I heard about a local clergyman in a fairly progressive tradition who is getting some grief from his congregation because he’s on FaceBook and he’s in a band.
This is such terribly depressing news.
God forbid a member of the clergy should be plugged into the 21st century, be tech savvy and connected via social media, have talent and participate in the arts (I have the feeling he’s not in some grunge band, you know? Like probably not with real risque lyrics or anything), and just in general be an interesting, well-rounded person who also happens to be deeply religious, scholarly and spiritual.
This is EXACTLY the attitude that causes so many people to avoid houses of worship. The very ESSENCE of 21st century religious life, whether you’re liberal or conservative, is to take your message and your ministry into the world. Just as it kills the church and breeds dysfunction, secrecy and abuse of power when congregations become closed systems, so does it kill the ministry when pastors are expected to remain cloistered within the confines of stuffy notions of ordained religious leadership.
If we don’t open up our sense of what makes for an appropriate religious role model, we continue to communicate to potential worshipers that we’re the same buttoned-up group we’ve always been. And of course, by extension, people who ARE hip to the 21st century aren’t really welcome because that’s not what it looks like to be religious.
Let’s pray that this colleague, who has a very fine reputation, and his congregants who have a more progressive and healthy mindset, are able to persuade others that their attitude constitutes nothing short of a stranglehold on a vibrant soul.
This makes me sad, PB. Not that I’m all that hip myself, being old and all… but at least I’m on FB along with most of my congregants, and no one seems to mind. That is, as long as I don’t do or say something really stupid. I hope this guy finds the right place to exercise his ministry in all its 21st century glory, and thank YOU for lifting up this issue.
In all fairness, I think this must be more the exception than the rule. (Mustn’t it? Please?) I mean, most of my synodical colleagues, including our bishop, seem to use Facebook, albeit with varying degrees of comfort. Nobody’s ever mentioned getting flack about it — but then again, I never asked.
And of course my 96-year-old grandmother only just stopped checking her email every day.
So true.
Good grief. That’s beyond ridiculous. What, exactly, would they prefer their minister to be doing?
Sigh.
I’m sorry this clergyman is having to cope with this reaction. It’s odd. Congrats to him on living his life!
AND this utilization of modern communication tools seems to be something that is needed in the church, particularly in more liberal traditions (yes, this is a bit of an aside). It seems that where I live, I can either dress casually for worship, sit in a chair instead of an uncomfortable pew, and have the option of worshiping in the evening and/or singing to a live band at a church that teaches that the husband is the head of the wife and that does not ordain women, OR I can get up early and dress up to sit in an uncomfortable pew, and sing choir music at a more liberal, less sexist tradition. This sounds kind of counterintuitive. Feel free to let me know if I am crazy.
I think my congregants would be surprised how much FB is starting to infiltrate my sermons & columns & general thinking. Since many of my FB friends are ministers and socially active UUs, I get to know what they’re thinking.
Wow! Poor guy. Progressive, conservative, liberal, traditional, whatever…
If Jesus were alive today, do you think he would have a Facebook page?
I do!
GREAT POST, PB!
Jesus would definitely have a FB page and expect his disciples to follow him 😉
“”Jesus would definitely have a FB page and expect his disciples to follow him ”
As long as he didn’t tweet.
WBJ, I think it’s St Francis who’d tweet.
haha. love the St. Francis tweeting comment!
just to play devil’s advocate, maybe the congregation is irritated by what his presence on FB says about him. ministers playing mafia wars (or farmville, for that matter) during the day seem to some (including judgmental yours truly) to be wasting time better spent thinking, reading, praying . . . working. (And it’s almost 9 am, so I have to get off of here, fast! ;-))
[ Cripes, I would hope that he’s not friends with his congregants on FB! I don’t understand Farmville and such myself, but when I see colleagues on them I usually think, “Good, they’re taking a little break for a second.” This is such lonely work, honestly, I’m incredibly grateful for social media for allowing me to virtually “walk” into a room of interesting people several times during my day and have an interesting encounter. It’s like when I was in seminary — I think I learned more in the brief conversations in the rectory and the halls than I did in the classes, which were extraordinarily good. And thank GOD for blogging, or this single girl in a small town that rolls up its sidewalks at 6pm would have perished of isolation long ago. – PB]
When did minister = monk?
Unless he’s doing some David Lee Roth type stuff, I am really disappointed that people would make an issue out of this. [Right. – PB]
Is it Tripp? Tripp is in a band! And his band is GOOD!
In a related note… I think that “not what it looks like to be religious” may be one reason my hair is pink. My hair is pink, I dress drag queens, and I love Jesus. Ha! Didn’t expect that, did you, [insert name of hide-bound conservative here]??
I really do, too. Complete with right-wing language, terrifyingly Roman Catholic doctrines (some of them)… and left-wing “values.” Hey, I really am just trying to follow Jesus. That it confuses people is … a nice side benefit?
I’m also high on candy corn, so pardon if no sense is being made here!!
Hey, Kate – “Is it Tripp?” was my first thought, too!
Re: minister being friends with congregants on Facebook- I think it’s a matter of how you use Facebook. I’ve always kept my page relatively clean, and I’ve always used groups. I restrict who can view what albums (parishioners are on very restricted permissions), and I never post anything I’d have a problem with my Bishop seeing- because my bishop is my facebook friend, too! It means I usually de-tag myself in friends’ photos. It’s just what I think of as appropriate for a public persona.
I also hold the standard that I will not friend anyone under 18 unless the parent gives permission and is also my friend. So far, that has worked well.
I’ve never felt the need to be on Facebook or Twitter, for some reason. In my ministry training we were discouraged from being on Facebook as well. I guess it just depends on how you approach it. I never thought anybody would be interested in what I was doing because I was in school all the time! But if you’re somebody who is socially active like this minister, then more power to ya!