The Case for Twittering in Worship

Hi all! As promised, here is the article I sent to the Methodist Message. I hope it gets published so that people hear both sides of the story.

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The Case for Twittering in Worship by Jonathan Huang

The last Methodist Message (November 2009, Vol 111 No 11) ran an article entitled “Twittering in worship: One Methodist’s perspective” by Dr Anthony Goh, which discourages Twittering during worship because it draws attention to the self instead of God. While I applaud Dr Goh’s plea to rid ourselves of a self-centred focus in worship, his arguments were based on a simplistic understanding of Twitter, and there is indeed a case for “Twittering in worship”, especially in the context of today’s Methodist youth.

Twitter is a tool. Like any tool, Twitter is not inherently good or bad – it depends on how you use it. It is a means of communication which allows information to be passed from a sender to a receiver. It is like a microphone hooked up to a sound system which the pastor can use to communicate with the congregation. It is also a tool that is fast gaining popularity among today’s youth, both inside and outside the church.

Sure, Twitter can be used to talk about your own feelings, like how “the drummer is really cute today”. But it can also be used in other ways, for example, to communicate biblical truths such as “He makes us rise on wings like eagles”. It depends on how you use it.

Right – so why and how should we Tweet during a service? For example, some people take notes during a sermon. This is perfectly acceptable. Some people take notes on their PDA. Lately, I have begun taking notes via Twitter.

Firstly, note taking increases my engagement level. It forces me to process what the preacher is saying, and reproduce it in easy to remember points. It also allows me to revise the points of the sermon that I found interesting and applicable even after I leave church. With today’s youth, engagement levels are a concern for preachers. This is one way to keep them engaged.

Secondly, Tweets are read by people outside the service. Not only does this immediately multiply the influence of your ministry, but it is a testimony to God. Youths actually stand to “lose face” if they tweet about Godly things. Friends may see them as “holy joes”. But if they choose to tweet about church during church, their friends will see that they choose to spend Sunday morning in the house of God, rather than sleep in, or go to the beach.

There is another way I think that Twitter can be used well in a service – prayer requests. Churches may have a segment where church members come up and publicly share their prayer requests or thanksgiving via a microphone. The congregation then prays on their behalf.

During this segment, the congregation could be prompted to Tweet their prayer requests with the hash-tag[i] #prayerABCmethodistchurch which are displayed on the projection screen. Those who do not use Twitter can submit their prayer requests before the service, which the ushers will Tweet on their behalf.

Twitter is a social phenomenon that is quickly gaining popularity amongst today’s youth, including Methodists. I believe that Twitter is one of the many social media tools that Methodist youth leaders should evaluate as a means of being more effective in engaging young people, and fostering a sense of community in our Methodist churches.

Jonathan Huang is also a “technophile” and very much a fan of Twitter, but I hate people talking about shopping during the service as much as Dr Goh does It’s about how you use it.

You may reach me at: jonathanhyz@gmail.com, or read my blog about worship at http://turnyourears.wordpress.com/, or heaven forbid, Tweet me at http://twitter.com/turnyourears/

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[i] Hash-tags are a way of labelling individual Tweets and makes them easily to find and categorise.

Rebuttal of “Twittering in worship”

Hi all, as promised, here is the rebuttal that I sent to the editor of the Methodist Message regarding Dr Goh’s article. (See below for The Editor’s reply).

Disclaimer: I cannot stress this enough: I agree that Twitter can be a distraction, just as talking, or sms-ing during worship can be distractions. My main objections with the article were the arguments he used to substantiate his point.

So here are Dr Goh’s arguments, and my subsequent rebuttal:

1) Moods and feelings have no part in worship, and Twitter is all about your own feelings and emotions.

We are commanded to worship God with our emotions – "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind" (Luke 10:27).

When David dances with joy in his linen in 2 Samuel 6, or when Isaiah feels guilt at having seen the living God in Isaiah 6, are their personal emotions not a valid  essential component of their worship? They are both means by which David and Isaiah express their response to the Glory of God.

2) Twitter is about the self, and that is not right in corporate worship.

This is a gross misunderstanding of Twitter. Twitter is merely a tool. You can use it to draw attention to yourself, or you can use it to draw attention to God.

Using this same argument, would not preaching from a stage or a pulpit be said to be drawing attention to the preacher, and not to God? Should we abolish it from our worship services? Surely not!

3) It is distracting and disrespectful to God.

Only if you let it be. If you use if for personal communication e.g. “hey guys where shall we go for lunch later?”, yes, it is distracting.

Twitter is a tool. The result is not a reflection of the condition of the tool – it is a reflection of the condition of the heart of the user.

4) It fails the condition of worship being inclusive because some people can’t or don’t know how to use Twitter.

