As Twitter has risen in popularity, so has its use among ministers to discuss ministry ideas, dogmas, and methodologies. Each ministry niche centers around a Twitter hashtag.

By definition, a hashtag is when the # symbol is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages.

But before you can join in the discussion, you first need to figure out what are Twitter’s popular hashtags for ministry and churches. Here are some common ministry hashtags:

Children’s Ministry: #cmconnect // #kidmin

@tijuanabecky
RT @jeffmcclung: Ministry doesn’t just happen in a office. It happens where people are. #kidmin #fammin #stumin #cmconnect

@SavedSister7
It all goes back to teaching the Word in a way that children can grasp & start being doers of the Word now. - @jimwideman #theClub #kidmin

Church: #church // #churches

@Jaredrdunn
Ministry Dream Team Attributes: Character (who we are), Knowledge (what we know), & Skills (what a person is able to do). #Church #Ministry

@WTJank
In the USA, there are approximately 400,000 #churches and 6,000 first-run theaters. Which do you think affects our #culture more?

College Ministry: #collegemin // #umin

@danwboles
#collegemin RT @chronicle Community college students who take online courses more likely to drop out new study finds chroni.cl/qoxByQ

@tapounder
It’s earning season in the business world. What would your earnings look like in ministry? http://ht.ly/5IUbc #thinkorange #stumin #umin

Creative Arts: #churchmedia // #crtvmin

@LifeChurchOPEN
FREE colorful background loops at http://ow.ly/5J7is #worshiploopwednesday #churchmedia

@whitneygeorge
Don’t make announcements, tell stories. Very few respond to announcements but stories connect with everyone. #crtvmin

Family Ministry: #fammin

@chrissprad
The more designer our lives, the more generic our kids seem to be!! http://ow.ly/5IGXr #kidmin #stumin #fammin

Ministry: #ministry

@rmKocak
“A life of prayer is the connective tissue between holy day proclamation and weekday discipleship.” - Eugene Peterson on #ministry #fb

Missions: #missions

@suechil
Hands-on missions projects for children. Click link for a list of missionaries & their wish lists. http://bit.ly/olGJUd #kidmin #missions

Pastoral: #pastor // #pastors

@PastorJoeDutton
#PASTOR you spend so much time encouraging ur flock & destroy urself in the office thinking “how bad u did”… Get free of that devil!

@ISS_Injoy
Unless #God moves in my heart, He will never get the best of my time, talent, and wallet. And I’ll never get the best of Him. #Pastors

Special Needs Ministry: #spnmin

@gutsygrace
Celebrate when your church ministers to families affected by disability but don’t turn them into mascot stories #SpNMin #kidmin

Technology: #churchtech // #citrt

@CrossWiredMin
Government shutting down hundreds of data centers http://t.co/rIrCtkQ via @cnet #churchtech #citrt #digitaldisciples

@JasonPowell
Server rack temps much more even after rack relocation & we’ve added no cooling into the space #citrt http://post.ly/2TULq

Worship: #worship // #sundaysetlist

@krayhall
Abba doesn’t care about sound systems, lighting, or instruments. He cares about your heart. #worship #fb

@paulbaloche
I get to lead tmrw. Lord reign in me, We are Saved (new), Lord I give u my heart, Joy will come #Sundaysetlist

Youth Ministry: #stumin // #uthmin // #youthmin // #youthministry

@brockstamps
“Average” should never describe your ministry or what happens in it. #stumin #aylacog #ayla11

@timothyeldred
“Quick to listen. Slow to speak.” (James 1:19). How would this verse applied change #uthmin? Please wade in! #stumin #uthdoingmin

@NateWorthington
Parenting tip #46: Encourage compassion over competition, especially between siblings. #parenting #kidmin #youthmin #familymin

@jbshankle
Realizing more and more how we model the kind of people our children and students will become #youthministry

What ministry hashtags do you use that aren’t mentioned?

