So we started wondering, what would it be like to bring the Twitter
kind of participation into Fusion in the same way we would think
through any other worship interactive—something that gets people
involved in what is happening—so Fusion isn’t happening “to” them but
rather “with and because of and through” them.
Sunday morning
there was electricity in the air. iPhones and laptops were carried in
one hand—coffee in the other. The live stream was going. Over 70 people
were following “westwindsseries” on Twitter.
The big screen as
well as two other screens were live with the Twitter feed as people
came in. Through communion, songs, message, etc. Twitter was live for
our inaugural Twitter Fusion. Live and VERY present.
The conversation began light.
“Nice shirt JVo,”
“I love this song,”
“So glad they are doing Lenny Kravitz,”
“Somebody turn Jimmy’s guitar up,”
“Westwinds rocks,”
“Thank God for coffee at church”
One girl Twittered from home she was late and on her way. Ha.
And,
while the light conversation was present through all of Fusion—both
Fusions—there was also some great interaction with the message,
restating what was said, personal struggles shared, opinions,
agreement, etc.
“to be selfless, humble”
“The more I press in to Him, the more He presses me out to be useful”
“sometimes healing is painful”
“I have a hard time recognizing God in the middle of everything.”
“It is easy to give Him credit after the fact but it is my prayer to see Him now.”
“God is challenging us to live for Him in a culture that rejects Him—His own peers did that”
“He has given me so much”
Both
kinds of interaction were important. The “deeper” thoughts allowed
people to process out loud, be affirmed by others’ responses, and have
a bit of public confession.
The light talk only added to the sense of community, family, fun, and not taking ourselves too seriously.
[UPDATE: PC Magazine gives their top 10 Twittering tips for beginners]
As Bill Kinnon writes, Twitter is the 'new front porch' - an way to keep up with people and their stories. I was thinking about this yesterday because one of the families in our church had a baby on Sunday and Twitter would have been a great way to let people know and pass along congratulations to Mark and Jessica.
As a pastor, I find it weird that people a) struggle to see me as an actual human and b) sincerely care about what I do and where I go. Twitter helps me keep my life in front of people. If you're on Twitter you can follow me: @mattadair
For churches, there's a really helpful e-book that you can buy here for $5 called 'The Reason Your Church Should Twitter.' Here's what's in the book:
Chapter 1 - Twitter as a Megaphone - One-to-many, targeted information. Highly useful for the church & each individual ministry.
Chapter 2 - Twitter as a Conversation - Engage with staff, volunteers, members, visitors & others with interactive dialogue. Easier and faster than email.
Chapter 3 - Twitter for Pastors - Perception
matters. The humanizing of a leader is often a missing element in the
connection between the church leadership and the congregants.
Chapter 4 - Setting Up Twitter in 1 Minute or Less - A step-by-step guide with pictures to show even the technically challenged how to set up Twitter.
Chapter 5 - How to Tweet - What should you say? What should you not say? How should you say it? Practical advice with easy to follow instructions.
Chapter 6 - To Follow and Be Followed - Learn how to reach just the right people with just the right message and find out who you should follow - and why.
Chapter 7 - Making Twitter Even Easier - An introduction and overview of useful (and usually free) tools to make using Twitter even more useful and easy!
Chapter 8 - Churches Using Twitter - Just like it sounds. Click and see what other churches are doing with Twitter.
Chapter 9 - Unexpected Bonuses - From a list of
interesting ways Twitter is being used to cautions and recommendations
for what to look for, this chapter is good food for thought and
inspiration.
Chapter 10 - Deciding on a Twitter Strategy - Deciding to use Twitter is one thing; how your church will use it - effectively - is covered in this very important chapter.
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