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Plenty of reasons why Twitter belongs in church
Published Friday, June 5, 2009
Anyone growing up in Chilton County, more likely than not, knows what a typical church service consists of.
You have your announcements, prayer, singing of hymns and/or contemporary worship songs, offering, sermon and invitation. Occasionally, members of the congregation go up to share testimonies.
But I’ve read about a new trend that has started up. A small number of churches have started using Twitter in their worship services. Yes, Twitter, the social networking and micro-blogging service.
Twitter is the hottest and newest social networking site in the line of MySpace and Facebook. The biggest difference is, Twitter caters to those of us with the shortest attention spans.
The updates sent back and forth between users, known as “tweets,” are limited to 140 characters apiece. You can subscribe to or “follow” anyone’s tweets, even those of a favorite celebrity.
But does Twitter belong in church? I say, why not?
Congregations have used the site to send inspirational and encouraging tweets back and forth during worship services. These can be displayed on a projector screen at the front of the sanctuary.
While tweets can further enlighten the words to a hymn or a point in a sermon or discussion, they can become trivial. Users have been known to comment on the pastor’s fashion choices, for example.
I have always tried to have an open mind. If we claim to believe in a limitless God, then why would we try to limit the possibilities of allowing him to work through us?
Twitter may ultimately prove to be a fad, but like most innovations, we will likely discover the common truth: it can be used for good or evil.
- Scott can be reached at scott.mims@clantonadvertiser.com.
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Comments
Posted by CrimusK8T (anonymous) on June 6, 2009 at 2:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"Anyone growing up in Chilton County, more likely than not, knows what a typical church service consists of.
You have your announcements, prayer, singing of hymns and/or contemporary worship songs, offering, sermon and invitation. Occasionally, members of the congregation go up to share testimonies."
Clearly this refers to a protestant service.
For some in Chilton Co. this service would seem....odd and lacking something.
Posted by November162000 (anonymous) on June 6, 2009 at 4:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You mean prayer rugs facing east?
Posted by November162000 (anonymous) on June 6, 2009 at 8:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I started to mention the snake angle. It could be the snakes lacking, or maybe black robes and goat heads. It's all sort of spooky to me.
Posted by DrFeelgood (anonymous) on June 8, 2009 at 12:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Brother Tony on the radio or tv would be great.
As for Twittering, during church...I don't know about that.
Seems like you'd be paying more attention to the tweets than to the service.
Posted by 4JESUS4EVER (anonymous) on June 8, 2009 at 1:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You know we don't need twitter if we just the God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost have his way.
Posted by dmims (Scott Mims) on June 8, 2009 at 4:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Thank you for your comments. No, of course we don't NEED Twitter. But if it enhances someone's worship experience, there's no reason to prohibit it. It's the same with anything: style of music, you name it. More than anything, I just thought it was interesting.
Posted by steve42 (anonymous) on June 9, 2009 at 11:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't know about that.
What percentage of Chilton County residents were professing Christians in 1950, back when many churches didn't have electricity, air conditioning, and lost of folks didn't have automobiles? How about the percentage today?
Some people used to go to church because it was the only thing happening at the time, and they wanted to see other people. Many of them got saved because of that exposure.
Folks today would rather cut their grass, watch NASCAR, go skiing or fishing, or do anything now than go to church. I'd say the enemy is making better use of technology to get his message out than Christians are.
As for Twitter in church, it's dumb. If you are subscribed to Twitter on your phone or PDA, you're going to get Tweets from every feed you are following, not just the church ones, and we've got enough trouble keeping the attention of the teenagers (and some would-still-be teens) in church today.
Turn off the phone and listen for the Lord to speak. If you're willing to listen, you'll get the messages you need.
Posted by 4JESUS4EVER (anonymous) on June 9, 2009 at 12:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Steve42 you are right. We do have a hard enough time keeping the attention of teenagers and adults. I am a firm believer in witnessing, uplifting, and spreading the Gospel by whatever Godly means necessary but there is a place we have to draw the line in God's house. Satan would love to use tweets, phones ringing, etc to draw attention away from God's word and in doing so someone's soul may be lost.
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