Rhett Smith — Transitioning Life's Journey

If You Use Social Media, Then You Have to Be Willing to Give Up Some Control

by Rhett Smith on July 3, 2009

So I wrote this post back in November of 2008, Community Organizer+Grasp of Web 2.0/Social Media=President Elect Obama.

And then I saw this on July 1, 2009.

And then this tweet by Tony Steward on July 2, 2009.

#churchonline political campaigns found leveraging online community wildly effective in finding and making “disciples” = Obama is president.

President Obama and his campaign did leverage social media technology like no other politician ever has…and I think that’s a huge part of their success, and eventual winning of the White House.

But I’m wondering if it will turn on him. And I don’t mean social media itself, but the people wielding it. People tend to come to social media loving the freedom and openness that it provides, along with the ability to empower everyone and to feel like you are giving them a voice. But sometimes eventually that freedom and openness is seen as a liability and threat, and eventually turns to control. I don’t know if this is happening in the Obama administration or not.

But I think it’s a lesson for all of us. When you invite social media to play a large role in your organization, you have to be willing to let go of some of the control as well. This is why I think many churches and leaders are skeptical…because they don’t want to give over control.

What do you think?

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Creating Relational Intimacy Through the Sharing of Minor Details in Life

by Rhett Smith on June 29, 2009

[image by Tom Purves]

One of the things about Twitter that I have not quite been able to explain that well is why I think the little details in life that one tweets about (eating cereal, going for a walk, crying after that movie, hanging with friends, etc.) are so fascinating. I can’t tell you how many times various relationships in my life have been enhanced through what sometimes seem like trivial knowledge shared through Twitter. It’s quite extraordinary. So I love coming across this idea of “ambient intimacy” which I think explains it well.

I find this post by Leisa on “ambient intimacy” so right on. Check out her thoughts below from her post on this subject.

I find myself talking about Twitter quite a lot. I’m not the only one. The behaviours that Twitter has made more visible are tremendously interesting.

I’ve been using a term to describe my experience of Twitter (and also Flickr and reading blog posts and Upcoming). I call it Ambient Intimacy.

Ambient intimacy is about being able to keep in touch with people with a level of regularity and intimacy that you wouldn’t usually have access to, because time and space conspire to make it impossible. Flickr lets me see what friends are eating for lunch, how they’ve redecorated their bedroom, their latest haircut. Twitter tells me when they’re hungry, what technology is currently frustrating them, who they’re having drinks with tonight.

Who cares? Who wants this level of detail? Isn’t this all just annoying noise? There are certainly many people who think this, but they tend to be not so noisy themselves. It seems to me that there are lots of people for who being social is very much a ‘real life’ activity and technology is about getting stuff done.

There are a lot of us, though, who find great value in this ongoing noise. It helps us get to know people who would otherwise be just acquaintances. It makes us feel closer to people we care for but in whose lives we’re not able to participate as closely as we’d like.

Knowing these details creates intimacy. (It also saves a lot of time when you finally do get to catchup with these people in real life!) It’s not so much about meaning, it’s just about being in touch.

Have you found that “ambient intimacy” has enhanced your relationships? How?

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Exploring the Online Characteristics of Generation F/Y, and Their Implications-Part 2

by Rhett Smith on June 26, 2009

[image by jakeoneil]

Last week I posted Exploring the Online Characteristics of Generation F/Y, and Their Implications-Part 1. This series was born out of my fascination with the great article, The Facebook Generation vs. the Fortune 500. And for the first post focused on the first “online characteristic” of this generation, All ideas compete on equal footing.

Today I want to take a look at another characteristic:

2. Contribution counts for more than credentials. When you post a video to YouTube, no one asks you if you went to film school. When you write a blog, no one cares whether you have a journalism degree. Position, title, and academic degrees—none of the usual status differentiators carry much weight online. On the Web, what counts is not your resume, but what you can contribute.

I’m really curious about this characteristic and whether you agree or not? I still think some credentials are important, and some even necessary to certain vocations. But I do think it’s becoming less important. I tell my wife quite a bit that I’m not even sure college will be relevant when my daughter turns 18. Training schools, apprentices, self-learning, etc. But who knows. I have some credentials that are relevant to my work. My M.Div. isn’t necessary in some church circles, but it was helpful, and pretty much required for the denomination I have been in the last 8 years. My MSMFT is necessary though if I want to practice as a marriage and family therapist in any state.

