Slacktivism

I don't like to read magazines.  I only notice my failure to do so because Michelle reads a dozen or more magazines a month - mostly financial, business, home decor and food zines.  The one magazine I have come to love though, is Fast Company - a magazine for young entrepreneurs and business people.

There was a great article in Fast Company recently on the issue of slacktivism.  A term coined for my generations response to social needs, that matches the equation: Slacker + Activism.  Basically the author slams millennials for our slacker-ish response to changing the world today.  We have gotten used to brands, organizations and the world making it really easy for us to respond.  Things like Text2Give from organizations like Red Cross; a new program called Build-a-Box from Operation Christmas Child where you don't actually need to pack a shoebox for needy children (you can choose what's packed in it from the comfort of your own home, and even track where in the world it ends up); and raising awareness for a cause by easily adding a twibbon to our facebook or twitter profile pictures.

The author goes on to look on the bright side and praise our generation for what we can accomplish through our slacktivism, as evidenced by the tens of millions of dollars raised for Red Cross via Text2Give during the Haiti quake earlier this year.  The most recent issue of OnInvesting from Charles Schwab states that 11% of Americans have given by text, and increases to 18% of those ages 18-29.

My question is how can we harness the power of slacktivism for our churches and ministries?  It is no secret that my generation is the largest since the Boomers.  We are a force to be reckoned with.  And we've already seen what can happen when that force is mobilized and each person plays a small (some would say slacktivist) role.

BTW - Haiti still needs our compassionate response (more than ever) ... play your part by texting HAITI to 90999 to donate $10 off your next phone bill to Red Cross and their work there.