SOCIAL MEDIA For Church GrowthA Beginner’s Guide

By: Felecia Datus

If you are launching your church’s social media

presence, this guide is a great place to start!

By implementing the principles here, you can

reach more people, and spread the Gospel.

The Center For Online Evangelism created this

guide with beginners in mind, but anyone can

benefit from the tips shared here.

Be on the look out for Part 2 coming soon!

EMPOWER

The Center for Online Evangelism is a ministry focused on

empowering and equipping churches and ministries to

strengthen their online presence and reach more people with

the Gospel.

EQUIP

We help individuals who want to become online missionaries

using social media, YouTube, and other online platforms.

We provide resources and training, and partner with entities

like the General Conference of SDA and the North American

Division to help move the church toward digital evangelism.

OUTLINEWhy Your Church Should be on Social Media

What is Digital Evangelism?

Overview of Platforms

What is Church Growth?

Building Blocks for Your Church Social Media

Getting Your Entire Church Involved

Your Church Social Media Team

Know Your Target Audience

Time Management Tips

Managing Negative Comments

Social Media No Nos

How to Boost Engagement

Conclusion

Resources

Why Your Should Church Be On

Social Media

42%Of the world’s population is on

social media

90%Of millennials use social

media

Source: https://www.oberlo.com/blog/social-media-marketing-statistics

Why Your Should Church Be On

Social Media

Jesus went to the masses. As His

disciples, we should also work where the masses are.

The world is online

More than half of the world’s

population has access to the

internet.

People search for almost any need

online. This includes searching

faith-related topics.

The world is searching

Social media is one of the main

platforms used to search for

information.

Source: https://www.oberlo.com/blog/social-media-marketing-statistics

What is Digital Evangelism?

Social Media Ministry is a part of Digital Evangelism

Digital Evangelism is the method by which we share the Gospel with people online.

Since the masses are all online, it helps to have a strong online presence.

There are various means by which we can meet the needs of people online.

These methods include blogs, podcasts, social media, video sharing platforms like YouTube and Vimeo, as well as messenger platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook messenger.

Any device that gives an individual access to the internet can be used to connect to people and share the Gospel.

Reaching the World

D.E. involves using internet platforms to reach the entire world with the Gospel.

Reaching the World

D.E. is about learning the best ways to use these digital platforms.

Using Digital Methods Effectively

Individuals who practice D.E. seek to meet the various needs of online seekers. In this way, the door is opened to share the Gospel.

Meeting the Needs of People Online

As people search to learn more about our faith, applying D.E. best practices help ensure they find credible information about who we are.

Strengthen Adventist Presence

What is Digital Evangelism?

Overview of Platforms

Other platforms your church can use to reach more people

The Digital Age allows us to connect in ways that we never thought possible. These same platforms that connect many

individuals together can be used to connect the church with the people we are aiming to serve. Since most youth are

already online, they can be taught how to use their influence for good, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Churches

must begin to merge digital methods with traditional means of evangelism to connect with more people and share the

Three Angels Message with the world.

YouTube

Social Media

Church Website

Online small groups

There are countless methods that can be used.

Here are some of the most popular platforms to

connect with the masses.

Podcast

Blogs

Best Platforms to Use for Your Church's Online Presence

There isn’t one

platform that works

for all churches. The

platform that you use

will depend on the

goals and mission of

your church, as well as

your target audience.

Facebook and

YouTube are two of

the most popular

platforms online. But

Facebook is for an

older audience

whereas platforms

such as Instagram

cater to a younger

audience.

Your church does not

need an active

account on all

platforms because

that can easily become

overwhelming.

Instead, choose one or

two platforms and

work on those.

When choosing a

platform ask,

1. What are our

goals?

2. Who are we trying

to reach?

3. How will this

platform help us

accomplish our

goals?

What Do We Mean By ‘Church Growth?’

