Letter from the President
Getting a Handle on Social Media
Like many of you, my foray into the waters of social media was a conscious decision. It was 2007, and my daughter pushed me to open a Facebook account as a way to connect with my nieces and nephews. Before long, though, I found myself eagerly following the activities of other family members and then, naturally, the activities of many, many friends as well.
Similarly, I started tweeting as a way to keep up with young adults in my life and ministry circles. I didn’t want to lose touch or lose out on pivotal conversations. But now I find that I’m often on Twitter to follow authors and speakers I appreciate, regardless of their ages. There’s simply a lot of great thinking out there that I want to capture and consider. And the younger staff members surrounding me at the national office are always encouraging me to tweet more of my own thinking and activities.
I usually don’t spend more than half an hour on social media each day, but I will admit to times when I’ve looked up after a Facebook session, only to find that time has slipped away while I wasn’t looking.
That’s why I found the topic of social media to be a fascinating one for this issue of EFCA Today. Our leaders are engaged for many different reasons and to many different extents. We recognize the very real risk of social media eating up time we used to prioritize in other ways. But we also see the valuable ways that social media can be strategic for ministry.
I trust that the articles in this issue gave you pause for thought regarding your personal and church use of the many platforms out there.
P.S. I’d love to know the top Christian thinker you’re following on Twitter — @efcaprez
Letter From the president
Like many of you, my foray into the waters of social media was a conscious decision. It was 2007, and my daughter pushed me to open a Facebook account as a way to connect with my nieces and nephews. Before long, though, I found myself eagerly following the activities of other family members and then, naturally, the activities of many, many friends as well.
Similarly, I started tweeting as a way to keep up with young adults in my life and ministry circles. I didn’t want to lose touch or lose out on pivotal conversations. But now I find that I’m often on Twitter to follow authors and speakers I appreciate, regardless of their ages. There’s simply a lot of great thinking out there that I want to capture and consider. And the younger staff members surrounding me at the national office are always encouraging me to tweet more of my own thinking and activities.
I usually don’t spend more than half an hour on social media each day, but I will admit to times when I’ve looked up after a Facebook session, only to find that time has slipped away while I wasn’t looking.
That’s why I found the topic of social media to be a fascinating one for this issue of EFCA Today. Our leaders are engaged for many different reasons and to many different extents. We recognize the very real risk of social media eating up time we used to prioritize in other ways. But we also see the valuable ways that social media can be strategic for ministry.
I trust that the articles in this issue gave you pause for thought regarding your personal and church use of the many platforms out there.
P.S. I’d love to know the top Christian thinker you’re following on Twitter– @efcaprez