Cover story:

Faith-Based Social Networking Sites

• Enter the Bible: A social network and resource from Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., for designing personalized Bible study.
• Book of Faith: A place for sharing what is happening across the ELCA in relation to Book of Faith, an initiative to increase biblical literacy and fluency.
• Working Preacher: This networking site is an effort of Working Preacher to create helpful resources and tools for preaching and teaching.
• Luthermergent (Emergent church for Lutherans): A community of friendship, exploration and theological conversation among people interested in emerging churches and faith communities.
• The Lutheran: Follow the magazine on Twitter: @thelutheran. Find The Lutheran on Facebook for breaking news and other features.

Study guide

Will technology bring us closer together or keep us an electronic arm's length apart?

Tweeting with 'newlutheran'

A Q-and-A in 140 characters or fewer

Clint Schnekloth, cover story author, interviews Michael Wright, 30, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Alpharetta, Ga., who blogs about his experience of being a new Lutheran at www.newlutheran.com.

@schnekloth: How did you get started as a new Lutheran and a blogger?

@newlutheran: I was bugging my wife with all my questions. Blogging & social networking became great outlets for me to converse with others.

@schnekloth: What have you learned tweeting and blogging to Lutherans?

@newlutheran: That I'm not alone. It's easy to forget how big and diverse the church is when all you see is your congregation.

@schnekloth: What's your best advice for those just starting to tweet?

@newlutheran: The power of these tools is in their ability to facilitate community. Engage others. Generate discussion. Participate!

@schnekloth: Summarize your best blog post for us.

@newlutheran: One that addressed the need for vision, identity and community when churches use online technologies.

@schnekloth: What does it mean to you to be a new Lutheran? A new Lutheran blogger?

@newlutheran: I think it gives me an inquisitiveness about things some may take for granted.