In the 21st century, it is not possible to do the business of a church in the same way it was done in the 20th century, or the 19th for that matter. Some churches are slower to move on things like technological advancement than others, and today it is those churches that are moving in the direction of using available online resources that are getting more attention than others.
The ministry of Jesus Christ is rooted in meeting people where they are. During the earthly life of Jesus, he met people in their towns, villages and cities. Today, people spend a good size of their disposable time online. However, the search for faith has not abated. Instead, just as people do their shopping, get their news, or attend school online, many are seeking answers about faith online. Yet, what these people seeking faith are sometimes finding are answers from sources that are not very good. Sources that are not very good online have the ability to be found much easier than better answers from credible clergy, in many cases, who are perhaps not online.
As a former newspaper professional, who was active in newspapers from 1994-2009, I witnessed the change in how people, particularly young people, get their news (from in print to online). Yet, it is not just news that people get online anymore. Everything from romance, to education, to pets and houses, jobs and vacations are found online. Should it be any great shock that people are researching religions online when deciding where they will be attending church?
Today, the frantic lives of families, with both parents often working jobs (and sometimes multiple jobs each) to keep families' economic heads above water, demand an approach that is quick and decisive because time is the thing that never seems to get put back into their schedules. People have not lost their faith in God, but they are looking for him on Google instead of shopping houses of worship on Sundays.
In themselves, families are helping to keep in touch with one another using electronic means -- blogs, Facebook, FlickR, Twitter, MySpace and the like. Like any other family, it is time that the church family takes a look at what the Joneses are doing and try to keep up.
Like any familial relation, who is let into that special circle is very important, regardless of who it is. Our doctors are like members of the family, some of them, as are our lawyers, accountants, teachers, and others who help to support our family units directly. And, the pastor or reverend and church each of us allows through the door is also important.
I say that because many mainstream Protestant denominations are losing attendance and congregants because of a boom in various other church denominations, some of them representing wonderful values and traditions and others not.
In our grandparents' day, everyone understood what a Baptist, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist, African-Methodist Episcopal, Southern Baptist, Pentecostal and Presbyterian, among others, were when it came to churches. These churches were a part of the fabric of this country, pretty much since its inception.
And then, somewhere along the way, newer denominations and independent churches cropped up in droves. These are not things to be wary of in and of themselves. But, where I find concern is in the credibility of the clergy involved in these sometimes fly-by-night faiths.
In traditional Protestant religions, it is not negotiable that there is an accepted level of education among reverends...usually at the Master's Degree level from an accredited seminary. Then there is usually an ordination process, which is vetted to ensure that stable, knowledgeable, and positive clergy are placed in charge of congregations that have a great deal of influence on the lives and spiritual directions of others.
Yet, in some of the more contemporary churches and faiths today, many found online very prominently, there are few, if any, criteria for ordination.
To return to the idea of the professionals who support the family: I would not want my family's doctor, lawyer, accountant, optometrist or even a nurse to be addressing the needs of my loved ones without appropriate academic and professional credentials. And yet, it is precisely those least qualified to serve in clergy who have often benefited the greatest from the use of social marketing sites, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace and the like when attracting members to their faith.
It is right for traditional, mainstream Protestant religious denominations to begin using the Internet as a tool for reaching people, particularly young people, in a way that aggressively places their presence 'out there' just as much as anyone else.
Consequently, I will be presenting a series of posts in the upcoming weeks that speak directly to building church congregations through using social marketing tools, viral marketing, blogs, and YouTube.
I look forward to this, and the very first installment of this series will begin on Sunday, with a look at translating Media Convergence Theory for the church.
If there should be a goal it cannot be to 'drive out' people who are not adhering to normative ordination standards: They have always been and will always be. Rather, I would like to see more traditional pastors, reverends, bishops and even deacons contributing to the Christian online presence.
I have always believed that if someone is called to vocation by God, he calls them to responsible service. He would call people to denominational service, mentored by others, and educated in a way that reassures their ministry with concrete skills (exegetical, theological, therapeutic, Christological, historical and denominational). Just as I would not give a young person who did not know how to drive keys to a car, as it would be very dangerous, I would not want to see a religious congregation turned over to someone not prepared for ministry.
In ministry, failure is not expressed in terms of money or worldly success. It means diverting people away from God and to a more perilous road. Such a ministry is one that represents hazards to families and not support.
Posted by Jim Purcell at 9:29 PM
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