6 Reasons Pastors Should Twitter

To Twitter or Not To Twitter… that is the question.  This is the question that continues to be asked amongst various age groups, business entities, politicians, government agencies and religious communities.  I already settled the debate on whether or not you should Twitter in church in a post that I had written awhile back entitled 5 Reasons To Twittter During Church.

Today we are going to tackle a different topic and address the 6 Reasons Pastors Should Twitter.  As a Twittering Pastor myself, I’m obviously a little biased; however I clearly understand the benefits.  There are many high profile pastors that Twitter, including: @RickWarren, @StevenFurtick, @AndyStanley  and many more.  Other high profile pastors that have chosen to stay out of the Twitter-World.  Although Pastor Steven Furtick was a late adopter of Twitter, he recently blogged about the positive impact that it’s having on him in his post How Twitter Is Helping Me.

Here are the 6 Reasons Pastors Should Twitter:

1. Relational Community With Other Pastors- Twittering allows pastors to be a tweet away from what their pastor brethren from around the globe are thinking and doing.  In other-words pastors can actively communicate with, gain wisdom from and glean morsels of insight from pastors around the world; without going to a conference, making a phone call or spending money in the friendly skies.
2. Relational Community With Their Congregation- Pastors have the opportunity to share random daily tidbits of their life with their brick and mortar congregants; in addition to a potentially new realm of digital congregants.  I just made up the term digital congregants, if for some reason that becomes popular, remember you heard it first at BigIsTheNewSmall.com.  Often times congregations only get a glimpse into their pastor’s lives on Sunday morning when they are bringing their preacher A-Game.  Twitter allows congregants to know when and what their pastor is thinking, what they’re reading, what God is showing them and what his or her family is doing at all times. It allows opportunity for an authentic relational closeness that wouldn’t otherwise exist.  Novel Concept: The communication can actually be two-way.
3. To Fulfill The Great Commission: When Jesus said: Go into all the world and preach the Gospel… “All The World” applies to the Internet-World, as well as the Twitter-World.  A pastor can go into all the world physically and digitally one tweet at a time.
4. To Unleash The Power Of Prayer: A pastor can unleash prayer warriors from around the world at the drop of a tweet.  This is real, it’s viral and it works!
5. To Reach Those Who Are Lost: I personally connect with many people on Twitter daily who are really far from God.  I’m always receiving questions, words of encouragement, and Thank You’s for reaching out to people in a lost and broken world.   For example, I posted this tweet earlier this morning: Jesus loves you, He knows you by name… Do you know Him?  One of the responses was: @PlanetStark  @ScottWilliams Who the F%$# is Jesus? And why does he love me?  (His tweet was more explicit than my %$# signs)   I had the opportunity to be a witness and I responded with:  RT @PlanetStark: @ScottWilliams Who the @#$% is Jesus? And why does he love me? The Son of God, It’s His nature to luv us!  Pastors can do what they are called to do… Reach The Lost!
6. WWJD: Jesus Would Twitter; the message doesn’t change, but the methods must change!

Should pastors Twitter? Why or Why Not?  Does your pastor Twitter?  Share any stories about the impacts of a Twittering pastor.  To Twitter or Not To Twitter… That is The Question!