Thinking About Religious Movements and Social Media

I'll be lecturing (sort of) in two Vanderbilt Divinity School classes in April. For Dr. Mark Miller-McLemore's "Leadership and Ministry" class, I'll be discussing how churches can use social media tools to build social justice movements that extend beyond the church walls.

I try not to brag too much on this blog, but this is cool for two reasons:

1. They're using New Day Revolution as a text for this class. Now I can say that my book has been used as a textbook.
2. I used to attend Vanderbilt Divinity School, before I quit (dropped out) to focus on CoolPeopleCare full time. I don't have any regrets - it just feels good to be able to motivate the church to change the world, albeit in a different method than I imagined when I enrolled a few years ago.

If you'd like to sit in on the classes, send me an email and I'll see if the class is open to the public. Certainly we can find a seat for those interested.

More details:
Tuesday, April 14 - 11:10-12:30 - I'll be talking about the whys and whats of social networking - the various options available, how technology is changing the conversation, why it matters to a growing generation of people under 30, and exactly how much time and attention ministers should give to this.

Thursday, April 16 - 11:10-12:30 - I'll highlight good (and maybe even bad) examples of faith communities using social media and the Web to communicate with their communities. Students will come to class that day having thought about how they could use digital media and technology as an asset in their future ministries, if they have an inkling of an idea what/where that might be.

If you'd like to know when and where I'm speaking, or if you'd like me to speak to your group, look at my right sidebar.