Josh King is the lead pastor of Sachse’s First Baptist Church in Sachse, TX, and has a blog called JoWiKi. I am grateful for this post which he shared with us.
Social media is a strange beast. The lines between what is socially acceptable have not yet been clearly defined as it relates to twitter and the like. While that is the case I am growing increasingly concerned with the way many young ministers seem to use it in the fine art of self promotion.
I am not an expert and have probably crossed the line a time or two but I have put some thought into this. See if you agree with this list of guidelines or if maybe you would add some more.
1. Don’t post numbers. Rarely is it OK to tell everyone how many people you had in your gathering. I am not even sure why that is worth communicating. We have long joked about the the pea-cocking that is done at most networking and associational meetings, “How many did you have in worship, small groups etc?” It’s no different to post it to your facebook.
2. Don’t promote yourself, your book, your latest sermon and the like. Let others tell others about how great it was. Your church heard it and that is why you delivered it, isn’t it.? Who cares if all your preacher friends are subscribed to your podcast? This is probably the most arrogant of all eBoasting. We follow you because we want to hear about your life and stay in contact, not because we want to buy your book or hear your sermon. This is especially odd when your income is not tied to your book sales (I suppose this would be acceptable for authors).
3. Let the church/ministry speak for itself. When you need to post things like the availability of the latest sermon audio or how many registration spots are still available do so through the church’s twitter or facebook. This way it is not boasting but informative. You can share that link and it wont appear so ‘stuck on yourself’, just let others say how great you are.
Maybe I am seeing something that is not there. I can say, however, if every time I see you at the coffee shop the first thing you say is how many services your church is moving too and how many people (ministerially speaking) attended the last CD release party you hosted I’d probably start avoiding you.
Make much of Christ, let your friends and family in on something funny or trivial but don’t boast. It aint a good look.
4. Name dropping to church members in general conversations or from the pulpit is just practice before going to the Convention, I think. Most of us don’t know some of the names mentioned anyway. Keep it to your humble self!
I believe one CAN do all of these things in an appropriate manner.
Have I seen them done in an inappropriate self-glorifying way? Sure. Do I grind my teeth when Steven Furtick is posting across social media that there are only a few slots left for his $300 dollar a seat one day “conference” that is going to “change lives?” Sure.
As with all things, check your motive at the door.
Ooh, only $300?
I thought it took an entire life guided by the Holy Spirit. 🙂
Who is Steve Furtick?
Steven Furtick. Google.com is helpful.
Joshua,
I couldn’t agree with you more about Furtick. I’m quite a bit leary of any book, sermon, or conference that’s going to “change my life.” Certainly the word of God has the power to do that, but the message of the word is more important than the messenger, and I’m sorry, but these super stars promote the messenger above the message.
I usually put one FB/Twitter status out when the sermon podcast is up from each Sunday, mostly because I have a good number of church members that are not subscribed to it but want the link to click straight through to it. (for example, you cannot “subscribe” a podcast through an iPhone without a separate app for it, but you can click straight through to the audio from Facebook).
It’s not something that I keep coming back to all week, but it is there every week. I guess I hope that maybe someone else might listen, but the main goal is to provide clarity of access to my church folks that want to listen.
And most of the church members hardly ever check the church Facebook page but they will look at mine, so I put it there.
Sometimes these things are done by folks who want to promote themselves, but sometimes it’s done because it’s a pastor who knows the congregation he serves and sees it as the best way to serve them.
Definitely, though, I avoid the “numbers posting” game. There’s no need for it.
I think people should feel free to do whatever they want to do in this area.
I completely agree with your post and suspect that much of what we see, particularly in pastors, is just emulation. If you follow our top SBC leaders (at least the ones using social media), it seems that a number also lead in self-promotion. Retweeting (or first tweeting) someone else’s favorable mention of you or of an article where you are quoted seems very vain to me. It happens all the time. Assuming everyone is hanging on our every thought and activity also seems presumptive to me. Peacocking indeed.
SBC: I see this list in the OP as more a way to control what people do than a helpful, biblical view. Many have tried and failed to control those in the social media or blogging. I see nothing wrong at all with someone promoting what they write or any of the things mentioned in the do not do list. Freedom in this area is something I would want. I am really tired of seeing the what not do list here and elsewhere. Leave it alone.
