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Social media and the Gospel of Christ are both full of “spice,” Doug Pagitt told more than 50 pastors at a recent social media Boot Camp at Wesley Seminary in Washington, D.C. Both are Shareable, Personal, Interactive, Collective, and Engaging.

We don’t come to the Gospel through any single tool, said Pagitt, an emerging church expert from JoPa Productions. But the possibilities that social media present for sharing Christ’s love can far outweigh the potential of the historic written page. “Today the Gospel is best heralded and proclaimed,” he said. “It’s about invitation.”

Those involved in social media are discovering a theology of ongoing creation, Pagitt said. “The world needs each of us to make and shape and do something.”

For the church, these new ways of communicating are creating new symbols and metaphors. Religious leaders, for example, are now like curators – creating an interesting, sacred space and making something come to life in new ways, said Pagitt.

“With everything that’s happening in the social media world, door and walls are no longer a factor,” Pagitt said. “There is no longer an ‘out-there/in-here’ relationship. It is everyone’s job to create. Your community should be different, better, because you are a part of it.

For those seeking advice on how to best use social media tools, Pagitt doesn’t hesitate. “Begin,” he said. “Think of it all as live beta testing. Learn as you do. Church is beta. We’re always changing, learning, doing. Discipleship and evangelism are not separate things. “To do it is the only way to learn it.”