Facebook's free live streaming services have opened up a world of opportunity for churches to reach out to their audience through live video content. Churches love the number of people who are able to watch their Facebook live videos, however, there are problems with accurately tracking the number of attendees. Often these numbers are even inflated and may rarely include new people which can be bad news for churches. So what is this service actually providing and is it worth it?
Where once photos lived merely in albums or frames, digital cameras ushered in the era of portable photos that lived on devices that could travel with us. Photographers quickly made the jump from taking digital photos on cameras to taking photos on cell phones. Church communication directors now rely on photography to tell the stories of their churches.
Communicating clearly about church events, news, and opportunities can make or break your church. Do it well and you will see people engaged and their lives changing. Do it poorly, and you may have frustrated leaders, uninformed church members, and stagnant growth.
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.
No one wants to talk about or even think about their church closing. Yet 65 percent of churches are in decline or have hit a plateau. So what does it actually mean to close a church? And when a church closes, what happens to the church technology and communication channels like social media and websites?
As we become more dependent on technology, security threats grow and change on a daily basis and user data continues to be vulnerable. This is true for churches, just as it is for any other organization or business. Learning to keep online data and accounts safe and being reminded to regularly update security protocols is increasingly important for pastors and church communicators.
Things are changing at Facebook. On January 11, 2018, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook is moving “from focusing on helping you find relevant content to helping you have more meaningful social interactions.” Many people are still trying to figure out what this means. Businesses and organizations are already working hard to keep their customers and communities engaged and their posts seen.