Category Archives: Grace Church

Grace Announces Plan for a Second Campus In El Dorado Springs, MO

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather

Grace Announces Plans for a Second Campus In El Dorado Springs, Missouri

Grace United Methodist Church (Lee’s Summit, MO) – January 11, 2015

Today we announce our plan to launch a second campus in El Dorado Springs, MO.  Our new campus is on the site of the former El Dorado Springs United Methodist Church, which closed in 2014.   There are 3000 people that live in El Dorado Springs, and within 5 miles, 5000 people.

This expansion is not a church plant. It is a satellite campus. This means it is not a separate church, but a second Grace United Methodist Church campus.  Over the next few months we will outline our plans for reaching new people for Jesus Christ in El Dorado Springs.

The mission and programming will mirror our programming and missional strategy. It is the same pastoral team and same philosophy of ministry. There is one Lead Pastor, one staff, one organizational structure, one ministry budget and one leadership team.   We will be replicating as much of our ministries as possible at our second site in order to extend the gospel message into a new area.

Currently, there are a few faithful former members that attend a 10:45 am Legacy service.  It is our intention to partner with them in developing an outreach strategy to and with the community.  We assume preaching responsibilities next Sunday.  We will strengthen the current worship service with the intention of adding a 9:15 am contemporary worship service with children’s ministries in the fall of 2015.

If you feel called to be apart of campus leadership team to help, please contact the church office immediately.  We are in need of passionate people to reach out in the name of Christ.  Our pastoral staff and leadership team have been praying about a second campus for the past few years.  Several opportunities had previously come before us and we did not feel we were ready to move forward with them.  We did not feel the other situations were where God was leading us.

And yes, Camp Galilee is in El Dorado Springs Missouri.  We are sad to see the camp close and if possible would love to utilize the facility to reach people for Jesus Christ, but currently, our second campus is not connected to anything that is or will go on at Camp Galilee.

We have been praying about this and working on this step for several years. I am so excited to see it come to fruition and to watch our church take this bold step of faith to extend the gospel message.  Thank you and please pray for Grace church as we continue to reach out.  We are light in the darkness, for the non-churched, once-churched and badly churched.

“Game Day”

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather

A few months ago Nick Morrow, our college aged assistant tech director at Grace, had a brilliant idea for a video in worship.  He was in his college philosophy class and his professor started a discussion about college football fans and church members.  Thom Rainer published a brilliant blog here covering the 11 differences between a church member and a college football fan.  Nick quickly translated the class discussion into a opportunity to shed light on our own struggles to follow Jesus and our the insanely passion love of college football teams.  (and basketball teams ;0)

Essentially, people are more fired up in the United States about football than they are about Jesus.  Of course, there are numerous qualifications that can be made with this, but here are a few examples of how college football sometimes wins out over Jesus.

“A college football fan loves to win. The typical church member never wins someone to Christ.”

“A college football fan pays huge dollars for tickets, travel, and refreshments for games. A church member may or may not give to his or her church.”

“A college football fan is known for his or her passion for the football team. A church member is rarely known for his or her passion for the gospel.”

Ouch.  So, our drama and tech teams put together a story board, grabbed two hd cameras and went work.  The finished video places two “fired up Jesus fans” in the world of church.  They have a pre-game ritual, they tail-gate, and they cheer in worship.

If you or your church would like to use this video in worship, feel free.  We can dopbox it to you if needed.

Thanks to the Grace team and Nick for your willingness to think way outside the box and offer something meaningful for discussion and inspire change.

Go in peace and go with God.

 

