Articles for tag: Social Media

April 1, 2017

Christian Standard

Why Are You So Afraid?

By Aaron and Diane Lincoln Traveling between cultures leads to some interesting moments. “Paper or plastic?” a grocery checker asked us one furlough. We looked at each other quizzically. “We’re paying with cash.” Now it was the checker who looked confused. “Paper bags or plastic bags?” was of course the question, but not one we hear in England. When a stranger (or friend) casually references a line of dialogue from a commercial or TV show, we can be left clueless. And it seems every time we return on furlough, bank card machines have changed. Lots of small differences, that have

February 15, 2017

Christian Standard

Technological Passivity

By Jim Tune The workshop was called “Technology, Social Media, and the Church.” As the presenter spoke enthusiastically about opportunities new technologies offer the church, he explained that technology is neutral, and that it can be used for good or evil. The important thing, he said, is that we use it to advance the gospel. I”ve made similar remarks. While it”s true technology can be used for good or evil, I”m not so certain it is neutral. Christians say, “The methods change, but the message stays the same.” Not so. The medium always affects the message. In the mid-1960s Canadian

January 22, 2017

Christian Standard

How Social Media Is Hurting Your Ministry

By Michael C. Mack “Are we willing to quit social media (and other distractions) if the temptations are too strong . . . to overcome?” Brian Jones asks this question on Senior Pastor Central (www.seniorpastorcentral.com). Jones says for years he was convinced that switching from the study of God”s Word and sermon preparation to distractions such as checking social media, text, or e-mails didn”t hurt him at all. After reading Deep Work by Cal Newport, however, he says he better understands the costs. Newport warns about what he calls “attention residue,” the lingering effects from switching back and forth between

November 3, 2016

Michael C. Mack

November/December Ministry Ideas: Giving Tuesday

By Michael C. Mack You know about Thanksgiving and the special shopping days that have become associated with it, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Now you can add another special day the Tuesday after Thanksgiving (November 29, 2016), a global day dedicated to giving back called Giving Tuesday. “It”™s a simple idea,” says the holiday”™s official website, www.givingtuesday.org. “Whether you come together with your family, your community, your company or your organization, find a way to give back.” Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 by 92nd Street Y (www.92y.org) in partnership with the United Nations Foundation and has engaged more

August 8, 2016

Christian Standard

Rushing to Blame

By Joe Boyd Not long ago in Cincinnati, where I live, a very unfortunate accident occurred at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. As you probably remember, a young boy somehow made his way into the gorilla habitat. Ultimately it resulted in the hard decision to kill Harambe, a powerful and beautiful western lowland gorilla, for the sake of the child”s life. Soon after that, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history happened in Orlando, Florida. A gunman entered a gay nightclub and killed 49 people, injuring 53 others. (And some of the injured are still clinging to life as

July 11, 2016

Christian Standard

Bad News or Good News?

By T.R. Robertson The narrative of bad news dominates our culture, a culture that increasingly sees religion as a major purveyor of bad news. “We”re living in a day and age that the news media is a drug-pusher. And negative news is their drug,” says Dr. Peter H. Diamandis. “And on every device that we get””our cell phones, our smart phones, our laptops, our newspapers, our radios””we are fed negative news 24 hours a day, seven days a week, over and over and over again.” Diamandis, speaking in 2013 at a conference called “Global Future 2045: Towards a New Strategy for

March 25, 2016

Christian Standard

Social Service

By Bill Belew The Christian”s mission in life is to make disciples of the nations. Social networks are an asset the Christian should use. On LinkedIn, I have more than 4,000 1st-degree connections. My reach on LinkedIn exceeds 30 million people (that is, somebody knows somebody I want to know). On Twitter, I have more than 50,000 followers. Each of them, on average, has 500 followers. That means I can potentially reach 25 million people (50,000 x 500).  I run a private forum that includes more than 1,200 people from more than 50 countries. I can accurately predict1 that 1

March 25, 2016

Christian Standard

If You Post It, They Will Come

By Bill Belew Jesus was so good at what he did that crowds hunted him down, ran to him, brought folks to him, and prepared for his visit. Jesus” teaching, works, and methods were so appealing that people were attracted to him. He did not need to advertise: “Come hear the sermon on the mountain by the Sea of Galilee.” “Great crowds came to him,” (Matthew 15:30, emphasis mine). The church””your church and Jesus” church””should be producing such high-quality content that people seek it out. People are looking for answers. Americans spend an estimated $16.6 billion annually looking for answers

March 24, 2016

Christian Standard

140 Character: How to Be a Social Media Missionary

By T.R. Robertson I”ve dreamed of being a writer since I was just a kid, back in the 1970s. Being a writer would give me the chance to express myself, to share my thoughts and opinions. Little did I know by the time I became a published writer, anyone with Internet access would be able to instantly publish his or her thoughts. Social media enable everyone to have their say, whether insightful or spiteful, eloquent or ignorant. Twitter recorded 738 million tweets in the 10 days following the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Social media drove the public

September 19, 2015

Christian Standard

Why Are We So Nasty on Social Media?

