Social Media

Whether it's Facebook Live, Zoom, YouTube, or other media form, digital ministry has become the “new normal” during these unprecedented times.

One of the biggest discussions happening in the church right now is how to proceed with digital worship. While some have gone the streaming route, others have opted to pre-record their services and release them at selected times each week.

So which one is right for your church? It depends.

Ministry looks different that it ever has before, and has left many churches feeling like they're behind the curve, wondering how their church will even survive the coronavirus crisis.

Here's the good news: it's not too late to build a church that will weather COVID-19.

The COVID-19 crisis has forced the majority of us to do ministry in a whole new way. How can we still reach our communities in safe ways? And how can we use this time to be prepared to welcome guests back when this pandemic is over? Read on for great ideas and resources.

Love it or hate it Social Media is here to stay.

Every church has information it is trying to communicate. So, you have a bulletin, a website, weekly announcements, facebook, twitter, signs, newsletters, banners, etc… all to get the message across. While these are great tools for communicating with your congregation and making sure they are informed about what is going on in the church and community, do they know where to look?  Jon Rogers reminds us that, “Your church may have stellar events, programs and even great communication strategies, but the best laid plans can get derailed by the simple lack of clearly and concisely communicating how you communicate.”

Even though many churches don't like to think in terms of "Marketing" or "Branding", if your church has a logo, website, sign, or uses a Sunday bulletin, or does anything to promote itself in your community, then you're expressing your "brand" to your community. Simply put, your brand is the image you present to your community. Some churches brand themselves as being family friendly, others brand themselves as being churches for college aged people, or as a church for "seasoned saints". The brand you express is directly influenced by your mission and vision statements.

First impressions are important.

They set the stage for our subsequent experiences, priming us to interpret and incorporate further information into a cognitive structure built on very limited information.

So what about first impressions of the church?

Websites have come a long way since the first one was created

Social media, whether it be Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any variety of other up-and-coming sites, is a key component to connecting with your church, visitors, and the community at large. However, using social media is only effective if people actually see the things you are posting. But how do you get people to see your posts? And, once your posts have been seen, will people want to see more?