Praxis is a new accelerator program for starting a nonprofit, L3C, or for-profit focused on social mission. The Praxis Accelerator Program focuses on four distinct areas:

1. Mentorship & Customized Expertise
2. Action-Oriented Education & Planning
3. Peer Networking
4. Access to Capital Sources

Only 12 early-stage non-profit and mission-driven for-profit organizations will be accepted. Those twelve will receive:

• 20+ mentors (including Jamie Tworkowski, Gabe Lyons, Charles Lee, & Brad Lomenick)
• 3 gatherings to hone fundamentals, organizational development, & growth preparation
• potential funding through the Praxis Funder Network, a private body of philanthropists, social investors, and foundations
• an opportunity to present their idea at Q Conference 2012 and win $50,000, $30,000, or $20,000 for their cause

The application deadline is July 15, 2011. It is free to apply, but the 12 organizations chosen do have an accelerator program fee of $6,000 for nonprofits and developing world for-profits and $10,000 for for-profit organizations.

Visit PraxisLabs.org to apply.

At Catalyst Dallas, Matt Chandler of The Village Church (Flower Mound, TX) discussed preaching the gospel continually.

When God is calling, it doesn’t always mean that you will be cutting edge. God is doing what you cannot.

Don’t view the gospel as something that you need to believe to get into the game and then move on to other things. Paul preached the gospel over and over again to Christians. It is as if Paul believes that the gospel not only saves you but sustains you until the end of the race.

Romans 1:15
So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

Paul was talking about preaching the gospel to Romans who had already heard the gospel.

Galatians 1:6-9
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

The gospel is cosmic. Look at Ephesians 1-2.

Phillippians 1:15-17
15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.

1 Corinthians 15:1-6
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

B.B. Warfield says,
There is nothing in us or done by us, at any stage of our earthly development, because of which we are acceptable to God.We must always be accepted for Christ’s sake, or we cannot ever be accepted at all. This is not true of us only when we believe. It is just as true after we have believed. It will continue to be trust as long as we live. Our need of Christ does not cease with our believing; nor does the nature of our relation to Him or to God through Him ever alter, no matter what our attainments in Christian graces or our achievements in behavior may be. It is always on His blood and righteousness alone that we can rest.

In 1 Corinthians 15:1, Paul says they “received” the gospel in past tense, the gospel “in which [they] stand” in present, and the gospel “by which [they] are being saved” in present future.

The gospel is the meditation of our hearts. It is the meditation of our minds. It is what we go over and over and over again. You don’t have to be a theologian. You just have to know the gospel.

Behind secret sin is a failure to understand the gospel.

Some people say I don’t want to go to hell, and I don’t want God to give me cancer so I will observe these rules. That is idolatry. Heaven is not a place for those who are afraid of hell. Heaven is a place for those who love God.

We have been given three weapons of grace.

3 Weapons of Grace

1. Blood of Christ
   Ephesians 2:13 says, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
   God’s glory is made manifest in the fact that he does use us. You don’t need to feel good about you. You need to feel good about Jesus. You have been brought here.
2. The Word of God
   2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”
3. Promises of the Covenant
   Hebrews 9:15 says, “Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.”

3 Truths About the Gospel

1. If someone runs to the gospel, they get it. If they run from the gospel, they don’t get it.
2. Do you teach your people that sin is an external action or a matter of the heart. Do you attack the root or the branches. If you treat symptoms but not the cause, your patient dies.
3. Grace-driven effort is violent. Most of us don’t deal violently with sin. People who understand the gospel understand that sin shames the name of our God, so we deal with sin violently.

You’ve got nothing without the gospel.

Can you grow a church without the gospel? Absolutely.
Can you attract a lot of people without the gospel? Absolutely.
Can you do Christian things without the gospel? Absolutely.

You can do all these things except see hearts transformed and worship.

I don’t care about your packaging. I care about your content. You have to proclaim the gospel over and over again. Do you believe it yourself?

At Catalyst Dallas, Gary Haugen of International Justice Mission discussed choosing bravery over safety.

When did it begin to occur to the twelve disciples that following Jesus was going to be dangerous?
When did it occur to you that following Jesus is going to be dangerous?

There are two ways to respond to fear: (1) seek to be safer or (2) seek to be braver.

