By:
I had heard rumblings about a coordinator of technical and social media, and was excited when I saw the notice. I immediately sent in my application, interviewed with the task force, and was thrilled to learn that I had been the one chosen to fill this important role.
A little background on me: I am a life-long Presbyterian, and have served in the church for nearly 33 years. I am a PSCE graduate, and received my M.Div. from San Francisco Theological Seminary. I currently serve as pastor of Faith Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, NC.
Those who know me know that I am a “techie” kind of person. I love gadgets and computers and the challenge of putting them to good use in my ministry. In my service on the cabinet, it seemed like I was always the person folks called on to solve computer glitches, and to help with any technological problems that might arise.
And so, when I saw the opportunity to combine my love of APCE, which goes deep and is profound, and my interest in and fascination with technology, I jumped at the chance and am so excited to see where this can lead.
And where it can lead is the exciting part. You may have already noticed an increase in APCE’s online presence with Facebook. Go to www.facebook.com and search for APCE (Association of Presbyterian Church Educators and APCE Annual Event) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/apcenet). This will only increase as we will point more and more of our communication efforts to these platforms, as well as others not yet identified.
I would hope that in the future we could explore the ideas of live streaming of certain events, webinars, online forums for discussion and information sharing, smartphone apps for the Annual Event, and more.
It is perhaps easy to see that one of the goals of this new position is for the organization to be more connected and for communication to be more efficient and clear. But another overall goal is for us to reach out and to bring others into this wonderful entity we call APCE. This is where you come into the picture and where we can use your help.
Take advantage of these new opportunities and follow APCE on Facebook and Twitter. And share these with your friends and colleagues who may or may not know about APCE. We have a great thing going here. Let us not hide our light, but let us be good stewards of this gift of technology to reach out so that Christ’s church can be empowered and nurtured.
If you ever have a “tech” question or need help, don’t hesitate to email me: tech@apcenet.org.
Q&A
Is this a paid position?
No, this is a volunteer position, just like all other Cabinet positions.
How long will this person serve?
It is a three-year term, reporting through MAS as a non-voting member.
What will this person do?
The job description is divided into three major areas of responsibility:
- Technology: coordinate with the webmaster; serve as liaison between cabinet and webmaster; keep up-to-date on technology needs of APCE; coordinate with GNTV as needed.
- Social Media: maintain APCE Facebook presence, monitoring postings and content; maintain APCE Twitter account, monitoring postings and content; maintain the APCE Annual Event Facebook page; facilitate enhanced communication among cabinet and membership utilizing Facebook and other appropriate platforms.
- Other: interface with all committees of APCE; attend Governing Cabinet meetings—one day at the Annual Event meeting and the entire fall meeting.
John W. Johnson is a life-long Presbyterian, and has served the church for more than 30 years as an educator and pastor, currently serving as pastor of Faith Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, NC. He has degrees from Stetson University, PSCE, and San Francisco Theological Seminary. John is a Lifetime Member of APCE and served on the Governing Cabinet for eight years, serving as APCE President in 2007.