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Facebook just celebrated its 6th birthday last week. At that time, it announced it had 400 million users. It doubled its user base in the last year. In terms of sheer magntitude, this kind of change in social practice is unprecedented in human history. Facebook  is currently is growing at 21 million new users a month.

During the month of February (or what is left of it), I want to explore the impact Facebook has on the future of the church. I will be posting ideas and hosting discussions related to Facebook and its impact on day-to-day church practice. Some of the questions I would like to explore: ought churches to ignore, engage, or celebrate Facebook? Do you think faith communities need to have a presence on Facebook, why or why not?

I will look at examples of churches that engage Facebook, either by having a wonderful page, or… (not). I will also be examining both individual congregations and denominational Facebook pages as well. If you would like me to evaluate your church’s Facebook page, in light of our discussions, I would be happy to analyze it and feature it on this site.

As I’ve mentioned before, I am currently on sabbatical. During the sabbatical, one of my research projects involves looking at faith communities and their interaction with social media. I would like to share some of my findings with you as they arise — to think out loud through this website — hopefully to stimulate  conversation about the church and social media. My hope, through this February discussion, is that our mutual understanding of the church’s mission in a Facebook world grows deeper.

So, in this first post  — what are your initial thoughts about Facebook and churches? Concerns? Passions? What ideas ought we to explore here for the month?

When I hear of ambitious church planting strategies in the West, mainline denominations are not the first to come to mind (Fresh Expressions within the Anglican Church in the UK serving as the main exception). Happily, this week, I heard of another exception to the rule.

I had lunch with Jim Milley, Outreach and Equipping Pastor at La Canada Presbyterian (PCUSA). Jim is creating a network with the vision to plant 100 churches in the Los Angeles area and 1000 churches on the West Coast. A Fuller grad with mission experience in Africa, he thinks missionally about new expressions of church in the US. Instead of strategizing about ways to bring people back to traditional Presbyterian churches, Jim hopes to see new expressions of church created in the many cultures of LA and the West Coast.

If you are interested in planting churches on the West Coast or interested in talking to Jim further, he is gathering leaders together on February 14 for a first meeting. You can contact Jim at jmilley (at) network1000 (dot) org.

Credit: USA Today

In one of the most anticipated announcements in tech-world memory, Steve Jobs introduced the Apple iPad yesterday. Some have called it a game changer, while others have looked at it as simply a large itouch. Still others have suggested we wait until iPad 2.0, where we will possibly get a camera, multitasking, and annotation with ibooks. Regardless of the perspective, the online world was abuzz with what the iPad might mean for particular spheres of cultural practice. Against my better judgement, I thought I would weigh in on some possibilities the iPad might afford or limit in regard to the church.

What will the impact of the iPad be on church practice? My focus is not so much on how the iPad will impact Christians — I suspect that it will impact individual Christians not so differently from their religious and non-religious  counterparts. My question is how will it impact Christians when “two or three gather in Jesus name”, either online or offline. What will be the impact when Christians congregate?

Christians gather in a myriad of ways, whether that be in worship services in physical locations, in online experiences such as in SecondLife, or in Internet campuses that mix offline and online characteristics, to name a few. Christians also meet to pray, in small groups (as small as two or three) or in large groups; they sometimes gather physically together, sometimes on the phone, and sometimes through tweets or text messages. Christians meet to study God’s word, often in church buildings, homes, or in online discussion groups. Christians meet simply to connect and grow deeper in relationship, and this happens both physically and virtually. Finally, Christians also perform mission and witness together, through serving others in their local community, globally, or in online environments.

Steve Jobs introduced the iPad as a bridge between the smart phone and the laptop — seeking to meet (create?) a need that can’t be met in either iPod touch or the MacBook environments. Given that focus, what church practices cited above might be changed with the introduction of the iPad, practices that couldn’t be addressed with either the iPod touch (mobile device) or the MacBook (heavy-duty computing device)?