But with the explosion of online collaboration, contribution and socializing, this need to justify ourselves through credentials seems to be collapsing. This is an especially strong point of tension in many churches. Online is a place where the junior high kid who posts a funny video, or the college student who makes a film, or the young adult who writes a blog…has as much credentials, and quite possibly as big of a listening and watching audience as does the pastor preaching on Sunday morning.

I think where this tension will become more apparent is denominationally. Many denominations have huge barriers for ordination and participation in certain leadership structures. Not everyone is going to be willing to jump through those hoops, and I think those who will be willing to do so will continue to shrink. That’s why I think denominations like the PCUSA will continue to shrink up, losing more and more bright and future leaders to other forms of church structure and ecclesiology.

Are credentials important in your church?

Does the need for these credentials exclude leaders who could participate more fully in the life of church ministry?

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In Memory of Professor Ray S. Anderson (1925-2009)

by Rhett Smith on June 24, 2009

One of my favorite stories that Dr. Anderson used to tell his students (and is written in the book, Dancing with Wolves, While Feeding the Sheep), is the story that is told of the connection between his farming and ministry days. Ray wrote:

“It happened only once. There was no suggestion that it was planned or premeditated. We were sitting on the edge of the furrow, behind the plow, facing the freshly turned soil over which the seagulls swooped in search of frantic worms. It was the second cup of coffee time. The cigarette lightened the load and loosened his tongue.

‘Stick your hand down into the soil, son,’, he suddenly said without warning. Breaking the rules by looking into my face and talking directly to me. As I did, he said softly, ‘Son, this soil is part of your life–you take care of it and it will take care of you.’ …..

…..What my father had long discovered, but left for me to find for myself, was that there was neither mystery nor magic in the soil. The mystery and the magic, if we dare to use such words, lie in the connection of the heart to the hand. There is no place or task on earth which can satisfy the restless hand which is not attached to the heart.

My father had not attached my hand to the soil on that day long ago, although that was how I had understood it. Rather, he had attached my heart to my hand. My inner self had become bound to my outer life. As a result, whatever task to which I put my hand was done with a sense of finality and completeness that brought joy rather than a feeling of fatalism, which can only produce melancholy and despair. Transplantation without transformation kills the roots as well as the plant. The once in a lifetime gift is one that continues to transform. (pp. 14,18)”

That passion for having one’s hand attached to one’s heart is one of the greatest gifts that I think Dr. Anderson imparted on me, as well as many other students. I think this most manifested itself in the idea of theological praxis, one of Anderson’s favorite words. Here we were, theological students locked away in classrooms and libraries studying theology…and he did not want theology to be just about that. Theology that is confined to academia and the ivory tower, but he was passionate that our theology was practical and that it was engaged in the work of ministry, whatever vocation that may call one to. I owe Dr. Anderson for forming that idea in seminary and helping me make sure that my theology was alive and vibrant, put to use in the work of Jesus Christ.

Dr. Anderson was a larger than life character, whose “maverick” reputation proceeded him. I first heard about him from my father who took one of Dr. Anderson’s classes at the Fuller extension in Phoenix back in the mid to late 80’s. So when I decided to attend Fuller I knew that I needed to take a class with him…just based on all the great things my father had to say and all the great things that students were echoing. I wish I would have had the opportunity to take more, but I took three classes from Dr. Anderson in my time at Fuller. I took his Karl Barth and Evangelicalism class (to Ray I owe the credit for cultivating a love for Barth and his Dogmatics); I took his Dietrich Bonhoeffer-Life and Thought class (Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship changed my life in college and Ray only furthered my passion for the life and work of Bonhoeffer); and lastly, Ray let me in his Ph.D. seminary, The Shape of Practical Theology (I was only an M.Div student at the time, but he allowed me the privilege of taking that class–one of the best classes I ever had). It shouldn’t be a surprise that two of Ray’s heroes were Barth and Bonhoeffer…two men who lived lives of practical theology.

The last time I spoke with Dr. Anderson in person was in early 2006 when he taught one of the counseling courses for my MSMFT degree. I still remember him that day…strong, farmer hand shake as always. I could hardly believe he was 80. His body and mind seemed as sharp as ever, and he was breathing theological life into a new class of students. Something he had been doing for decades. I consider Dr. Anderson a friend and mentor, and he was always gracious to meet me on campus on Mondays (his day at Fuller in the last few years), as well as always exchanging emails with me…I had sent him more than my fair share of theological question that were causing me problems. He was even a guest blogger back in July of 2006 when he wrote about his then new book, An Emergent Theology for Emerging Churches.

