More than 50% tell me that they found us on the internet.  Churches can no longer ignore digital media and technology, it’s essential for ministry.

2. Efficiency

The second thing tech does to change my job as a pastor is it helps me accomplish more work in less time.

• - My laptop keeps me mobile and I can write sermons and research on the road, at home (if my boys 3 and 5 will let me!) or in the office.
• - If I have my smart phone I can pull up any Bible verse in an instant.
• - I can accomplish a Greek word study with the click of a mouse.
• - With bible software like Logos or Quickvserse I can research thousands of resources on any topic or scripture verse in seconds!

When writing a sermon I used to have 6-8 books opened on my desk, now I have 1 or two favorites along with 10-15 on my laptop.  It actually makes me a better preacher.  Why wouldn’t you want the ability to use more resources for better research in less time?

3. Relevance

Not only is technology helping us connect and save time but it is also becoming more and more affordable.  That means even smaller congregations can access these tools at little or no cost.  Laptops are now less than $300.00 and you can pick up an average projector for less than a thousand.

With simple tools like screens and projectors we can more effectively:

• - Show video clips for sermon illustrations
• - Let the church see something that happened instead of telling them
• - Utilize PowerPoint to make our sermons easier to follow
• - Keep the church informed and up to date using text alerts
• - Use a combination of mobile and visual tech all at once with companies like jarbyco and engage the congregation in creative was like a live poll via text messaging.

Those are a few of my thoughts on the topic, and my conversation with Laura was great! Technology and media on a Sunday morning not only saves us time but it also makes a better presentation and helps us connect to a younger crowd that most churches need to do a better job reaching.

Click here to read Laura’s article from the Rocky Mount Telegram.

Create A Facebook Group

What’s great about facebook is that it is growing exponentially right now.  It is something that many people are already using in their daily routine to reconnect with old friends and stay connecting in current relationships.  If we can take advantage of social tools that people are already using in daily life, it only makes sense that we will have more success.  What’s great about creating a facbook group is it allows people to communicate to the entire group quickly, share photos from group activities, and even have discussions about what was shared at group that night.  Another convenient thing the facebook group can be utilized for is keeping a continuous prayer list.

Create A Group Twitter Profile

If you use twitter already you understand the networking value in a text message.  Since you may not want to bother all of your followers on twitter with details from your small group, I would suggest creating a separate twitter profile for your group.  Then have all your group members set up a twitter account.  Depending on their web skills you may have to help them with this task during a group meeting, but don’t forget to set them up as mobile users and to set your group profile “device updates.” This way when you update the twitter status it will hit their mobile phone as a text message.  Why is this helpful for a small group?  Here is a quick list of reasons:

• -Reminders to prepare or do homework from group that night
• -Last minute change of meeting location
• -Cancelation of your group due to weather or unforeseen circumstances
• -Messages of encouragement through the week
• -Reminder of daily bible reading that will be discussed on group night
• -Prayer requests through the week
• -Have some fun

Try Tokbox or Skype

What we thought was science fiction 20 or more years ago is reality today.  I can have a real-time conversation over the web with my brother in Hawaii and actually see him, hear him, and hold a great conversation on my computer in the comfort of my home.  Skype and other online video tools are allowing people to maintain long distance relationships like never before.  How can this enhance group life?  If you have a group member that has to travel out of town, but they don’t want to miss out on a great discussion, set up a laptop in the room and let them participate using the web!!! Or with other great tools like Tokbox, you can actually hold your entire group on the web, plus see and hear every person at the same time.  Sharing life experiences, reading the bible, asking engaging questions, and praying together can all be done via video conferencing online.  I must admit that I do prefer an “in person” group experience but these things can be done on the web and actually lead to a worthwhile experience.  If you’ve not tried something like this yet I’d encourage you to give it chance and have some fun with some friends as an experiment. 

If you’ve found some other forms of social media useful please share in the comments below.

And if you would like to connect with me using social media you can find my points of contact by CLICKING HERE

For more great info on small groups you’ll want to check out my blog at Small Group Help – http://www.smallgrouphelp.com/Blog/

1 - Take Social Media Seriously – People that have gone far with social media and made a significant impact or useful for their effort are constantly connected.  Updating and using these social tools daily.  Some even consider it a major function of their full time job or an important part of their personal daily routine.  If you don’t take it seriously and invest the necessary time, you probably wont find using it rewarding or very effective to draw attention to your cause.

2 – Promote Others More Than Yourself – Some jump into social media to simply use it as a bull horn to self promote.  They completely forget about the SOCIAL in social media.  Unless you are a celebrity you wont get very far without this principle.  One great benefit to engaging in social media is new relationships.  If all you do is constantly self promote people will catch on and other leaders that have potential to help you spread your message are more likely to ignore you.

