Leadership and Social Media

 

  Facebook…Twitter…Instagram…Pinterest….

As leaders we know (or should know) that social media gives us a larger platform to influence others. But it can also give us a larger platform on which to stumble miserably. To help us avoid those stumbles, I’m passing along to you some “don’ts” that James Emery White recently posted for his ministry leaders.

Don’t post anything that could potentially undermine your reputation or the church’s reputation for Christ-like character. Whether you’re on staff or a volunteer, you are never off-duty as a representative of this church. Never. Even online. Think twice before linking to a popular video or favoriting a website that has sketchy material. Be careful about how you, um, display your exercise of Christian freedoms. (Some alcohol-related posts make me wonder if I should send a cab.) When you share your political convictions, do so in a respectful way. Avoid the temptation to add to the inflammatory snark that passes for social discourse. “When you post something,” White warned, “you are putting it out for public consumption. Make sure it won’t cause indigestion.”

Don’t post anything that would potentially undermine the maturity and gravitas accompanying your leadership role. White wrote, “If you are a leader, people WILL Google you, search you, find you on Twitter and Facebook…and then make an evaluation. Does your online presence support your leadership role, or undermine it? Does it breed confidence in you as a teacher, as someone who is wise and mature?”

Don’t retweet from, or link to, any person or source you are not absolutely 100% willing to endorse. Before you retweet or share a quote you think is funny or thought-provoking, be sure you support other things the author or organization believes, too. Why? Because those you influence will surely assume you do.

Don’t overdo it. It undermines your leadership in the eyes of the average busy person who wonders why you’re not working very hard. And besides, if you’re constantly posting, it’s likely you’re not giving enough thought to what you want to say. “Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut” (Proverbs 10:19, NLT).

You’re a leader, so leverage social media as just one more effective tool to influence others. But you’re a leader, so think twice about how you’re posting on your never-off-duty time.

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“Everyone has to live with and possibly listen to people who see the world differently”

Emma Green, assistant managing editor for The Atlantic, believes it is insufficient to see “steadily increasing support for gay marriage” when “attitudes toward gay sex don't seem to have changed much at all.”

She offered a solution she must not have regarded as ironic: “Everyone has to live with and possibly listen to people who see the world differently.”

Ah, but she didn’t mean anyone should live with and possibly listen to those who see the world differently from her:

Everyone has to live with and possibly listen to people who see the world differently—and, for that matter, have sex in different ways. This seems most important in the sphere of politics, in which pluralism is mostly about rights and peaceful coexistence. But there's a deeper kind of tolerance that seems like it may still be long in coming for gay Americans, one in which sexuality isn't framed in terms of sin—just as another way of being.

One-way tolerance isn’t really tolerance.

ICYMI Thursday

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The original Gone With The Wind script had some alternatives to the famous “Frankly my dear” line.


Mark Regnerus reports on belief in the resurrection of the dead. Overall, 37 percent of Americans believe there will be a bodily resurrection of the dead; 75 percent of evangelicals in particular.


“Americans are so used to thinking of the Middle East as Muslims surrounding an island of Jews that it rarely occurs to them that there might be some Christians in the birthplace of Christianity.” #WeAreN


“There are at least four types of Christians who often get cast as evangelicals who really are not evangelicals, if that term has any meaning.” Baylor’s Thomas Kidd explains.


Interesting summary of the options for biblically-faithful Christians to relate to culture. Some argue for withdrawal into faith-keeping communities, while others argue for the "Jeremiah option." 

Sermon Illustration Alert: Kissing Scars

Avoid These Four Staff Infections

A Chicago author who co-wrote the book “How to Survive the Bulls of Pamplona” was gored in this year’s bull run. There’s a lesson here for church leaders.

I’m sure you know of the annual tradition in Pamplona, Spain. They release bulls into a narrow street and men who want to demonstrate their bravery run ahead of the bulls. After a decade’s experience at this, 35 year-old Bill Hillman wrote a Kindle book on how to survive the ritual. But this year the bull won.

Hillman’s injuries weren’t serious, just humiliating.

As I said, there’s a lesson here for church leaders. We’re in danger of suffering the perils we teach others to avoid.

You've probably heard of a "staph" infection. It often enters the body through a minor cut, but ends up causing serious complications. A leadership team can develop some "infections" that result in serious complications, too.

Each year in the Fall I take a moment in one of our Tuesday staff meetings to go over the four "staff infections." Last Tuesday we reviewed the list again. It's not just paid leaders who need the annual reminder, though. Let's make sure none of us in Hillcrest leadership suffer from the following plagues:

Immorality. Our personal failures aren't as "personal" as we'd wish. Our failures have a major impact on the rest of the leadership team. Let's be sure we deal ruthlessly with our moral weaknesses instead of privately entertaining them. Of course, this includes sexual immorality, but it also includes misuse of funds and church property, gossip, abuse of alcohol, and crossing any other line God has drawn in his Word.

Incompetence. Leadership teams are plagued by this infection when team members have no interest in improving their performance. Symptoms include inattention to standards, constant excuses for failure to perform, and resistance to things that would help them improve.

