I began talking last week about Twitter and using it for ministry purposes. There’s a great opportunity in front of us and we need to understand how effective this can be (as well as how not to be ineffective).
For those just joining us, Twitter is a micro-blogging platform that seeks to answer the question, “what are you doing?” in real-time with 140 characters or less. It’s taking the world by storm, but is there a purpose in using it in a ministry context?
I’ve talked a little about this before, but I decided it would be far better to let you hear from an expert on these things.
Anthony D. Coppedge is no stranger to these ideas and is passionate about helping ministries leverage technology to communicate with a digitally-infused culture. In his words, he’s a Technology & Communications Evangelist.
He has written an excellent e-book called, The Reason Your Church Must Twitter (click the title for more info). At only $5, it’s a must-have with lots of information to digest and great ideas for using Twitter effectively. He also maintains a blog and the site, Twitterforchurches.com.
He was gracious enough to do an email interview with me that I hope will answer a few questions and start a few conversations. I broke the interview into two parts for the sake of length, but tomorrow we’ll be delving into more specific issues and concerns ministries might have.
Now onto the questions.
Spark2Flame: What are a couple reasons you see that churches should use twitter?
Anthony Coppedge: Through a combination of text messaging and web tools, Twitter has quickly become more than a new techno-fad. It's a near-instant, almost-anywhere communication with the potential to change the face of ministry. Whether used as a megaphone for updates and announcements or as a conversation, Twitter allows churches to communicate with specific groups of people in real time, on their cell phones.
S2F: Is this just for larger churches or can small churches benefit as well?
AC: Every church - regardless of size - can benefit from short, simple, instant communication. Just as every church leverages email as a viable communication method, so Twitter, too, is a viable communications method. However, unlike email, where a member doesn't get to choose which emails they receive (too much email is really just spam), Twitter is exactly the opposite. Because people choose to follow people or ministries via Twitter (even if they don't want to set up a Twitter account - in which case they simple type in "follow username" to 40404), only people who want information from a person or ministry will receive it. The power is entirely in the hands of the end user.
S2F: Why do you think twitter is so effective in communication?
AC: Connecting with the cell phones of a congregation - in real time - is incredibly valuable. Twitter isn't a replacement for all emails, though it should reduce the number of church email blasts sent out, but instead is a great tool for both time-sensitive information and a more personal connection with those in leadership.
S2F: How would you ease the fears of those technophobes out there, wary of trying twitter?
AC: To follow a ministry on Twitter, all one needs is a cell phone and a text message plan. That's it. Just type and send a text message from your cell phone to "follow username" (where 'username' is the name of the person or ministry on Twitter) to 40404 and you're instantly following that Twitter account. It's really that simple to get started.
Then again, it's also very easy to set up a Twitter account by simply going to Twitter.com and clicking on "join the conversation". The beauty and simplicity of Twitter is in how easy it is to use.
That concludes the first part, but come back tomorrow for even more valuable information. Also, make sure you go and check out Anthony’s e-book, The Reason Your Church Must Twitter, and go to Twitter (if you're on there) and follow him as well (@anthonycoppedge).
Okay, time to sound off! What do you think about all this? Are you using this or do you still have a lot of questions? Tell us in the comments.
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