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3 Reasons You Should Tweet in Church

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I came across this article (thanks to @ScottWilliams) on twitter yesterday. You can read it for yourself, but it seems as though President Obama sent a tweet, or at least had a tweet scheduled to send, during the prayer service before yesterday’s inauguration. The White House denies that Obama actually sent the tweet while in church, but I think it would’ve been fine if he had.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with tweeting in church. In fact, sometimes, I think it’s down right appropriate.

Here are 3 reasons you should tweet in church…

1. It helps you engage.

If I have it in the back of my mind that I may tweet a line from the sermon, I listen better. Kinda like taking notes in class always made me pay more attention to the teacher, sending tweets in church makes me listen and digest the sermon better too. I love tweeting one liners, so I’m always listening for them. I listen for those golden 140 character or less moments. I’m listening in between those too.

2. It ‘invites’ your followers to your church.

Good tweets from church practically sends a 140 character advertisement to everyone that follows you. Sure, many of those are too far away to actually come sit with you in church, but not all. My church streams services live. My tweeting quotes from the sermon or about the Spirit moving in my church may help someone else connect to my church online. Tweet often. It’s good publicity (yes, I can say that about a church) for your local body.

3. It inspires others.

I’m often inspired by quotes from a sermon that the people I’m following on twitter send out. In fact, it’s one of my favorite things about twitter as a whole. I get a pretty constant feed of inspiration, spiritual, and encouraging commentary. Tweet out those great points. Tweet out those one liners. As long as your phone is on silent, tweet out the scripture. Just share it. Inspire us.

Those are my 3. Have any to add? Any comments about why you shouldn’t tweet in church? Fire away.

 

 

10 responses to “3 Reasons You Should Tweet in Church”

  1. Ryan Avatar
    Ryan

    I can’t tell if you’re serious or not, but I’d suggest adding the tip to use a “post only” app like Buffer if you absolutely must tweet in church. This way you aren’t distracted to read your twitter feed. But in reality this post sounds more like “Ways to Justify Social Media” in church. We have 6days & 20+ hrs a week to do points 2 & 3, and I think if you have to tweet in order to engage with the church service you’re in, then you may have a slight problem.

    Have I tweeted in church? You bet I have. But it’s probably about once a month.

    Reply
    1. Jonathan Pearson Avatar
      Jonathan Pearson

      You make some great points. I like the buffr idea. I can see how reading others’ post could be distracting. On the same note, I’m definitely serious. I think there are a lot of positives to it. I actually handle our online stream at our church and love seeing tweets come through. Just a preference or perspective thing, maybe. Thanks for the comment.

      Reply
  2. Thomas Mason Avatar
    Thomas Mason

    I tweeted last Sunday a line in the message that stood out to me. Sometimes my church (in between services) puts tweets that use the designated hashtag on the big screens for people to read. That inspired me to listen closer to the message. So yeah, I consider tweeting during and after the service is great!

    Reply
    1. Jonathan Pearson Avatar
      Jonathan Pearson

      That’s a great idea! Thanks for sharing

      Reply
  3. Joey Espinosa Avatar
    Joey Espinosa

    I used to do it regularly, but (because of my own lack of self-discipline) I found myself checking other people’s tweets. I needed to do better focusing on the message at hand.

    Now, I take notes as normal, and I often tweet something later on in the day.

    Reply
    1. Jonathan Pearson Avatar
      Jonathan Pearson

      Understand. I certainly don’t think it’s for everyone. Thanks, Joey

      Reply
  4. ThatGuyKC Avatar
    ThatGuyKC

    I’m all for tweeting during church for the reasons you list above as long as it doesn’t hinder my involvement in the receiving of God’s Word. Twitter and Facebook can be a distraction if I launch the app to post some sermon tidbit and suddenly find myself scrolling through football game updates or photos from weekend events.

    I like to use a 3rd party app like Buffer because it allows me to share and engage w/out the distraction.

    Reply
    1. Jonathan Pearson Avatar
      Jonathan Pearson

      Great point. I really do think that how we do it depends on the person and even the church to some extent. I just think there’s something about listening for something that makes us listen closer. Thanks as always, KC!

      Reply
  5. DumbSheep (Darrell G Proctor) Avatar
    DumbSheep (Darrell G Proctor)

    I tweet during the service with the buffer app also. It helps me focus on the message and if I link it correctly it can lead them to the message online ( @chaseoaks ) if they are unable to attend. I love the comments from Tom Mason is using hashtags alerts prior to the service to focus attention.

    Reply
  6. Leveraging Technology for Ministry | Transforming Leader

    […] A fun way to incorporate this into your services is by using the service twitterfall. With this you can display posts associated with your church on the screens before and after the service to promote discussion. As a side note, Twitter is also a great way to network, find resources, and learn from other ministries. If you’re not sold yet check out the article ‘3 Reasons You Should Tweet In Church’. […]

    Reply

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