Podcast Episode #075
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Social media has become one of the most effective ways for us to communicate. While there is so much good in social media, it can be used quite negatively. So in this episode, we consider seven warnings for church leaders to heed when using social media.
Some highlights from the episode:
- Approach social media with great care because what you say online will likely be with you as long as you live.
- Employers are now doing four types of background checks: references, legal, credit, and social media.
- The smiley face emoji is often the social media version of “bless your heart.”
- The beauty of social media is that there is no gatekeeper and you can post anything. The downside of social media is that there is no gatekeeper and you can post anything.
- When you’re angry and negative online, you don’t just hurt your reputation; you hurt your family’s reputation and your Christian witness as well.
- I’m hearing about more and more ministers and pastors who do not get jobs because of their negativity on social media.
The seven warnings we cover are:
- Consider anything you say on social media to be permanent.
- You can be misunderstood often on social media.
- Emoticons are not sufficient to soften what you have posted.
- Attacks on other people’s character or positions are considered cowardly by many.
- Too many Christian leaders are posting on social media in the heat of emotional moments.
- Churches and other Christian organizations are checking social media of Christian leaders.
- The non-Christian world is watching Christians attack each other on social media.
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I would like to suggest having a few people read the draft post if it can be construed as risky and comment on it. These may be some close friends, advisers, etc. Also, please let a post sit on your screen for a while before you click the submit button. This is no different than a terse email to high management that could be misconstrued.
I must agree with Dr. Rainer about cutting the negativity. When ministers would regularly condemn the young people to hell and those condemned would say something about it. The older people always said that we misunderstood or it wasn’t really said. Now, we have the evidence, even if it is a screenshot of a post that was deleted 5 minutes later.
How about seven warnings for Christians who use social media?
The more that I thought about what you wrote, are you going to write a post on what positives can come from social media? I know you have read in the press that ISIS, which is a horrible terror group, is recruiting through social media. They are even getting people from Western Europe and the US. They are doing something right while preying on the disgruntled.
Christianity, meanwhile, is still not getting social media right and losing out every day. What is causing Christianity to still struggle to put out a message of peace and love? Perhaps Christians need to get off of talking about Paul and church policy and politics and go back and show how the founder, Jesus, went out into the world and changed it. Christians are called to do the same thing. Why is there not a message of peace coming to counter the call of ISIS to fight jihad?
Mark –
Please see my post of August 16, 2014: “Seven Positive Ways Christians Can Use Social Media.” The link is right above these comments.
Hi Thom,
I completely agree with you; though, and I don’t think your blog is in disagreement with this, there is a time to not back down. Of course, that should be done with tact, love, and gentleness.
Christ stood His ground when He called the pharisees a “brood of vipers,” turned over the tables at the temple, and even chastised Peter by saying “Get behind me Satan.”
So, yes, we need to be careful about our witness on social media, but if all we spread is love without truth there is no room for grace.
Erick
You are right, Erick. There are many Christians who speak the truth with love. I salute and admire them.
As with anything, we should adhere to Christ-like attitudes when using social media. Social media is a conversation. This is where a lot of people misuse social media, including businesses. Therefore, one really can’t just use it like a platform to blast a commercial or one-sided message. People can and will respond.
As far as arguments or disagreements with other members of the Church, that probably should not be carried out on social media. Healthy debates when the members are loving towards one another might be okay, but strong disagreements, strong debates, possible attempts at church discipline, that should not be handled on social media for the world to see.
Good points here Dr. Rainer! I am glad a Christian leader is addressing social media and pray that other Christian leaders do not shy away from social media. They do, as you have shown here, need to be cautious and observer the warnings.
Thank you, Todd.
Thom,
Great points, sir. Social media has been a wonderful median to provide solid teaching quickly and effectively. It has also been a quagmire, where leader’s egos, which have normally been tempered in other platforms, run rampant. Making point number seven all the more relevant.
Stephen
One thing I would add is that you can really only advocate/”evangelize” one thing on social media. If you are a Christian (and certainly a pastor), that thing should be Jesus above all other things. If you are constantly posting political things or your side business (oils, supplements, etc.) or whatever else, you can get people to hide or unfollow you for something other than a faithful witness to Christ. I’m not talking about family pictures, the occasional “Go sports team!” or the occasional link to a thoughtful, full-length blog post about a current issue. Those are fine and actually help you engage with people, but there are a lot of Christians that I can’t stand to follow because they are always angry about politics or constantly hocking something. I say save your passion for Christ.
I’d suggest that what you write in social media _will_ be misunderstood.
Not can be misunderstood.
Words change meaning, and adopt new meanings much faster today, than even a decade ago.
Compounding that issue, is that word meanings jump between sub-cultures that are not otherwise connected, but need not enter the vocabulary of sub-cultures connected to those which have adopted the new meaning.