The Church of Facebook: How the Hyperconnected Are Redefining Community

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The Church of Facebook: How the Hyperconnected Are Redefining Community

3.43 of 5 stars 3.43 · rating details · 104 ratings · 30 reviews

This timely release explores the community-altering phenomenon of social networking sites and what it reveals about friendship, God, and our own hearts.

With hundreds of millions of users, social networks are changing how we form relationships, perceive others, and shape our identity. Yet at its core, this movement reflects our need for community. Our longing for intimacy,...more

Paperback, 240 pages

Published October 1st 2009 by David C. Cook (first published August 1st 2009)

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Aug 11, 2012 Gea rated it 5 of 5 stars

Rice, Jesse. The Church of Facebook: How the Hyperconnected are Redefining Community; David C. Cook; ©2009.

The Facebook Community or is it a community? Throughout this book Mr. Rice challenges the reader to rethink both community and connection through the use of historical records and recent examples. He ends the book with challenges to seek humility, authenticity, and connectedness.
Mr. Rice indeed challenges the reader to rethink their “life” on Facebook and what this has brought about in th...more Rice, Jesse. The Church of Facebook: How the Hyperconnected are Redefining Community; David C. Cook; ©2009.

The Facebook Community or is it a community? Throughout this book Mr. Rice challenges the reader to rethink both community and connection through the use of historical records and recent examples. He ends the book with challenges to seek humility, authenticity, and connectedness.
Mr. Rice indeed challenges the reader to rethink their “life” on Facebook and what this has brought about in the digital age. He, like many others, shares that Facebook has become “home” rather than one’s real “home.” In one illustration after another, Mr. Rice causes us to look within and to ask ourselves “why am I on Facebook?” Is this what Jesus had in mind when He said to go and make disciples? How do we in the 21st century meet the needs of those who are basically lonely? Is the success of the internet able to fill that void? Or is it because as needy as they may they don’t want to really take the time to cultivate them for any sundry reasons much like the woman at the well. Why did she go in the middle of the day? How did Jesus “Facebook Friend” her? He took time; he interacted where she was emotionally and realistically. He listened face to face. He did not stop to check “critical emails” but rather sat and waited on her.

Mr. Rice encourages the reader at the end of the book to rethink and rekindle those real life friendships. Take time to unplug and plug into face to face relationships. Why can’t we seem to accomplish this feat? We are basically overly busy and overcommitted to jobs, and our connections via Facebook, Twitter, email etc. He also challenges our thinking that says our needs are being met but in reality we are hiding on Facebook rather than choosing personal interactions. We thus are losing the ability to think and react critically, ability to carry on conversations with depth and caring. The Facebook Christian is building virtual friendships rather than personal friendships. He challenges us to think: are they the same? He, like many others who are studying this new phenomenon, are finding that one of the biggest negatives is that the Facebook Christian has lost the ability to be alone, to reflect and to meditate. We need to unplug and reconnect in face to face relationships.

Worthwhile read. The examples given help to understand his premise and his understanding of what is really happening in this cyberspace world that we now find ourselves tethered to or as one person said: we are like a turtle tethered to our shell of cell phones, computers but not to real people. Facebook Christians are with us whether we want it or not. The trick will be to help each one of them to locate and find person to person relationships which will develop one’s ability to share the gospel message and make disciples.
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Aug 24, 2012 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Karen by: My son

"The Church of Facebook" progresses rather differently. I read the first chapter and wondered how the material in the chapter related to the title of the book. Chapters two through four were interesting, but I was still left with the same question. In chapter five the concepts started pulling together. The final chapter, six, came out flying based on the encounter of Jesus with the woman at the well. Throughout that last chapter, the author pulled together his information into a tightly woven bo...more

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Oct 06, 2010 Jenny Wells rated it 3 of 5 stars

I appreciated Rice's perspective. He's a leader in his arm of The Church and he's asking/exploring the questions I am as well. How is social media redefining our understanding of relationships and community? How are we to respond? What are the opportunities?

I wish I could have given the book 3.5 stars. I picked the book up out of the religion section at Santa Barbara's Borders when I was traveling last week and finished it quickly. I am fascinated by this subject, having personally been deeply a...more I appreciated Rice's perspective. He's a leader in his arm of The Church and he's asking/exploring the questions I am as well. How is social media redefining our understanding of relationships and community? How are we to respond? What are the opportunities?

I wish I could have given the book 3.5 stars. I picked the book up out of the religion section at Santa Barbara's Borders when I was traveling last week and finished it quickly. I am fascinated by this subject, having personally been deeply and painfully impacted by my involvement in social media over the last two years. I have barely begun to write all I want to on this subject. I was excited to read Rice's book...Why the explosion? How do the generations differ in the way they view what is happening? How are our relationships...in business, families, and romance being fundamentally affected? Bring it on! Tell me what you know! Having studied Human Development in college before the Internet and social media, I am convinced Humans are fundamentally Developing differently by the depth and breadth of social media's impact. So now what?

