“The rules of engagement has changed. The principles of organizational and interpersonal communication will forever be changed.” Those words were written to me by a friend who had asked a question about what was next after Twitter? To me simply asking that question about a Social Networking site that is still relatively new is telling. There is no question that just in the last couple of years Social Networking has become all the rage and could change the rules of engagement.

While I love Twitter and Facebook it is my contention that we are too quickly jumping on this new band wagon and need a healthy dose of reality. I am not convinced that the rules have been changed as much as those that are embracing Social Media claim. As of yet there is little factual data to confirm a major shift in behavior Certainly from a stewardship stand point the confirmed data to this point is showing that a change has NOT occurred.

Here are some points that I think we should consider before we too quickly embrace new technology as our savior or the future of raising funds.

Social Media is not the first new medium to trumpet new rules of engagement. While it might show my age I can remember the rise of cable television and religious broadcasting. There was a time when those who embraced television saw that medium as a fundamental new way of engaging people. While some ministries did indeed raise significant funds through television few churches ever did. More significantly religious broadcasting has made a minimal impact in terms of evangelism. In the end the return on investment will be judged in my opinion as a poor Kingdom investment.

I base this observation from experience. The last church that I pastored spent thousands of dollars on establishing a cable channel in our town through our denominations network. While our presence in the community was heightened in the end there were few people that I can point to as having been brought into the Kingdom through all the programs and advertising that we did. I bought into the belief that having a media presence would transform our ministry but now must admit that the impact was minimal.

Change in the church comes slowly not quickly. While we are debating what is next after Twitter the church will still stand. Some times I wonder if we truly believe in the sovereignty of God. We are either poor students of history or ignorant of theology. Christ’s church marches on no matter what the current media platform is. While the church does change it changes slowly not swiftly. Some might see that as a negative however the flip side of that is that the Church throws out what is unproductive and adapts to what works. It is still way too early to tell what the impact of Social Media will be.

The few will always give the majority. This has always been the case and will always be the case. In part this is a result of discipleship. While we must continue to encourage the next generation the end result will be that only a few will truly embrace the responsibilities of discipleship. To believe that Social Media will some how be the tool to engage the next generation of donors is to totally miss history and minimalize God.

The key for future fund raising depends not on new tools but the tried and true method of making disciples. I am all for using new tools. However at the end of the day what has sustained the church through time has been solid discipleship not a dependence upon new approaches. If you truly want to make sure your ministry is funded for the future focus on what works, discipleship making.

My fear is that in chasing the newest online tools we will miss what really matters. True discipleship can not occur behind a computer screen or a smart phone any more than it could from your couch watching television. In our rush to embrace what is hip and new we are trading our birth right for a pot of stew.

Tell me, what has been the impact of our chase to be contemporary? Have we truly been reaching the lost better than before? Statistics do not bear out that we are. While some might claim some success the truth is that nationally we are no closer to winning our nation than before we began this contemporary journey. I fear the same will be true as we chase the Twitters of the world.

That’s my view. What is yours?

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group