Using social media for church growth means we are

utilizing methods available to us to connect with

people, meet their needs, build a relationship with them

and invite them to learn more about Jesus Christ.

In the process, we also invite them to be a part of a

larger community where they can find support on their

journey to learning more about God.

What Do We Mean By ‘Church Growth?’

As church members connect with others and build relationships, they experience growth.

Growth in Relationships

When we learn more about the people we want to serve in our online and physical community, we create content that caters to their needs. Relevant content helps online visitors in their personal growth.

Personal Growth

We see clearly in the book of Acts that as the apostles shared the Gospel, the church physically grew. The actual growth of memberships should be one of the goals of online ministry.

Growth of the Church

This digital evangelism method is a means to an end. The end is Jesus Christ. We want people to have a personal, saving, growing relationship with the Savior. Your church social media should help online seekers to grow in their personal relationship with Jesus.

Growth in Christ

What are we attracting people

to?

Building Blocks for Your

Church Social Media

What’s the reason behind your page? Is it just to take up

space online or reach people in your community?

Purpose

What’s the overall message you want to convey?

Your message should align with the overall mission

of your church and the Great Commission.

Message

How your message is presented is important. Are you using

videos, photos, and infographics? Be sure to consider your

audience when creating content.

Content

When users send a message to your page or

comment, engage with them so they know that

your church cares for them.

Engagement

Goals

Write down what you hope to accomplish through

your social media ministry. Without goals you won’t

be able to measure the success of your ministry.

GETTING YOUR ENTIRE CHURCH INVOLVED

To ensure the success of your social media

sccount, you will need to enlist the help of your

entire church.

Remind members to ‘like’ the page and interact

with the content there. Members can also refer

family members, friends, and people they meet

to your church’s page.

By doing this, they are connecting new people to

your church.

Don’t forget to collaborate with the pastoral

team!

GATHER VOLUNTEERSGet a list of members who

can volunteer their time

to help with the page.

Group them into

categories.

For example:

- Graphic creators

- Editors

- Writers

- Photographers

- Video creators

They do not need to be

directly involved in

maintaining the page, but

they can help create

content and produce ideas

for the page.

This is also a great

opportunity to get your

youth involved in ministry

because they are heavy

social media users.

GATHER SUPPORTERS

Dispel the myth that

people who are not

on social media

cannot support this

branch of ministry.

There are members who may

not be able to help directly

with maintaining the church’s

social media.

However, they can support in

various ways:

- Give financial support for

ads and equipment

- Sharing content to the circle

- Referring friends and

neighbors to the page

- Providing resources so

volunteers can serve

effectively

Your Church

Social Media Team

Others will also have ideas that will

help grow your ministry. Here are a

few spots to include on your team.

Don’t burn yourself out. Successful online

ministry means you need assistance from

others.

Gather a team to help you create

and distribute content.

Designs layout to match the copy.

Manages the team and ensures there is a smooth flow.

Creates and edits copy to be posted.

Captures content through pictures and video.

Team Leader

Writer/Editor

Designer

Photographer/Videographer

Know Your Target AudienceWho are you trying to reach?

If you want your church social media to be effective, you need to

know who you are trying to reach.

Knowing your target audience guides you on the type of content

you share and how you share it.

The kind of Facebook page you would have if you want to connect

with your members will be different compared to a page created to

reach the community around the church.

When you have your target audience in mind, create a persona (or

avatar) then design each piece of content to attract and meet the

need of that character.

To create your target audience, answer the following questions:

Are we trying trying to connect with church members or with the

community?

What are the needs and aspirations of the community?

What is the demographic of our community?

What challenges do they face?

Do they have a background knowledge of our faith?

What are the common jobs?

Are they religious?

Time Management Tips

Growing your church social

media presence takes time. This

means you must learn how to

properly manage your time so

you can work effectively and

avoid burn out.

Schedule Posts

There are programs (and even

platforms themselves) that let

you schedule your posts. This

saves you time because you

don’t have to log on every day

to post new content.