Jesus is in the business of making people who are braver. Jesus is not in the business of making situations safer because he uses unsafe situations to make people braver.

You must make a choice between being safe or brave. Jesus tells us we will suffer for him.

1 Peter 4:19 (NIV)
So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

There are two things that are always God’s will and dangerous:

1. Telling the truth.
2. Loving people in need.

If my life in following Jesus, doesn’t feel dangerous I might want to check if I’m actually following Jesus. 1 John tells us that if we see people in need but do not help them then the love of God isn’t even in us.

Isaiah 1:17
Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

God is calling all of us to the work of justice, but it is not safe. Do you want to experience your power safely? Or do you want to experience God’s power dangerously?

The Bible says God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind.

At Catalyst Dallas, John M. Perkins of John M. Perkins Foundation for Reconciliation & Development was interviewed and discussed the reconciliation of the gospel.

The purpose of the gospel is to burn through racial and economic barriers and bring people together for God. Segregated churches minimize the gospel.

God reconciles people to himself and to each other, and we do that as one body. We need to be the incarnated bride of Christ.

Success is connecting with people in your communities who have pain and staying with them.

At Catalyst Dallas, Jeff Shinabarger interviewed Shaun King of TwitChange and Courageous Church, Tyler Merrick of Project 7, and Jenny White of Art House America on the future of philanthropy.

Art House America was founded in 1991 to connect artists’ faith to their art.

Project 7 is a for-profit company that exists to help nonprofits by selling lifestyle branded products. Their mantra is don’t buy more stuff, change what you buy.

TwitChange brings celebrities, fans, and causes all together by auctioning off tweets by celebrities.

What have you learned by starting something out of nothing?

TM: It is always harder than you think it will be.

SK: Two small lessons that I learned are: (1) I made the mistake assuming that my wife would be on board just because it was my idea. If you want a loved one to believe in your idea, you must still sell it to them. (2) I am learning the difficulties of mixing of business and church relationships. It is difficult to have people see me as their pastor and CEO.

JW: You need to be okay with asking for help. And be okay with not having it all together. Be patient.

How to you improve an idea that you have launched and identify what works and what doesn’t?

SK: I try to surround myself with people who don’t always blow smoke up my butt. We have outside consultants advise TwitChange. Because TwitChange exists to raise money for causes, we judge the quality of an idea by how much money it makes.

TM: We sat down with nonprofits we work with to get insightful feedback and criticism about how we do things. If we don’t adapt and make changes, we would get lost. We stay mobile and agile and willing to change our message.

What are your team’s creative spaces like?

JW: As a startup, our office isn’t very creative, so we will go to coffee shops to fill that need.

TM: We stock our company kitchen with free food that our team likes because we want them to feel comfortable and want to be there. We leave are doors open and let music play.

SK: Most of our team works remotely. For me, a creative space is about having the time and place to focus on thinking clearly and creatively. The physical space doesn’t mean that much to me, but the experience matters. You can have an amazing physical space, but if you go in there burdened down mentally and emotionally, it will not do anything for you. Having sacred hours during your day where you do something specific is important.

What social media advice would you give on how to engage an audience?

TM: It has been important for us to find some good social media talent. Customer service is important. People are way more likely to reach out to us via social media than to pick up the phone.

SK: We get a ton of volunteers online, and they are always strangers. It is a new frontier because they definitely know me and then expect me to know them. People who are very friendly with me online actually see me as their friend. So when we ask for volunteers, people often think, “That is Shaun, my friend, asking for help.” I also love and don’t love the real time criticism. It is beautiful because you get to respond to people right away, but it is also nagging. And how you handle that is difficult. You don’t need amazing technology to change the world for good or evil.

What would you say to a church leader about how they can serve someone like you?

TM: The church always is battling trying to serve all needs for all people. The opportunity that I have seen is prayer. Having prayer support from the church is a huge part. You don’t really need another book or a podcast. You need relationship and support.

JW: See our nonprofit as a resource and not something that will take people from your church. recognize that we are trying to serve all people who are called to a lifestyle of creativity.

At Catalyst Dallas, Scot McKnight discussed dreams, parables, and loving our enemies.