What Facebook, Google and Twitter Can Teach the Church…and Apple

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather

People are searching for answers.
People want to be connected.
People want to be heard.
I Want and Need Answers
Three of the most successful companies over the past tens years have addressed those wants and needs.
When Google came along there were other search engines.  The creators of Google did not like the way those search engines “page ranked” things.  So they designed a new way to rank pages.  It was intuitive.  It made sense.  It worked.  So when searching for answers to your questions, you would find them in the top ten hits.  Not only that, they have continued to improve upon their early success by making Google better.  Right now we have more knowledge available to us than ever before in the history of the world.  The most famous library you might have never heard of was the library in Alexandria.  It contained what was reported to be “all of the world’s knowledge”.  Sadly, it was sacked and burned.  Knowledge lost.  Today, you don’t need to go to a library.  The answers to your questions are available online.  Just search enough and you will find it!  When people are searching for answers, most of them turn to Google.  I know I do.
I Want to Be Connected
Facebook is a revolutionary way to connect with your friends, acquaintances and family.  Originally offered to students, now the whole world can join in.  Over 700 million people are now on Facebook.  Wow.  Lots of people are now connected through Facebook.  Remember how difficulty it used to be to know how your high school friends were doing?  I do.  I had lost touch with a few of my friends, and I’m 37.  It’s nice to see how highschool, college and seminary friends are doing.  I may not personally communicate with them for months, but I can check their status and see how they are doing and what they are up too.  Very cool stuff.  Most people are on Facebook in the U.S.  They are connecting.  And as Facebook adds new features, soon we will be connecting not just through chat, but through video as well.
I Want To Be Heard
I was not a big fan of Twitter until a few months ago.  I didn’t want to Tweet or be a Twit.  I didn’t want to be a follower either.  Twitter is basically a newsfeed of 140 characters or less of people sharing information, blogs, ideas, quotes, conversations, pics and a bunch of other stuff with people that “follow” them.  The more people you follow, the faster your news feeds goes.  It amazing how quickly good and bad information can be shared.  Many people follow celebrities or news organizations.  Imagine the front page of Yahoo, the Huffington post or the Wall Street Journal reposting links to their articles.  You are just a few clicks away from  information you are interested in.  The real genius of Twitter is posting to followers.  People follow you and when you post something whatever you said or shared is placed in their newsfeed.  Hundred, thousands or millions of people will see what you said in an instant!
I had two conversations that changed my mind about Twitter.  First, a mom of a high school student said that I needed to be on Twitter.  I’m a pastor and I like to stay connected to our congregation, and in my opinion, very few were on Twitter so what was the point?  Well, the high school students were all using Twitter.  They next conversation was with two friends who were using Twitter to follow live events that were not being broadcast.  After going back and forth for a while, I decided to make the leap.  I jumped on Twitter and currently follow 1000+ people and have 600+ followers.  So I am listening to others, and some are listening to me.

Fifty years ago the church filled all three of those roles.  People who were looking for answers could find them (or at least be pointed in the right direction) in church.  People looking for connection and relationship could find them in the church.  People wanting to be heard could be heard in the church.
Our world has changed.  Has the church?  Do we still have a chance to fulfill those vital needs?  Has our season in the United States gone?
Those questions will not be answered by me here.  I’m not sure if there is answer.  And if there is, many of us might not like it.
The “Death Tsunami” that is approaching the Mainline denominations quickly.  Many are in decline.  Less and less “attend” church.  Some churches are doing well, and by some I mean a handful in each city or state.
I love the church.  No, I don’t love a building, but the body of Christ.  As a pastor I need to love God and love neighbor.  A few pastors I know don’t really enjoy their jobs.  In fact, one was reported to say, “I don’t like these people.”  If you don’t like people and you don’t find joy in laboring for the Lord, what in the world are you doing trying to lead a church?

What role can we fill?  Who are we called to be in the next twenty years?  Shall we just hold on to what we have, take care of our own and just die gracefully?

I pray not.  If the “church” is to survive and thrive, we need to do a few things.
1- Help people find answers to their deepest spiritual questions- not tell them the answer, but help them find a path to the One who has the answers.  The Bible is a wonderful guidebook!
2. Help people connect- not just in a church building, but with each other outside the walls, maybe, dare a I say, in a completely different model of church known as house churches.
3. Let people be heard.  Listening is something that some of us don’t do well.  Listen to God and listen to your neighbor.

It’s time the church moved beyond just sharing the love of God with their neighbors who attend church on Sunday.  There is a vast ocean of people who never encountered a “Christian” that helped them find God.  The soul moving experience of Jesus Christ in your life should inspire us to share His message and help those in need.

Oh yeah, the Apple thing.  Apple is an innovative, visionary company that does most everything (except apple tv) with excellence.  Do your best at reaching God and neighbor.  Don’t say it’s good enough.  Do everything you can to make a positive difference for Christ wherever you are and wherever you go.
Dont’ be like the world, be a light in the darkness for the world.

Go in peace and go with God.

