Online Ministry at Union Congregational United Church of Christ in Somonauk, IL

“The Internet isn’t an important part of the ministry of our congregation.”

If you ask folks at Union Congregational United Church of Christ in Somonauk, IL about how the Internet impacts the ministry of the congregation, many would likely say exactly that. On Sunday morning you’ll find very little evident computer technology and no Internet use during the worship service.

Yet the Internet provides a myriad of opportunities for folks in the congregation to be engaged in God’s ministry with each other, with the community and throughout the world. Over the past few years, we’ve found new ways to reach out to folks online through a number of resources:

• A church website that is continually updated with events, pictures, ministries, worship opportunities, sermons (text and podcasts) as well as links to United Church of Christ websites.
• A church blog that offers the even more frequent updates
• A church Facebook page that invites church members and friends to have online conversations about church life and to see even more frequent updates.
• A church myUCC group that is new and ready for new folks arriving at the United Church of Christ’s new online social network.
• A pastor’s blog that includes weekly Bible study thoughts as well as the usual “what’s on the pastor’s mind” blog entries.
• The pastor’s twitterfeed
• Sermon podcasts on the pastor’s blog as well as in iTunes

Each avenue of engagement provides an opportunity to reach folks in a manner many use now, and more will use in the future. Our small, rural congregation, where a little less than a hundred attend worship on a weekly basis, sees website traffic of 50-60 hits a week (per sitemeter) and has made connections with 40+ folks on Facebook. The sermon podcasts have about 40 subscribers (per Feedburner statistics) and the new myUCC group has . . . well . . . that one hasn’t grown much at all yet.

Internet ministry isn’t the only or even the primary way folks connect at Union Congregational United Church of Christ in Somonauk, but it is already a vital part of the life of the church and an avenue of connection that will continue to grow.

Internet ministry at Union Congregational United Church of Christ in Somonauk, Illinois:

• New
• Vital
• Growing

Social Networking

I have a new article published in Interlinc's Music Magazine. (YLO 75) . It's about youth leaders staying connected with graduates during the 'absent years' of college.    (I think it's telling about the pace of social networking change that the end of this article about a much less known Twitter - at the time I wrote the article - now needs an update!)

(Here's a link to the pdf version Interlinc just published on their website - 3/10/09)

Thoughts?

Social Networking – A Tool to Stay in Touch During the ‘Absent Years’

By Kirk Moore

We spend an amazing amount of energy staying connected with students during their middle and high school years. 

Some youth leaders spend as much, if not more, energy trying to keep college students connected to church life – others forget about the students shortly after graduation. In both cases, churches see a mass exodus of students from local church ministries shortly after graduation.

Can we reverse the trend? Can we keep students involved in our local churches or at least keep them involved in ministries at college?

Maybe.

Students who were active in church during their high school years and fell off the map during their college and early adult lives will likely return after they get married and have children. If they continue to have a connection with the ministry they were a part of during their younger years, I think the likelihood of them returning is even greater.

Enter social networking!

Social networking websites (okay – let’s not kid ourselves, I’m really talking about Facebook and not much about any other sites) provide an excellent opportunity to stay in touch with college age students and young adults during their “absent years” from church. If you’re not connected with Facebook, sign up, log on and start getting connected with those college students and young adults you may not have seen or heard from in awhile. Most (if not all!) of them are already connected with hundreds of friends on Facebook.

Some things you can do to stay connected:

• Sign up at facebook.com
  
• Connect with students (it takes a remarkably short time for folks to find you!)
  
• Create a group for students from your youth ministry
  
• Wish them Happy Birthday on their birthday.
  
• Have a “Facebook meet-up” at a specific time online.
  
• Post memorable (and appropriate!) youth group memory photos on your Facebook group.
  
• Never post anything in any electronic format that you wouldn’t want your mother to see or read.
  
• Don’t remind college students to be appropriate online. You’re staying connected to them but you’re not the Facebook police.  
  
• Continue to be supportive, invitational and demonstrative (big word, eh?) of God’s unconditional love.
  

Did I mention Twitter? I probably should have. You may want to keep an eye out for that site, too!

Facebook

I hadn't heard of this until last year. I hadn't paid attention to it until a few months ago. I hadn't been on the site until about a month ago. I wasn't a member until a couple of weeks ago.

I haven't checked it in at least a couple of minutes.