social media & the church, urc july 2014

SOCIAL MEDIA & THE CHURCHDr Bex Lewis

Research Fellow in Social Media and Online Learning, CODEC, St John’s, Durham University

Director, Digital Fingerprint

Let’s “tweet” each other… “Let’s Tweet Each Other”

SOCIAL Media

Image Credit: Purchased Stockfresh

Social Media: More than the cherry on the cake!

Image Credit: The Worship Cloud

http://youtu.be/zxpa4dNVd3c

Networks of Networks

Evangelism in a Digital Age

Image Credit: The Worship Cloud

What does this mean for us?

A Disciple is one who, by following Jesus, grows in their faith in Christ and in so doing models and teaches Christians the precepts of the Bible, prayer, doctrine, relationship, Christian living, service, and worship, to name the main ones.http://www.discipleshiptools.org/pages.asp?pageid=65405

@bigbible #digidisciple

Carl Medearis

Relax, enjoy your friends. Enjoy their company along with the company of Jesus. Point him out, freely, without fear or intimidation. You’re not responsible to sell him to them. You’re simply saying what you’ve seen. You're not the judge. You’re the witness.

How do you feel about these?

Cris Rogers

We need to spend time in his presence and then we will have something to say.

Toolbox

http://www.maylor.net/2013/08/25/social-media-explained-for-churches

Twitter in MinistryIf you don’t know how to use Twitter, check https://

support.twitter.com/articles/215585

Twitter Spokesperson:

“Twitter brings you closer to the things you are passionate about - and for millions of people across the globe that is faith.”http://news.sky.com/story/1022800/senior-bishops-to-tweet-christmas-sermons

Sermon Soundbites

http://bigbible.org.uk/2013/03/looking-for-an-opportunity-changingworship/

http://anglicanmemes.com/2013/03/25/the-church-of-england-goes-to-hollywood-the-best-of-churchofenglandfilms/

https://twitter.com/biblesummary

https://twitter.com/Natwivity

Facebook in Ministry

If you don’t know how to use Facebook, check https://www.facebook.com/help/345121355559712/

Personal Profile

Sharing Settings

Pages

https://www.facebook.com/DigitalBible/info

Page Rules

Reach?

Groups

Events

Blogging in Ministry

If you want to know how to use Wordpress, try http://www.slideshare.net/drbexl/2013-decblogging-with-word-press-for-

digidisciple

Pinterest in Ministry

If you don’t know how to use Pinterest, check http://help.pinterest.com/en/articles

http://www.pinterest.com/kristoff88/youth-work-ideas/

Instagram in Ministry

If you don’t know how to use Instagram, check https://help.instagram.com/

http://instagram.com/stevefogg

http://www.stevefogg.com/2013/11/28/instagram-video-church/

YouTube in Ministry

If you don’t know how to use YouTube, check https://support.google.com/youtube/?

hl=en-GB#topic=4489102

Simple ideas for Video:

•Think of the STORIES you have to tell, and how you might tell them –• Events: Before/After• Sermons: Quick Overviews/Responses

• People & Their Lives• What can you “How To”?

Create Playlists

http://youtu.be/FpmM02IE6oI

Multiple Voices

http://www.youtube.com/user/lansdownebaptist/featured

Livestream

Considerations for Youth

Permissions/Consent

• Parent’s permission before contact

• Consent for use of photographs• Catchall statement for registration

forms – assumes opt-in unless opt-out.

Ref: Paul Windo, Urban Saints

Language

• Use clear, unambiguous language, avoiding abbreviations that can be mis-interpreted.

• Take care with sign-offs

Ref: Paul Windo, Urban Saints

Accountability

• Leaders/Young People develop agreed ‘Internet Guidelines’

• Line manager // access to social media accounts

• Second leader ‘in the room’• Save messages/disclosures for use

later if required.

Ref: Paul Windo, Urban Saints

Confidentiality

• Be prepared for ‘deeper’ disclosures

• Be clear on how much advice/source you can give.

• Add a disclaimer on how you might need to share their information.

Ref: Paul Windo, Urban Saints

Boundaries

• Work-specific device? • Don’t keep images of young people on personal devices

• Define curfewsRef: Paul Windo, Urban Saints

Ethics, Morals & Values

Image Credit: The Worship Cloud

Image Sources, e.g. • FREE• http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons• http://www.sxc.hu• http://rgbstock.com• http://www.freebibleimages.org • PAID• http://theworshipcloud.com (Christian)• http://stockfresh.com/ • http://iStockPhoto.com • See: http://bigbible.org.uk/about/policies/image-policy/ for more

Image Credit: Stockfresh

Human Beings at machines, not “are machines”

Image Source: Stockfresh

Who might read it?

•God•Parents•‘The kids’•The newspaper•Your worst enemy

Image Credit: Stockfresh

H.A.L.T.

If you are Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired, step away from the keyboard/keypad and deal with that issue first. http://redcatco.com/communication/stop-posting-social-media/

@BenjaminEllis

Think of the Consequences

It seems obvious, but sometimes that anger isn’t apparent until we see the hurt reaction from our unintended victims, and by that point the damage is done, with the evidence there for all to see. And no, deleting the tweets later doesn’t help (hello Kanye West). At best you are going to end up looking a bit silly.http://redcatco.com/communication/stop-posting-social-media/

@BenjaminEllis

What does it mean to share with grace, care and love?

http://bigbible.org.uk/2012/10/evangelism-through-story/

Image Credit: Andrew Flynn

Image Source: iStockphoto