Jason Robertson

The Challenges of Social Media

I’m not sure why, but I vividly remember the first time I ever heard the word “Twitter.”  At first I thought about the oddity of the word, a word that elicits all kinds of sarcastic comments, comments I was quick to offer. I was also skeptical that this “new” social media tool could ever be of any benefit.  Whatever the reason, I remember the day.

It was in October 2008 while sitting in a class entitled “Missional Ecclesiology.” On the first day of class the professor not only introduced us to Twitter, but also forced us to create an account so that we could utilize Twitter for class interactions.  He actually waited for the first ten minutes of class while we begrudgingly created our accounts and posted our first tweets.  It was obvious that we were all thinking the same thing: “This is stupid!” 

Interview with Jason Robertson

Interview with Jason Robertson

Epworth Pulpit: Jason, Tell us about the strategy of the EPIC service at Beavercreek.

Jason: The EPIC approach initially came from a book by Leonard Sweet called Postmodern Pilgrims.  The goal was to be Experiential, Participatory, Image-Rich, and Connective.  For the next five years we would continue trying to be EPIC, but it really fell to the background of who we were soon after EPIC launched.

One year into doing EPIC, we started to feel less like a worship gathering and more like a church.  It was important for us to start thinking about a more holistic approach to ministry besides just what we were doing on Sundays.  I had a strong team of leaders around me and we began having conversations about how we were going to provide environments that were conducive to formational experiences with the Holy Spirit.  At the time we were primarily fixated on our weekly gathering as the place where transformation would take place, but this approach shifted drastically the summer after EPIC began.