Twitter at church

Vertizontal has a post up about using Twitter at church. The usefulness of something like Twitter in a worship service might not be immediately apparent, but John describes the unexpected ways it proved worthwhile. The way his church went about it provides a nice model for experimenting with new technologies in worship services: they encouraged people to try using Twitter during a service, watched closely how it worked in practice, and then listened to positive and negative feedback about it. And doing all that gave the church lots of ideas about other ways to put Twitter to use in other (perhaps more suitable) parts of the church's ministry.

twitterI can see how Twitter might be really distracting during a sermon—but I'm also intrigued by the potential to read people's immediate responses to a message they're hearing.

Anybody else tried using Twitter in a church service? How'd it go?

If your church hasn't tried anything like this... could you see it benefiting the service at all? What use(s) might you find for Twitter in your church services or ministries?

Login to comment

IMPORTANT Did you have an account on the old ThinkChristian.net site? Click here transition your account. This will sync all your comments with your email address.

Comments (15)

I admit I have been tempted but it just seems wrong and unrespectful during a worship service, a conference maybe but definitely not a worship service. One may as well be talking on the phone or playing video games.
Let me push back a bit. If we use twitter or any other type of technology to engage more deeply is that still wrong? I'm wondering if it depends on the way we use it? The difference between playing video games, talking on the phone, making grocery lists, daydreaming or sleeping :), is that those activities distance us from the experience or task at hand, which is to focus, learn and reflect. While twitter can easily and often is used this way, couldn't it just as easily be used in more positive ways? Is it simply because it's more obvious? I watch someone writing on paper and assume they are taking notes but maybe they are making a grocery list. Strip away the technology and think about what its potential for greater engagement and learning might be?

Just thinking out loud.
I have used it in church a couple of times. Mostly to drop quotes from pastor's messsage. Most of my twitter followers would not be church goers and in some ways it serves to filter out ideas that may be intriguing for non-believers. I haven't really considered it much beyond that.
Dean, I think this is a great way to share the Word and allow others opportunities to follow along. I agree that at first blush it may seem rude and others in the congregation who might not get what you're doing could... stumble. To your point, it depends on how technologies are used and as long as it's not a distraction.
I would add that there are several folks nowadays with digital Bibles on their PDAs, so it's not too uncommon to see someone interacting with a handheld. My problem is that I don't get service in our building! :-(
I set up twitter as part of our Church information and prayer chain. The people set up to use it absolutely love it.
I think the church should try folk dancing so why not twittering.
At Internet Evangelism Day we have done a page on Twitter at InternetEvangelismDay.com/twit... and would love to hear of different ways that people have found Twitter useful in ministry and evangelism.

Blessings

Tony
Thanks for the mention, Andy. These have been great experiments for us at Westwinds.
What is Twitter and why does it deserve any particular attention at all? I mean, I'm sure its some wondrous new technology that all the people in the know are talking about, but I don't think I'll miss it, whatever it is, next time I walk into a church. I'm mildly disappointed at the churches who have gotten around to putting up video screens, because I really appreciated the fact that they didn't have any. Now I wouldn't think of going to church without my chess board. Allan would be very disappointed.
I don't have a track record to report on yet but I am going to give Twitter a try in a little more conventional way. I see it as a way for me, the pastor, to give a word of encouragement, pass on a great Scripture and relate to the congregation while at work, during the day, during the week.

Just started the account so haven't given anyone a chance to sign up yet but I envision it this way: It's a tough day at work. You get a text message and it is simply a passage - "What ever you do, do it with all your heart as unto the Lord."

Just a quick reminder but that passage will have 10x the power when it is "heard" at work - in the arena - rather than in the padded pew. (Yes, I confess, we still have pews.) I'll be giving it a shot and, if you are interested, I'll let you know how it works out.
Twitter is a great social networking tool. Being a christian is all about your relationship with God/Jesus, being apart of church is partly about being apart of a community that you can benefit from, whether it be support or whatever have you. (im not trying to start a flame war/ debat, so please handle with care) That being I think it is a great thing to see churches incorporating Web 2.0 (Social networking sites i.e. twitter.) into the church. The combing of different tools, (twitter, facebook, blogs, etc. etc.) can have a huge impact on the church as a whole.

Justin
- Check us out www.koinoniasolutions.com -
We use twitter every sunday at imagine fellowship (imaginefellowship.org). Tweets often consist of comments on the music (the band freakin' rocks). During the message, tweets reinforce the message points, and mostly end out being people preaching right along side of kevin (lead pastor). Some have said that twitter is distracting the first time they see it, and then they forget it's there. Our church is mostly twenty-somethings/thirty-somethings so everyone seems to be comfortable with multitasking in church. Most recently twitter has become the avenue for assimilating new people into our church.

See the latest in:

Promotion

promo 1 promo 2
promo 3 promo 4

Donate Now