Dr. Anderson was a prolific writer, passionate teacher, and a great friend. Dr. Anderson will leave a long legacy, and big shoes to fill. I like what was said of him by Kurt Fredrickson, Associate Dean for Fuller’s Doctorate of Ministry program:

“Ray blended a strong theological instinct with a passion for giving theology traction on the ground, in real-life situations,” says Kurt Fredrickson, associate dean for Fuller’s Doctor of Ministry program and a student of Anderson’s at both Westmont and Fuller. “He was never content with lofty theological ideas. Those ideas had to connect with real people. He also was never satisfied with the status quo, in theology or in the church. He challenged his students to think freshly, and even at the edges, all the while anchored to tradition.”

Check out the post from Ray’s former students, Christian D. Kettler. As well as the post by Fuller Seminary.

And you can visit Dr. Anderson’s website.

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The Beautiful and Intriguing Simplicity of Twitter

by Rhett Smith on June 23, 2009

[image by Robyn Twomey]

The thing about Twitter is that it is beautiful in its simplicity, and powerful in its capability. Not everyone gets it at first…or second…or third time. But if you stick with it, it will pay off for you.

I was struck the other day with some of the common themes around the uncertainty of those who first tweet (What’s it all about?), as well as some of the subtleties that attract people to it.

Couple of things:

One, Twitter is sort of weird the first time you try it. I mean, when have you ever before sent out something in 140 characters or less to lots of friends. Okay, maybe text messages and Facebook status updates. But there is something unique about Twitter. Here is a sample from my article in Collide Magazine from March/April, and from Time Magazine’s latest cover story on Twitter.

Why Twitter? Shaping Your Narrative One Tweet at a Time

“working on my blog,” was the first tweet (Twitter slang for an update) I typed out on the mircoblogging tool Twitter on December 9, 2007. In fact, I remember clearly where I sat in our home at that moment and what thoughts of curiosity, hesitancy, and narcissism ran through my head as I posted those simple little words. It doesn’t seem like much does it? In fact, I used only 18 of the allotted 140 characters, unsure if anything I had to say was worthwhile at all. I had two questions for myself: Who is going to read this? Who cares? In and of itself, one tweet is just that: one tweet. But in the context of all the tweets that compose my growing Twitter profile, a more complex portrait of my life began to emerge, forming a narrative that is the beginning to a relational connectivity with others online, (and most likely in person) that is easier to achieve than it was before.

How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live

The one thing you can say for certain about Twitter is that it makes a terrible first impression. You hear about this new service that lets you send 140-character updates to your “followers,” and you think, Why does the world need this, exactly? It’s not as if we were all sitting around four years ago scratching our heads and saying, “If only there were a technology that would allow me to send a message to my 50 friends, alerting them in real time about my choice of breakfast cereal.”

Second, I think that if you think of Twitter as only isolated, short, 140 character messages at a time, then you are missing out on it’s beauty. In my opinion, it’s about the totality of your narrative you are creating. The more you tweet, the more there is to shape that story. Again, here is a sample from my Collide Magazine article below, and one from the Time Magazine cover story…I love the phrase “ambient awareness.”

Why Twitter? Shaping Your Narrative One Tweet at a Time

We all have the privilege to sit with people on a daily basis as they share various snapshots of their life with us. In fact, some of my fondest memories of being a college ministry director involve sitting across from a student at a coffee shop as we engaged one another over a cup of coffee and conversation. Those were memorable times, but one coffee talk chat was hardly enough time to even begin to get a sense of who that student was. Instead, I needed multiple trips to the coffee shop with them. One standalone conversation was just a short chapter in the larger narrative of that student’s life. But when compiled, all the conversations began to paint a beautiful portrait of who they were and what kind of story they were living.

How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live

And yet as millions of devotees have discovered, Twitter turns out to have unsuspected depth. In part this is because hearing about what your friends had for breakfast is actually more interesting than it sounds. The technology writer Clive Thompson calls this “ambient awareness”: by following these quick, abbreviated status reports from members of your extended social network, you get a strangely satisfying glimpse of their daily routines. We don’t think it at all moronic to start a phone call with a friend by asking how her day is going. Twitter gives you the same information without your even having to ask.

In your opinion, what makes Twitter so amazing?

