REACH for the Heavens! (by Daryl Ellis)
REACH has five very broad objectives:
R – Revitalization of churches
E – Encourage church planting
A – Accept our uniqueness and diversity
C – Commit to unity and a graceful spirit
H – Highlight spiritual formation
What would happen if our denomination rallied around reaching these objectives together? What would our denomination look like if we realized each of these objectives?
Will social media change Free Will Baptists?
Well, there is a huge conversation going on among Free Will Baptists in the social media world. The conversation, in its simplest form, is what Free Will Baptists can do to move forward. What change do we need and how can we go about implementing that change? Again, that’s put simply. If you want more details, you can read a variety of posts at #grayfwb, REACH, or iamfreewillbaptist. My intentions for this post are to consider the implications that social media is having on the denomination.
For starters, Facebook and WordPress have networked like-minded FWBs. I read a comment from a pastor in West Virginia whose church is just outside Washington, D.C. He’s considered leaving the denomination because his association doesn’t really associate with him (ironic) because of his methods. Not his doctrine, his methods. But he found others online who think as he does and so he grabs on to the hope that he sees with possible change. The Facebook groups have done the same thing. Those that think alike now have places to express their ideas where they know others will read them, not just as a random post.
Twitter has allowed FWBs with different backgrounds and philosophies to get to know each other. Can we get to know each other on Twitter? We sure can. When you read daily snippets from people, you get to know what they like, what they don’t like, what they’re passionate about, and what drives them crazy. Before Twitter, graduates from other FWB colleges were just “those people” (getting real now, right?). But when you begin to see them as individuals, the group stereotypes fall apart.
Back to the title of the post: will social media change Free Will Baptists? I’m not sure if FWB will see the big change that some want. But social media has already changed how FWB connect with and view each other. That, at least, is a start.
