Live.Awake

A Pastors Guide to the Web: Part 1

// April 21st, 2009 // Church Life

// Why This Should Matter to The Pastor

This is the 1st installment of a series of posts I’m doing to help pastors get themselves and their churches online and plugged in.

VIEW THE ENTIRE SERIES

Most pastors know that they need to get plugged into web technology, but they have no idea where to begin.  This series is for you.  I want to help you engage your city and the world with the gospel.  I also have another audience in mind.  It’s those that still don’t see the need to get on the web tech bus.  Maybe your seminary prof told you the web is a dark and evil place that should be avoided at all cost.  Or maybe you just see this as a big fad that will go away soon.  Let me address that problem first as a way of providing some context.

Only a crazy hermit could deny that web tech has taken over, particularly in the form of social media and networking.  Still, I meet pastors all the time that simply don’t see how participating in that world can possibly benefit their ministry.  If they do participate, it’s begrudgingly.  They say, “Humph.  I guess these days this is the kind of thing you have to do.  All the young kids are doing it, so I suppose we should too.”  In other words, I don’t see the value in this, but I’ll do it to make people happy.  However, I know in my own mind that I’m not going to really give this a shot.  I don’t understand it, so it must not be important.

What that pastor is missing is the way these technological trends are shaping our culture.  These things ar not just culture add-ons.  They are shaping the cultural ideals and perspectives of people on a global scale.  This is also not an “outside” the church thing.  It’s inside the church too.  Very much so.  The different ways that’s happening are too numerous to unpack here, but here’s a few for starters:

1. The days of senior leaders sitting in ivory towers is over.  People expect to be able to have some connection with you, even if only through your blog or Twitter updates.  I think this is true regardless of church size or staff size.
2. Whereas people used to expect their senior leaders to at least appear to be perfect, they now expect their leaders to at least appear to have some flaws (though only small ones…).
3. People expect to be able to customize their experience, particularly when it comes to interpersonal connection.  One size fits all doesn’t fit anyone anymore.
4. It’s no longer about a global economy and where we fit in it.  It’s about a global culture and where I fit in it.  Pastors have to stop thinking locally, and start thinking globally like the rest of the world.
5. Your first impression used to happen at the front door of the church building.  Now it happens on the web long before that potential church member ever leaves the house.
6. You and your church are now “competing” against other religions on a global stage, whether you like it or not.  It’s no longer just about the Mormons down the street.  It’s the Muslim a world away that is competing for the hearts of the lost in your city.

And that’s just the beginning.  Engaging on the web is not an issue of fad or keeping your parishioners happy.  It really is about the gospel and the Kingdom of God.  If you are a pastor and you can’t get into that, then what are doing?

In the next installment, I’ll be giving you some simple tips to help you get started.