Going Social

Once again not my own post however my friends over at Lifeway shared this great info about social media. Also to put in a short plug for my cousin Terrace Crawford who wrote #Going Social. Check out this great book for any church ministry or leader.

If your church uses social media or is thinking about social media, here are 5 things to keep in mind:

1.Your audience. According to churchleaders.com, church websites should be geared toward new people, church/ministry social media should be geared toward people who are already involved. Keep your audience in mind when composing messages; update frequently, and promote your social media networks in church bulletins, newsletters, etc. If you plan on using social media as a primary means of communication, make sure church members know where to find those announcements.
  2.What you’re sharing. This is especially true for children’s ministries. Be careful when posting pictures and/or names of kids in your ministry, especially if your ministry page is set to public. The safety of those kids should be a very high priority. If you’re thinking about posting pictures, make sure you have parental permission. It’s probably a good idea to have parents sign a photo release form just incase. And if you’re going to share meeting locations where children will be present, (parks, playgrounds, etc.) be sure your Facebook page or Twitter feed is set to private to prevent unsafe people from acquiring that information.
3.How often you update. Social media is a weird thing– it’s only effective if it’s used consistently. Once you’ve gotten everyone on board and they know to check your pages for updates, make sure you actually post them! Facebook pages are great tools for communicating ministry events and updates if you use them consistently.
4.Grammar, composition, and accuracy. This should go without saying, but sometimes it must be said! Your social media outlets represent your church. Make sure the updates are grammatically correct, composed in a way that is easy to understand, and contains accurate dates, times, and locations.
5.Who runs the account(s). When you hold the password to a social media account, you hold a lot of power. Be wise in selecting the administrator for your social media accounts. It’s a good idea to choose one or two trusted people who can keep up with your ministry’s happenings and who can communicate with one another about what gets posted.

Some simple but yet great things to keep in mind when starting or running your site or sites.
I hope this helps one step to bettering the ministry God has created for you!

Don't forget to "Reach"

In His Grip,
Pastor J