Facebook Trends

Like the rest of the world, the use of Facebook and Twitter has exploded at our church - and its spreading through all age groups. We have formed group pages for several of our key ministries and for our church. We are finding that targeted communication to the members of these group pages is much more effective than a general email announcement. (Maybe email is becoming the same as bulletin or pulpit announcements and being filtered out by most?) Among the staff I am probably the most active Facebook user and so recently I began to notice some trends that we needed to talk about with our volunteers.

For reasons I don't fully understand, it is clear that many people who use the internet think that their activity there is completely private - or at least limited to a handful of people. So they post comments that are somewhat questionable and crude. Things like: abbreviations for four-letter-word-filled phrases; quiz results that reveal a darker or even sinful side of themselves; suggestive videos; or embarrassing photos of other people. We can't (and don't want to) monitor the activity of those who attend our church but we do want to provide some guidelines for safe and sane use of social media sites by those who provide ministry through our church - especially when they have minors as friends & followers.

Here's a working list of suggestions:

[1] As a ministry leader you are strongly encouraged to post only those items to Facebook, Twitter, or your blog that you would willingly say to the entire church. Ephesians 4.28,29

[2] As a ministry leader it is generally  inappropriate for you to initiate a friend request with a minor. It may be appropriate to accept a friend request from minor if you have a ministry relationship with them.

[3] The creation of any Our Savior’s Baptist related Facebook groups should be done in a format that does not permit the general public from viewing the group page. Membership in the group page should be on an approval basis by the page administrator.
[4] Married ministry leaders should give their spouses full access to email, text messages, and social media sites. 

[5] Photos of minors (under age 18) who are part of our ministries should be posted only to the appropriate Facebook group and not to your own wall.
[6] Leaders should refrain from tagging minors in photos.

[7] Ministry leaders & volunteers should refrain from publishing the results of quizzes that are questionable.

[8] Ministry leaders & volunteers should refrain from using common abbreviations for foul language.

[9] Ministry leaders and volunteers should refrain from posting comments that are critical of Our Savior's members, leadership, ministries, or other leaders/volunteers. Philippians 4.13
[10] Be smart!

These guidelines are not yet in their final form. I would appreciate your feedback or suggestions of how they might be improved.

A NextGeneration Leader

One of the reasons I am on Twitter is for the opportunity to follow Next Generation leaders. I appreciate what they have to see and I enjoy learning from them. Because of them I have great hope for the church.

Recently, I had an opportunity to work with a Next Generation leader over several days. This was not your typical ministry project - it was a bathroom remodel! Jordan is 25. I'm more than twice Jordan's age. It was his house. I've known Jordan for about 4 years. He married my daughter. This was the first time I had worked on an extended project with him and I had a great time. In this situation I entered with the most experience when it comes to installing ceramic tile. Jordan has quite a bit of experience and skill with plumbing, construction, and electrical. He's a welder by trade. So while I came into the project with age and experience on my side it was Jordan who was the lead. The way we approached the project was his call and I was working (volunteering) for him.

I was amazed at how quickly Jordan became comfortable working with tile. He was able to shape pieces and make special cuts using a hand-held grinder - something I've never attempted. He was able to visualize the completed project and take the steps to get us there - even bricking in a glass-block window. I know that this is one guy that I would want on my team whenever tackling another project - whether its a remodel project or not.

Jordan is representative to me of so many Next Generation leaders who love Jesus, love their wives, and love ministering to others. It is great to find myself in the company of these men (and women) who are leading the way for the church of today and tomorrow and are willing to share their ideas and skills with those of us who've been around a little longer. I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to learn from them.

If you are a NextGeneration leader how well do you work with those who've been leading a while? Do you invite them to join the team? Include them in the process? Value their experience? Are you learning from them? If you're a current leader are you sharing leadership with the next generation? Do you value their ideas and perspective? Are you learning from them?

We have much to learn from one another in life and in ministry. Me? I'd like to learn how to shape pieces of tile with a hand-held grinder!

Are You GAP Insurance?

Okay, so I was one of the 250,000 people who bankrupted the CARS program in the first 4 days! I traded in my '01 Kia Sportage (avg 18 mpg) for an '09 Chevy HHR (avg 32 mpg) and with the CARS program and GM rebates I shaved more than $8,000 off the price of a new car. If you've ever sat in a new-car showroom you know the uncomfortable and even distasteful drill of having to dance with the salesman about the final pricing and then deal with the finance guy. His job is to get you to pay more - much more - for the car than you were planning on. It start with an extended warranty (which I can get elsewhere for half!), moves on to a complete protection package on the interior and exterior of the vehicle, and finishes up with an offer for GAP insurance. The basic idea behind GAP insurance is that this additional coverage will bridge the gap between what your car is worth and what you sill owe on it should it become 'totaled' in an accident. It's not a bad idea. What is a bad idea is buying this coverage from the dealer for $300 when you can get it added to your auto insurance policy for something like $2/mo!

Second chair leaders are in the business of providing GAP insurance for their first-chair leaders. Often we are called upon to fill-in or stand-in-the-gap between what needs to get done and our first-chair leader's ability to accomplish that task. Sometimes we act as a shield or buffer to protect our first-chair leaders from things that might derail them. When we get good as second-chair leaders we can see the gaps and fill them in before others notice them and often before our first-chair leader is even aware of them.

I encourage you to serve your first-chair leader today by being his or her GAP insurance. One word of caution: don't expect that what you are doing will get noticed. Your behind-the-scenes ministry will rarely become headline news. Be satisfied in the success of your first-chair leader knowing that his success makes your church or organization healthier, stronger, and more effective!