I read the following article and
thought that it was greatly needed in this day and age, especially when so much
is said and done on Facebook. As Christ-followers, it is important that our conversations
are bringing glory to the Lord and build others up. This may include all forms
of communication and not just Facebook.
18 Ways to
Ruin Your Reputation on Facebook
By Paul
Steinbrueck
https://churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-how-to/150768-paul-steinbrueck-18-ways-leaders-can-ruin-their-reputation-on-facebook-technology-ministry.html/3
(11th October 2018)
Facebook is a great way for you
to build and maintain relationships with people both inside your church and in
your community. But Facebook is not without its risks. Every time you post
something, you risk hurting, offending or distancing yourself from people. So,
here are 18 things you want to avoid doing on Facebook…
First, the ugly…
1.
Post something out of frustration in the heat of
the moment
We all get frustrated at times. Moreover,
if you want to engage people authentically, you need to “keep it real.” But,
Facebooking when angry, frustrated or hurt is never a good idea. Take a few
minutes (or a few hours) to cool down, and then think again if you really want
to use Facebook to vent.
2.
Criticise people
Even if you don’t use a person’s
name, chances are your Facebook friends
with that person or someone close enough to the situation to know who you’re
really talking about.
3.
Embarrass yourself
Expect everyone in your
congregation and your community to see everything you post to Facebook. So
don’t post anything you wouldn’t be comfortable saying or showing from the
pulpit on a Sunday morning.
4.
Embarrass your family
Our spouses and kids say and do
funny things all the time. Most of those things can be posted to Facebook with
no problem, and they help people to see you’re a normal person with a normal
family. But be sensitive and when in doubt, ask your spouse and kids if it’s OK
to share a quote, happening or pic online.
5.
Criticise other churches in the community
Every church has a different
mission, ministry philosophy, style of worship and theology. But we all share
one Lord, one faith and one baptism. We should be known for our unity, not our
division.
The self-absorbed…
6.
Only talk about your church
Christians, when people become
Facebook friends with you, it’s because they want to engage with you (a real
person) not a spokesperson for your church.
7.
Share everything posted to the church FB page
Even if you post personal updates
to your Facebook profile, don’t repost every church update as well. Some,
yes—all, no.
8.
Just talk about yourself
When you go to a social event, do
you like hanging around with people who only talk about themselves and never
ask you about you? Don’t be one of those people online either.
The disingenuous…
9.
Act like your life is perfect
Nobody is perfect, and everyone
knows it. If you act like everything is good all the time, you’ll be perceived
as inauthentic, wearing a mask.
10. Act like you’re always “joyful in the Lord.”
Nobody is happy all the time
either.
11. Act like you have all the answers
Nobody likes a know-it-all
either. Share insight and advice when asked. Be confident but not arrogant.
The offender…
12. Act like the language/morality police
Your Facebook friends are not
perfect. They are going to swear, post questionable pictures of themselves and
share things you don’t agree with. If something is really bad, consider
contacting the person privately about it, but don’t call people out publicly
for what is, unfortunately, a common behaviour in our culture.
13. Roll out the fire and brimstone
I don’t know if preaching about
sin and hell worked with past generations, but it’s not going to put you in a
position to influence people on Facebook. People on Facebook respond much more
favourably to hope and love.
14. Be overly political
It’s OK to take stands on key
issues, but unless you want to irk half your church and close the door to half
the people in your community, don’t tow a party line.
15. Engage people in debates
Online (and offline) debates
rarely cause anyone to shift their position on an issue. Discussion is great, but if things get heated
or personal, it’s time to lighten up.
The disengaged…
16. Post a lot of theological stuff that’s over
your friends’ heads.
It’s great for Christians to
engage their Facebook friends in spiritual conversations, but avoid posting
your doctoral thesis. It’s not going to engage anyone and will put people off.
17. Log in once every week or two. Relationships
require consistency
You can take breaks, go on
vacation and don’t need to be on Facebook every day, but you’ve got to be
regular if you’re going to build relationships on
Facebook.
18. Fail to respond
When people send you messages,
post to your timeline or comment on your status updates and links, it’s
important to respond. Answer people’s questions. Thank people for their insight
and stories.
What things have you seen pastors
do to hurt their reputation on Facebook? What would you caution pastors against
doing?
Paul Steinbrueck is co-founder
and CEO of OurChurch.com, elder of
CypressMeadows.org, and a husband, father of 3, and a prolific blogger.
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