I can’t believe he actually used this as an argument. Shall we exclude dumb people who cannot sing hymns? Shall we exclude the lame because they cannot stand? Or the blind because they cannot read our liturgy? Enough said.

5) Worship is not virtual, it is physical – we should be present in worship.

Twittering about the sermon may actually increase my levels of engagement with the worship service. Just as taking notes helps one to remember the applicable points of the pastor’s sermon, Twittering forces you to listen, process, and reproduce what the preacher is saying.

It really depends on how you use Twitter.

6) God does not have a Twitter account.

*Slaps head*. Do I really have to explain this one?

Conclusion

There are ways in which Twitter can be creatively used in church. Dr Goh has simply dismissed Twitter without examining the ways in which Churches can and are creatively using Twitter to engage youth during a service.

As mentioned, the editor, Mr Peter Teo, did reply and thanked me “for my views”. He also asked me to write a 500 word article supporting the use of Twitter in church/worship.

I will publish that 500 word article in my next blog post, so stay tuned!

What do you think of Dr Goh’s arguments? Leave a comment.

Twittering in Church: Good Idea?

Hi all, just in case you haven’t been following the Twitter stream, I recently read this article entitled “Twittering in worship: One Methodist’s perspective” by Dr Anthony Goh in the November Issue (Vol 111 No 11) of the Methodist Message.

Dr Goh discourages from Tweeting during worship because:

1. Moods and feelings have no part in worship, and Twitter is all about your own feelings and emotions.
2. Twitter is about the self, and that is not right in corporate worship
3. It is distracting and disrespectful to God.
4. It fails the condition of worship being inclusive because some people can’t or don’t know how to use Twitter.
5. Worship is not virtual, it is physical – we should be present in worship
6. God does not have a Twitter account.

The last two points (5 & 6) look suspiciously like they came from this article called ""4 Reasons to Stop Twittering in Church” by Curtis Honeycutt.

What do you think of the article and Dr Goh’s arguments? Leave a comment.

Bible Study on Worship

Hi all, as I mentioned, I’m conducting Bible Study on Worship this week. Here are a few posts which I feel give a good overview of what worship is:

Part VI – Defining Worship & the Worship Service
Here I try to distinguish what the BIG concept of “worship” is, as well as break it down into the “worship service”, and “worship songs”.

Good summary of the biblical definitions in the first segment.

A Biblical Theology of Worship by Dr. Simon Chan (TTC Lecturer)
This was a course I attended, where the lecturer went into both the Old Testament and New Testament basis for worship. This is the 3rd post in that series, where he brings it all together as a “biblical theology of worship”.

Good way of seeing biblical worship from a more modern perspective.

If you have time:

Part I – Definition of Worship in the OT & NT
Part II – Definition of Worship in the Church
Part III – Definitions by Experts on Worship
Part IV – Why it’s our fault Worship is all messed up
Part V – Differences between Individual and Corporate Worship

You can post your questions here! Leave a comment!

Bible Study on Worship

Hi all, I’m going to be conducting a bible study next week on “biblical worship”, and some of the ways in which we can conduct worship in a cell/small group. So I’ve been thinking through everything I’ve written on this blog and try to apply it to a cell.

In many ways, the early church most closely resembled a cell group setting. However, we don’t always conduct communion, or have time for prayer & word & fellowship in the 2 hours or so that we meet.

So how do we properly “worship God” in a cell setting?

I’ve learnt in writing this blog that worship is defined as a:

• “means of engaging God on terms that He alone proposes”
• “spirit inspired-response to God’s revelation of Himself”

So I’ll be sharing about how best during cell “worship”, we can best lead our fellow cell members to engage with God, and respond appropriately, according to God’s word.

What are the ways you worship in your cell group? Leave a Comment!

I Have a Reason To Worship

Hi all, I was just listening to Tear Down the Walls this week. In the CD, there’s also a re-recording of the Desert Song (nono not dessert song).

I think it’s a great song, very well arranged especially in This Is Our God. However, I haven’t yet chosen to sing this song when I lead, because of the bridge:

All of my life, in every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

It’s the last line that puzzles me – “I have a reason to worship”. It seems a bit of a strange thing to have to say, because we only worship when there is something worthy of our adoration.

One can worship if and only if there is a reason to worship in the first place! So it doesn’t make sense to me to say that we have a reason to worship.

The only way I can think of it is that there is a case where we worship without needing a reason?  Kinda like paying lip service, or (gasp!) singing songs in church without meaning it? But then it wouldn’t be worship.

What do you think? Do we need a reason to worship?

Surrender

Just musing today with Ian… being a worship leader is really tough. There are songs that you love and that have ministered to you and you sing over and over again them with your guitar in your room.