Assign Tasks

Social media allows you to add

several people as admins or

editors to your church

account. Share the workload

to avoid one person doing the

bulk of the work.

Get on and off

Getting distracted on social

media is a huge problem for

many. Tackle this by having a set

time. Go on your page, complete

your task and sign off after a set

time.

Turn off notifications

If notifications are constantly

showing up on your phone, you

will be tempted to answer every

single one. Decrease the risk by

turning off your notifications

and implementing the preceding

step.

Managing Negative

CommentsRemember, people are emboldened to say hurtful things online for various reasons. The most common reasons

include, they too, are hurting and a sense of anonymity gives them the sense of security to say mean things.

Remember, people are emboldened to say hurtful things online for various reasons. The most common reasons

include, they too, are hurting and a sense of anonymity gives them the sense of security to say mean things.

Once you begin to grow your online presence, you might face

trolling or harsh comments from users. It’s best to prepare and know

how to deal with the situation when it comes up.

Know when to block commenters. If a user is trolling or being

disrespectful, consider blocking or banning the individual from the page.

Managing Negative Comments

Seek guidance from the Holy Spirit before responding to users who seem bent to hurt.

Don’t respond out of anger. Take control of your emotions. If you

respond when your emotions are running high, you run the risk of

putting something out there that you would later regret.

Don’t take it personal. Taking negative comments as a personal attack

could be overwhelming. Keep in mind that your identity is not wrapped

up in something negative someone has to say.

SOCIAL MEDIANO NOs

FOR CHURCHESOnce it’s online, you can’t take it back…

SOCIAL MEDIA NO NOs FOR CHURCHES

Do not attack page visitors. Avoid heated debates. If someone continues to troll

or be disrespectful, you can block them or hide their comments if intervention

fails.

Do not stream or upload poor quality content. You have a few seconds to capture a

user’s attention, and a poor-quality production will turn people off from your church

and our mission.

You do not need a presence on every single platform. Start with one

platform that is best suited for your church and community and gradually

grow.

Do not focus solely on promoting your church and its events. If your content

and strategy is effective, people will be drawn to your church community.

Focus on building relationships and meeting their needs.

How to Boost Engagement on Your Church Social Media

Accounts

It’s not enough to only amass followers and likes…

Questions help your audience engage in an organic way because they are eager to share thoughts and opinions.

Ask Questions

Social media success in ministry is measuered by the

quantity and quality of engagement. High engagement

means that your audience is interacting well with you.

With more followers interacting with you, awareness

grows online about your church or ministry.

Jesus was successful in reaching the hearts of people

because He engaged with them.

His priority was not to amass a huge following but to

interact and touch their hearts with His message.

4 Ways to Boost Engagement

Post questions so that your audience can share thoughts and opinions.

Create visually stimulating posts. Include pictures, graphics, and videos.

Respond to your audience when they do engage with your posts. This makes them feel valued.

Create polls. This is not only a great way to boost engagement but an effective tactic to learn more about your audience.

Questions help your audience engage in an organic way because they are eager to share thoughts and opinions.

Ask Questions

You now have the basics to help you launch your social

media platform. Remember to work in the power of the

Holy Spirit through prayer.

COE is here to help where we can, so feel free to email

info@centerforonlineevangelism.org with any questions.

The following slide provides a list of additional resources

to help you succeed in reaching more people online.

Questions help your audience engage in an organic way because they are eager to share thoughts and opinions.

Ask Questions

Newsletters

SDA Big Data Social Media Guidelines

Start an Online Small Group

Online Missionary Guide

Involve Youth in Digital Evangelism

Exploring Online Evangelism

About Facebook Ads

Questions help your audience engage in an organic way because they are eager to share thoughts and opinions.

Ask Questions

COE provides training for churches and

conferences through webinars and

workshops.

Learn more about implementing online

evangelism strategies. Schedule a

workshop today.

Book a Workshop