More than just another crazy internet word, Twitter is a powerful tool for spreading information. With Twitter you can pass along small bits of ministry news, interesting stories from mailing list and blogs, and obviously, “valuable” chunks of information from the Twitter users you follow. These end up being things you could never find the time to print in the church bulletin, post on a website, blog about or blast out to everyone on your email list. Simply the “job” of a ministry program is to spread the word – Twitter is the perfect tool for that.

When I was first introduced to Twitter, it was an immature product that seemed to distribute trivial information about people’s personal lives. I knew I didn’t have time to follow the daily goings on of hundreds of people, so I didn’t buy in at first glance. Since then Twitter has matured into a critical business tool, perfect for following the ideas and whereabouts of people sharing the word of God, combined with your ministry’s thoughts and information.

But what makes Twitter PERFECT for ministry?

Twitter is not just easy IT’S SIMPLE

Twitter does one thing and does it very well. You don’t have to wade through streams of comments, miles of information or follow lengthy discussions. NO, Twitter is about satisfying with little bits of information – The Hershey’s Kiss of information exchange.

Twitter works like we do

If you find someone interesting, you don’t have to ask permission to follow them. You don’t have to become “friends”, that might just happen over time. Mutually “friending” every friend request a ministry can get is really not feasible. Even a starting ministry project can get hundreds of friend requests. Accepting would make it almost impossible to use a social tool to keep in touch with those working in the ministry.

Twitter’s elegant social architecture means that everyone can follow the ministry and you can follow anyone else. Friendships evolve gradually through repeated contact. Twitter uses @ replies that can only be seen by those who are followed by both parties, a very natural form of social grouping. This grouping allows a ministry to gain more visibility to new people that my “friends” already know. However, truly private direct messages are supported as well.

The Twitter relationship is like peeling an onion the longer you follow the more you know. People will know just not what the ministry is doing, but (This Is Key) enough about what the ministry is doing that their commitment to the ministry deepens. People following a ministry on Twitter get to know more than simply what the ministry does, they get to know what the ministry is doing: making phone calls to touch those in need, out at Wal-Mart getting supplies for a meeting, leaders getting together for coffee. The kind of details that won’t make it into a newsletter or even onto a blog, people will know a lot more about the ministry, deepening their relationship with the ministry.

Twitter transcends the personal computer

Like all successful internet services in today’s world, Twitter is just as comfortable on your cell phone, as well as, you computer. And even on the PC, You can use a separate Twitter client like Twirl to provide a rich, alternate interface.

Twitter evolves quickly

Because its features are so simple, the behavior of the “new user” spreads across the community rather quickly. Tech blogger Tim O’Reilly says “It’s a bit like the reason that fruit flies are used for genetic research: the short lifespan compresses the time for mutations to take hold.” The most exciting evolution happening on Twitter is not in the software, but in the user behavior and the types of information being shared.

Retweeting, which is the practice of passing along to your followers the best from those you follow. Retweeting is why the information on Twitter evolves and spreads so quickly. It’s fascinating to see the growth in reach created by the retweeting of others.

What makes Twitter the perfect tool for ministry is not in the things it does, but rather in those things it doesn’t do and that its services are not bound to a specific device. It’s this simplicity that will give ministry a powerful tool to increase its footprint.

To get started look at this site Twitter For Churches