Communication

Instagram has become the ‘place to be’ for social sharing of images and videos for individuals, businesses, and organizations like churches. With nearly a billion users, it also seems to be the place for fun. Ask any millennial and they will say Instagram is where they spend their time following and catching up on the news of the day and with their own social circles.

What makes one social network stand out from the rest in our techno-saturated, app-centric digital world? Instagram has taken the world by storm and created legions of devoted users and followers. 2017 saw its member base surge to 800 million individual users and 25 million business users.

The hugely popular YouVersion Bible app was created to put the Bible in everyone’s hands via their smartphones and handheld devices. Today, the app has multiple features that make engaging and interacting with church members during services easy and fun. This free app is the #1 downloaded Bible app online and has been installed on over 300 million devices. People love it and use it daily because it easily keeps the Bible in the palm of their hands, is available in thousands of languages, and offers many valuable ways to connect with the Word of God on a daily basis.

Despite the wide reports of 40% of people going to church, the actual percentage of regular church attendance is a little less than 18%. Yet, it's very common for pastors to see unfamiliar faces on Sunday morning. New people do come to churches, but they don't seem to come back. While some of them were never going to become regular attendees, some might have returned if they had a good first experience. One way to help stem the tide of lost opportunities is with church connection cards.

Searching online for information about people, places, products, and organizations is commonplace in our digital age. Most of us are doing multiple searches daily or even hourly. Tools like Google Places and Yelp provide valuable information about the establishments we want to visit, like restaurants, stores, schools, and even churches.

Leadership development is vital for leaders of every kind. Often, church leaders are often so busy, on the go, and at the forefront of so many activities that they may not realize or feel able to attend to their own personal development and enrichment needs.

Many church leaders and members feel nostalgia for traditional methods of worship. This is understandable, except that it often leads them to reject new technology which could possibly encourage young members to embrace the church in greater numbers.

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?