Blogging, Twitter, and Social Networking—A Place for Worship? - Vicky Beeching
Some would criticize online community as superficial and a substitute for what is real and face-to-face. I agree in part. Online community can never replace true physical relationships. But in today's Global Village, there is a diversity and internationality to online community that rarely happens in real life. People from multiple nations and backgrounds can collide and converse about life and God at the very same moment. Perhaps it is not as shallow as we might think-so long as it does not become too consuming and lessen our face-to-face friendships. Let's take a look at a few different ways that online community can occur in a worshipful way.
SpecificsSocial Networking sites
can be an amazing place to meet folks whose path may never have crossed yours otherwise-people with similar callings and passions who can stand alongside you. I meet so many worship leaders who feel out on a limb and alone in their local area. Perhaps these networks could be places where you "friend request" other worship leaders. Ask them for advice on set lists, arranging songs, or simply to pray for you. Likewise, if you have teaching material or wisdom on worship that might help others, you can share it there. Facebook's "Notes" feature, Myspace's "Blog" posts, the Song DISCovery Community's Blogs, or any other Blogging outlets are great ways to get your teaching into people's hands. I've read some great sound-bites about worship on social networking sites and have been very impacted by them. Perhaps you could have a Facebook page for your church to provide a place where the congregation can comment on the services and interact in an easy, relaxed, and fun way. For shy people this may be easier than meeting in person to share their views on church, and it may be the needed pathway to lead them into community.
YouTube and Vimeo are two great video sites that allow you to record your own video and upload it. You could share thoughts on how your weekend worship set went, or film your worship team in action and ask for feedback. If you have a worship song to share with the wider church, why not record it, upload it and post it on your social networking site? It might bless others and they might want to use it too! If you need a simple tool to help record video, try the "Flip" camera, available for around $150. I use one all the time and love it.
Twitter has become an epidemic! (Twitter.com) This way of "micro-blogging" consists of writing updates 140 characters long, on what you are doing, thinking or feeling throughout the day. Some people Twitter Bible verses or inspiring quotes. Others, their weekend set list or prayer requests. There is much room for spirituality within Twitter-it is a place for doing life together, tweeting about the funny moments in your day, and the things God is putting on your heart. I have found it can even become distracting if you are constantly Twittering rather than actually
living your day. And it is antisocial to be texting these updates into Twitter when people are with you. So for me it's a balance of keeping connected with the online Tweeting community, yet never doing so at the expense of the precious and valuable people right in front of me. My advice is, keep Twitter in moderation.
Blogging for me is where the deepest spiritual potential lies online. Never before has it been possible for someone to write something and instantly share it with potentially vast amounts of readers. Exciting and sobering at once. I try to write a variety of light-hearted and serious content. But my heart is really to communicate Truth to a generation who live within the online world. Just as we would want to be "light in the darkness" to any community, the Blogosphere needs Jesus as much as anywhere else. And based on the statistics of the high ratio of pornographic sites to other sites, we need to be shining brightly online as there is a lot of darkness to overcome. If you want to set up a Blog, I recommend
wordpress.com. Its potential for development and improvement is huge. So whether you keep it basic or want a complex blog with numerous bells and whistles, Wordpress can do it all.
Vicky Beeching is a songwriter and worship leader. Both of her albums, Yesterday, Today and Forever
and Painting the Invisible
, can be found on her website, where she is an avid blogger. Visit, vickybeeching.com
