Very Interesting - Why Christians Should Use Twitter

Why Christians Should Use Twitter

TONE HOEFT - Originally posted Monday, October 12, 2009 

In order to understand the reasons why Christians should use Twitter, one must examine why Twitter has become so popular. Part of Twitter’s popularity is that it provides a way to stay constantly connected with the world around you. What makes Twitter unique is the fact that these people don’t have to live anywhere near you—they don’t have to be next-door neighbors. You can have a close-knit community of people from all across the world. It’s part of (pardon my use of buzz words) building the global village.

In a sense, Twitter means you never have to be alone. If you are following a moderate amount of people (who actually update their “tweets”), then you can always be aware of what others are doing. Not only that, but you can instantly comment on these activities or thoughts and get an instant response. So what separates Twitter from a chat room? With a chat room, you have to be logged into the service. With Twitter, you don’t have to always be logged in. You get to tap into this feed of conversation whenever you want at your own convenience. This is why people love it. It’s the feeling of community, but only when you so desire.

Don’t believe me? I’ll let the stats speak for themselves. According to recent statistics, Twitter is showing 600 million unique visitors a month. Let’s put this into perspective. The population of the United States is 306 million people, meaning that roughly two United States make up the population of Twitter. That’s a lot. This is of course, looking at the data optimistically.

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Now if you put all of this together, you will see how the implications of what this means for Christians are huge.

I’ve always thought that the best and most effective form of ministry is one that allows you to live life alongside other people. When you allow someone else into your life, you allow them to see who you truly are. This means they see all your ups and your downs.

If Christ is affecting your life, people will see a difference in your life as compared to the others around you. If Twitter is a gateway to instant community all the time, then Twitter becomes a way to live intentionally different lifestyles with people all across the world. No longer does incarnational ministry mean that you have to be in physical proximity to each other. Incarnation ministry and authentic communities can now happen halfway across the world.

Of course you can make an attempt to make your “tweets” holy and righteous, but let’s face it, no one is holy all the time. We all have faults and we all make mistakes. This means that when you post on Twitter an angry outburst, people will see that—when you post something less than righteous, someone will read it. But it also means they will see genuine moments of impact and change in your life as well. By allowing others to see your life as you truly live it, we become a true living witness to Christ.

Now I’m no expert at living like this. Most of my tweets are far from profound and spiritual, but it has allowed other people who are not Christians to be able to see that not all Christians are judgmental and closed-minded. While I still think that living life with others (in real life) is the best way to reach out to people, Twitter gives us a new way to do this in a world that is slowly turning more digital by the second.

I’m not asking you to sign up for a Twitter account, but I am asking you to consider how we can use new media in a way to reach out to others. I know there are pastors out there who consider media and technology as a waste of time, but how relevant can you be if you ignore the very place where people are spending their time? 600 million people. Think of the impact.

Tone Hoeft is pursuing his Master’s degree in Communications from Eastern Washington University. To learn more about him and read more of his thoughts, visit www.inproximity.org. You can follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/thoeft.