I see smart phones continuing to facilitate the connections of many Christians on a daily basis. People will update their Facebook status or provide tweets to their followers; they might ask for prayer or encourage one another through texting. I see Christian teachers and worship leaders using laptops or iPhones to present their messages to either their Bible studies or congregations. In mission, I see Christians using both iPhones and computers to communicate their message and serve those outside their communities. So, if both offline and online communities have the technology they need to gather in Jesus’ name, both online and off, where is there space for the iPad to have an impact on church life?

I believe the greatest impact the iPad (1.0) will have on church practice is in the role the Bible plays in the church community. For many Christians, bringing their Bible to a church service and following along with the preacher is a staple of church practice. A few have replaced this practice with following along on a mobile device with Bible software. However, these mobile devices do not have the screen size to sustain long term reading. It is still much easier to read a physical Bible. On the other end of the spectrum, bringing a laptop to church is a bit distracting to others in the pews! Here is where the iPad may have its greatest impact for Christian gatherings: Christians bring their iPad to church meetings where it serves as their Bible reader.

Not only do I see e-readers like the iPad replacing traditional Bible reading in churches, but in Bible reading for individuals as well. With each new version of Bible software on the iPad (and there are many iPhone app versions ready to go), the tools and the resources will make Bible reading on an e-reader an even greater learning opportunity (using sound, image, video, etc). Down the road, congregants will bring their Bibles, chock-full of resources, notes, and conversations, to the church service or Bible study for further exploration, all on a unit that is one half-inch thick and weighing 1 1/2 pounds. They will also take notes on the sermon with the unit as well. Many see the main significance of the iPad as an e-reader; at this point in its evolution I would agree, and in looking at church practice, it is the public reading of the Bible where the iPad will have its greatest impact.

In the longer term, I would see the iPad’s impact on churches will result in greater participation by congregants in the church services themselves. This greater level of participation is related to the large scale movement in the culture towards the creation and sharing of Web 2.0 media. The iPad is a media-consuming device, a device that can be easily shared with others. Ultimately it will have a democratizing effect on groups — serving to move groups towards more participatory frameworks and knowledge sharing. It is conceivable that the iPad may facilitate the possibility for more varied contributions in Christian gatherings, as individuals share their media-rich gifts with others. However, for many communities this is not yet on the horizon and the more immediate changes will involve the role of the Bible in the church community.

Well, these are some of my first impressions of the impact on church life by the iPad.  There is much more that can be said, of course. For one, I have not explored the socio-economic implications of the congregational use of the iPad, e.g. if we determine as a community that the iPad is a good, how do we guarantee everyone in the congregation access, etc. Also, the fact that in many parts of the world the iPad is a distant dream because of its sheer cost. These questions will be for a later day or someone else to add to the conversation.

What do you think might be some of the biggest changes on church life initiated by the iPad?

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Add 2/2/2010 — if I see other websites with ideas, I’ll add trackbacks…

http://www.hostmedic.com/admin/uncategorized/ipads-place-in-ministry/

From the Vatican yesterday, the Pope announced the topic of his talk for World Communications Day on May 16, 2010. His talk, titled “The Priest and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World: New Media at the Service of the Word” will discuss the role of the Christian leader in social media. The specific focus of the talk will be on digital social media — given the growth of new forms of media in the last few years. A few takeaways for me:

Web 2.0 Ministry — A Priestly Calling
The Pope states that priests have as their duty to proclaim Jesus Christ, and because the church is the sign and instrument of communion with God, each priest must build up this communion. How? By responding as pastors, preaching the gospel within new forms of social media. The Pope quotes Paul in Corinthians, ““Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel” (1 Cor 9:16). He clarifies that the message of Christ is a contemporary one – it is not a relic from the past but speaks to us now, “God is near”.

Web 2.0 Ministry Requirements
The Pope establishes the priority for the web priest: first a priestly heart (closeness to Christ), then media savvy. Fruitfulness in ministry comes from Christ himself — formed by in prayer. This encounter provides a  “soul” to their outreach.

The Pope cites the importance of those ministering on the Internet. “Consecrated men and women working in the media have a special responsibility for opening the door to new forms of encounter, maintaining the quality of human interaction, and showing concern for individuals and their genuine spiritual needs.” He goes on to say that these ministers have three tasks: to help others sense the Lord’s presence, grow in hope, and draw closer to the Word of God. He makes it clear that there is no secular space — that even on the web, “the Lord can walk the streets of our cities.”