3 – Be Real – Life isn’t always bad and life isn’t always good.  If you are authentic on social media people will take notice.  Obviously you don’t want to be too transparent especially if you are in the public eye and constantly under a microscope.  However, it is important for people to get a glimpse into your life, your emotions, and your passions.  Let others celebrate your wins and mourn your losses with you.

4 - Say Thank You- Be appreciative of what others do for you.  When people RT on twitter, share things on facebook, encourage you with a quick note on your wall, promo your stuff, or mention you or what you do… thank them!  Don’t take it for granted because when people see that it is meaningful for you, it will be even more meaningful for them and they are likely to repeat the behavior.  People want to see that you care and a simple thank you can take you far.

5 - Keep It Simple – You don’t need to be a tech wizard or to buy fancy software to successfully engage others using social media.  Some handle millions of followers on twitter simply with the web interface and others communicate with thousands on facebook using only their cell phone.  If you are just getting started I’d recommend picking only one platform and doing it well before branching out onto others.  For churches, facebook is a great place to start.

If you need help with getting your church started click here to contact me.

1. Sermon Prep / Current events

To remain culturally relevant when we preach it requires we stay up to date on what is happening in our world on all fronts.  Staying in touch with what is going on locally, regionally, and internationally impacts the people God has us serving.  To serve them better in our preaching means we must stay current.  Twitter can help us do just that by keeping us up to date on things that impact our congregations.  To do this I specifically follow two twitter feeds:

1. One – http://twitter.com/cbs3 for local Philadelphia regional news
2. Two – http://twitter.com/cnnbrk for a broader everything news source

2. Connection Point to a Different Crowd

As pastors in ministry, we naturally connect with certain people in our churches through specific activities.  We’ll connect with athletes through a softball team or by watching football, neighbors through working in our yard, and more than likely there are some techies or socially savvy people in your church already using twitter.

3. Think Differently

Trying new things stretches our thinking. Twitter is definitely different.  The limitations on the length of your posts force you to be precise and change your communication style, at least on this medium.  Let’s face it, most of us that preach and teach usually have too much to say and we could all benefit from some boundaries!

4. Fast and Easy

Twitter really requires little time investment.  Especially because you can use it via your cell phone on the go.  There are also lots of other tools to use to make twitter fun and even easier.  Here is a post I wrote a while ago about some tools to make twitter easier – CLICK HERE.

5. New Relationships

This is probably one of the best reasons to use twitter.  Lets face it, ministry is hard, and at times can be really lonely.  What many of pastors forget is that we are not alone and there is no reason to try to work through these challenges without the help of others.  Many people have been where you are, right now, in ministry today.  Using these great social media tools we have the opportunity to make connections with other pastors and subject matter experts for advice and encouragement.  CLICK HERE to connect with me on twitter!

One of my good twitter friends, Marybeth Stockdale, recently posted a basic instructional video to help you set up a twitter account.  You can check that out by clicking here.

 If you are passionate about ministry and are looking to connect with others on twitter, leave a link below in the comment section to your twitter profile page.  I’d love to connect and others that visit this post will have an opportunity to connect with you too.

Other Related Posts:

Is Social Media A Fad?
Chasing Twitter Followers
Tools To Make Twitter Easier

- If 96% of Gen-Y has joined a social network… social media is not a fad.

- If social media has kicked pornography out as the #1 activity on the web… social media is not a fad

- If facebook added more than 100 million users in 9 months… social media is not a fad.

- If 80% of companies are using Linkedin to find employees… social media is not a fad.

Watch the video below for more great statistics on social media:

The truth is that you probably shouldn’t be chasing after twitter followers.  What you should go after are meaningful relationships that can result from twitter.  What is it that you have a need for, and what is it that you can contribute?

Here is an example, about a week ago a pastor out in California asked for some advice about launching a second worship service at his church.  He asked a bunch questions on twitter, and through that social media tool we connected.  We then connected further through facebook, and a few days later ended up in an hour long phone conversation about the benefits and challenges of multiple worship services.  Had it not been for social media, my new friend might still be stressing over decisions he faces, feeling alone. 

It’s not the number of facebook friends, or twitter followers that you have that matters, its how meaningful the connections are that counts!

