Sunday’s New York Times covers the rising profile of Twitter, Facebook, and other social media, in organized religion. Challenges include setting rules and boundaries
In online debates and private discussions, leaders of all faiths have been weighing pros and cons and diagramming the boundaries of acceptable interactions: Should the congregation have a Facebook page, or should it be the imam’s or priest’s? Should there be limited access? Censoring? Is it appropriate for a clergy member to “friend” a minor?
… to feeling comfortable giving up some control of the message
“If total control is what you want, social media will frustrate you,” [Rev. Bill Reichart] said, reprising his advice to the clergy. “But the trade-off is the ability to hear and learn, reach out in new directions”… “The young don’t do e-mail anymore,” he said. “They do Facebook.”
And like any other institution, there’s a need to balance tradition with staying relevant.
“If someone chooses to interact with us mischievously, that’s fine,” said the Rev. Canon Anne Mallonee, the church vicar. “The opposite of engagement is not mischief, but apathy.”
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3 responses so far ↓
Brett // July 7, 2009 at 6:05 am |
What a money quote by Reichart!
Churches are made for social media. What a great way to bring congregations together and increase the conversation. Sure, lots of them are screwing it up as we all try to figure it out, but at least they’re trying.
Pastors, Churches and Social Media | MarketingInProgress.com // July 20, 2009 at 11:44 am |
[...] Bernstein’s post titled Religion Tackles Social Media featured a quote that we should all possibly print and post on our wall as a blunt reminder as to [...]
Anonymous Atheists, Christian Evangelists & Mosques in Second Life… Spam? | Thoughtpick Blog // August 27, 2009 at 5:33 am |
[...] The mating of religion and social media seems like a perfect match but is it? Let me extrapolate; Evangelists are always striving to save as many people as they can, why else would they go to the depth of the Amazon spending decades trying to convert some reclusive tribe. So tools that enable them to reach a wider audience would surely be of an interest to them. The internet is one of those tools, and social media is definitely where the people are at. So in recent years we have been seeing many examples of people of religion using social networks to further their cause, popular ministers such as Rick Warren and Joel Osteen have about 30,000 followers each. You can even find people as important as His Holiness on the web. [...]