Good social media ministries of faith development, social justice, pastoral care, multifaith dialogue, and spiritual practices all share three elements: (1) consistency over the long haul, (2) interaction with a community of followers, and (3) interaction with those the ministries follow and their peers. Each piece of the social media ministry takes care and attention. This week, let’s focus on building a consistent framework.

Before we do so, it is important to know your spiritual gifts and who you are ministering to. My social media ministry is thick with the ministry of encouragement. The people and institutions I connect most with are folks who are working to live in steadfast love, whether they belong to a faith community or not, and they appreciate encouragement. Encouragement happens to be a gift I can offer. Fortunately, it is also a gift lots of others offer, and I can share encouraging words, music, and art from others.

How do you already think through your ministry year? What are the seasons you observe? What resources does your community require in those seasons? What resources are shared during those times? Personally, I integrate several calendars to help me structure my social media ministry.  Since I’m a Unitarian Universalist minister, I include the seasons and times that are important to Unitarian Universalists. For example, I know when the stewardship seasons are because I want to provide helpful resources and encouragement around stewardship. I know when important meetings are because I want to pray some encouraging words. (Remember that I’m practicing a ministry of encouragement.) I also use a multifaith calendar to help me attend to my faith neighbors, and to help us all be more mindful and better neighbors to one another. Doing so lead me to engage more too with multifaith families, who can still feel like outsiders in many faith communities. In 2011-2012 I am also part of a group of faith leaders sharing a theme a month for twelve months.  Those themes affect my ministry. I also incorporate United Nations recognition days into my calendar, because they are not days promoting one nationality (my ministry is based in the United States, but is global) and because they promote values and issues consistent with my faith, including global community and world peace.

Once you have a sense of your ministry year, your gifts, and the communities with which and to which you are ministering, then you can create a schedule that will make sense to you. Let me take December 2011 as an example. This month, the theme is Hope, a plethora of faith holidays show up as well as United Nations recognition days, and many people are particularly struggling spiritually and emotionally with the season. In 2011, I shared resources related to James Luther Adams’ five smooth stones of liberal religion, immigration as a moral issue, peace practices and ethical eating. In 2012, I have been sharing resources on the spiritual practices of Reverence, Generosity, Learning, Community, Creativity, Sabbath, and Joy, on immigration as a moral issue and on ethical eating.

My schedule for Thursday, December 1, 2011 looked like this:

Chalice Lighting: Hope guide us into the adventure of loving, into the great gift of mercy, into generous joy. #chalicelight

Prayer: Morning Prayer Dec. 1 http://universalistprayers.org/2011/11/morning-prayer-december-1-2011.html

Daily Quote: Every action in our lives touches some chord that will vibrate in eternity. – E.H. Chapin (Universalist, minister)

Spirit Question: How are you acting for, in and with hope today? #spiritquestion

Holiday Prayer: #UU Rev. Wayne Arnason’s Holiday Season Prayer: http://www.uua.org/worship/words/meditations/submissions/5628.shtml

Observances Info: World AIDS Day 2011 – Get the facts http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/

World AIDS Day – Faith Advocacy Tool Kit http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/2011/10/faith-advocacy-toolkit/

Carbondale to Kabwe: Growth of an anti-HIV/AIDS Partnership http://www.uua.org/peace/stories/124384.shtml #uu #uua

Event to participate in: [TweetChat at Noon – sponsored by We Make The Change Florida @wmtcfl ]

Evening Prayer: Evening Prayer Dec. 1 http://universalistprayers.org/2011/11/evening-prayer-december-1-2011.html

5 Smooth Stones: 4^th Stone: Change-Agent – Halting the Spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa http://www.thp.org/what_we_do/key_initiatives/hiv_aids_and_gender/overview

Chalice Extinguishing: Breath of Life infuse us with hope to keep acting for merciful justice & in bold compassion. #chaliceout

Being the first Thursday of the month, it was also #TheologicalThurs on Twitter, when I shout-out a thanks to my theological peeps, whose diverse ministries enrich my life. More recently, I have shifted #TheologicalThursday or #TheologicalThurs to name those I’ve conversed with that week, or especially appreciated that month.

Note I also scheduled myself to participate in a community event that wasn’t faith based and I wasn’t leading. If I would attend such a forum locally as part of my ministry, I attend such fora digitally as part of my ministry.

Each week, I also include specific times to post blogs and other resources, like videos.

