Social Media Bishop: A Conversation With Bishop Jim Hazelwood

Bishop Jim Hazelwood of the New England Synod of the ELCA is using social media to help make his synod more relational and his office as bishop more accessible.

In this video conversation we talk about the ways he is using blogging, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and texting to connect and tell the story of his synod - and to remind us that "we are the synod."

Bishop Hazelwood makes extensive use of video to document his travels, bring greetings when he cannot be somewhere in person, and share what's on his mind and heart. He also relates the story of doing a "Talk and Text" gathering with synod youth, recieving 369 text messages in an hour. His blog, Bishop on a Bike, serves as the hub of his digital ministry and provides a personal, less institutional, way to connect with the bishop.

Bishop Hazelwood is doing great stuff and his practice of digital ministry has great application to people in all ministry settings. The video starts after the jump. Enjoy!