Unfortunately, Rice's writing style became tiresome for me...opening chapters with long stories not related to social media meant to illustrate his points that I finally started skimming. And I was looking for the book I want to write, but am not sure I can. He called his book The CHURCH of Facebook. I find myself waiting (again) for church leaders to use the platforms we so easily give them to SPEAK UP...CHALLENGE us, be provocative, talk about the real heart of the matter, MOVE ME and those of us who call ourselves part of the church to a RADICAL new perspective that leads to action. Rice ended his book with a list of "action steps" that took up the last four pages and I was left saying, "Well, DUH!" Be authentic. Choose to stay unplugged sometimes. That's all you can give me? What about how to be reconciled with our pasts? What about how we decide what to post and who to friend? How do we respond to each other when community, even virtually, rips open and exposes our hurts and hearts? Is anyone talking about this?

Guess I'll have to write the book.

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Oct 14, 2009 Clockstein Lockstein rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Church of Facebook by Jesse Rice is a surprisingly good read. There are a ton of books on the market with Christians trying to analyze the current culture and how social networking sites relate to religion. This isn't those books; trust me, I've read quite a few. Rice, who has a Master's degree in counseling psychology, uses several different studies of human development and psychology to explain the sudden popularity of Facebook which has only been around since 2004 and has exploded since 2...more

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May 22, 2012 Dan Hunter rated it 5 of 5 stars

For a while now I've been concerned about the Facebook addiction that has affected most of us. I've been asking myself, why are we no longer communicating face to face? Why are we relying on Facebook for our "relationships" and communication? Reading this book helped clarify some of these questions. I like how Jesse Rice set the tone and example to communicate how this Facebook phenomenon has taking control of our lives or how we've let it take control of our lives.

Here's one of the things that...more

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Nov 24, 2009 Keiki Hendrix rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction-christian

In 'The Church of Facebook: How the Wireless Generation is Redefining Community' Jesse Rice (writer, musician and worship arts director) presents the issue of our basic human need to ’connect.'

Delving deep into this issue of how Social Networking reflects this need is the focus of this book. The information is informative, educational, and often inspiring and humorous; a great formula for discussing any issue or idea.

His illustrations match well to the area of connectivity he discusses in these...more In 'The Church of Facebook: How the Wireless Generation is Redefining Community' Jesse Rice (writer, musician and worship arts director) presents the issue of our basic human need to ’connect.'

Delving deep into this issue of how Social Networking reflects this need is the focus of this book. The information is informative, educational, and often inspiring and humorous; a great formula for discussing any issue or idea.

His illustrations match well to the area of connectivity he discusses in these six chapters, almost provoking one to research the illustrations themselves.

What is spontaneous order? How did Facebook become the phenomena of Social Networking? Is there really power in your online profile? How Social Networking consumes us almost unintentionally? What is the nature of a relationship; must it be geographically bound? In this new Social Networking World, what are some prudent limitations?

This book is well researched engaging the reader not only to consider the dynamic of the Facebook and Social Networking in general but the underlying human need it addresses offering not only wise options to manage you online presence but opportunities to reach vast numbers of people. This is central focus of the book.

Facebook is a tool and an opportunity to reconnect lost relationships and share our lives with others we may never physically meet. In the final chapter of the book, several good tools are mentioned and some great strategies are given such as practicing intentional, mindful, and authentic interaction

In preparing this review, I visited the author's website and found some very funny material. I would urge you also to visit. My favorite portion was on the author's FAQ page. You will find some very interesting comments here. It is a must read for humor value alone. For instance, his response to the question ”Who is Jesse Rice?" The answer given:

"Jesse Rice (who is not a recognized cult leader, at least not of any
cults particularly large or bovine in nature) is the author of this blog
and the entertaining and informative book, 'The Church of Facebook."

About the author:
Jesse Rice is a writer and musician who served for eight years as a worship arts director at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park, CA. Jesse has a Master’s degree in counseling psychology from Santa Clara University and is a sought-after worship leader and speaker with more than fifteen years experience in church ministry. Jesse and his wife, Katie who is also a musician, have been married for three years.

Disclaimer:
The review copy of this book was provided free of charge by the author's representative and was donated to the Westwood Baptist Church.
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Aug 03, 2011 Grant Davis added it

This book wasn't at all what I thought it was going to be, but I found it to be fascinating. I had picked this up because of the ministry I do online, but I foiund that this book spoke to other topics as well. I gives a great history of the origin of facebook as well as some easy-to-understand philosophical and psychoogical insights that anyone that is in modern ministry will find vastly helpful if they are at all "connected" by the Internet. The straight-forward discussions on the changes of mo...more

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Aug 30, 2011 Scott rated it 5 of 5 stars

Community is an integral part of life. It’s hard to believe that Facebook started out in 2004 – in seven years, over 750 million individuals have become a part of this social networking phenomenon. What are these people seeking to get from their experience on Facebook? In his book The Church of Facebook, author Jesse Rice seeks to determine the motivating factor(s). One of the main issues he raises is can you really have true community online – without having face-to-face relationships?

