Drew University Library : University Archives : Theses and Dissertations
    
authorPatrick M. Quinn
titleDiscovering the "We" in the "Me" of Social Media: Preaching Utilizing a Social Media Ministry Team
abstractPreaching utilizing a Social Media Ministry Team attempted to discover the "we" in the "me" world of social media. Throughout this project, an expanded notion of the preaching moment explored the possibilities of creating conversations "before, during, and after" Sunday morning worship.

The project was two-fold. First, the Lay Advisory Committee divided into three groups to establish the first Social Media Ministry Team (SMMT). These three teams were the Design Team, Participation Team, and the Message Team. They were tasked with responsibilities to implement a social media ministry team alongside the preaching moment. Second, the SMMT was assembled, trained, and commissioned to engage the congregation using sermon content to create interconnectivity and interactivity via social media.

As a result, the church experienced increased activity on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram through many additional friends and followers. Moreover, utilizing a common hashtag (#GuiltyGod), conversations were created that led to more engagement and reach with sermon content. Probably the most striking measurement was the overall quality of conversations that occurred on social media prompted by the preaching moment. The SMMT observed engagement with their friends and followers that occurred because of this project's emphasis on creating conversations.

Finally, the SMMT investigated the functionality of incorporating an intentional focus on social media alongside the preaching moment. It proved successful learning the good, bad, and ugly aspects of doing cutting edge ministry. While in its infancy, this project endeavored to create a new paradigm of preaching employing a "before, during, and after" approach to developing a conversational method crafting, delivering, and reflecting on the content of the sermon via social media. It is noteworthy to mention, many good things happened, but this project attempted to accomplish too much. Yet, developing a SMMT at Frazer UMC is paying dividends in the church's long-term vision of incorporating the latest technology into a fully-fledged Media Ministry. Social media will continue to play a major role in the church's communication platform for years to come.

schoolThe Caspersen School of Graduate Studies, Drew University
degreeD.Min. (2015)
advisors Rob Duncan
Leonard Sweet
full textPMQuinn.pdf