This kind of schedule can seem daunting to someone new to social media ministry. But I developed this schedule over time. First, I started with a daily 100-character inspirational message. Then, I added my daily prayer blog. Thirdly I added the spiritual practice of my faith tradition, the chalice lighting and chalice extinguishing (#chalicelight and #chaliceout).

Many pieces of my social media ministry schedule are things I already do, just sharing them in different ways. Since I have core spiritual practices I do every day, I just needed to spend a few minutes making those available to everyone. I was writing and teaching already; giving myself a schedule just made me more disciplined in sharing what I was creating and teaching. I read and collect resources online as part of my being in a larger community, continuing education, and developing thoughts and reflections and teaching. Sharing those resources across a schedule made sense because I was finding those resources helpful, inspiring, challenging, or otherwise affecting my faith.

Try setting up a minimal framework to begin developing consistency in your social media ministry. The discipline will grow and stretch, but also give something for a community to develop around and for your peers and the people you follow to connect with. Showing up consistently is part of how we build this global house of study.

This post is a reblog from an archived blog, since the material remains relevant.

One of the traditions my own denomination, Unitarian Universalism, cherishes is our tradition of theological innovation and adaptation. As economies and ecologies, scientific understanding and liberation movements have changed, so has my faith community, sometimes leading, sometimes following. Being open to what’s new for faithful people is the first of the five foundational practices for liberal religious people.

But then there’s this tradition that observes in many of our faith communities that change occurs somewhere between calendar and geologic time, with the emphasis more on the geologic end – and I’m not talking about sudden tectonic plate shifts.

Social media has been around long enough to develop variations in culture, to become a place where speakers of non-colonial and historically marginalized languages create stronger relationships and find freedom to work together. Social media is a perfect environment for those of us scattered in disaporic experiences – and one of the biggest reasons why smart mobile devices and access plans need to be inexpensive enough to be in everyone’s hands.

Authority in social media is primarily relational. Yes, there are some folks with institutional authority, and they’re able to continue to use social media as a broadcast medium. But social media’s primary shaping value is the social aspect – relationships. The people who are leaders in social media are people facilitating meaningful relationships, whatever their particular passions. We long to be part of and co-creators of communities of joy, of spiritual practice, of ethical action, of learning, and of caring. We’re seeking meaningful digital sanctuaries to which we belong by participating in the life of those sanctuaries.

I applaud the creation and building of digital steeples – those points of connection that draw people into investigating if here is a real place for their gifts, a digital support for generous people caring and sharing their vocations – where their passions can meet the world’s needs.  Religious communities and religious leaders need to create digital steeples. They are an important way to claim a sanctuary space and to create a community that is truly a cloud of witnesses.

But if appreciating the power of the digital steeple to living out the purpose of religious organizations is a big cultural change, creating the digital sanctuary seems to be an even larger one. Why? Because of authority, authenticity, and co-creativity. Netizens love and seek places without prescripted and prescriptive experiences, because one of the netizen loves and appreciates being able to contribute each one’s unique gifts, talents, and experiences to the community. The digital cloud of witnesses is one that’s very active and engaged in living with integrity and agency. The larger story we’re living into is one in which every one belongs, is valued, is freed to give, and is appreciated. That’s the same story at the heart of my Unitarian Universalist faith, which is why I’m involved in supporting digital steeples and in nurturing digital sanctuaries. Every one matters. Every one has gifts and calling. The good and the gracious needs all our efforts and all of us freed to answer that calling for love, for justice, and for restoration.

This post is a reblog from an archived blog, since the material remains relevant.

Congregations Without Walls

Why do people of faith need to nurture congregations without walls, in digital spaces and along the information superhighway? The brief answer: because that’s where many of us are spending large parts of our lives today. Some of us live long distances physically, emotionally, and spiritually from the faith and the faith communities that nurture our spirits, encourage us in sharing our gifts for goodness in the world, and offer places of refuge, spiritual practice, and worship.

The reality is that traditional congregations have failed many people of faith. We’ve experienced abuse, lost trust, been told we’re welcome but then found out that’s only true if we become just like everyone else already there. Maybe we’ve been blocked from sharing our particular gifts and talents. Maybe the congregation isn’t living how it says it will or is in the midst of a conflict that seems petty to us, or overwhelming, or simply alienating. Congregations in digital life create spaces where we can rebuild trust, heal religious wounds, create inclusive communities, encourage and equip people in living faithful lives that affect and are part of their local communities and global community.

