PRACTICAL WISDOM FOR LEADING CONGREGATIONS
 
I posed this question recently to a group of college students at Yale: "In general, what two emotions do you experience when using social media?"

As the students responded with their cellphones to an online survey, a word cloud of their replies displayed on a screen behind me. I've done this exercise many times -- I usually ask this question when I lead workshops, give lectures and teach courses about social media.

People type all kinds of things in response, of course. But no matter the group, two emotions have showed up in every word cloud: joy and anxiety.

As someone who uses social media, I resonate with both of those responses. I imagine many of you reading this do, too.

Like those who take my cellphone surveys, I have experienced deep joy when using social media -- feelings of connection and solidarity.

In November 2016, a high school friend was dying. He made two final status updates on Facebook: one dedicated to his favorite basketball team and a sobering post promising to watch over everyone and asking friends to let him know whom to say "hey" to on the other side.

In response to those posts, people said things like this: "With tear-filled eyes all I can do is look at the sun rising over the clouds and imagine the beauty you are entering. Well done, my friend, what a wonderful life you have led here. You are so loved." And this: "Your strength, faith in God, and determination have changed so many lives."

Hundreds of people had been using social media to stay updated on his cancer treatment, hoping that he would be healed. For most of the last months of his life, he was unable to leave his hospital room and could have only a few visitors. Social media was his connection to his friends and to the world.

Social media in this case was a source of joy, nurturing healing and Christian community, and extending Christian practices like truth telling and compassion from offline to online spaces.
On the other hand, there are many reasons social media causes people to feel anxious. Some of us are worried about privacy -- a concern intensified by the recent news about Facebook.

 
 
CAN THESE BONES PODCAST: MATTHEW CROASMUN
What constitutes a life worth living? And how do you begin to explore that question? 

The Rev. Dr. Matthew Croasmun and his colleagues tackle the issue in a course offered by the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School. In it, students engage with a range of philosophical and religious traditions to form habits of reflection that will equip them for "the life-long process of discerning the good life." 

In his conversation with "Can These Bones" co-host Laura Everett, Croasmun talks about what he has learned from teaching the course, why engaging with other religious traditions is vital to his faith, and why he is one of the faculty advisers for Yale's secular humanist community.

 
IDEAS THAT IMPACT: 
MINISTRY THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA
Is social media trending or transforming?
Social media is helping us see that the Holy Spirit is much more unpredictable, subversive and playful than the church would usually like it to be, says the vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields in London in this sermon.
 
Thinking theologically about using social media
The New Media Project wants to help faith leaders become more theologically savvy about social media, which is rapidly changing the landscape of Christian life.

Pastoral transitions in the age of social media 
Social media has changed many aspects of our lives and how we engage with others. We shop differently, research differently, communicate differently, and we experience community differently. So, it only makes sense that pastoral transitions in this new age would become more complex, and look much different than pastoral transitions even ten years ago.
 
 
FROM THE ALBAN LIBRARY
edited by Matthew Floding

Theological field education, in which a ministry student steps out of the classroom and begins practicing with the supervision of a mentor, is a critical part of accredited ministry programs. Engage equips both students and their supervisor-mentors to engage in this important opportunity with energy and imagination, and it prepares students for the challenging work of integrating theory into real-world practice. 

Engage provides coaching from recognized experts in the arts of ministry: preaching, administration, evangelism, pastoral care, public ministry, leadership, faith formation, liturgical arts and more. Other chapters address themes such as race, gender, and ministry across faith traditions (or no faith tradition). The book addresses field education in a range of contexts -- from churches to non-profits. 

Engage offers a valuable resource for students making the most of their transition from the classroom into real world ministry with all its joys and many challenges.
 
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