It seems so many things are being written as sins that are not. This is no exception. Peacocking? Not necessarily. Let people alone.
Debbie, I’ll grant you that I don’t have a window into a person’s heart to be the judge of who’s “peacocking” and who isn’t, but I’ve concluded a few things about leadership during my time on planet earth. One of them is that if you continually point people to your own press, there is often an underlying issue of pride or self-doubt (two sides of the same coin I would argue). I’ve seen it again and again. I could outline my background for making these statements, but then that would be my own peacocking.
People can say what they want, tweet what they want and post what they want – it’s a free country, and I don’t have to follow them if it bugs me. I’m just saying that if my conversation (social media and otherwise) is constantly on me, there might be an underlying issue I’m missing. Aside from the pragmatism of my observations, I don’t think they’re too far away from what Jesus and Paul taught. I think we do well to steer clear of anything that hints at pride. Not a rule – just a principle.
“2 Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.” Proverbs 27:2
I understand the basic point of this post and agree with the overboard promotion. And I find this scripture a good guide to consider if I feel like crowing about myself. That said, at the same time, I think what Debbie says has merit, too. If a person is a writer, a communicator, a speaker by vocation or calling then by all means you’d want to promote yourself. It’s called marketing. We market our ball-teams, we market someone else’s jeans, and what kinda coffee we drink. It’s part of living in the world.
As far as numbers are concerned, the Lord was pretty concerned about numbers. He devoted a whole book on it. And he even counted out how much bread and fish were left over after the feeding of the 5,000. And didn’t they post that they’d “added 3,000” to the church somewhere in Acts?
Again…I know it can grate on a minister’s nerves to go to the weekly minister’s meeting and one dude be boasting about his attendance, baptisms, etc. But, sometimes it is more that we feel our own failure when we get upset over that, when in fact if we have been faithful to preach the Word, to visit the sick, to reach out to the needy and to walk humbly before God, then we have done what we need to do and what others do with their boasting is between them and the Holy Spirit of God.
Now, that said, make sure you click on my name and come visit my blog… 🙂 selahV
Harriet,
I think your post points out a need to “strike a balance.”
Your question caused me to google steven furtick. Quite frankly, I was amazed at what God has done through eight families that stepped out in faith with a desire to make a difference.
Would I pay $300 for his conference? Probably not.
I pray this young man does not get blinded by the bright lights of celebrity because what God has done thus far is simply amazing.
Frank,
Perhaps you should Google more.
JOshua,
Why? To see if I can dig up some dirt on a Brother?
I’m not particularly inclined to do that.
Frank,
No need to dig. Here is Furtick fawning over modalist T.D. Jakes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=V-X7p7YbPKw
That is enough for me to know this pastor has a severe discernment problem at the very least.
Joshua,
I’m aware of Furticks connections. They are not connections I’d make. He may not do things the way I do things.
But, I’m growing weary of being a “Substitute Holy Spirit.” I’ll bet that you are the kind of person, with enough cleverness and keeness of mind to find something wrong with just about any, if not all, nationally known religious figures.
But, to what end? Are you saying Furtick is associated with the anit-Christ and should be shunned? Are you saying he is evil because he associates with T.D. Jakes. I’d suggest you read up on some of the SBC Voices discussions of Jakes. You will have both supporters and detractors if you go down that road.
What I grow weary of are preachers who are accomplishing little to nothing and yet are the first to throw stones at someone like Furtick.
Perhaps you are right. I don’t know the young man. He may be as far off the orthodox grid as one can get. My question for myself is this: is it my job to point this out to others on a blog?
What I meant by my comment was: I’ve got plenty to keep track of keeping myself in line. If you will simply read a few of these blogs you will find out that there are those who do not think I have a clue as to anything having to do with the Bible or godliness.
So, thank you for the warning. I’ll take it to heart, but in reality I doubt Furtick’s work will have any impact at all on mine.
