Spirituality & Social Media Presentation

This Saturday, I had the honor of co-leading a workshop on “Spirituality and Social Media” with Ms. Karmel Puzzuoli, the Bishop’s Assistant for Communications in the Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan.

Karmel invited me to be part of our Diocesan Leadership Days, an annual event for clergy, vestry members and anyone who wants to spend a Saturday growing as a Christian and leader. To my knowledge, this year marked the first time social media was included. (I think this has something to do with the fact that our new bishop, the Rt. Rev. Whayne Hougland, Jr., communicates through Facebook wonderfully.)

For the most part our congregations (including the one I serve) are still figuring out how to embrace Web 2.0. It was a blessing to share tips and reflect together on the sweeping changes that social media has brought to the landscape. It was also educational to realize that some churches in our diocese are still struggling to put together a basic website. There is certainly work to be done.

“He said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.’” (Matthew 9:37-38)

One thing I noticed immediately: people’s skill levels are all over the map when it comes to digital technology in general and social media in particular. At Leadership Days, the level of interest and capacity ran from “I’m not on Facebook because I don’t think it’s good for my soul” to “I’m live-Tweeting this workshop.” That’s a BIG range.

So, where do we go from here in helping the church acclimate to 21st century realities? Some ideas gleaned from a post-workshop Twitter conversation:

1. If you’re social media savvy, offer a helpdesk at church social hour or at diocesan leadership events to help people one-on-one.
2. When offering workshops on social media, invite people to write down their questions ahead of time so you can get a sense of the audience and their capacity level.
3. Offer workshops tailored to specific outcomes: “Facebook for Churches” or “Sharing in the Apostle’s Teaching and Fellowship Through Twitter.”
4. When leading workshops, ask people “What’s the one thing you need to learn today?” There’s so much to cover, this helps leaders address real questions and concerns.
5. Allow time for the shadow side of social media to be addressed. We didn’t think about this until too late when we prepared our workshop, and it’s the one thing I wish I could change. The week before we gave the workshop, I had two different pastoral visits with people who mentioned that going on Facebook made them depressed because they compared their lives with friends who had better dinners, healthier babies, more exciting vacations. Social media does come with a shadow side. It’s important to acknowledge that and support one another in setting wise boundaries for its use.

Ministry today includes social media, especially to reach emerging generations. This workshop could only begin to help the Episcopal Church in Western Michigan acclimate to the realities of life in the 21st century. I think we’ll need some kind of Social Media Savvy Society to work with church leaders going forward. I’d love to know what other churches and dioceses are doing to help the church acclimate to our digital age.

If you’re in Western Michigan, what do you think we should do next?

If you’re not, any advice for us here?