If you are a church and/or Christian leader on social media, please heed the following warnings. This information is pertinent whether you are paid or volunteer, serving in a church or some other Christian organization.
Those of you who read my blog or listen to my podcasts know I am a strong proponent of Christian leaders utilizing social media. I have seen so many good things take place on the various platforms available. I have seen the gospel clearly shared and embraced on social media.
But social media is a two-edged sword. It can be used for good or great harm. And it can harm the ministries of those in Christian leadership. So, whether your platform is a blog, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google Plus, or many others, please note these seven warnings. Indeed, it is my prayer that you will heed these seven warnings.
- Consider anything you say on social media to be permanent. Yes, you can delete or scrub regretful things you have said on social media but, more times than not, the information can still be retrieved. And countless people take screen shots the moment they see something unwisely posted.
- You can be misunderstood often on social media. The readers or viewers usually cannot see your body language. They don’t know your humor or sarcasm. If you have any question about something you will post, don’t post it.
- Emoticons are not sufficient to soften what you have posted. In fact, emoticons are so ubiquitous now that many readers ignore them.
- Attacks on other people’s character or positions are considered cowardly by many. The reader or the viewer typically sees the person writing the information as one who hides behind a keyboard or microphone. They wonder if the writer would have the courage to say the same things in person.
- Too many Christian leaders are posting on social media in the heat of emotional moments. If you are angry or otherwise agitated, take a 24-hour break from social media. If not, you may regret it later.
- Churches and other Christian organizations are checking social media of Christian leaders. It has become more commonplace for churches and Christian organizations to do a social media background check of potential candidates. And I recently conversed with a pastor who was fired from his church because of something he posted on Facebook. And remember, at the risk of being redundant, most of the words or photos or videos you have posted are permanently recorded.
- The non-Christian world is watching Christians attack each other on social media. Our Christian witness is compromised again and again by our social media actions. When we say or write scathing attacks on others, non-believers see us as hypocritical, inconsistent, and unworthy of emulating.
You might be surprised how many people are watching you on social media. And you might be surprised how many people have been hurt and angered by Christian leaders on social media. You might also be surprised how many gospel-sharing opportunities have been forfeited by unwise things posted on social media.
Be wise. Be gracious. Be kind. And be Christ-like.
Let me hear what you think of this issue.
Posted on August 4, 2014
With nearly 40 years of ministry experience, Thom Rainer has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of local churches across North America.
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100 Comments
Thought provoking and timely indeed. The Social Media and the electronic platform truly presents a great opportunity for winning souls, counseling, and encouraging people in a non traditional format.
No matter the forms of restraints placed on users Pastors and Followers will still reflect our humanity in postings. This weaknesses are common to all. It’s my opinion that the benefits of the electronic platforms on the Kingdom far outweighs abuses associated with it.
Our fears should not discourage the great work being carried out by grace.
Thank you?
While I get that this post was addressed specifically to Church leaders using social media, all believers should keep these admonishments in mind as we post on social media.
I looked at the twitter stream of a local pastor, the closest congregation of the denomination I grew up in. In 100 posts over a year there was no mention of Christ or Jesus. But there were lots of political tweets I didn’t agree with. The political tweets weren’t, say, pointers to scholarly analyses. It was the nasty and easily-disprovable-by-Google-search kind of stuff.
What kind of a Gospel is likely preached from that pulpit?
This is also good advice for anyone about posting on social media.
My thoughts exactly…especially #7. It’s sad to me when I see a brother/sister in Christ posting things that really harm their witness, especially when it has been preceded or followed by a scripture post or something about the wonders of Jesus, church, etc.
Awesome post. thank you for writing.
Thank you, EH.
A celebrity pastor lost his temper with me when I said I was disappointed and wouldn’t be buying anymore books. Short and to the point. It must of hit him wrong. He deleted the tweet immediately but you know what? It still went to my inbox and I saw it. God saw it.
I’ve had to apologize so many times for misunderstanding something or taking a bad day out on someone because of being convicted by the Holy Spirit about my bad behavior. Why don’t pastors ever feel that?