Should churches create their own social networking sites or use ones already formed?

[James Nored]

Should churches concentrate on creating their own social networking sites, or join in ones that have already formed such as Facebook? Here is a quote from the book Marketing to the Social Web by Larry Weber.

"How can you and your company get involved? You can either join in other people's communities or create your own destinations and invite others to join in the conversation there. Or you can do both.

Pontiac, for example, is joining the Second Life conversation. Depending on your marketing goal, it is possible to join all kinds of conversations both as an organization and as an individual within the organization. The advantage of joining another organization's community, like FaceBook or YouTube, is that it already has members who come to it regularly. On the other hand, you may not be able to find the exact community you need, so you have to create your own."

I am convinced that both forms of networks are needed. Churches and individual Christians need to be active in social networks such as Facebook. They also can invite people into networks that have a higher concentration of Christians, and they can use social networking sites for mission.

The new website, Missional Outreach Network, has really taken off. It is great for pooling resources, people, and churches for outreach and mission, and we have been able to successfully invite seekers into this site as well. We also are working on implementing a Facebook strategy to interact with non-Christians.

It says a lot when we go to someone else's social networking "hangout." Today, my wife chatted with me on the Missional Outreach Network--my site--and I really appreciated it. It was probably not her preferred way of communicating (phone call), but I liked it.

Social networking, in whatever form or site, is the preferred way of communicating with most people under 30, and is spreading amongst all ages. By using the medium of communication of people today, we are being incarnational. And by going where they are already hanging out and by sharing Christ in new ways, we are being missional.

How can we better use social networking to share Christ with others?

[James Nored]

Yes, Michael, we should not substitute virtual interaction for face to face. I've been doing a lot of reading about this, and obviously experiencing social networking firsthand. The virtual world, when not abused, can strengthen face to face interaction. For instance, I had only met face to face with Mike Eppinette twice before he came and spoke to our congregation last Sunday. However, because of our interaction on this site, and our common commitment to mission, I have drawn a lot closer to him--which made our face to face interaction more meaningful.

I am an extrovert, so I really value getting together with people. Could it be that while social networking might be a godsend for introverts, that it could also be more easily substituted for in person interaction? Part of my research in this area is seeking to look at personality types.