Social Media

In a 2001 journal article (I was 11 years old, for perspective), Mark Prensky, a thought leader in the educational technology world, coined the term “Digital Natives” to describe young people who do not know a world without video games, computers, Internet, and more. You are a Digital Native if you were born after 1980—so that would include all Millennials and every generation that follows.

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.

A common calculation in the business world is return on investment, or ROI. Finding the ROI of your social media marketing, however, can be difficult. The normal factors may not be as obvious as in other ROI calculations. For churches, looking at social media ROI can be trickier. Ministry isn't always trackable in the same way sales are.

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:

Social Media continues to hold the attention of today's youth and provide unique challenges for parents and as well as youth leaders. In this article, taken from a YS Idea Lab Video, I'd like to outline some of the key things that influence how tweens and teens use social media and a few practical tips that you can share with parents. First I'll go into three things that influence how kids use social media today then I'll follow up with three things that parents can do to help.

It's increasingly hard to keep track of all the social media trends. For churches, keeping ahead of trends isn't perhaps the number one goal; however, keeping a pulse on what's going on in the world of social media can be helpful both to connect with church members through the most popular networks as well as keep current in overall church communication. While most still think of social media in terms of Facebook, Twitter, and all the other networks, the infographic below delves into other technologies that are easily leveraged by social media.

LinkedIn is a great way for you to connect with pastors and other church leaders. To use it effectively, there are a few things to keep in mind. The following infographic outlines strategies for...