I recently wrote a post for MySanAntonio.com entitled “What the Church can learn from Google” and it made me begin to think about other people, organizations, and ideas that we can learn from as the Church. Another one of those is Facebook.
My guess is that you are probably reading this post because you saw a link on Facebook. The Social Media website has transformed the way we interact and helps us to stay more connected than ever before. I have learned a lot about Facebook over the past couple of years and there is one big takeaway from the site and organization as a whole that I think we can really learn from as the Church:
Facebook is ALWAYS changing!
Have you noticed this? Sometimes they are small changes that you hardly notice, but if you look back over the past couple of years it is almost a completely different site. Facebook’s purpose is to help people better connect to each other and that has not changed a bit, but their methods in accomplishing this goal has changed dramatically and likely will continue to change.
Most people would advice Facebook to leave it alone. It’s the best Social Network out there and people are comfortable with the way it is. Every time there is a new update you begin hearing complaints and threats of people that are going to shut down there account and leave. Do you ever wonder if it bothers people at Facebook when they hear complaints over the new features that they’ve worked so hard to develop? I’m sure that it does, but they have a bigger picture in mind for the online community that they have built. Their response then is to listen to feedback that is given while staying focusing on the goal at hand.
What do you think would happen though if Facebook didn’t change? Here’s what I think:
The site would become stale and people would leave.
Does this sound like any churches that you know? There is often a fear of people leaving if we do make a change when the reality is that our stagnancy often causes an even greater fall out.
Facebook has not always gotten it right and neither will the Church. I can say confidently though if we do not try new things we will become stale and people will leave. What might have worked in the past will not always work in the future. The mission of the Church should not change, but the methods by which we accomplish that mission should always be changing.
Take some risks, try new things, lead with boldness!
