Even though Twitter crashed for awhile (and we all thought it was the end of the world), I was amazed to see how word about my notes from the Leadership Summit spread across the Twittersphere… thanks in part to @ShawnWood, @CatalystLeader and others.

As of this blog post, nearly 2,000 people have visited my blog today (WOAH!) and I’ve added quite a few followers on Twitter as well (welcome!).

So midway though the afternoon my friend Shawn posted this Tweet:

I replied back agreeing and then Shawn took it to the next level and set this up:

Then I had an idea (thanks to a friend)… what if I took that money and did something productive with it… say, donate it to Kiva.org?

Quite appropriate considering Jessica Jackley, the co-founder of Kiva.org spoke the Summit today.

I first learned about how microlending works when Seth sent me a copy of The Blue Sweater to read and review on my blog. I found the whole idea and concept fascinating and after hearing Jessica talk today, I knew it’s what I wanted to do with whatever “play money” I’d get from donations.

2,000 of you have visited my page today and no doubt there will be more tomorrow as I keep blogging my notes from tomorrow’s sessions.

So, if they are valuable to you, why not chip in a dollar or two? And let’s do something, together.

I’m excited to see where this will go and to share the story of the person whose life this is going to impact!

—
Monk Development and a number of other faith-based media outlets are sponsoring a study of the Church online… looking at how churches are using and interacting with social media and the web. [Check out Drew's blog for more.]

Some results they found…

• 51% of participating churches are on Facebook
  - Churches are using Facebook as an extension of their church.
  - More informational, used more as communications vehicle, less of a community building presence.
• Limited use of MySpace, Second Life, GoogleGroups, etc.
• 21% on Twitter
• A small number are using a members portal or private community site (Unifyer, TheCommon.org, 360Hubs, etc).
• 82% of surveyed churches didn’t even know about the different products out there.
• Encourage your church to register your church name on different social media outlets so you have rights to your name.
• Church networking and community sites have made little inroads into the church.
• A problem with all of the different avenues out there is that there’s not a collected, central spot to communicate from… especially if your church is not leading the way and providing a consistent platform for people to use.

Social Media Desires
What feature/funcationality are people in our churches looking for from our church websites?

• Event Sign-up/RSVP’s.
• Post Prayer Requests.
• Connect People to Service Opportunities.
• Connect with Small Groups.
• Integration with church website.
• Resource sharing.
• Ability to access TV/phone directory.

Congregations didn’t care about:

• blogging
• ability to post classifieds
• ability to post photos in photo galleries
• ability to post jobs

Most mainstream social networking sites do no offer churches the seamless solutions they seek.

Questions to Ask on Building Community

1. Is virtual community real community?
2. What is Biblical community? How are we living out Biblical community in a real way?
3. How can technology assist in this process? It can assist, but it cannot replace. It must drive people into real relationships.

Discipleship

1. How many of you feel like you have been discipled online? Online discipleship is a dangerous thing when it’s done outside of real life relationships. It’s more than courses, training and learning… it’s about relationships.
2. How can technology assist this process? There are tools and resources we can use to communicate and enhance discipleship.

Most church online media is used for communication, contact, event and small group management, etc. Primarily focused on “us” and not focused on the individual and not contributing to building community, connecting people, etc.

Top challenges of using social media in churches.

• Amount of effort required
• Identifying appropriate goals/ROI
• Fostering real community
• Cultural resistance from congregation or church leadership.

For more information about the State of the Church Online Study, click here.

Also, check out the Cobblestone Community Network, a new tool designed to help the Church be the Church, online… designed by Drew + his team at Ekklesia360.