I've had people nagging me for some time to join Facebook. For me personally, it is time consuming enough simply to get posts on a blog and I find my blog helpful in helping me catalog helpful things I've found online. It also makes it easy to recommend a site to someone to have them visit my site, where I've linked to it.
Facebook is more than these things, though. A recent report said the average user of Facebook spends 3 days messing with it over the course of a year. Couple this with a recent report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, which says that their can be some positives in new media.
Here's the rub for me: the Bible commends the local church as the community in which life is to function. People will, for instance, get on Facebook and communicate for everyone what their struggles are or what's happening in their lives, but not even communicate those things in a small group or with the Elders or people in the local church (unless those people are "friends on Facebook"). I don't think this should be. Maybe I need to get on Facebook and become friends with all the people in the church that are on it (so I can effectively shepherd). I don't know. It just seems to be a disconnect. Sure Paul wrote letters to communicate with churches and we do have amazing gifts in technology. But there is still something unique about practicing the one anothers with, well, one another. How can these be balanced?
Monday, November 09, 2009
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2 comments:
Appreciate your thoughts on the Facebook issue. We joined Facebook 18 months ago and now find ourselves with over 400 friends. Between people we know from college, relatives, supporters and friends we have made in Brazil, we know a lot of people. We have had to filter our Facebook as there are too many people to follow. Fortunately Facebook makes it easy to choose the friends that you follow. Number one reason that someone is excluded is if they make too many posts, besides just being casual friends. It has helped us in communicate our ministry and we have people praying that we didn't have in the past. For us it has been worth it, but we have to watch our time. But agreed Face to Face is better than Facebook.
Wayne,
Thanks for writing in, first of all. It's great to hear from you. I keep in touch with you by the blog and appreciate the updates.
I think you have touched on how it can be helpful. I think my critique is more aimed at those who try to substitute it for community in the local church. It would appear to me, that such a tool would be invaluable is keeping in touch with those who are interested in your ministry. This would enable you to have "community at a distance."
Having said all that, if you were interacting with people in the local church you attend by Facebook alone, you might be neglecting what God calls us to in community.
Again, helpful thoughts. Thanks for writing.
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