Anyone growing up in Chilton County, more likely than not, knows what a typical church service consists of.

You have your announcements, prayer, singing of hymns and/or contemporary worship songs, offering, sermon and invitation. Occasionally, members of the congregation go up to share testimonies.

But I’ve read about a new trend that has started up. A small number of churches have started using Twitter in their worship services. Yes, Twitter, the social networking and micro-blogging service.

Twitter is the hottest and newest social networking site in the line of MySpace and Facebook. The biggest difference is, Twitter caters to those of us with the shortest attention spans.

The updates sent back and forth between users, known as “tweets,” are limited to 140 characters apiece. You can subscribe to or “follow” anyone’s tweets, even those of a favorite celebrity.

But does Twitter belong in church? I say, why not?

Congregations have used the site to send inspirational and encouraging tweets back and forth during worship services. These can be displayed on a projector screen at the front of the sanctuary.

While tweets can further enlighten the words to a hymn or a point in a sermon or discussion, they can become trivial. Users have been known to comment on the pastor’s fashion choices, for example.

I have always tried to have an open mind. If we claim to believe in a limitless God, then why would we try to limit the possibilities of allowing him to work through us?

Twitter may ultimately prove to be a fad, but like most innovations, we will likely discover the common truth: it can be used for good or evil.

– Scott can be reached at scott.mims@clantonadvertiser.com.