What we do now is a glimpse of what we will do in the Kingdom. We are now just touching on what the Kingdom will be like.

I believe in dreams. I believe in imagination. They motivate us.

I believe in dreams, so did Jesus. Jesus called his dreams parables. Parables are meant to excite the imagination. They are portals into another world. Let’s look at Jesus’ parables as opportunities to be sucked into the world that Jesus wants us to see. They subvert our dreams like a good infection.

Read scripture aloud. It is meant to be heard.

Matthew 13
31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. 33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

Jesus talked about the significance of the insignificant. Jesus will subvert our forest because he wants us to focus on the little leaves that are insignificant now, but so important in the Kingdom.

Matthew 13
44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

Jesus imagined a world where his followers will give up everything to follow him. Jesus wants you and me to be willing to give up everything no matter what it means, no matter what it costs.

Jesus hung on a tree in total surrender. And he wants us to give ourselves in total surrender.

Matthew 13
24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

Jesus calls us as Kingdom people to dwell with non-Kingdom people. We are called to peaceful coexistence. We are called to turn our enemies into neighbors.

We love to love others until we meet the others. We are called to dwell with enemies lovingly, not just tolerantly.

Who are your enemies? Who do you need to invite to dinner?

Four Enemies of Evangelicals That Must Be Loved

1. Muslims
2. Homosexuals
3. People with Political Differences
4. Homeless & Poor

And we are not doing well in making our enemies our neighbors, except maybe with the fourth one.

The tree of your life is fun to envision, isn’t it? Someday I’ll write that book! Someday I will introduce that new paradigm. But we are called to concentrate everyday on the leaf.

Former LifeChurch.tv campus pastor Scott Williams just released his first book, Church Diversity. It is a passionate discussion about the need for cultural and racial diversity in churches. Early on, Scott cuts to the heart of the issue:

The burden for this generation is to look in the mirror, recognize that there is a problem, and understand that by doing nothing about it, WE ARE the problem.

So what do we do about church diversity? Scott explains 7 steps he took to nurture church diversity.

1. Check your heart.
   What prejudices or preconceptions may be getting in the way of my heart embracing a culture of diversity? Where is the heart of my leadership on the diversity issue? Have we led our volunteers and attendees to have hearts that embrace diversity? Is diversity a value that we genuinely want to embrace or is this simply lip service?
2. Check your head.
   We had to plan events differently, we had to look at our hiring practices differently, and we had to be intentional about issues of race and ethnicity. We celebrated diversity wins, and although diversity may not have been at the forefront of the value system of the overall church, it was definitely at the forefront of our team’s value system.
3. Be prayerful.
   Ask God to give you a burden for diversity in the church. Don’t confuse a burden for diversity with a change in the specific vision that
   God has given your church. Pray for diversity in people who will come through the doors of your church. Pray for diversity in both volunteer and paid staff.
4. Be intentional.
   The bottom line is if you are not intentional, it’s not going to happen. The reason you have to be intentional is that, left on our own, human beings often have difficulty making the right decisions. Being intentional about diversity is not about convenience, it’s about being deliberate.
5. Be confrontational.
   If we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, we have to be willing to have the tough conversations with each other. Just like Jim Collins discusses in Good to Great, you have to confront the brutal facts. You have to confront the elephant in the pew, in our communities, in our ministries, and in our hearts. You have to fight for what’s right. Pick and choose your battles.
6. Be authentic.
   Authenticity is so important. Too often we go through life and try to imitate other people. On an issue as sensitive as diversity, it would be easy to try to imitate a ministry that does a great job with the church diversity issue. Find your own voice/identity instead of being an imitation.
7. Be patient.
   This is going to take some time. It’s taken thousands of years for the Church to be one of the most segregated institutions on the planet and change is not going to happen overnight. Get your heart right, exercise your mental muscle, be prayerful, be intentional, be confrontational, be authentic, and be patient. God’s timing is perfect.

I am excited that Church Diversity is giving momentum to this issue. It is not just about achieving ethnic diversity. Churches need to strive for better cultural diversity.

This post features a complimentary review copy and Amazon affiliate links.