Twitter Church?
The most recent edition of Time magazine has a piece on Twitter being used in church services. Throughout the service the congregation is encouraged to twitter about the service, with a large screen in the auditorium streaming the tweets as they occur.
The same piece also spoke about Trinity Wall Street Church who this past Easter twittered the passion play including, ‘via @romanguard1: I’ve got dibs on his robe, but if you guys want to cast lots for the rest of his clothes I’m cool with that.’ And this got me thinking… so much of our engagement as church with technology is attempting to fit the technology into our present model. But what would church look like if we were prepared to allow technology to guide how we do church?
Jon Hirst spent some time studying some of the most innovative companies in the world with the aim of gleening some gems for the church. His first point is, ‘The most innovative organizations are, at their highest levels, defined by innovation in technology’. Hirst goes on to note,
Technology: In the early days missions were extremely technology driven as they used every tool to overcome huge obstacles. But we have given this distinctive up and now most of our core processes/services/products are not driven by innovative technology.
So taking this view of allowing the technology to guide how we do church I have an idea..
What if we offered an experience of church within Twitter? We could construct a simple liturgy (confined to 140 characters each section) and invite people around the world to log on at a particular time and interact, through Twitter replies and Re-tweets.
Twitter has its own vocabulary with words being combined with ‘Twitter’, such as tweeple (twittering people). What about twiturgy? (Twitter + liturgy).
Special prayers, scripture reading, sermon, confession, absolution, blessing, dismissal all part of the twiturgy.
Bosco you interested in writing some twiturgy?
So what do you think? Would you be part of a church service on twitter?
Filed under Anglican, Social Media/Web 2.0, Web 2.0 | |
15 Responses to “Twitter Church?”
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I have a half-written post on Twitter & church with a number of these themes, so you have beaten me to it. Not sure whether to finish it or just point towards yours…
This is definitely something that will boggle my mind a bit. I’m always leary when we start talking about letting technology define how we do ‘church.’ Mark, have you defined what you mean by ‘church’ and ‘doing church’ anywhere here on your blog? I’m wanting to start there and then think through this.
We have to be careful with things like twitter - because we become more focused on the medium that is transferring the message than the message itself. I’ve followed twitter threads from people at conferences, and they begin conversations with each other about the topic - - while the workshop is still going on - - totally missing what’s being said.
However — i do think ‘twiturgy’ — call and response is a cool idea. Its another way for the ‘universal church’ to come together in prayer and praise. My seminary (alma mater) set up something like this, this past year, and called it ‘twiturgy’. http://twitter.com/twiturgy
Definitely food for thought.
I suppose such a thing might work if people knew when to tune in to it, but it doesn’t strike me as terribly innovative. It just seems like force-fitting a known form into something that may not be a suitable vessel for it.
I also wouldn’t tune in, in part, because Twitter, for me, is more about throwing out one-time ephemera and seeing how it gets used. A “service” seems like too structured of an idea for Twitter, with many parts strung together. Then, too, we go back to the old SL questions - whose prayer book? Is the sacramental absolution efficacious? Etc.
It begs the question: Exactly how reducible *is* liturgy, and is there any such thing as an inappropriate vehicle for it?
Interesting concept. There has been loads of discussion on various forums about it. I say give it a go, and see what happens!
IMHO, suggesting we let technology define how we do anything completely misses the point. Technology (any technology) is appropriated into our motives and practices, becomes part of how we do what we want to do, and its through that process of making technology our own that we learn about the new and different things that technology can offer us. Not by reading a manual and inventing ways to use the functions.
If Twitter is a good way to keep in touch with people, then tech-wise churches will use Twitter to communicate within cell groups and prayer groups and from leadership to followers. Some churches may experiment with using Twitter in worship, as a great gimmick to remind the flock that their church is up-to-date, but unless that really serves a purpose it will soon be replaced by the next tech fashion.