By Joe Boyd The world has changed. We have the entire canon of human knowledge at our fingertips inside the tiny computers we carry. We call them phones, but rarely use them for such an antiquated concept as talking to someone. They are our portal to anyone and anything at anytime. We use them to be “social,” but rarely civil. I”m not a social media hater. I like it. I”ve been blogging for more than 12 years. I was an early adopter of both Facebook and Twitter. But I must admit I am weary of how hateful the general tone

June 9, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Truth in Labeling

By Mark A. Taylor If you”re buying fashion, you look for the right label. But when you”re relating to people in a polarized world, labels can be as damaging as they are discouraging. I, for one, am tired of the expectation that I”ll believe and behave according to the label someone else places on me. Must I, for example, echo the rhetoric of either the blue state or red state where I live? Must I agree with every statement and every position of the presidential candidate I vote for? Must I commit to either a conservative or liberal position in

May 25, 2015

Christian Standard

Struggling for Balance

By LeRoy Lawson   Slow Church: Cultivating Community in the Patient Way of Jesus C. Christopher Smith and John Pattison Downers Grove: IVP Books, 2014 iGods: How Technology Shapes Our Spiritual and Social Lives Craig Detweiler Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2013 Brave New World Aldous Huxley New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics; originally published in 1932 Chris Smith presented the argument for Slow Church to a small gathering in Erwin, Tennessee. After a season of serious drought, First Christian Church has been enjoying renewal under the steady leadership of Chris”s friend Todd Edmondson. Erwin was a fitting venue, since many of the growth techniques that have

April 27, 2015

Christian Standard

Bringing a Missions Mentality to Student Ministry

By Mike Andrews In his book Hurt, Chap Clark describes how today”s teen culture has been largely disconnected from adult society. In fact, teens have become so disconnected, they”ve largely developed a culture foreign to most American adults. Left to blindly lead each other, youth culture tribes have often fallen into patterns of living and thinking that tell them they don”t matter. I spent a recent evening at a community prayer vigil after a series of accidental deaths of far too many of our next generation. Many of these young people died from actions taken under this prevailing philosophy: I”m

March 5, 2015

Christian Standard

Getting Ready for Easter: West Side Christian Church, Springfield, IL

Jesus Is for Everyone By Melissa Sandel, director of ministries, West Side Christian Church, Springfield, Illinois In early 2014, West Side”s leaders began to sense our community needed a refreshing message from the church””that Jesus is, in fact, for EVERYONE””without qualifiers. We launched a six-week emphasis entitled “EVERYONE,” based on Jesus” words in John 11:25, 26, with renewed conviction that Jesus offers new life and hope to everyone who chooses to follow him. The first step was a Sunday morning message describing what it would mean to extend the hope of Jesus to everyone in our community. Next, we equipped

December 26, 2014

Michael C. Mack

A Greeting Card Ministry with a Potentially Lifesaving Twist

By Michael C. Mack Imagine the feeling of receiving a handwritten envelope and greeting card in the mail for a significant event. Many churches have greeting card ministries that send cards for special occasions as a way of expressing the church”s care for people, acknowledging God”s love for them, and providing an opportunity to plant seeds of truth along with a personal message. Max Hickerson, who retired several years ago after more than 60 years of ministry, has added a simple yet effective ministry especially for church leaders: he sends wedding anniversary cards. “I have done it for many years

November 12, 2014

Christian Standard

When You Leave Your Soul Behind

By Jim Tune Author Lettie Cowman wrote about a traveler visiting Africa who hired a group of guides. Determined to make her journey a swift one, she pushed her team to cover many miles the first day. On the second day, though, the attendants she had hired remained seated and refused to move. Frustrated, she asked the leader of her hired hands why they would not continue the journey. He replied that on the first day they had gone too far, too fast, and now they were waiting for their souls to catch up with their bodies. Cowman reflected, “This

October 19, 2014

Christian Standard

So You Want to Write a Book: Three Essential Ingredients

By Dave Ferguson Since I had never written a book, I was flattered when I received an e-mail from a representative of a big publisher asking to meet me. I agreed to meet, and over coffee, we talked about me authoring a book. I was very excited about the possibilities! However, within minutes I could tell this rep had made a huge mistake. He thought he was meeting with Dr. David Ferguson, the counselor and Oxford scholar. Instead he was meeting with Dave Ferguson, the church planter. Oops! We had a good laugh, finished our coffee, and I left thinking,

September 21, 2014

Christian Standard

I”m Flexible, as Long as You Don”t Change Anything

By Daniel Schantz I reached for a bottle of my favorite shampoo and headed for checkout, reading the label as I went. “New formula, new bottle, with easy-open cap.” While waiting in line, I felt something cold on my right leg. I glanced down to see a long strand of pink slime running down my pants leg. Well, they were right about the easy-open cap. When I got home, I discovered the new, taller bottle would not fit in my cabinet, and when I washed my hair, the shampoo left my hair feeling waxy. I dropped the bottle in the

August 10, 2014

Christian Standard

What Every College Kid Needs

By Mike Kerrick From a campus minister, ideas for the students in your life. What do you give someone who is going off to college? A new laptop computer? A phone/data upgrade? A devotional book on keeping faith at college, with a nice note inside: “Praying for you every day”? These are all good ideas, especially because they point to the thing needed most in college: healthy relationships. From my experience ministering to college students, let me tell you what I mean.   Healthy Relationships Begin with God According to the Barna group*, up to 61 percent of Christian students

July 30, 2014

Christian Standard

Celebrate Who?

By Jim Tune Most popular treatments of faith say it doesn”t matter what you believe. Just believe something“”whatever you want””and you”ll find the sheer act of believing will propel you to greatness. The parades and musical numbers at Walt Disney”s Magic Kingdom encourage visitors to believe in themselves and celebrate their dreams, whatever they are. As I left the theme park after a recent visit, the loudspeakers played a positively giddy song with the chorus, “In everything you do, celebrate you!” But life”s not an amusement park, and this endlessly narcissistic message will eat you alive if you attempt to

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