Follow You, Follow Me: Why Social Networking is Essential to Ministry

Learn some words of wisdom for the space of social networking. We don’t often associate social networking with good things. The conventional wisdom, as it were, is that Twitter, Facebook and the like are engaging and fun, maybe dangerous, and definitely a big, shallow waste of time. When it comes to faith, is there any value? Some point to horror stories of illicit behavior simplified by the connections it creates. Others point to its effectiveness as a tool for networking Christians with prayer chains and referrals. But what is really going on here? By now we can acknowledge that social networking is not going away. Maybe you have resisted all social networking, you consider tweeting a frivolous fad and your Facebook account is dusty. Maybe you post several times a day. In either case, do you understand the power and depth of this new medium—in community building, spiritual formation, and yes, even evangelism?