CityChurch Online & Facebook: A Perfect Match

Facebook…you either love it or hate it or, if you’re like me, you look at it for what it is: a means of staying connected in ways you might not be able to otherwise. I was having a conversation with a friend about the social media giant last week. We concluded that Facebook is like a city.

I live in San Antonio, TX. I’ve lived here most of my life and, at this stage, don’t want to live anywhere else. It’s not because I haven’t experienced other cities. I’ve lived in other cities and one other state. I’ve traveled to a few countries, all of which I loved. I’ve even wondered what living in them would be like. In the end, I’m a San Antonian and I like it that way. We’re the seventh largest city in the U.S., but you’d never know it. I like to say we’re the biggest small town you’ll ever come across.

Don’t get me wrong, San Antonio is not at all a perfect city. There are things I like about it and things I wish were different. Like any other city, there are great people and others who are challenging to our capacity to love. There is a diverse population and a huge mix of cultures and sensibilities. It’s a lot like Facebook.

Facebook is just a big community of people, not unlike a big city. Some people understand what it’s like to be a member of the community, other aren’t quite up to speed. Some people – like San Antonio’s local celebrities and leaders – make much noise and get a lot of attention. Others are content to remain on the sidelines and observe more than they engage. Like any city, there are great things about Facebook and things that I wish were different. At this stage, Facebook is where people are. Given what I do at this time of my life, Facebook is the premiere social media tool where the people are. Wherever the people are is where I want to be.

As the campus pastor for CityChurch Online, I have the privilege of being a part of God’s story. More important, I get to let people know that they have a part in God’s story as well. I want to be able to proclaim that to as many people as I can and use the best means available. Facebook is one of those means.

There are several online components to CityChurch Online. Facebook - along with Twitter (@SACityChurch) and the services available on our website (www.sacitychurch.com) – is just one of those channels, but a very critical one. People from over a dozen countries are part of our online community as a result of our presence on Facebook as of this writing. Thirty-six thousand people have engaged with some sort of content produced by CityChurch Online in the last 72 hours. The combined network of friends for our current followers is more than 150,000. While there may be additional elements of our online campus in the future, CityChurch Online will be on Facebook for the foreseeable future and it will be a key channel for our growing online community.

If you haven’t yet, I hope you’ll take a moment to engage with us by visiting any or all of our online channels and I hope you’ll let others know. As technology makes it easier for us to connect around the globe in new and unique ways, one thing will be true of our online campus that is true of any of our physical locations:

We exist to follow Jesus as catalysts of spiritual and social change and advance the values of authentic love, radical acceptance, insane generosity where EVERYONE has a part!