I wanted you to be one of the first to see the cover of the Social Media Guide for Ministry. The book will be a quick read at just 80 pages filled with practical application and will be available March 1, 2013 in both print and digital formats. Stay tuned for more information coming soon!
I doubt MySpace could ever be as significant as it once was, but this sure does look slick! I expected more when Justin Timberlake got involved and I guess now we’re seeing where they’re going. If I were to put my money on a Social Network ever competing with Facebook anytime soon it would not be MySpace, but Google+. I love competition among Social Networks and will be eager to play with the new MySpace when it does release. Check out this video:
As I’ve said in a previous post, I never intended to even write a book, much less sign a book deal. So how did I write The Social Media Guide for Ministry and how did I get a publishing contract from Group Publishing?
Well, in a previous post I shared about how I started by simply creating a working Word document about Social Media in Ministry as a resource for churches. That document quickly turned into much more and something that I personally got very excited about and invested a great amount of time and energy into.
When I completed what in my mind was a simple PDF document or e-book, I hesitantly shared it with a handful of friends and family members curious to how they might respond. One of those individuals was our Executive Pastor, Chris Emmitt, who thought enough of the book to share it with his wife, Bre’anna. After reading it, she sent me an email asking if she could share it with a friend who worked for a Publishing company.
I wasn’t going to argue with Bre’anna regarding her request and honestly it just meant so much to me that she thought enough of the book to share it with anyone. Bre’anna then emailed Sue Brage of Group Publishing introducing the two of us and attaching the PDF document that had originally been forwarded to her. I thought this might be the end of the conversation, but a week or so later Sue responded by saying that she and a couple of colleagues read the book and would like to propose it to their Executive Team as a possible book to publish.
Sue then shared with me the process of pitching the book to the Executive Team, which would then be followed by a month or so of market research along with a few other action steps before we could move forward. I was still pessimistic that this would lead anywhere, but even at that point I was so encouraged that a publisher that I respected so much was even having these conversations around this book. Sue gave me the date of their meeting and all I could do was wait and pray.
Shortly after their meeting I received an email from Sue saying that the team agreed that they should move forward with the book and that a month of market research was not needed as it was a clear felt need for their customer base. The email included an official offer and the contract was signed shortly after that.
Getting that email was kind of like getting an acceptance letter for college or your first job offer. It was so meaningful to call my wife and family to share the good news. One other moment that was also be very meaningful was sharing the news with Chris Emmitt who immediately called Bre’anna and shared the news with her. I was able to hear the response on the other end of the phone: “Praise God!” I couldn’t agree more!
I really don’t get excited about the deal because of the possibility of making more money or my name being on a book. I’m very much a behind the scenes guy and don’t plan on that changing a whole lot. I get excited because I believe that there is great opportunity for ministries to maximize Social Media in a powerful way to reach more people with the Gospel of Christ and I want to help them do that.
My prayer for this book is the same as it was when I first started writing that Word document months ago: to create a valuable resource for the Church to maximize Social Media in Ministry. I’m praising God that Group Publishing agreed to publish this resource and I feel so blessed to work with such a great company! I’m incredibly thankful for what God has orchestrated, how He continues to work through this project today, and cannot wait to see what God has ahead for this resource in the life of the Church! I’m honored and humbled to be a part.
Other Posts in this series:
Developing the IDEA for a Book
Over the past year or so I began hearing about a worship band in town called Sweet 180. I later received info about this year’s Super Summer events and saw that they are on the lineup as one of the main worship bands. What really caught my attention though was running into Lucas Barrientes (accoustic guitar/vocals) in the parking lot at Trinity Baptist Church where I first began to hear the heart of the band. Lucas and Sweet 180 have a passionate heart for worship and impacting teenagers and young adults through the powerful message behind their music. I got to hear their music live for the first time at Praise Wave at Sea World where they opened up for Steven Curtis Chapman. Their song Hallelujah, Awesome God (which you can hear on their MySpace) has been stuck in my head since. I encourage you to get very familiar with this band and if you’re in the Texas area and need a worship band, they would be one of the first I would call (if David Gregory is already booked).
I saw the original version of this video over a year ago and the statistics blew me away. I knew that Social Media was transforming everything around us, but I didn’t know how fast it was happening. When it comes to ministry it has blown me away how much MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter have dramatically changed relational ministry. It’s crazy that from my desk I can deepen relationships with dozens of people in a matter of an hour. I can understand their passions and personality without ever even talking to them. You can quickly see where it becomes strange and often unhealthy, but it’s the reality that we live in. This Sunday I plan to count how many times someone mentions my Facebook at church. Almost every conversation that I have begins with I read this on your Facebook or saw a picture from this event. Whether you like it or not, we’re living in the middle of a Social Media Revolution and it’s NOT a FAD!
About a month ago we hosted a concert at Segue with Robbie Seay Band and John Mark McMillan. Jillian Edwards from Waco was also part of the package and was an incredible addition to the night. I had never heard of Jillian before this, but I know she will be one that I will be hearing for a long time to come. Robbie Seay told me that Jillian is about to head into the studio with same producer that works with Switchfoot and we should expect great things ahead in the future. Jillian’s current music is incredible, I can’t wait to hear what’s ahead! Take a minute and check out her MySpace and listen to some of her tunes and share with a friend.