There Are No Lines

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather

Prevailing wisdom and philosophies do not cover all of a generation.  No, it is sadly and usually the loudest that are heard.  So in the following, this is not all inclusive or encompassing.  It is an attempt to explain why things, for some, are very confusing.  I know members of all these generations who get it.  I know some who don’t.  All that matters is LOVE.  If you struggle understanding why Twitter is so popular, the following will help.


Color Inside the Lines (silent generation)

When I was in kindergarten, I remember Miss Mapes teaching us all “color inside the lines”.  We sat at our desks (divided tables) working diligently to make sure that not one bit of color went outside the lines.  At the time of course, we were only given one coloring sheet so if we messed up, no second chance, no extra credit, you failed.  It was an exercise in discipline and framed the standards of the education we would receive from then on.  And that phrase continued to meet me in my work, personal and educational life.  The very tired phrase of “we’ve never done it that way before” comes to mind with this mindset.
That teaching, philosophy and learning carries many people through much of their life.  Just keep your head down, go along to get along, and don’t rock the boat.  In a world with much certainty, jobs that lasted at the same company until retirement, families that didn’t move 4-5 times while the kids were growing up, and a deep sense of community and trust developed over time, that worldview worked and help together the fabric of society.  It was the prevailing wisdom of the Silent generation.  Interestingly, no member of the Silent generation was ever elected President, and many of them have faded from the social and political world.

Color Outside the Lines (boomer generation)

In the late 1990’s, while I was in grad school, a new phrase began to emerge.  That phrase was “color outside the lines”.  There are several books that claim the phrase in their title, but I remember hearing professors use it frequently.  It was touted as the next great philosophy.  Bend the rules.  Live in the gray of the world.  The words both/and were lifted up as well.  This idea took hold and many pushed a can’t we agree to disagree view.  Not only that, but it lifted up a kind of dualism of attempting to live in both worlds of two arguments.
This view comes from the Boomer generation.  Boomers grew up in a time of significant change in society.  Worldviews were shifting and changing with each new protest and dramatic political decision made in the 1960’s.  There were several deaths of prominent leaders in the US that caused many boomers to question authority, purpose, meaning and the stability of the world.  They are known as the protest generation, although many of that generation moderated with age and became more like the previous generation in regard to work.
For many, “color outside the lines” was a revolutionary statement made from the Boomers to the next few generations.

There Are No Lines (Gen X and beyond)
In what appears to be an evolution of thought, which has been built upon the work of others, I would postulate something different.  How about, “there are no lines”.  In a world that attempts to be bound by rules and control, there are no lines.  What kept us apart for many years is long since gone.
In a world of deep interconnectedness through the web, new connections and ideas can be assimilated and adapted immediately.  The edges are now all soft.
Generation X grew up in a very similar time as the Boomers, but with significant adaptation of new technologies.
Things are blending together so quickly, that there is not enough time to define it, other than to say, there are no lines.  And this new world, it is for sure and definitely NOT FLAT!
Stop trying to find the lines, follow the lines or color over the lines.
There are no lines.  Once you recognize this, you will finally discover the lines you see were self imposed.  Only try and realize the truth.
There are no lines.
The world is an empty canvass.  Make of it what you will.

Sadly many do not understand this and use rules and regulations to abuse those who disagree.  Many will attempt to understand, but try and merge a misguided and well- meaning version.  It won’t work.

We are predisposed to repeat the past, unless we choose to change it.

Do we wonder why Gen X and the Millenials have slowly faded from church?  This is why.

Seek the abiding and magnificent love of God.  Receive it.  Share it.  Live it.  And please reject the rules based religions that bind you up, and keeps you from true peace and happiness.

Embrace the full love of God in Jesus Christ.

Tips For Faith Sharing: Glorify, Testify and Apply

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather

One of the more difficult aspects to following Christ for many is actually sharing our faith story.  Whether it’s a cultural thing here in the US or the inability of the modern church to actually train people to share their faith, it’s a thing.

So, here are a few easy tips to sharing your faith and pointing people to Christ.

1- Let people around you know you are a follower of Jesus Christ.  Your co-workers, classmates, family, friends (facebook friends/twitter followers) should know you are a Christian by your words and deeds.

2- Actually invite people to share their story with you.  It can be as simple as-
“Hey, tell me about where you grew up.”
“What brought you here?”
“What are you doing this weekend?’