Right now, I don’t see how “twiturgy” moves beyond gimmick to become a useful tool for the church. Sorry.
Convince me if you can!
Hey Mark and folks,
Along somewhat similar lines, check out this dude:
http://twitter.com/twitturgies
I think he’s a rather gifted poet/prayer-composer, which helps. Because of the economy of words it demands, Twitter is more effective the more fully the Tweeter can command the language, kind of like any form of poetry. I think.
Peace,
Croghan
Yes, there are a number of us already trying to be creative in this medium. I have a list at
http://www.liturgy.co.nz/blog/twiturgy-twitter-prayers/921
and would be happy to see others known to be added.
Blessings
Bosco
@ liturgy
translated as
http://twitter.com/liturgy
Well I work freelance technical manager for a company that has been doing something like this in meetings for a long time - well before twitter.
www.crystal-interactive.co.uk
Sure - itcould be used in church too
Hi - We are actually doing this already with the Urban Abbey, twitter ID @TheUrbanAbbey. I am the Abbess of the group IRL (in Arlington, Virginia, USA) and tweet excerpts from morning and evening prayer every day using a variety of Episcopal and Anglican sources.
We have over 450 followers and they seem very enthusiastic, many regulars. The 140 character format works quite well, in my opinion. People who respond almost always comment on how spiritually fulfilling the experience is.
Thanks for the post! Glad to see a conversation is started around this.
Hi Mark, Nice one! I think the key is not to try to replicate existing forms of ministry with new technology, but to ask what new avenues the technology might open up. I started twitturgies because I could see that the immediacy and ubiquity of the medium, combined with the creative discipline of 140 characters (now down to 125 to allow for retweets)would lead me into a whole new way of praying.. and it has. I get as much out of capturing my prayers in this way as others, I assume, get out of reading them. I see it as an unexpected adaptation of the original twitter concept.. but I’m enjoying it!
Blessings,
*Gerard*
hi Mark. Good call…and the ‘morning bell’ call to prayer has just become available via twitter too: twitter.com/morningbell2u peace to you Ian
First off, I’d say that I’d definitely like to give it a shot. I’m with Gerard on this one, though. I think it was your original point, Mark, that we don’t try and fit our existing forms of worship and service into new technology, but allow new technology to open up new forms of worship and service. What about a twitter fast and prayer “service” for a certain topic, like the fast for Darfur ongoing? People could make the commitment to fast and pray, then on the day of, tweet their prayers and join in on the concert of prayers going out through twitter?
I would love to be part of an ongoing twitter prayer or praise. We could have different tweets depending on what people want to connect to. Praise and worship…or specific prayers.
It would add a whole different dimension to intercession as thousands of people started to read and pray the words as they arrived on their screens.
Great idea.
Mark,
Thanks for sharing the idea I posted about some of the most innovative companies and the applications to ministry. We have to be looking at everything that our world is creating and asking how it can be used to show Christ in a real and powerful way to those who are lost.
One of the things I like about Twitter is that it is inherently generous. People share what they are doing, reading, thinking, etc. This ability to share information - both mundane and world-changing is an interesting reality.
So how can the church take this and use it? I have heard about churches allowing people to send SMS prayers of thanksgiving during worship. We know that pastors are using it to engage their congregations.
But I think the bigger question is what is an incarnational way that this tool can reflect Christ? I have seen it used powerfully for prayer. Could it be used as a church service, maybe.
Thanks for asking the questions and getting us thinking about this specific tool!
Yes. I am very interested in the concepts of virtual church. It seems to me that 40 years ago Christian leaders decided they needed to water down our theology and liturgy in order to appeal to a younger hipper generation. In fact, these folks were never looking for something less than the genuine Christian Gospel. They were just looking for packaging that matched the technology of the times. Today that technology has changed even more. So I say bring it on. Twittering in Church. Podcasts. Video Podcasts. Online Prayer conferencing. Bible studies via group chat, Online ministries of help…. all of it.