Pastor John Allen is asking his congregation to “tweet” in church.

Allen, the pastor of Trietsch Memorial United Methodist Church in Flower Mound, is wrapping up his three-part sermon “Theology of Twitter” on May 31.

“Our purpose in the church is to care for each other in the name of Jesus Christ,” he said. “Facebook, Twitter, the different social networks – are a way we can stay connected with each other and care for each other.”

Where did the idea come from?
“We’ve been talking about using Twitter in our ministry for a few months to keep people connected. Our congregation is very technologically aware. So, I used Twitter as a metaphor for the church and the point is that the church is the ultimate social network.”

What’s the purpose?
“It’s an awareness thing – awareness of being connected with each other, caring for each other, staying in touch with each other. We can be aware of each other’s needs and pray for each other.

“In our fast-paced, 24-7, real-time world, we’re challenged to stay connected. We want to be a church moving at the speed of light, not just a church that moves one time a week.”

How does the “Theology of Twitter” relate to the Bible?
“I’ve used 1 Corinthians 12, the body of Christ, and 1 Corinthians 13, Paul talking about love as our connection to each other. This Sunday I’m using the Pentecost passage, Acts 2, talking about the language of technology to communicate the gospel and keep us connected as the body of Christ.”

How did the congregation react?
“The main question I got was, ‘What does Twitter have to do with the Bible?’ In my study guide on Sunday, I did an overview talking about church as the ultimate network. The Bible is all about connecting people with Jesus Christ.”

Is it working out the way you intended?
“Yeah, it really is. We invited people Sunday to pull out their cell phones and Twitter and text each other. I asked them to think about that person who’s hurting or who they’re estranged from and text that person. Let them know they’re thinking about them, praying for them – get connected with them.

“It’s been interesting. But they’re so open to all kinds of things. We have different worship services with different styles. At traditional service, I didn’t have people pull out cell phones. But some older members approached me about using technology to stay in touch with grandkids and connect with this generation. I got some folks thinkin’.

“I think the main thing is that the focus is not on the technology; it’s on the call of Christ to be the church and to share that love with the world. If it becomes about Twitter and Facebook, then we’ve missed the point.”

Tweet Allen: @JAllenJr
Every day Allen posts scriptures, thoughts, prayers and invitations for feedback on issues on his Facebook and Twitter.

About Twitter
Twitter is a free social networking and blogging site that allows users to send and read other users' updates.