Open your mouth, utter a word, write anything, and you advertise yourself. The question is who is on the throne in your heart? Who really controls the you, the persons, the public??? Or Christ? Striving to have Him in charge is no easy matter. In a devotion I read yesterday by the late A.W. Tozer, drawn from his work, The Pursuit of God, he pointed out that Self can live unrebuked at the altar, watch the bleeding Victim die on the altar without being affected, fight for the faith, preach salvation by grace, feed upon orthodoxy, and be more at home in a Bible conference than in a tavern, even thrive and grow, when we are longing after God. We can’t really do anything against such inveterate and intimate enemy. The Lord must do it for us. He must kill that horrid sense of pride that sets enthroned in every heart, in my heart, in your heart. Against that Beast our best efforts are as nothing. We can’t even touch the slimy creature in order to turn it into a wonderful animal for ascent as C.S. Lewis suggest in The Great Divorce, a sermon illustration I heard some 54 years ago. Nevertheless, our Lord’s acting in our behalf, daily, will lead us slowly, painfully, but surely to the successes He wants us to have for His glory. Anything else is just whistling Dixie.
It is fascinating that one might defend self-promotion with liberty. If that is the understanding then self glory is both the god and point of ministry.
The idea of self-glory is utterly repugnant to the child of God, when he or she realizes the truth in this life. Even so the self-life with all of its repulsiveness never leaves or departs from us until death. Self-crucifixion is no easy matter. In fact, it is impossible. Tozer was pointing out that such a sacrifice requires the Divine work. In other words, God must put self-life to death, usually a slow, agonizing, painful passing.
you see glimmers into ‘the theology of suffering’, I think . . .
Look, you can make rules up if you want. I’m simply saying that not only is this all conjecture, but a way of control. I simply think you are taking scripture and bending it to what it is saying. There is nothing wrong with promoting a book, a post, a dvd, a sermon etc. I am really tired of the 29 so called rules of blogging. It’s getting really old.
Good grief. They’re just suggestions. Do you think the blogging police will come visiting at your home? Do you see the irony of complaining about the author telling people what not to do by you telling him what not to do?
Debbie,
I tend to agree with you on his one, though not as strongly or for exactly the same reasons perhaps.
It seems we are never in a drought when it comes to “lists of do’s and don’ts” in regard to just about anything.
I think they should be offered and consumed with caution.
Good point Frank and SelahV.
Bill: Good grief! There have been many posts on 7 ways to Godly blogging, and the what not to do articles are coming out of the ceiling. No, I don’t see the irony. I do see myself saying enough of the articles on what to not blog about. They were meant to be paid attention to otherwise it would not be posted here. There is a post on 7 ways to have a successful prayer life. How about pray. End of story.
Blogging is good. Voices are heard that otherwise have not been. Much has been changed through blogging whether anyone wants to admit it or not. It does have an impact. Freedom of expression is good. We have the Holy Spirit in us, let Him do His job. Trust Christians to do the right thing. The end. See? Short and sweet.
Generally, the more a pastor has to go out and promote themselves, their books, their conferences, etc….
….the less they have to say that’s worth hearing.
But there’s big money to be made out there in them pulpits…
Christiane, suffering has been a part of my life from birth on. It waxes and wanes, but it is ever there. The Bible says, for the Christian anyway, that suffering is a gift just like faith is a gift.(Phil.1:29). I always wondered why few people who are objecting so vociferously about Ephs.2:8,9 teaching that Faith is a gift and they never notice Paul’s comment in Phil.1:29. Mk.11:22 really should be rendered the faith of or from God, faith that has its source in God. The genitive of the term is one of source. Thus, our Lord is saying, “have the faith that comes from God.” As to the issue being addressed here, namely, self-promotion, there are plenty of folks willing to take advantage of the humble folks. It is sort of like Moses being a meek man, but he could stand on his two feet and roar, too. The real issue is who is promoted in the ultimate sense, in the long run, self or Christ?
In my Church too, it is taught that faith is a gift from God.
We see God as the Source of all that is good.
I’m sorry to hear that you have had so much suffering in your life. Suffering seems to have been a part of the lives of many who are dear to me, but still I will trust in the promises of God.
Perhaps this ‘trust’ is a gift of God also?
I shouldn’t be at all surprised. 🙂