When I was younger, I looked forward to the last day of school and more importantly, hanging out with friends. My favorite summertime activity was Vacation Bible School (VBS). I waited with gleeful anticipation during church service announcements. VBS was and still is always super packed with friends, crafts, games, and fun. And if you were like me, you knew you had to sign up early because spots filled up quickly. Those were the days, simpler times where you heard about the “goings on,” of church activities IN the church.
Let’s fast forward to 2019, where technology has made information accessible at the press of a button or an app. We can literally do everything from our phones – from shopping for groceries, ordering lunch or dinner, getting transportation to meet with friends, reading the bible, and chatting with friends around the world. While technology has made it easier to get stuff done, it’s also made it harder to connect with people on a human to human level.
For pastors and church leaders, technology has become a critical component for establishing a more meaningful connection with your church members and community. How are you utilizing technology to communicate events such as VBS, Men’s & Women’s Retreat, Service Trips, and Church Anniversary events to your community? How can your church community create engaging and authentic relationships through technology?
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#TeamEvangelismPro has 5 tips to engage your online audience using social media.
- Start a Conversation – Ask 2-3 follow up questions from the sermons on social media.
- Member of the Month (Ministry) – Pick 2-3 ministry members and highlight how they add value to that ministry.
- Event Recaps – Choose 5-7 members / attendees to share how an event has impacted them
- Bible Study on Facebook Live – Pastors & Ministry Leaders consider going live 1 day a week for a 30 minute bible study from your Church’s Facebook Page.
- Trivia Contest (Win a Prize) – Create a contest to engage your church members and online audience.
Through the use of social media, you can connect with your church members, local community, and online audience outside of your typical Saturday or Sunday services. We are called to be the light of the world, so our light must shine bright and far to reach people. Take a look at this graphic below. There are 3.5 billion social media users around the world. Just think how many you can reach in your local community by implementing these social media tips.
Source: wearesocial.com
Discovering Your Online Audience
I bet if we asked you, “What are your church demographics?,” you could easily identify your church membership. Can the same be said for your social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? It is imperative to determine who is part of your online audience when creating content. An online audience is a demographic of users or consumers who you want to reach for a particular product, service, movement. Understanding your online audience will help you create content that will inspire, educate, and empower.
Consider your church community:
- Who are your church members? Are they mostly baby boomers, gen x, or millennials or a mixture of all 3?
- When hosting events, how many local community members attend?
- Do you use technology to advertise and market your church activities and events?
Source: oberlo.com
As technology continues to evolve moment by moment, it will be important for church communities to think strategically about how they reach their members, local community, and online audience using social media to spread the gospel and cultivate disciples. Most people believe they need “special skills,” to use social media effectively to promote their message, brand, product, or services. That can’t be farther from the truth. Social Media is a tool designed to allow people to share and interact with content. The keyword is tool. You, yes you, are the special skill that is needed to create, share, and interact with content online. After all, social media is about being social online, building relationships through conversation. Don’t overthink the use of social media. Be social. Be engaging. Be authentic.
Interested in discussing how your church can build online engagement? Schedule a session with us today!