3- Listen, listen, listen.  Listening to other people share their story is a powerful experience if you really listen.  I’ve found that everyone has a pretty amazing life story if you just listen.  Listening means you care about someone enough to hear their story.

4- Share your problems with others- be honest and let people know how your faith has helped you.

5- Pass on some good reads to others like- “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan, “The Circle Maker” by Mark Batterson or “Heaven is For Real” by Todd Burpo.  Those are amazing books.

6- Speak well of your church and church leaders.  If you don’t, it probably reflects more on your journey than your church.

7- Invite, invite, invite.  Most churches have several seeker friendly events throughout the year.  Some churches actually make worship a safe and friendly place as well.

8- If someone asks you a faith question you can’t answer, set up a coffee with your pastor to talk about their question.

9- Start a Bible study and invite people to join.

10- Bring someone to Christmas or Easter services.

Finally, make sure that in all you do and say that you

Glorify God

That Your life is a living Testimony to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ

and

Your apply the teachings of God’s word and Jesus Christ to your life.

If you do these things, your life will serve as a beacon to those who are far from God.  Your life will light the way in the darkest storms.

Go in peace and go with God.

p.s. It wouldn’t hurt to share the facebook status of your pastor or church page and invite others to join your in worship.

Social Media and the Church- Part 7

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather

7. It’s All About Connecting

In the last thirty years, staying connected to others has taken a giant leap forward. Think about it for a moment, do you remember in the early 1980’s and making a long distance phone call was a big deal? Or those new car phones that were outrageously expensive and rarely worked. Then pagers for people other than doctors. Cell phones came along in the mid 1990’s for some of us, but reception was still spotty. Personal computers and email hit in the 1990’s big as well. Google came around in the late 1990’s as well, but didn’t start really being used by the masses until 2001 and thereafter. Yahoo was a big deal, not so much anymore. Aol was a big deal, not so much anymore. And the now ultimate way to connect is facebook. 800 million users, with a limit of 5000 friends per user (who really has 5000 friends).
The church has many roles in the world today. One of the most important roles is helping people stay connected to God. Out of that relationship, we are called to love God, neighbor and enemy. We are also called to serve God and neighbor.
We have never in the history of the world had as much information as we do now available to us.
We have never in the history of the world been better connected to our neighbors as well.
But there is something missing. Information alone cannot convert. Information and argument alone cannot change people.
If you watch politics these days you see an inherent belief in all sides. If they can just get enough people to agree with them (because they are right), then they will feel justified in their behavior and beliefs.
And that somehow, someway, that winning arguments rules the day.
The church sadly has adopted a few of those principles. They sound like this-
We are in and you are out.
We are going to heaven, and if you believe what we believe, you can too. Just don’t pay attention to how we treat others though, our message might not match our behavior.
There is an inherent arrogance there as well.
Life is not about information and arguments.
Life is about loving God and neighbor. If every church in the world would drop the “we are right, and you are not” mentality, and start focusing on connecting people to God, the world would be a much different and better place.
Back to this again, the role of the church is to connect people to God and neighbor. Jesus says that “we are a light in the darkness”. Are you the light?
Using social media to bring people closer to God meets that goal.
Through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we find communion and connection to God. Jesus Christ bridges the gap and offers salvation to anyone.
Connecting and communicating that message to the lives of every soul on earth is our chief priority.
Using social media to that end is just another way to convey the timeless, life changing message of Jesus Christ.
Check your social media in your church to see if it:
Shares the message of Jesus Christ in a way that not only informs, but transforms.
Brings people closer to God.
Offers a way to connect to God and neighbor.
Helps others find a way to serve.
As many churches seek to enhance the way they communicate the message of Jesus Christ, please pray for all of us as we succeed and fail in following Jesus.
Be holy. Stay connected to God.
Go in peace and go with God.