The reality is also that many spiritual people have never been part of a faith community. Traditional congregations can have very alien cultures, into which we’re required to assimilate in order to belong long enough to learn and to offer what gifts we have. Some of us so value co-creativity, empowerment, and the ability to organize and address particular life events and issues in wide-ranging, fruitful, and diverse communities – something we’ve experienced digitally. The speed of church and “the way we do things” can be enormously frustrating and create crises of faith, apathy, and cynicism. Congregations in digital life innovate constantly and will reflect best the generosity of netizens and the transformational work that can be done because we’re better together.

The reality is also that smaller communities – those under a few thousand – have limited resources and gifts and tend to focus those resources and gifts in specific ways. The built environment can only accept so many of these communities, and that means these communities are often pressed to be all things to all people, rather than thrive with their gifts and calling in their locale. Digital congregations and digital ministries can multiply, be of all sizes, share all kinds of gifts and resources, and answer a wide and constantly changing variety of callings. Innovation is easy and low-cost in digital life, with high potential for personal and world transformation, and for nurturing spiritual values and practices.

Digital congregations and digital ministries are complementary ministries with geographically rooted bricks and mortar congregations. They are congregations and ministries of invitation, empowerment, equipping, apprenticing, teaching, learning, worshipping, caring, sharing, advocating, witnessing, seeking, innovating, and celebrating the great good gifts of life and the wonderful ways we can live faithfully.

I’m a Unitarian Universalist. I hope my denomination and my global faith will embrace and encourage digital congregations and digital ministries. There are some early indications that we are - growing numbers of religious leaders (laity and ordained) using social media as part of their lives of faithful leadership and faithful growth, bylaw changes that will permit non-local (thus, digital) congregations, and a growing awareness of how much faith may be challenged and strengthened through our digital communities acting globally and acting locally together. Indeed, I hope all faiths will do so, because every day I’m growing in my faith through the rich diversity and astounding generosity of netizens – every day people and superstars – living faithfully together.

I’m reblogging this updated piece, once posted on another blog that was archived. The questions and concerns remain relevant for congregations to consider.

Congregations and Beyond will be most effective if we know our strengths as faith communities and what we are offering to the world, and if teach each other how to share those strengths. The reality is that there are many vital congregations with ministries larger than serving themselves. Sharing the wisdom we already possess with one another is part of how we all grow stronger and better answer our larger call.

Let’s take a virtual trip over to Mission Peak Unitarian Universalist to explore another example of excellent ministry based in a congregation that serves well beyond the walls of that congregation. The Rev. Barbara Meyers leads a mental health ministry from MPUUC, one that serves the entire county the congregation is located in, through the Mental Health Matters television show.

I work with Rev. Barbara Meyers as part of EqUUal Access’ communications team. Consistently, I hear the greatest number of thanks for sharing resources via Twitter from Rev. Meyers’ Mental Health Ministry. Individuals and families living with mental illness and seeking mental health want supportive faith communities affirming every one’s worth and dignity and holding folks with loving care.

The Mental Health Ministry also educates religious leaders around the globe on how faith communities and leaders can support individuals and families in great mental health ministries. The Caring Congregations Curriculum is FREE and does not require special training. For communities ready to go further, there is a seven workshop form of the curriculum, priced modestly to support the MPUUC Mental Health Ministry.

An early adapter of technology to make sure the resources of this valuable ministry were available 24/7/366 and to the widest community possible, Rev. Meyers makes sure new episodes of the television show and other new resources are uploaded regularly.

Rev. Barbara Meyers is also a spiritual director, serving the larger community in her area. If you look at her spiritual direction page, you will notice the incredible flexibility and generosity of her rates, which encourages people to give back in service for goodness.

Mission Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation is living its mission to serve the larger community for social justice and in accordance with Unitarian Universalist principles. The Mental Health Ministry is a ministry of dignity, caring, community, and transforming love. Mission Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation and the Rev. Barbara Meyers are one great example of how a vibrant faith serves the whole world.

Mental Health Ministry: http://www.mpuuc.org/mentalhealth/mentalintro.html

Mental Health Matters TV Show: http://www.mpuuc.org/mentalhealth/mentalTVshow.html

Caring Congregation Curriculum: http://www.mpuuc.org/mentalhealth/caringcongcurr.html

Spiritual Direction: http://www.mpuuc.org/services/commSpiritual%20Direction.html