Online Community: It’s What You Make of It

Lately, I’ve been enjoying an incredible since of community online.  I’ve had hour-long conversations with people I hardly get to see anymore.  I’ve seen more family and friends join Facebook and Twitter.  I’ve even been able to use this medium as a means of praying for others and submitting my own requests.  From which, I have given and received much encouragement and inspiration.  The power of prayer is one of the best things we can give to each other, and is something I can be in community about with people hundreds of miles away.

At the same time, there is something to be said about what the nay-sayers say (if you want to stop right here and attempt to recite this sentence 10 times fast, be my guest):  Online community can be rather surface and fake. 

However, I believe it to be true that online community is what you make of it.  Even posting a status update or a blog post asking a question, I’ve been able to generate great and authentic dialogue.  More and more people are embracing this form of communication, and I believe there is a ton of benefit in it.  There’s not always time for face-to-face meetings or a phone call, but we can still be together; connecting, encouraging and growing.

I’m looking forward to seeing how the growth of online community continues to impact our lives; especially with ministering to others.