Social Media and the Church- Part 6- Pastoral Use of Social Media

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather

6. Pastoral Use of Social Media

Pastors don’t have much of a “private” life. Being a pastor has been described as living in a fishbowl. Some like it. Some don’t. It’s a fact of service. We are on call 24 hours a day for pastoral emergencies. What we say on Sunday morning should be what we say the rest of the week. What we say during the week should be good enough for Sunday morning. If it’s not, we have a serious problem. The choice to use social media like Facebook, Twitter or a blog is never a private choice. Whatever is said on Facebook or Twitter reflects on you and the ministry/church that you serve. There is no fractured dualistic path to say “this doesn’t represent the church I serve” because these are my private opinions. Does that sound consistent? Now, this is just my opinion. Some clergy disagree and feel that they may say one thing through social media, but then on Sunday morning would never dare speak of such things. For me it does not work. Stand by what you say in private and in public, on the web or in church, together.
So, when it comes to certain issues Pastors should keep their mouths shut. Yes, they should.
A few pieces of advice.
Don’t endorse candidates or political parties, unless it’s you or a family member. It only divides people. Your job is not to spout about politics and if it’s takes up a considerable amount of your time, you are probably not serving well.
Hiding your Social media behavior from the UMC boards or your brothers and sisters in Christ is pointless. Your pastoral voice (whether in church or the web) should always be consistent and honest. People talk. Friend other pastors, and follow back on Twitter. It’s kind and courteous. Defriending other clergy is not a good idea. It shows poor judgment and poor character.
Watch what you post because just reposting or putting a link on your pages by default is an endorsement of a viewpoint. And it viewpoint is not consistent with you and the church, it becomes quite confusing to your church.
Be careful what you post, because it is always there. Google saves every piece of information on the web, whether you delete it or not.
Do not address church controversies through social media or “church wide” emails. Speak directly to people. Emails and social media rants and messages can be misinterpreted.
As a pastor, you are a spiritual leader. Lead.
The comments and way you interact on social media shows who you really are- especially when it comes to endorsing your favorite sports team. Be careful.
Here is a very simple rule.
Don’t be a jerk on social media. If you are there, you probably are in your church as well. Humor is great. Humor at the expense of others is not so great.
All in all, make sure your online life is consistent with your pastoral ministry life. This goes for all Christians as well. Be consistent so that the world knows your witness is true.
Go in peace and go with God.

Social Media and the Church- Part 5

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather

5. Public and Private Conversations

Over the past ten years, especially with the under 22 crowd, self revelation on social media and the web has exploded. What many of us would never think of putting out into public is now very, very public. Twitter, Facebook and Youtube have given a voice to those willing to share and bare it all. Private conversations have become very public. The media has turned what used to be proper news programs into a sad caricature of it’s former proud self. What used to be news is now just gossip dressed up with clever intros and discussions of some well thought of writer or commentator. Shame, decency and privacy seem to be disappearing from the mortal souls of some. Not all, but many feel it their God given right and duty to put it all out there. No judgement here, just highlighting a trend.

For the pastor, the Christian and the church, there must be a distinction between public and private. What we choose to put out there is up to us. Managing many different outlets for our social media lives can become confusing. There are some great products to bridge the gap between all of them, like hootsuite. But for the most part, it’s up to us to determine what we want to share with others.

Is it appropriate for our camp counselors to put picture of them out partying and drinking in college, when they are facebook friends with the kids they counseled at camp? Yes, they should not be drinking in the first place. An awareness of who is watching and being influenced by us must be one of the main priorities as we discover our guides for sharing. Being a free country, and the internet is still free (not for long), it’s up to every individual human being to decide what they share.

The Christian Guide For Sharing on Facebook, Twitter and everything else….

1. Be honest about your hopes, dreams and life
2. If you are living a double life, it doesn’t matter what you post, people will know.
3. Share your daily faith experiences
4. Share relevant scripture passages
5. Share prayer requests
6. Lift up friends and others
7. Don’t get too political, judgmental or rude- our message is one of faith, hope and love, not division.
8. Post as if you were telling the whole church on Sunday morning, because basically you are!
9. Don’t be a creepy social media stalker
10. Glorify God in all things
11. Humor in good taste is always appreciated
12. Ask others for advice.
13. Seek others opinions if you are struggling
14. Friend your pastor on Facebook, have them follow you on twitter (it keeps you honest)
15. Share your life story, especially about your family.
Finally, a healthy Christian in their heart knows what to post.

I hope that helps us better understand public and private conversations. With the drive for more and more self revelation, my comfort zone will continued to be pushed. Just make sure that in all you do and say that you lift high the name of Jesus Christ.

Go in peace and go with God.

Social Media and the Church- Part 4

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather

4. Proper Use of Social Media (safety)

We all have a personal identity (social security number, credit identity, etc) and social identity (facebook, twitter, etc). Those who have kids are very aware of their children and teens social identities because they have heard from the media how easily a hacker or predator can swoop in and convince good kids to do unsafe things.