Web 2.0 Ministry Location
The Pope clarifies he is not simply talking about having a web presence (Web 1.0). Instead, priests are to be faithful witnesses, leading communities of “different voices” on the web. They are to use “images, videos, animated features, blogs, websites” to open up “new vistas for dialogue, evangelization and catechesis”. To what end? So that people will understand the life of the church and “discover the face of Christ.”

The church is called to offer a “diaconia of culture” within the digital world. We must prepare ways for people who seek to encounter the Word of God. The web offers a space for those of all religions and those searching for truth to encounter a sensitive pastoral presence from the church. It is here where the Christian may “embody the universality of the Church’s mission, to build a vast and real fellowship, and to testify in today’s world to the new life which comes from hearing the Gospel of Jesus”.

I’m impressed by the integration between theology and social media demonstrated in the Pope’s announcement. We do not see web ministry listed here as a second-rate ministry calling. We do not see the fear-mongering and warnings that the Internet is a scary place to dwell for Christians. We do not hear the message that because this technology mediates our presence on the web, we cannot mediate Christ’s presence in a significant way.  What we do see is a request for ministers to remain close to Christ so that the church might mediate Christ to others, as the people of God. We do see the church creating a space, a real space, on the web to serve others in humility.

The Pope finishes with an exhortation that speaks to me and hopefully to you, “I renew the invitation to make astute use of the unique possibilities offered by modern communications. May the Lord make all of you enthusiastic heralds of the Gospel in the new “agorà” which the current media are opening up.” Amen.

Hi — Just a note to say the fast is over — I’m on sabbatical now and I’ll have some time to post current thoughts on all things church –

Social Justice, Compassion, Elimination of Torture, Reduction of Abortions

Billy Graham, a peerless communicator and the public face of evangelicalism for over sixty years, turns 90 today. Happy Birthday, Billy! Here are two entertaining videos that reveal his sincere and engaged interaction with those of other traditions…in this case, Woody Allen. 

Here is the first…

Here is the second…

My friend asked this in a previous post of mine. My answer? Well, Jesus didn’t live in a democracy, so that wasn’t a real option for him. I don’t think we can argue about voting in the abstract — is voting always a good thing or a bad thing? We need to ask what voting is doing in a particular context, whether voting is liberating or oppressing for those who live in that particular context. We will need to reason from the way of life Jesus lived in Palestine.

Jesus was about creating a community of the outcasts and marginalized and giving them a voice — transforming them from objects of God’s wrath to subjects in God’s kingdom. The ‘rule of Paul’ as some call it, was the idea that everyone got a voice when Christians got together. They didn’t know who the Holy Spirit might speak through, so, even those who were considered less important, had a voice at the gathering.

We need to ask, for a particular context and time, is voting a liberating or an oppressive activity? Was voting a Jesus-like activity in South Africa when blacks voted for the first time in 1994? I would say it was. Is voting a Jesus-like thing when a one-party government has 99% support? Probably not — voting would reinforce the illusion of support that those in power hold. 

So, the question must be asked — is this a time to vote, is it a liberating activity for those in our country or or not? Does this election offer a means by which those who have been shut out and lack a real role in the political process receive their voice?  I think for many in the country, voting in this election represents a turning of the tide. I believe we have, in this election, an opportunity to elect a person who represents voices that have rarely been heard, at this level, in the political process. Giving a voice to the voiceless is something Christians need to rally around. And back up with a vote. Today.

I created a slide (still rough) that merged the work of David Bosch, Andrew Walls, and Wilbert Shenk into a map of the local theologies in history. We often think of theology as revealing universals that will be true for all people in all cultures for all time, but in reality theology is more about answering local questions that reside in particular contexts at particular times. The church gets into problems when it asserts that one theology is to be imposed on all other churches or cultures, outside of the one local culture where and when that particular theology was created. Reflection about God and creation, through the Bible, and with the church, while immersed in the culture, needs to be done for every context and time…