Conscientious Posting
There are three main social media outlets Faith Lutheran Church uses:
Our website: chicofaithlutheran.org: Here you can find our calendar of public events, “about us,” church and ministry info, and worship details. All news, events, and updates come directly from the office, ergo, Michael and the staff. Members cannot make changes to the website. (Our website is the in-person equivalent of somebody coming into our office and asking questions about FLC.)
Our Facebook page: If people go to Facebook and want to follow our church, they can type in “faith lutheran church chico ca” and this is the page they will stumble across. This page is official, and updated by Michael and the staff, as well as a few key admins. (Another in-person equivalent of people coming to our office to ask questions, just not as extensive as our website; like reading our brochure.)
Our Facebook group: A public group meant for members of Faith Lutheran to talk with one another and share information. (The in-person equivalent of chatting with people in the Fellowship Hall after service.) Our Facebook Group is where you all interact with each other directly. Interacting online is not the same as interacting in person! But it is important to remember that even though our Faith family has been communicating over the internet, the people you send texts and comments to are the same people you smile and greet in our Fellowship Hall. As we reflect on this knowledge, we would like to provide our congregation’s Facebook group with a couple of rules:
#1. Speak with love. Facebook is no different from the parish hall. Both are places where we gather as siblings in Christ. The way you treat people on Facebook is a reflection of Christ’s name.
#2. Keep the content focused on faith. Faith covers an incredibly broad swathe of topics, from the lives of members of our congregation, to inspiring prayers or scripture, to theology, to social issues.
#3. Respect people’s privacy. This group is a great place to post prayer requests, but please get permission from people before posting about them or sharing personal information.
#4. Focus on values rather than politicians or political parties. Our faith calls us to act in the public sphere and speak for justice. This group can rightly be a place where we share concerns about the state of our city, country, and world. However, our congregation is a non-partisan community. There are certainly legal reasons for this, but more importantly there are theological reasons. All people are sinners who fall short of the glory of God. Even the greatest politician will let us down. Political parties are composed of people who will inevitably disappoint. Furthermore, people of faith can agree on goals, but disagree on the best means to achieve them. Please do not advocate for or condemn specific politicians or parties in this group. Share how Jesus shapes your values and draw attention to how we could live out those values.
#5. Post to connect with people, not change people. Social media is not an effective place to change people. God’s Word became incarnate in Christ that we might experience transforming love. So too in-person relationships and conversations are the best place to try and change people’s minds. Social media is a tool that is best used to reach out, connect, and inspire. If you want to debate a sibling in Christ, invite them to go for a walk or get a cup of coffee.
Some folks expressed their concern via Facebook comments about posting political comments on our Facebook Group, which we would like to address. You might ask, “Can we talk politics? We’re a church, aren’t we tax-exempt?” We are tax-exempt, and here are the legal rules for “talking politics” in a church setting: no more than 10% of our church’s activity can be connected to political advocacy. Also, our congregation cannot endorse a political candidate. Please keep this knowledge, along with rules #4 and #5 in mind if you are ever in doubt. The ELCA, for example, talks about (nonpartisan) voting via ELCAvotes. Not only does the ELCA consider voting a Christian call to action, but voting is a topic that does not take sides. Offering a resource is a means of connection, and not an isolated effort to change somebody’s view. Remember that those of us keeping in touch via social media are folks we look forward to seeing in person as soon as safety allows. We are a community reflecting God’s love with a place at the table for everyone.
-Pastor Ben & Manager Mike