Will Twitter bring you closer to God?

[Pat Coyle]

Most churches want them turned off, but one North Carolina church encouraged its members to use their cell phones, BlackBerrys and other devices to help spread the word during Easter services.

Next Level church in Union County was alive with Twitter during the Easter Sunday service, The Charlotte Observer reported Monday.

"I hope many of you are tweeting this morning about your experience with God," Pastor Todd Hahn said before his sermon.

Seems several flocks are twittering these days (including Trinity Church in NYC).

Will tweeting in Church help or hurt the spiritual experience? Share your thoughts here

[Kevin M. Hill]

Tweeting any experience can help the event itself and the popularity of the presenter/promoter/etc. I don't think it enhances the experience for the Tweeter, because they have to take time to report the events and therefore miss some of the content or impact. Ask a reporter if they can experience an event better by just attending rather than taking notes and preparing a story. I think the same applies to Twitter.

I know that if I am at an event and posting to Twitter it is either because I am bored a little or am really trying to promote the event and future occurrences of it. If I am truly consumed by the event itself, my posts will be either pre- or post event.

[Andrew Ball]

Kevin - My thoughts exactly. But in more than 140 characters.

[David Mark]

@ Kevin. Exactly! If the event is truly engaging, I'm not consciously thinking about tweeting. However, if I'm paid to tweet live from an event by a client, then I'm tweeting until my thumbs lock! ;) I get tweeting and reporting a good story are not necessarily the same. I think tweeting from an event and then following up with a well-written blog, or print article can be effective.

A message to the churches: Do what you have to do to get your message out there, but make sure your offical tweeter(s) are getting your message too! Don't assume the tweeter is engaged and aware just because they're tweeting. Remember the scene from the Titanic where the Captain asked the "communications guy" to report via morse code the Titanic was sinking and they had about an hour..? The communications guy paused and took a double-take because he was more engaged with delivering a message than listening to the message itself.

[David Mark]

Allow me to elaborate...I would not tweet from church, even if they offered to pay me. It wouldn't offend me if churches did tweet, but I'd rather get my "word" direct fom the source in this case.

[Amy Stark]

The term "official tweeter" doesn't sit well with me for some reason.

I think the tweeters in church should only come from the grassroots congregation members, who want to voluntarily tweet because they enjoy it. Twitter is a social media platform not a digital pulpit from which to broadcast a message, IMHO.

The multitude of different tools available to interact with other tweeters -- plus the composition of followers and friends-- means each person has a unique twitter experience. If you wish to reach the MOST people beyond the bricks and mortar, you should have a diverse volunteer base of tweeters in a special section so they don't spoil the unique spiritual experience of non-tweeters.

[David Mark]

@Amy - I'm still getting use to many of the twitter nicknames. So, I get you don't care for "offficial tweeter". Some make me blush at even the thought of mentioning them. ;) Anyone have a list of twitter nicknames (lingo) to date?

[Amy Stark]

I have a hand-out I put together for a twitter training that I'd be happy to share, maybe over a cup of joe at Panera's?

[David Mark]

Let's do it! Give the time and date sister!

[Lynnell Nixon-Knight]

Amy, is that offer good as a retweet? :-)

[Amy Stark]

Absolutely! ReTweet Away! If I'm not mistaken, and I am quite often, we are following each other on twitter. Send me an @reply with a couple of times that would work for you. I love hangin' out at the Panera Bread in Merchant's Square.

[Tommy Day]

I'm a Twitter addict, but you can add it to a long list of things that definietely won't bring me closer to a church.

[Thomas Ho]

If you follow people like @LauraHo, Twitter can indeed help you.

Other good ones to follow include: @MaxLucado, @PastorMark, @Logos, @worshipWord, @IVPress, @OurDailyTweet

I may have more later