When he began in ministry 25 years ago, the Rev. Rich Earl used floppy disks on a desktop personal computer with no hard drive.

Now, the 52-year-old pastor of Mountainside Assembly of God in Coal Township doesn’t leave home without his beloved iPhone, which allows him to research and communicate via the Internet, no matter where he goes.

“I’ve become completely addicted to my iPhone,” he said. “I don’t know how I lived before it.”

Determined to always be on the cutting edge of technology, Earl uses Google AdWords to help people find his church more easily online, and earlier this year he joined Twitter, the newest social media craze that allows users to post short memos about what’s on their minds.

“Twitter is a place I can throw out quotes, mostly to challenge and inspire people,” he said.

He has 380 followers, and knows only 10 of them personally, he said. He has made nearly 600 tweets since he signed up.

Earl also updates his Facebook on a regular basis, sharing thoughts and quotes, and counseling those in need.

He is one of many pastors and Christian organizations utilizing online social media and new technology to spread their influence from behind church walls to the World Wide Web.

And people are responding. As of Friday, God’s Facebook page had nearly 3 million fans.

Increasing connections

The Rev. Arlie Davis, pastor of Christ Wesleyan Church in Milton, has approximately 800 friends on Facebook, and gets new requests every day.

“I really love connecting,” he said. “Through Facebook, I’ve been able to connect with teenagers, and people in their 20s and 30s, that I never could have connected with before.”

Facebook messages go right to his Blackberry, and he finds even more ways to connect quickly through texting.

“I do love to text,” he said, and then added with a smile, “I’m pretty fast.”