Well, a new venue for posting. Hopefully, the fonts and the format will be easily read.
As I mentioned earlier this week, Moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008) Bruce Reyes-Chow spent some time with us in San Diego Presbytery. Bruce has been an advocate and proponent of utilizing social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) in media. It was interesting to hear him describe it as a supplement — although that’s not the right word — to the community of Mission Bay Community Church that he pastors. The point was that communicating via social media was part of the fabric of their DNA; it was not a tool for evangelism or a strategy for church growth. Lots to ponder about that.
Unlimited Internet Access at GA
Different issues arise when we begin to contemplate what will happen as unlimited internet access will be available on the plenary floor (and in committee rooms) at the 219th General Assembly. When I asked him about it, Bruce said that unrestricted access was going to be the reality; it wasn’t just something under consideration.
I have mixed feelings about this change. One the one hand, it will allow people like me to communicate out to those following so that they may be praying specifically for the things we are handling. It will provide the opportunity to broaden the experience observers are able to get.
On the other hand, just as unrestricted access allows information to flow out from the plenary floor, it also allows unrestricted access onto the floor. This has the potential to change a lot of dynamics. It is not a pretty picture to think about lines of commissioners at microphones looking at their iPhones for instructions from the back of the room. In the past, if you wanted to talk to an observer or someone who is providing resources, you had to walk off the floor — outside the blue curtain — and, if a vote was taken, you had to hustle back to your seat.
The existence of 3G wireless access makes adopting rules prohibiting electronic communication a bit unrealistic.
My suggestion was for the Assembly to adopt its own standing rule that no electronic devices would be permitted for those standing in line at microphones. This does not alter the ability of those on the plenary floor from communicating outside, nor does it prohibit electronic communication that would be the functional equivalent of walking outside the blue curtain. However, commissioners and advisory delegates who are charged with the responsibility of discerning the mind of Christ together need to have space to undertake that activity. It does not seem to me to be an unreasonable restriction to require those who voluntarily stand up to speak to do so on the basis of their own faculties — and not simply be the puppet for someone pulling strings elsewhere.
It was easier for me to come up with problems that internet access will generate; I sense that I am missing the upsides and opportunities it presents.
What do you think?
Having asked that question, I note that I am for the first time inviting comments on the site. A few ground rules:
1. I am the moderator of the site. All comments will be reviewed before posting. Please address any and all comments to me, even if you are making reference to a comment posted by someone else.
2. I have posted online for almost 15 years without having comments and it would not break my heart to continue doing so. This is an experiment. Try to add light to the discussion, not just heat.
3. Remember the goal of the site: equipping Presbyterians to do the work of the church.