Read my e...more

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Feb 15, 2012 Naomi King rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: faith-social-media

Good points about the connectedness we need and why we seek it out via Facebook, even if the author believes Facebook the best and really only community connectedness platform.

(Um, hey, Goodreads, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, and Ravelry come to mind immediately as other options, though Google+ and Pinterest weren't options when the book was written three years ago).

Still a useful introduction to why faith communities need to understand - and how to begin to understand - digital community as a...more

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Mar 07, 2010 Pat rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone interested in social networking and its impact on the Church

Interesting read on the start and continuing development of Facebook and its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, who developed the idea while a student at Harvard. However, it's more of a book about the connectedness that people are searching for and finding on Facebook.

In telling this story, the author (Jesse Rice) precedes the history of Facebook with a detailed story on the advancements mankind has made with the invention, of all things, the air conditioner. Rice discusses the changes that the air cond...more Interesting read on the start and continuing development of Facebook and its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, who developed the idea while a student at Harvard. However, it's more of a book about the connectedness that people are searching for and finding on Facebook.

In telling this story, the author (Jesse Rice) precedes the history of Facebook with a detailed story on the advancements mankind has made with the invention, of all things, the air conditioner. Rice discusses the changes that the air conditioner facilitated in just about every area of life. As one reads this account, they may be tempted to ask what this has to do with Facebook, but Rice connects the dots well as he weaves the topic of connectedness all throughout the book. Thus, it doesn't take the reader long to understand the point that Rice is making. He does this a few more times throughout the book, using other manmade inventions or feats to illustrate his points.

Rice compares all the sharing that is done online as "...a kind of Facebook family reunion..." (p. 80). Of course with Facebook, unlike actual family reunions or get-togethers, one can easily ignore or block those that become annoying. We've probably all heard stories about people ending relationships (including marriages) online.

Another observation is that "Facebook provides a safe environment where users can operate 'just as they are'..." (p. 84). While this is true, it's interesting to observe those who attend conservative churches sharing things that they wouldn't share with some of their fellow parishioners. It says something about the church (and our world) that we worship and rub shoulders with people on a weekly basis (sometimes more often than that) and only find out their likes, dislikes, hobbies, transformative life events, etc. online. As the author puts it, "Our tendency toward oversharing can be an attempt to get other people's attention. At its worst it is a form of emotional pornography--we get the brief and intense feeling of intimacy without having to worry about commitment, conflict resolution, or the time required to build a truly intimate relationship. This pattern of oversharing does not promote intimacy. Rather, we're just getting 'our stuff' out of our system so we feel better" (p. 205). Of course, the oversharing can have its consequences in the "real" world as some people have lost jobs and relationships based on things shared online.

Another downfall to all this connectivity is "we are ever-connected to anywhere other than here and now" (p. 146). How true this is. One of my pet peeves is to talk to someone and have them stop in mid-sentence to text someone or read an e-mail. We may be more connected, but we're also more distracted. The author likens this experience to a man named Virgil who had been blind for much of his life. When he received his sight back, it wasn't perfect and he had trouble distinguishing between certain things. As one would expect, as he adjusted to having his sight back, his eyes would "dart from one new revelation to the next and he was unable to stay focused. Much like Virgil, we are easily distracted by colorful, moving objects" (p. 147). However, connection is not all bad. What we have to do though as we enter this new era is "(1) adapt the way we think of community and (2) adapt the way we live in community" (p. 162). To run from it, deny or denounce it, is not the answer. We need to embrace culture, engage it and redeem it. As one author observed, although she has reservations about the notion of an online community, she admits that "many incredible things happen. I've seen believers and unbelievers unite in generously donating close to $200,000 to social justice and poverty. I've seen people openly discuss taboo subjects...and theologically grey topics" (p. 167).

The author concludes the book by offering ways that we "can begin practicing intentionality, humility, and authenticity in our hyperconnected" (p. 211) world. They include: regular check-ins with one's self so that you become more in tune with your own feelings; not going online as soon as you wake up or right before going to bed; mindful and authentic Facebooking; intentionally adopting one or two Facebook friends a month and focusing your attention on them for a period of time (p. 211-214).

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Jul 24, 2010 Johnny Brooks rated it 3 of 5 stars

I couldn't figure out why this book was called The Church of facebook. It wasn't really about the Church. In fact I could have lived without the Christian references. It mostly felt like he threw them in just because he had to.

