Twittering in Church
March 10, 2009 by Colleen Coplick
Filed under Social Media
This is a first in the social media world of firsts. Yesterday, the Mars Hill Church in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood not only had the sermon broadcast on large video screens, but the congregation was Tweeting and broadcasting on iPhones. Not only that, but they were encouraged to do it!
Mars Hill Church
“How does the service impact them, what does worship feel like to them and its a good way for them to kind of tell their friends what church is about without their friends even coming in the building,” said Kyle Firstenberg, Mars Hill Campus Administrator. [source]
The tweets were popping up on the congregants’ Facebook pages and also on the church’s official Twitter page.
Using the hashtag #MHC, you can search the service, and find out what people are thinking about it, feeling about it or what ideas come up throughout it.
Lichlin Payne is visiting numerous churches throughout the states is enjoying the fact that he can Twitter his experiences with his friends down under. “I remember 10, 15 years ago you couldn’t wear a hat in church, and now you can get out your mobile phones and your iPhones and you can Twitter so these things change and you’ve got to move with the times,” he said.
To me, it seems as though Twitter is becoming more and more mainstream, especially if organizations that are traditionally conservative like churches are not only allowing, but are encouraging their attendees to Twitter. Not only is it helping to spread the word of their organization but also to gain some important feedback for the organizers (be they church leaders or CEOs) as well.
Wow… This has gone too far. I love Twitter but sometimes you just need to be present in the moment. I would think that church is one of those times.
I don’t know Jeanne…I think I could be in the moment and twitter about it…maybe let other people in on the moment.
@jeanne “sometimes you just need to be present in the moment. I would think that church is one of those times”
being present in the moment is not a blanket across the board thing for everyone… for you it may be sitting and listening, for others, it is engaging in the service, which can be sending out twitter messages about high points in the message, or what inspiration you are gaining from the message.
if you take notes on a paper during the message isn’t it the same thing? It is to me, but it may not be to someone else, and, at the same time, I am getting to share my notes with the rest of the world, and recording it where I will be able to always have it, where a piece of paper will be lost or never looked at again.
I for one listen more intently when I am making my digital notes, if I have to sit and soak, I don’t. It may not be something everyone will want to do, nor think appropriate, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an acceptable form of worship in the eyes of the Lord, only in the eyes of people.
I agree, we are supposed to spread the Word, not sit and soak it all up for ourselves…