#chsocm

Church communicators are always striving to share the word of God as well as their church’s news with their congregation, community, and beyond. Social media’s ability to make sharing this information easy and fun is growing rapidly. There are helpful rules and best practices to live by when using social media for the Church that can inspire followers, instill confidence and keep your accounts safe and in good standing.

Social media’s influence continues to grow and church communicators should stay sharp about the latest trends and tools. Instagram is at the top of the list of current influencers. Its unprecedented growth of over 800 million active monthly users continues to make it a dominant force and an app that church communicators and pastors should consider using. Need more reasons?

Church video marketing is a growing term to encompass church communication through video. While many churches still don't love the term, "church marketing," there is a growing adoption of this terms thanks to church communication pioneers, Kem Meyer, Tony Morgan, Richard L. Reising who wrote, "Church Marketing 101" back in 2006 (this is by no means a comprehensive list).

Graphics design and social media go hand-in-hand. For the church communicator and pastor who need to have all social media channels firing at all times, knowing what sized images and graphics to use both for personal accounts as well as for church social media channels is very important to appear professional and engaged. 

Being a pastor today is no easy task. Living, working and existing where you have to have a reasonable grasp of social media alongside copious degrees and ministry certifications, off-the-hook skills with people of every age range, speaking skills, shepherding abilities, and non-stop energy to deal with difficult people and relationships.

I live, eat and breathe social media for a living. While you probably don't, there are for sure valuable lessons to be learned from the social media landscape that can be applied to your church. I’m not a marketer by trade, but I’ve been a relatively active user of various social media platforms since I first heard that AOL Instant Messenger door creak open for the first time when I was in elementary school.

Facebook is still one of the primary social networks that churches should utilize to reach people for Christ. Whether connecting with current attenders, sharing events, or reaching out to the community, Facebook offers some unique advantages:

Bob Goff founded a law firm, wrote a New York Times best-selling book and serves as the honorary consul for the Republic of Uganda. The guy gets things done. But every Thursday he quits something. We could learn something from Bob. Maybe your church needs to quit: Quit that social media account with three followers. Quit locking up your Wi-Fi with a password. Quit pretending email isn’t important. Whatever your church is struggling with, give yourself permission to quit.