I had a fascinating experiment drop in my lap when mega Tweeter Rick Warren reposted one of my blog links.

I have a fairly humble online presence. What should I expect when someone with 575,000 Twitter “followers” and a global ministry posts a link to my blog? Within the next day, my blog showed nearly 1600 views from around the world on that single post. What was the impact of this? Virtually nothing: One single blog comment from a new name. No big change to my Twitter follower count.

I have no illusions about the quality and relevance of my content for Warren’s audience, but I was a little surprised. I’m grateful for the nod from Pastor Rick, and hope that visitors drew some benefit from my post, but this experience seemed to confirm a suspicion: whatever the relational potential of my online presence, I am producing an online commodity. Sometimes, that commodity is me.

I have heard that Christians, and ministers in particular, tend to view social media as platforms for output, rather than forums for interaction. This seems consistent with our viewing the world from behind so many pulpits. It doesn’t surprise me, that in a society so hungry to be America’s Next Unexpected Spectacle, we would treat our online selves like personal billboards. When I fill out a Facebook profile, I am no less than branding myself. So, I wonder, is this the use of social media for ministry?

Can I find evidence in social media God’s work and presence? If I am truly extending myself into a network of relationships, in what way is the Holy Ghost in this machine? While I approach so many relationships with “how is the Spirit drawing me to be part of God’s will for their life,” why would I approach online interactions with “how can I frame this to maximize my influence?”

In questions of spiritual maturity and healthy community, scripture calls us to watch for the fruit of God’s life among us as evidence of authentic faith, hope and love. Some social media tools tell us exactly how much of our effort goes into building up others or making genuine gestures of care and gratitude. But most of them tell us how much attention we’re getting.

Among all the strategies for promoting ministry through social media, how can this be a means for doing ministry?

“Being built” into a network:

 

One of the unique things about Christian community is that we are made up of those the Lord brings together. We don’t pick; we get picked, grafted in, and gifted for the Spirit’s purposes for one another. Not exactly a friending process.  We don’t get to “hide updates” or add to circles, and block those we don’t dig. Everybody’s welcome to the table, or it’s not the Lord’s Supper.

So, will I, online, ask God to connect me to a network of people I can strengthen without seeking my own promotion? What does it look like to show up to a network and not “sit at the head of the table?” How will I present myself if my purpose isn’t to draw “likes” but be drawn into God’s work?

Posting for others:

“What’s on your mind,” or “compose a new tweet,” or “share what’s new” all invite me to express myself, and give me a sense that my newly composed lunch plans or tax returns or movie quote matter. The pressure I feel when I can’t think of anything reflects two assumptions: I’m important, and what people think of me is important. Often I sit at a status prompt, thinking, “what is the smartest/funniest/most inciting thing I can write?” just because that seems to be what one ought to put out there.

“Media” implies a producer and an audience. What if I don’t think so much about an audience, but a neighborhood? Can I conceive of my contribution as something to an actual person, rather than a potential subscriber? Not a prayer that describes my personal faith, or an update that displays my talents or tastes, but a statement of self that is to the Father for the other? What does it look like to head into my online neighborhood and just see who needs some help with the yard?

It may mean searching out those who are under-recognized and finding ways to use my virtual presence to be for them. Maybe it means not composing another “come and see me,” but going online to search out and build up.

Just as we are

 

From my earliest experiences with Christians online, I was struck by how much we argue. “About Me” often includes what theological tradition or church heritage I belong to, and maybe even clarifying those I don’t. I am usually presenting some version of me to draw like-minded or genre-specific (or target demographic?) connections. But what if this isn’t “about me?” Am I willing to put forward the parts of me – not just the strengths, but the weaknesses – that are most useful to God for others? Am I willing to let others be, when our profiles conflict?

Anybody I’m connected to online can tell you these are all growth areas for me. As I reflect on these possibilities in my online interactions, I also see more clearly where my resistance to life in Christ turns up. I’m reminded how our thoughts and actions when “nobody’s watching” tell us more about our hearts than when in public. Uncovering the boundaries I draw in my network, motives with which I post, and tendencies towards image control gives me much to think about regarding how I view relationships in general. It’s not only online that I have to practice thinking in terms of what I can contribute, rather than what I can accumulate. I’m conscious of how, even when others are watching, I must remain vigilant in love.

What practices or orientations towards social media use allow you to extend God’s grace?

 

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