However this was an excellent book about facebook and how it is changing the way we relate to one another.

I enjoyed the stories at the beginning of each chapter, and how he related seemingly unrelated issues to facebook. Well done.

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Sep 22, 2011 Alyson Browning rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-work, 26-in-the-26th

If you are of the Facebook generation, I don't highly recommend this book. It was an interesting read with great stories telling the ins and outs of Facebook, but for someone of the Facebook generation, it was like reading my own history and learning nothing new. I will say that Jesse speaks to the avid Facebook user in the last chapter, especially in the last few pages, giving tactics for using Facebook with purpose. On the flip side, if you are a little leery of jumping on the Facebook bandwag...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Pamela Gottfried rated it 3 of 5 stars

The premise was fascinating, and it was easy to read despite raising challenges to current thinking & culture of social media. Author's voice reminded me a bit of Malcolm Gladwell, and it seemed well-researched. I know this will sound crazy, but it's a only a few years old (2009) and already a bit outdated. I would have liked to read Rice's thoughts about the way FB after the IPO uses targeted ads & makes offers to "promote" status updates, etc. (for $), for example.

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Jun 15, 2012 Scott rated it 2 of 5 stars

This would have been a more interesting read in 2009 when it was written. Though there are some good lines and thoughts in it, most of it is not new anymore and is filled with pretty obvious and common sense proposals (I did find the writing style engaging). I was hoping for deeper, more thoughtful, theological reflection, which I have found in various blogs, articles, and other books (Phyllis Tickle for one).

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Aug 05, 2011 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Okay, but not too startling in it's ideas or observations. Took a few facts away, like we can only truly manage, according to the size of our brains, having 150 "close" friends...so the race for facebook friends is meaningless in terms of anything qualitative. Sort of interesting.

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Aug 03, 2011 Christy rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this book because I serve online at our church. We have an online ministry which meets though facebook. It had some great points about how being "hyper connected" can be good and bad. Anywho, I enjoyed it, and got a few tidbits from it for sure!

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Mar 24, 2013 Victor Chininin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Some good information, some good insights, but overall it was just OK. Some questionable theological insights. I am glad I read it to hear what he had to say, but there are better books out there on the subject.

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Nov 22, 2010 Rick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Although not exactly what I expected, this was a book I enjoyed and benefited from. Think: Basic sociology of social networking. He did a nice job providing over-arching philosophy illustrated with practical real life stories. Crisp prose from a first-time author.

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Mar 20, 2012 Marilyn rated it 3 of 5 stars

I needed to read this in order to regain a Facebook balance in my life. I love the last paragraph: "We can learn to utilize the brilliant but simple tools in front of us to creatively and joyfully take something good and make it even better."

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Feb 01, 2013 Jc Hennington rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-counseling

This book is one of those books that have the potential to be soo much better. Very decent read. Did learn some things, but felt it could have hit some major items.

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Jun 18, 2012 Jackie Hayter rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I expected it to be a HOW and WHY book, and it wasn't quite that. More a sociology of Facebook. Slightly similar in style to the books of Malcolm Gladwell. Very readable and interesting. 3.5 points.

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Dec 11, 2012 Layne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Thoughtful book delving into changing cultural impacts and how they affect our lives.

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Mar 26, 2013 David rated it 4 of 5 stars

Good exploration of how community has been redefined and changed by facebook, and how social media helps us stay connected with others, but also keeps us from being connected to those we are with.

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Feb 20, 2010 Seeuuder rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

The internet can be good or bad. It all depends on how you handle it.

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Jul 17, 2012 Marlene added it

lot of psychology in this book. A good read, though...

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Aug 18, 2011 Teresa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Provocative thus far. The title is misleading, if you are curious you will have to read or listen to the book to find out why.

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Feb 16, 2011 Matthew Bushnell rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jesse Rice examines the phenomenon of Facebook and what it reveals about our need for connectedness. An interesting look into the dynamic of Facebook and how it has and is affecting us all today. In our "hyperconnected" world, Rice makes some positive suggestions regardiong how to use social networking in a positive manner to foster real friendships and true connectedness.

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Apr 12, 2010 Melissa W rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-literature, nonfiction, dewey-read-a-thon, 2010

A really interesting look at how Facebook has impacted our lives from a number of contexts and I really started to think about how I use the website and why I am on. Despite the Christian applications that are made throughout the book, it does hold a lot of advice and truths that Facebook users should think about. Recommended.

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Aug 11, 2011 Sam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, youth-ministry

Very good book! I enjoyed reading it, and it never seemed to get too boring. I think that it someone has some time on their hands it would be a great book to read and discuss. He poses some very interesting points about what it means to be connected and have communion with other believers. Discussion book.

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Dec 01, 2009 Deb marked it as to-read

Recommended by The Canoe Group. And they know stuff about social media.

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