If you like to connect with me online here are my links – FACEBOOK – TWITTER

Tweetdeck – by far my favorite twitter tool for my PC.  It allows me to group the people I follow to make things so much easier.  As you can see in the picture below, I set up 5 columns:

1. Must Read – these are people I want to follow closely and do my best to catch everything they write.  For me, this group includes ministry leaders, key people in technology, close friends, family, and our church staff.
2. All Friends – this is a column with everyone I follow on twitter.  I do look at this column but I don’t read everything.
3. Direct Messages – twitter is basically a public conversation… However, you can send private messages and this column keeps me up to date on those messages.
4. Mentions – Anytime people mention you on twitter it hits this column.  On twitter when you use someones username like, @chiapperino, they are certain to see it and it makes it easy to maintain a conversation.  Just remember it’s still public!
5. Twitscoop – This column is a function that tweetdeck has built in to let you know trending topics on the public timeline.  It displays key words to let you know what people are talking about.  To give you an example, this is how I found out Farve was playing football again!

Twitterfeed – Do you blog?  If so, this is an easy way to have you blog posts hit your twitter account automatically letting others that follow you on twitter know you have posted something new on your page.

Ubertwitter – a great application for the blackberry that makes it quick and easy to stay in touch with friends on twitter and send tweets!

Twubble- trying to figure out who you should be following on twitter?  Twubble tries to “help you expand your twitter bubble.”  By giving twubble access to your twitter account it looks through your friends on twitter and looks at who they follow to give you suggestions.  Great tool that you may want to give a try…

WeFollow- On online directory of twitter users.  If you are on twitter you should register here and it is also another place to find people that have similar interests, careers, or hobbies.

If there any twitter apps that you find helpful please share them below and fill me in!

Click here to follow me on twitter.

Click here for more great posts like this one on TechPastor.net

Your church should be on facebook. Plain and simple. Just in 2009 facebook has grown 276% in users aging from 35-54 (reported here) so you can’t ignore this communication tool.

1. Effective Communication – People are already using it. One challenge that we constantly face in ministry is the competition for people’s attention.  I think it is hard for those on the receiving end to weed through the daily information overload and actually figure out what is important.  Instead of sending people more snail mail and e-mail to sort through why not use a tool they are already using to aid in the communication process.  With more and more people connecting on facebook it is an easy way for churches to stay in touch with our congregation and the community.

2. Share Photos – People love to see pictures of something they were a part of, plus great pictures can be a tool for people to show their friends how much fun a church can be!

3. Share Video – Facebook makes video so easy.  Not only can you quickly record off your pc camera to share a video message on facebook but you can also embed links to great tools like Vimeo and YouTube.  We currently use Vimeo since our messages are now in HD and YouTube limits your video to 10 minutes in length.

4. Connection Point – Church websites are great, but lets face it, a church website is a one way conversation.    When people visit your fan page on facebook they can see regular people, just like them, posting thoughts, sharing photos, and interacting with one another. It also is such a great way to see when someone is in need.  Since people will often respond quicker in facebook then email, it is a great way to get the word out when someone needs help, prayer or encouragement.  Jesus did a great job of meeting broken people right where they lived.  Facebook and other social media platforms are where people now communicate and share life.  The church should be there.

5. Easy Invitation - Since facebook makes it so easy for a conversation in an online environment, it can also be a great way for your people to invite others to church. When new people see your church on facebook and begin using your fanpage as a “connection point” it can really make the unfamiliar seem more familar, thus helping people muster up the courage to visit on a Sunday.

6. Staff Visibility – As churches grow larger, it can be challenging for the average person that attends church to know who does what on your staff.  Encouraging your church staff and key leaders to use facebook and interact with the church page can be a great way for people to learn about your team and other serving opportunities in your church.

7. Its Fun – If you make the choice to have fun with it, you can have a great time on facebook.  Even if you had an ugly past and don’t want to re-connect with people from your past you can still have fun using facebook to deepen relationships in the present!

8. Celebrate Success – Sometimes in ministry I feel like we spend so much time focusing on areas we need to improve, that we forget to celebrate what we’re doing right.  When interacting on facebook, you can see first hand the impact that a worship service or event has had on others.  You actually end up with a documented timeline of events after you’ve been at it a while, which makes it easy to remember and reference the good times!

9. Rally The Troops – After you’ve got a good following, facebook can be an easy way to communicate a need quickly.  Since many check the website at least once per day, or some even through their cell phones, so you can get quite a quick response.  Sometimes even in just a few minutes!

10. ITS FREE – Oh… did I say its free?  Yep, you can do facebook for free, just like the people that already use it in your church… so what are you waiting for?

All you need to do is first set up your own facebook account, if you don’t already have one… then click here to create your own fan page!

Read other great articles like this one on my TechPastor website.

If you can think of some other good reasons share them below or I’d love to connect with you onfacebook or twitter!

Other releated posts:

• Merging Social Media and Minsitry
• Twitter – Should You Try It?
• Five Reasons Pastors Should Use Twitter
• Social Networking For Small Groups