But when it comes to choosing songs for the service.. those songs.. just don’t fit! You’re struggling to rearrange the order, changing the keys… but in the end – God says no.

I’m glad I lead at P&P (adult service), because it really reminds me that being a worship leader is about leading the congregation to God. Congregation/God. That’s it. I have to pick songs that will lead THEM to God, not what leads ME to God.

Surrender.

A Service Format – Proposal 0.1 beta

Hi all! Those of us in the committee to plan the the upcoming/possible/in-the-works young adults service have come up with a service format which we think incorporates the elements of 1) participation, 2) relevance, & 3) community.

The service is also based on biblical liturgical principles emphasising the Church as the living, breathing Body of Christ, which we hope will create a place where Young Adults will feel a part of, and be blessed by.

We’d like to hear your feedback on it! (all comments welcome!)

Proposed format

Pre-service fellowship

1. Opening prayer/scripture reading/song of preparation
2. Praise songs
3. Scripture Reading
4. Sermon (sermon discussion, if applicable)
5. Song of response/Prayer/Ministry time
6. Offering – Doxology
7. Announcements and sharing of Church concerns
8. Community time
1. Small group sharing/report
2. Testimony/Sharing of prayer requests
9. Corporate prayer/prayer song
10. Communion (once a month)
11. Closing song
12. Benediction

Post-service fellowship

Note that the placement of the announcements allows for a seamless transition from
“worship” to the sermon, maintaining the focus and the mood, while allowing time for the activities of the church to be shared with all.

Also, a dedicated “community” segment consisting of sharing, testimony and prayer will help the church to be more aware of each other and foster a sense of community.

We’d of course refine it to see what works best, SO – What do you think ? Leave a comment!

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A Service Format from Engaging with God (David Peterson)

As I’m planning a service format, I came across David Peterson’s Epilogue to his book “Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship” where he describes a fictitious account of a worship service.

Here’s how his “ideal service” might pan out:

It starts with the pre-service segment:

• Informal singing
• Reading of scripture
• Prayer of confession

Followed by the actual liturgical service:

• Songs of Praise & Thanksgiving
• Reading from OT & NT
• Prayer before the sermon
• Sermon (thematic, or expository; based on scripture discussed by small groups earlier in the week, prior to the sermon)
• Prayer & closing song
• Announcements

Time is given for public ministry:

• Public sharing of prayer requests
• Sharing of ministry work
• Testimony
• Sharing of thoughts on the sermon

Which is followed, of course, by prayer:

• Corporate prayer (involving spontaneous prayer by the congregation)
• Prayer in small groups (sharing with those seating nearby)

Then the matter of Holy Communion:

• Communion song/hymn
• Prayer of thanksgiving
• Communion (either by passing the bread & wine, or coming forward in groups)

Closing the service:

• Rededication (through song & prayer)

WOW! Okay that’s quite a lot to go through for a single service! But I think there’s lots of good ideas in there which involve more participation by the congregation, which I think its a bit lacking in our services today.

David Peterson writes:

“In fact, much of the service seemed to be concerned with what would come after – in the time of informal conversation after church, in home groups during the week, and in the opportunities for ministry that many shared in the neighbourhood, in the workplace and beyond.

Although the focus of the gathering was on heavenly or spiritual realities, the relevance of these truths to the world in which they lived was the pre-occupation of those who participated.”

See anything in there that you wish we had in our services? Leave a comment!

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Young Adults Ministry – Designing a New Service Format

It’s an exciting time for our church as we minister to the Young Adults (YAs) in our congregation. I’ve been asked to propose a service format that will resonate with YAs, hopefully resulting in a unique service for (but not limited to) the YA’s.

I’m going to need your help with suggestions and critiques! I’ll be posting up my proposals on this blog and it’d be great to hear what you think =)

We’ve been talking to the YAs in our church and we’ve identified 3 points that we feel define what they are looking for in their experience of church.

1. Sense of Community
2. Participation/Engagement
3. Relevant Teaching

While all churches are supposed to provide these things, it seems that YAs and the youth (Generation Y??) find these 3 things lacking most in our big church. The question is – how do we incorporate this into a service format?

Things that we usually do in our service (in order):

1. Songs
2. Prayer
3. Welcome/Announcements
4. Offering
5. Scripture reading
6. Sermon
7. Communion
8. Benediction
9. Ministry/personal prayer time

We’ve had suggestions for improving this – such as public prayer request/testimony time, as well as group discussion/prayer time.

So watch this space! Subscribe via email/RSS/Twitter (see the column on the right).

Meanwhile, what’s your ideal service format? How would you reach out to Young Adults? Leave a comment!

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