Joyce Meyer and Joel Osteen More Influential on Twitter than Many Celebrities

Aimee Herd : Jun 20, 2012
Daniel Distant – Christian Post

"Hopefully, these new channels help begin conversations that will lead to deeper, face-to-face community, through our small groups and one-on-one friendships." –Rick Warren

In the realm of Twitter, a "re-tweet" is a big deal. It's forwarding on the "tweet" (a 140-character or less message from a Twitter user) from that person to others, thereby increasing the amount of those who see it, and the influence of the source of the tweet.

So, who would think would be the most popular Twitter users by that standard; Justin Bieber? Perhaps Lady Gaga?

Actually, Christian author and speaker Joyce Meyer had a greater influence than both of those celebrities, though she has fewer followers. Meyer was listed as having 170 reactions per every 50,000 followers; Joel Osteen was second with 147 mentions, followed by Max Lucado, according to a Christian Post report.

The New York Times stated that on average, their tweets received "30 times as much attention."

Twitter senior executive, Claire Diaz-Ortiz had been sent by the social network to find out what was behind the strong connection between Christian leaders and their followers.

She later told the Times, "Pastors tell me Twitter is just made for the Bible." Many Bible verses are about the right length to qualify as a tweet.

One of the top Twitter users is Rick Warren who notes that more important than tweeting is being tweeted.

"Hopefully, these new channels help begin conversations that will lead to deeper, face-to-face community, through our small groups and one-on-one friendships," he said.