Being safe online, whether it be making sure your credit is frozen so no one can steal your identity, or making sure you rotate passwords with email, Facebook, Twitter, Itunes, Amazon, Xbox Gamertags, Blogs or any other “accounts” you have out there is something that many of us forget to do.

Did you know that if you are playing Xbox live you can talk to millions of people all over the world because you might be playing a similar game online. I learned this from my nephews recently. As we played some games over Christmas I was stunned to hear language from others that was less than kind (you can mute them). I was also stunned at the realization that children and teens could have online, live discussions through headsets or even with the Xbox Connect (live video chat) with zero parental knowledge.

Social media and the way we connect will continue to evolve over time. There will always be new things coming and the way we as parents monitor the influences in the lives of children will need to change as well. There is no need to unplug your kids Xbox or other game system as of yet.
We will always need to renew our desire and passion for teaching kids and adults smart and healthy was of using social media.

You never really know who is at the other end of the line because anonymity is foundational to the online life for some.

Where does the church fit into this conversation?

We need to remain that light in the darkness and help people who have been scammed or hacked to walk with them through the process of healing and dealing with these issues.
The church must continue to provide a standard of leadership by which we do not judge others, but help identity healthy ways for us to use social media to share the gospel, help people connect and make a difference in this world.

Safety for many things in our lives is a big concern. With vigilance, a willingness to learn and lead in this area, we can better protect our kids, teens and ourselves from the dangers of the online life. Just like your regular life, there are similar people who push our buttons and attempt to drag us in the wrong direction.

Please keep your life whole. Do not fracture your life into many different worlds of work, church, online, personal, social, etc. Be yourself and be honest with others.

Go in peace and go with God.

Social Media and the Church- Part 3

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather

3. Types of Tweeters or Twits

I’ve been on Twitter for less than a year. I have once opposed the micro posting, micro bogging, 140 character discussions with hashtags that seemed to give anyone and everyone a voice on anything and everything.
After using Twitter, I realized the error of my early thoughts.

There is a main Twitter feed of who you follow and then a list of what’s trending. Twitter uses hashtags # to begin a group conversation about and event or issue. You can search specific issues or events to see what people are saying. For our Annual Conference last year the hashtag was #moumc or #moumc11

When using Twitter beware and know that there are different types of folks on Twitter. There are many lists on the web about types of people who tweet, so I am borrowing a few and placing them here.

1. The guy or gal (teens) that don’t realize they have an open status and post terribly inappropriate stuff.
2. The business guy that has his Twitter set to send out tweets every 30 seconds (turns out to be noise, so no one really listens)
3. The political right and left tweeters
4. The company Tweets (usually promoted)
5. Christian tweeters (not all of them follow back- #fail)
6. Social Media giant tweeters (people who get this stuff)
7. Politicians (none do this well)
8. The unrelenting slam humorists (best to follow)
9. Actors (most are not funny or say anything interesting)
10. Singers/musicians/bands (usually fun to follow)
11. Local businesses
12. Local people who you will never meet but since you live in the KC area, so why not follow
13. New Organizations- favs WSJ, Washington Post, Huffington Post
14. Overseas guys and gals (you will never meet these either, but they live in england, etc and it’s cool to see what they have going on)
15. Pastors- Sadly, most pastors do not have a clue about Twitter or even Twitter etiquette- follow back, at least your own church members, geez)
16. People who retweet but don’t actually tweet
17. Inspirational/Philosophical Tweeters
18. Quote Tweeters- quote random things ALL THE TIME.
19. Writers, Bloggers, Authors- good to follow them- good insights, interesting stuff
20. The ____ Daily Is Out People- who write something every day, which you can take or leave
21. Fake Tweeters- Spambots- not a real person, just a program trying to get you to buy stuff
22. The buy my stuff because it’s a good deal
23. The buy my friends stuff, because I get a cut
24. The guy who has nothing else to do but sit around tweeting
25. Non-profit/issue oriented/church accounts- Not bad to see what other people are doing

I hope those make sense. Not an exhaustive list, but maybe that provides some insight on how Twitter can be a very cool way to connect or a colossal waste of time, just like Facebook.

Oh yeah, feel free to follow me on Twitter @umvickers

Go in peace and go with God.