In 1 Timothy 4:14, what Paul urged the young pastor of Ephesus remains good advice for ministers today: "Do not neglect your gift." When ministers leave unopened the gift God has given them, laziness replaces vigor, routine ruts replace creativity, and the safety of sameness replaces the venture of faith. Instead, we need to develop ourselves into highly competent servants of the Lord.

Insubordination. We call our leadership group a "team," but have you noticed that the teams we love to watch in sports have captains, coaches, and managers? To call a group of leaders a "team" doesn't mean that lines of authority don't exist. Teams don't work well when members ignore these lines of authority.

To be honest, none of us always agrees with those who lead us. But when this devolves into disrespect and open resistance, a staff infection has invaded the Body.

But insubordination can happen in our relationship with team members, not just in our relationship with team leaders. Remember, the Bible calls us to mutual submission. Ephesians 5:21 says, "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." Ministry teams suffer when members allow personal differences to remain unresolved. Ministry teams suffer when colleagues do not support each other in conversations with other church members.

Ingratitude. This is the worst of all staff infections, and source of the other three. Think about it. When I lose my grateful wonder that God has called me to serve his people, I can fall into sloppy habits (Incompetence). When I lose my thankfulness for the gifts of those I work with, I can quit being a team player (Insubordination). When I'm no longer grateful for what God chooses to give me, I can turn to embezzlement or adultery (Immorality).

David Livingstone had the right antibiotic for the infection of ingratitude. He said, "Forbid that we should ever consider the holding of a commission from the King of Kings as a sacrifice, so long as other men esteem the service of an earthly government as an honor." In Philippians 4:12, Paul said, "I've learned the secret of being content in any and every situation."

Staff infections, like staph infections, can create a lot of harm to the Body. Make sure that you're not giving any opening for these infections to invade your life. I'm so grateful for the team of leaders we have at Hillcrest!

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Mission Work Across the Ocean and Across the Aisle

During the last two weeks I was on a teaching trip in East Asia. Just like past trips, I expect I learned as much from the church leaders as they learned from me.

I went with an organization which brings theological training to under-resourced church leaders around the world. The organization partners with personnel from our International Mission Board. Students who complete the 2-year course receive a Pastoral Ministry Certificate from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. I taught one of the required classes for this certificate.

I’m sure you’ve heard about the Chinese “house church” movement. My class in Shanghai was made up of preachers and musicians from a single association of house churches. Every Sunday about 50 workers in this association lead gatherings in believer’s homes around the city. Most workers will travel to four or more homes each Sunday to lead services. All total, this one association serves about 10,000 worshippers each week.

Are You Greeting Guests? You don’t have to cross the ocean to do missions work; you just have to cross the aisle. As our worship service wrapped up this Sunday, I noticed one of our members engaged in conversation a young couple. The member called me over and introduced me to the first-time visitors. This is a vital ministry that all of us can perform! When you see an unfamiliar face in your area, smile and say, “Hi, I’m ____. How long have you been attending?” By asking the question in this way, you don’t have to worry if you’re introducing yourself to a member or a visitor. If they’re a member you haven’t met before, you can get acquainted with one more member of Hillcrest family. If they answer, “This is my first time,” introduce them to your circle of friends and offer to escort them to the Connections Table in the MPC.

The Quest and the Battle. Every story we care to hear involves two things: a worthy quest and a daring battle. Life with your Lord is very much like that: it includes both a quest that compels us forward and a battle against forces that hold us back. This Sunday we’re going to look at Colossians 3:1-11 to find out what we must seek and what we must fight. Join us at 10!

God Heals Families!

Every day I pass a billboard with the words “Major to Minor.”

It’s an ad for a hospital ER, promising professional care for whatever medical incident you have, from stroke to stitches.

Hillcrest wants to be a billboard promoting another kind of care. We want our community to know that God heals families.

We are a “billboard ad” to this truth not only through our church’s teaching but also through our personal testimonies. Families at Hillcrest don’t pretend to be flawless specimens of ideal family life. Rather, we are each under the treatment of a skilled Physician who is bringing our relationships to health. We recommend his care to others.

And God’s healing care is available “major to minor.” Whether your family is coming apart at the seams or just suffering the stress common to any family, God can mend things.

For the next two Sundays, we’ll have a special focus in our church called “Mend: God Heals Families.” Guest speaker Heath Peloquin will lead us to claim the promise found in the last verse of the Old Testament: “He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents” (Malachi 4:6).

Our worship service starts at 10:00 a.m. and runs for an hour. We then encourage people to stay for our small-group ministry for a second hour. This is where adults and youth and children can each gather with others in their age-range and build friendships as they explore the Bible together.

Help us spread the word about our “Mend” event! Just forward the link to this post to a friend with an invitation to attend. Or join our “social media blitz” September 1-6 with the tools you can find at www.HillcrestAustin.org/MendBlitz.

Whether our relationship issues are major or minor, God heals families! That promise deserves to be on a billboard. Be that billboard for someone today.

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Upcoming Activities

The Fall Semester of the Hillcrest Institute is Starting! Learn more about our short-term classes and sign up at www.HillcrestAustin.info/discipleship.

Get Anchored! If you're exploring Christianity, or if you want to better explain it to others, The Anchor Course can help. The "Get Anchored" Dinner will introduce you to this 8-week study through a book I've written called The Anchor Course: Exploring Christianity Together. Learn more about the course at our website.