Should Pastors Use Social Networking?

Since I personally dove head first into social networking (actually anything techie) I thought I would mention some positive aspects for pastors using social networking tools. I am going to use facebook as my example here. Not all social networking sites are the same and everyone needs to be cautious about protecting themselves from the filth that is sometimes associated with some sites.
  • It helps you connect with those members who are Sunday morning only attenders
  • It is an easy way for you to keep up with special events for church members (birthdays, anniversaries, new babies, etc.)
  • It is one of the first places where you can learn about prayer requests from your members simply based on their status updates
  • It gives you a way to communicate to your members how they can pray for you simply based on your status updates
  • It helps preachers better understand what motivates or interests their members
  • It will help pastors seem more "real" to their members as they share photos, videos and updates about your circle of family and friends
You do not have to spend hours online to gain these benefits. I can usually do everything that needs to be done on facebook in about 30 minutes. Pastors do not have to play the games, take the quizzes, respond to every wall post, etc. In a time when our lives have become busier and we are less social IRL, online social networking is a great tool for ministers to use in reaching their community and staying connected with their congregations. Just don't SPAM your members with churchy requests or lay guilt trips on them about serving because they can easily tell facebook to ignore your status updates, or worse, remove your from their friends.

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