And if you happen to be in Los Angeles September 11-12, come out and hear me speak on Twitter at the Christian Web Conference.

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faithHighway: Utilizing Technology to Advance the Kingdom

by Rhett Smith on June 22, 2009

If you take a second and look over to the right side of this blog you will see an advertisement for faithHighway. faithHighway is a great company, doing great work in the area of technology and ministry. They also scored me a free ticket to the ECHO Conference as well. I took a few minutes to interview them about their company, their products, and their mission. Check them out and see how they can help you or your church.

Without having to look at the history and FAQ’s on faithHighway’s website, can you tell us what the primary mission/vision behind faithHighway is?

faithHighway strives to further the Kingdom of God by helping churches reach their target audience through custom website design, custom print services, content services, streaming media and TV, and logo/branding packages.

I tend to think of web development when I hear faithHighway, but you are involved in a lot more than that. Give us a glimpse of the other things that faithHighway is doing?

We are most excited about the launch of our newest applications. By the fall, we will be equipping churches with a robust church management software called faithHighway360, as well as a social networking application, or iConnect360. fH360 will empower church leadership with the ability to update multiple platforms simultaneously, while tracking the most recent visitor trends, member giving, church attendance and much more. iConnect360 allows church members to interact throughout the work week, providing each member with their own profile and personalized dashboard, complete with customizable subscriptions to ministry and media updates.

What do you think faithHighway’s typical client is? Or who are you specifically trying to reach?

faithHighway has worked with over 14000 churches and ministries. Due to our custom solutions, we build each website around each church’s unique size and vision. We can accommodate every church, from pre-launch church plants to mega-churches.

What is it that you think separates faithHighway from other brand marketing and web developing companies?

faithHighway is the leading custom web provider for churches and ministries. Through professional consultation, expert design, unlimited training, tech support and storage, plus proprietary software, faithHighway provides a team for each client to work alongside, empowering them with every aspect necessary for a successful website and brand.

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Exploring the Online Characteristics of Generation F/Y, and Their Implications-Part 1

by Rhett Smith on June 19, 2009

[image by jblyberg]

As I mentioned yesterday, I thought it might be a good idea to explore more thoroughly the “online characteristics” that come out of Gary Hamel’s article, The Facebook Generation vs. the Fortune 500.

Now, anytime we try to generalize things about the Church…it is often just that. A generalization. Lots of churches may exhibit these qualities, and many churches don’t. But let’s start the conversation and see what happens.

So let’s begin with the first characteristic:

All ideas compete on an equal footing–On the Web, every idea has the chance to gain a following—or not, and no one has the power to kill off a subversive idea or squelch an embarrassing debate. Ideas gain traction based on their perceived merits, rather than on the political power of their sponsors.

Now, if you have spent anytime in the Church…on staff, volunteering, or just attending, this becomes pretty obvious, pretty quickly. Not all ideas compete on equal footing, and often many ideas aren’t even allowed to enter the conversation. Where I have often seen this played out is in the ideas between staff/church members of different “ranking”, i.e. ordained vs. non-ordained, associate vs. executive, senior pastor vs. youth pastor, volunteer vs. staff, etc. Though this is not to become a versus situation, it often breaks down into that when ideas are not allowed to be shared and considered equally among all staff members, volunteers and attending members.

I have struggled a lot in my time within the PCUSA denomination the last 8 years. I have intentionally chosen not to be ordained, but that automatically at times leaves me out of the conversation with those who are ordained. It has often been a place where ideas don’t, and can’t compete on equal footing. Not only can ordination become a roadblock, but so can seniority, gender, age, education, etc. This just isn’t typical in mainline denominations, but it’s pretty typical in non-denominational Bible churches as well.

But one thing the Church needs to understand is that it makes ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE to the younger generations that all ideas can’t be encouraged, shared, and taken very seriously. The ideas coming from the junior high ministry (whether student or staff) are just as important and valuable as those on the senior staff and elder boards. Why? While pastors, deacons and elders are in rooms sharing ideas, often excluding others, younger generations are online changing the world. Starting groups, meeting in person, and transforming the communities around them.

So why would they want to come to Church and participate, when those in leadership don’t allow them to actually participate. Participation for the younger generations doesn’t meet just kowtowing to senior leadership, but actually contributing and participating in not only the brainstorming and decision making process, but in carrying it out also.

