I absolutely LOVE twitter. It’s been a great way for me to meet new people. I’ve never personally met anyone who follows me on twitter, but I have come to know many people through using it.

A lot of people (including my wife) think that twitter is a waste of time, but I was thinking about the benefits of using twitter for missionaries. Some of these are things that I’ve done, and some of them are things I hope to do with twitter.

5 Ways for Missionaries to Use Twitter

• Set up a special profile for prayer. (Ours is twitter.com/PoulettePrayer). With this profile, you can allow people to sign up and receive your most timely prayer requests.
• Get to know new people to expand ministry opportunities. You can connect with new people on twitter, which may or may not lead to ministry alliances and new partnerships.
• Show people that missionaries are normal people, too. The great thing about twitter is its social aspect. You can tweet about what you ate for lunch or about serious things. You answer the simple question of what you are doing right now.
• Keep up with old friends from home who are not near you. Sometimes, we feel isolated and far away from everyone we know. With twitter, you can keep up with friends and family (or even complete strangers).
• Stay informed about your niche. If you’re a pastor, you can find out what other pastors are thinking. If you’re a youth worker, you can meet other youth workers and talk about ministry. It’s a great way to keep informed about what’s happening in the world of ministry.

So, if you’re not on twitter, what are you waiting for? If you sign up, make sure to follow me @drpoulette and get our prayer updates @PoulettePrayer.