For the younger generations, the Church can often just be seen as “red tape.” Nothing is more discouraging than a person bringing a great idea to senior leadership, and having that idea shut down (if it’s even heard) as it navigates it’s way through the CEO/Business Management models that most churches operate from. Pretty soon, these people just take their ideas online where there is no “red tape”, and start changing the world…without the Church.

So how can you…how can the Church encourage an environment where all ideas compete on equal footing?

One of the things we attempted at my last church (Bel Air Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles) was Blue Sky/storyboarding meetings, which was basically an adoption of Disney’s Imagineering develops new rides. I’ve heard different rules for the meetings, but the basic idea is that all ideas are to be shared, and there is no such thing as a bad idea. When all ideas are shared, eventually the best ones will naturally rise to the top…but at least they have the opportunity to be shared and discussed in an open environment which has often not the been the experience of many people in the Church.

What are some practical things that can be done in the Church to encourage this process?

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Early Bird Registartion for Christian Web Conference Ends Friday

by Rhett Smith on June 18, 2009

Seriously, it’s only $40 if you register by Friday.

The Christian Web Conference will be at Biola University September 11-12.

The conference is tagged as Bright People Engaging Big Ideas, and should be a great time. I will be speaking on what else of course…Twitter. My talk will be, Twitter: Collaborate, Connect, and Resource via Your Story. Join me, and some other speakers such as Anne Jackson, Andrew Jones, Abraham Piper, Cynthia Ware, Tim Challies, Charles Lee and many more.

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Exploring the Online Characteristics of Generation F/Y, and Their Implications for Ministry

by Rhett Smith on June 18, 2009

This world of social networking is a world of little to no hierarchy, and the leadership that exists is one that is centered within the groups in the online communities, and encourages a leadership style that is horizontally structured, striving to give equal voice to everyone involved. In terms of its impact to the world outside of it, these online social networking sites encourage a bottom’s up style of leadership, where change comes from grass root movements within the sites and moves out into the world. If a student does not feel empowered in any of the relationships that exist in his or her day to day life, they are going to find it online where there are little to no rules, and no parental control or authority to tell them what, when or how to do something. Students are masters of their own universe and they shape their profile and identity around the idea that they are valuable to the group and can offer meaningful opinions.

This is crucial for youth workers to understand. Most churches operate using a hierarchical approach, where structure and authority are organized in a top-down manner. In most cases, this means that the voices that are given the most importance and are usually the most heard are those of the senior pastor, the ordained staff or those in positions of employed leadership. This is not the case for MySpace or Facebook. Everyone has a voice and place along the continuum of leadership in these communities. When Nouwen states that “The way of the Christian leader is not the way of upward mobility in which our world has invested so much, but the way of downward mobility ending on the cross,” I would argue that online social networking sites offer in terms of leadership a trajectory more aligned with downward mobility than most church structures. This is what happened in our ministry in 2006 when one of my students decided to create for us a Facebook profile without my knowledge. This is often what scares most youth workers away from these sites, knowing that they can’t control what happens online, and that the power and position they hold in the real world, means sometimes nothing in the virtual world. But looking back over the last year I am thankful that he took the initiative and didn’t feel like he had to get approval through me. (The New Media Frontier: Blogging, Vlogging, and Podcasting for Christ)

That’s what I wrote about two years ago in my chapter Navigating the Evolving World of Youth Ministry in the Facebook-MySpace Generation. As you can see, I think the combination of the online world and Generation Y/F has huge implications for ministry. On Tuesday I posted Values of Generation Y/Millenials That Will Help Transform Work and Church, and it got some good reaction online via blogs, Twitter, as well in some personal conversation that I had. And then yesterday, ChurchCrunch commented on the post and topic with Hiring, Managing, and Keeping Staff from the Facebook Generation.

So I’ve decided to look at this issue at length, and in depth a little more. There are lots of issues here that intrigue and excite me. Leadership and management styles. Generational stereotypes, especially around Generations Y/F. The leverage of technology and social media in reshaping all of the above. As I mentioned, all of these things have HUGE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CHURCH.

So over the next few couple of weeks I’m going to look again at the article The Facebook Generation vs. the Fortune 500, and I’m going to revisit the 12 work-relevant characteristics of online life that Gary Hamel says represent this Generation F (Y, Millenials–whatever you want to call them). But I’m going to look at each one through the lense of Church, ministry, theology, and see what we can learn, and why this generation is often at odds with those current generation of leaders pastoring churches today.

In case you forgot what the 12 characteristics are, here is the list to refresh your memory: