4/7InkzHVUEQeEdU9vpc1tikzEhChrKmPfvXI-FSDBrBQ

social media ministry

Using the Internet to Reach the Person Next Door

Anyone with adolescents in the house has witnessed the scene where two or three young people are huddled in the rec room, each with his or her own cellphone or laptop, intently texting or instant messaging each other. Their eyes never meet unless something strikes them as funny and then heads fly back with youthful, exuberant laughter. Hearing that volcanic laughter rise out of silence will take adults by surprise. It is representative of just how engrained social media has become in the lives of more and more people.

Now Social Media is being used in this way by the church.

Pastors can use social media to reach their members and some may enjoy it. Be careful though. Social media such as Facebook are very public and people are still very private on matters of personal faith. A scan of some congregational Facebook pages can reveal all kinds of unsettling personal information.

Nevertheless, Social Media is a tool and according to this article, some pastors are starting to use it. As interesting as this article is, the comments that follow add more dimension, noting that it is not unusual for congregational social media to attract worldwide attention. That realization must be kept in mind at all times!

2×2 uses blogging as the hub of its social media outreach. We “meet” on the blog and correspond by email. We have befriended congregations in Pakistan and Kenya with weekly exchanges of news and mission. We ask permission before publishing anything about our friendship on our web site. We also have regular exchanges with churches across the United States and Australia. Few of them are of our own denomination, but that hasn’t mattered.

We don’t do this on Facebook. It’s too public and freedom of religion hasn’t reached every corner of the world.

It’s still a bit odd. There is a feeling of privacy when there really is none. An innocent exchange could cause trouble.

Worldwide dynamics are going to change the church. Congregations no longer need to wait a year or two to hear a Temple Talk from a sponsored missionary home on furlough. They can follow the work and ministry daily online. This will be a strength of the emerging church. Ironically, it will weaken the structure of the church while it makes the church stronger.

photo credit: Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com via photopin cc

21 Mar 2012

Ideas for Churches to Blog About in April

Here are some ideas to help keep your blog active next month. Start writing now!

April begins with Easter but most of your writing about Easter should have happened in March.

Recap your congregation’s Easter. Include photos or video.

Explore weekly scriptures and themes:

April 15, 2012
Acts 4:32-35  •  Psalm 133  •  1 John 1:1–2:2  •  John 20:19-31

The theme of the second Sunday of Easter is fellowship. The first lesson deals with the distribution of wealth among the early Christians. The Psalm continues the theme: “How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!” The apostle John also talks about the importance of fellowship in Jesus. His discourse shifts to a discussion on sin and includes the familiar words of confession used in many liturgies. The Gospel story is the Thomas, the Doubter, story which concludes with one of the first Christian creeds, “My Lord and my God!”

Write about your congregation’s fellowship outreach and how your congregation works together.

April 22, 201
Acts 3:12-19  •  Psalm 4  •  1 John 3:1-7  •  Luke 24:36b-48

The impact of Jesus and the Resurrection is a theme of third Sunday of Easter. Sin is overcome by forgiveness and Jesus’ sacrifice. The Gospel is another story about a visit from the resurrected Christ, one where he proves his return to human form by eating fish with his disciples.

April 27, 2012
Acts 4:5-12  •  Psalm 23  •  1 John 3:16-24  •  John 10:11-18

The theme for the fourth Sunday of Easter is Good Shepherd Sunday. Explore some art and poetry based on the 23rd Psalm. Several well-known hymns parallel the verses of the psalm. Write about the hymn history of these or other Easter season hymns. The sacrifice of the shepherd, founded in love and caring, can be explored. What examples of this type of love can you find in your ministry?

April 4 is the anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
April 14 is the anniversary of Lincoln’s death. Tie the two together.

April 15 is the tax filing deadline in the United States. Tie the need to fund our government with the need to fund our church.

April is Autism Awareness Month. Explore ministry to families with autism.

April is Poetry Month. Feature some religious poetry. Hymn lyrics count.

April 22 is Earth Day. Write about stewardship of the earth. Tie it to service projects.

Look ahead to Pentecost. Will you have a confirmation or first communion class? Feature the class members.

School activities and celebrations peak toward the end of the month. Are there concerts, plays or picnics your members might like to support?

Does your congregation have graduates to honor?

Many churches/denominations have spring convocations. Include news or explore issues that will be discussed.

Start promoting your Vacation Bible School. Write about the theme or any events. Interview teachers about why they are willing to teach.

Start promoting your Church Camp.

Review the activities of various church committees and groups. Ask them to guest post!

20 Mar 2012

5 Ways Social Media Will Change Your Church’s Life

If your congregation wisely chooses to invest time and passion in social media, be prepared for many things to change. We’re not talking about self-centered Facebook prattle; we’re talking about online interaction that looks outside your parish to the community and, by the nature of the internet, the world.

This may be the hardest thing for the Church to grasp. The internet connects individuals with the world. There is no intermediary. No church council, no pastor, no synod or its equivalent, no bishop, no national church can control congregational interconnectedness.

This means that congregation’s must be more mindful of  things which may have been neglected. While it is easy to reach the world, one mission of the individual Christian community will become more intense—the care and nurturing of individual Christians.

  1. Congregational Education is vital. A congregation must be confident in knowing who they are and what thy believe if they are to engage neighbors or the world in their mission. This has always been a focus of parish life, but educational components of many churches have been dropped in the last few decades. As long as the focus of congregational life was local, it didn’t seem to matter. This needs a remedy. Education must be intertwined with every activity.
  2. Social Awareness must be nurtured. You will begin to hear from Christians from places you never considered as being Christian. Congregations must understand, for instance, the challenges Christians face in Islamic nations, where Christians can be ostracized from their families or jailed. While freedom of religion is taken for granted by many Americans, some religions maintain cultural holds on their people even IN America.
  3. The Church needs to become attuned to the minute causes of community as well as the big picture. We live in an age where anyone can bring a cause to the public’s attention. Yellow ribbons, pink ribbons, donation cans, something-a-thons become very focused. Keeping up with them will be an ongoing mission challenge.
  4. Personal faith must be deepened. Savvy companies teach every employee that they are a representative of their company culture. The Church needs to foster the same sense of ownership among members. Every member reflects on the congregation. Congregations will want their members to be knowledgeable and engaged as representatives of their church.
  5. The biggest change is that many congregations will be able to rebound from survival mode and see themselves as important. Their interconnectedness will give them energy, resources and renewed purpose.
19 Mar 2012

LinkedIn Can Help Church Pros Connect . . . If They Use It

LinkedIn is a powerful networking tool similar to Facebook but with a professional focus.

It packs a powerful punch for anyone wanting to connect with people in a specific sphere of interest. You can use LinkedIn to find professionals who might be willing to help you. Say, for instance, you are looking for someone who has worked in ministry with disabled people or who can preach in Arabic. You can look for people with those specific skills.

Conversely, you might have a skill you feel is underused. You can feature your special interest in your profile.

LinkdIn is an “opt-in” medium. The user chooses to particpate in the online community. Users can look for connections, accept referrals, and ask for introductions.

LinkedIn users can join groups . . . also entirely opt-in. Professionals can only connect by getting someone they already know to introduce them. Even then, the person of interest must accept and initiate any resulting communication.

It’s a fairly safe way to form relationships with peers that can be helpful in your work.

One would think that anyone going to the trouble to complete a LinkedIn profile would be serious about using this amazing networking tool. Most groups are filled with names willing to be found or to help others in their searches.

2×2 found a very odd exception. We looked at a group formed around a Protestant denomination. The group had hundreds of members with very detailed profiles. Most of them had their identities shielded!

What a waste of communication potential!

Again, the Church fails to understand how the tools of today’s world can be used in mission. What are church LinkedIn members afraid of? Why bother joining a professional network and then back away from any ability to take advantage of its potential?

It’s crazy! Back to the cloister!

photo credit: JeremyMP [Catching Up] via photopin cc
15 Mar 2012

Encouraging Social Media Engagement in Congregations

Among the most frequently asked questions among new bloggers/social media practitioners is “How do we get people to “like” us or “comment.”

This is particularly difficult in the church setting because Social Media breaks a 2000-year-old tradition. Preachers preach. Congregants listen. Traditional communication is one way.

If pastors are encouraging parishioners to voice theological thoughts in public, they are asking people to make a major change in their spiritual relationships with God, the Church, and with other people. They may feel awkward, vulnerable or unqualified. This will take time.

Encouraging religious dialog among the laity is a worthwhile goal and long, long overdue. Trust must be established. Confidence must be built. Faith must be prepared for inevitable challenges. It’s a tall order and not to be rushed.

Here are some ideas.

  • Start with younger members. They are closer to their confirmation years and much more comfortable with social media, although many do not see it as a place for serious thought. Still, they are a most likely to consider it. The challenge will be to build their confidence to speak outside their circle of peers.
  • Prime the pump. Ask three people to write a blog or start a conversation on Facebook. Help them. Teach them. Guide them.
  • Engage the congregation or forum group in conversation about the online dialog and specifically ask some of them to share their insights on line. You can lead the way with your own “like” or comment.
  • Create an online poll asking questions that the posts raised. This is an easy first online engagement for people. It’s anonymous but people can see how it works.
  • Repeat this cycle monthly or quarterly or as topics arise in your community or congregation.

One more idea:

Blogging Roundtable

Have a blog roundtable. Sometimes these are called blog carnivals. It’s a new idea so you can choose any name you like. Make it fun. Blogging rodeo? Blogging round-up? Blogfest?

Ask several or many people to write on a given topic and submit a 500-word or less post in email, text or document format. Post an introductory blog to present the topic and explain the roundtable concept. Set a deadline about 10 days away. Do some behind the scenes nudging to make sure you have at least a few responses. Run a few tickler posts on the topic to get mental juices flowing. On the appointed day, publish ALL the posts at once and encourage participants and readers to mix, match and compare. You might even run a “like” contest or poll to see which ideas resonate best.

This could help rally people and engage them in a fun way.

photo credit: lovestruck. via photopin cc

23 Feb 2012

Does Social Media Threaten the Future of the Organized Church?

A veteran parish pastor, now retired, loves to tell the story of a conversation he had many years ago with a young adult congregant who was drifting away from church after years of faithful attendance as a child.

“I don’t believe in organized religion,” the young woman said. The pastor quipped, “Do you prefer disorganized religion?”

Today, that pastor could safely quip, “Not to worry! There is no such thing as organized religion.”

The organized Church is unraveling.

The Roman Catholic Church, the paradigm of structure, is scrambling to bolster its traditional teachings against changing popular sentiment and practices. Its hierarchical structure is threatened by disinterest. There are fewer candidates for priesthood and religious orders. That means the power of the hierarchy is made available to fewer candidates, leaving weaker talent to rise to the top. It should be no surprise that scandal has followed. Without the traditional pool of workers to staff parishes, the foundations of parish traditions — the schools — are closing or merging. They may be more economic but will struggle to provide the parish identity which parishioners value as highly as the quality of education.

Protestants are not immune. They tend to get less media attention, but they, too, face challenges attracting professional leadership, dwindling support, and their share of scandal.

What does this mean to the average believer?

It means the laity will carry a greater burden in maintaining and administering parishes. They will do so with negligible support from any hierarchy. They will be asked to commit  time and resources that begin to outweigh the investment of professional leadership. They will have no support system when there is trouble—and there WILL BE trouble.

As a result, lay Christians will think twice before committing to supporting any congregation. The remaining hierarchy will reward the laity who are strong followers and penalize the laity who step into the leadership void. The faithful will have a tougher time meeting the expectations set for them in healthier days. Since lay involvement is, for the most part, volunteer, they, too, will become fewer in number.

As things deteriorate the blame game will begin. As the stakes get higher, the game will become nastier. The basic tenants of Christianity will be tested.

Much of this prediction is already happening.

If you don’t believe in organized religion, there was never a better time to sign up!

But 2×2 does not like to leave any reader feeling hopeless. While troubling, we view this as growing pains. 

The old structure is crumbling but a new Church is emerging. New life will take root in the ruins of the past.

The internet is rebuilding the foundation of the Church. The laity now have a voice. The hierarchy won’t like it and will try to control it. They will fail.

There are controls, however. The “joy stick” is not in any one person’s hand. We are entering a time when we will be held accountable by one another, not by a hierarchy.

Hang in there, Christians. This is going to get exciting!

photo credit: Denise ~*~ via photopin cc
22 Feb 2012

Google Insights Can Reveal Ministry Opportunity

As we explore and learn social media, we turned this weekend to a fairly new social media tool, Google Insights. This tool measures internet activity revolving around key words.

We plugged in key words of topics that interest us to see if they interest anyone else.

We searched for interest in “social media ministry.” The graph that pops up with amazing speed reflects our experience. We have long known that our readers are interested in this topic.

Goggle Insights Results for "Social Media Ministry"

We plugged in “children’s ministry” and “family ministry.” The results showed a decline in interest — not dramatic but decidedly so-so. We experienced the same results with our posts on ministry for children. We have also noted that ministry to children is neglected in many of the churches we visit.

Then we plugged in “multicultural ministry.” This is a topic that the our denomination has announced is a priority. The Google Insights graph revealed a flat line with sharp and short-lived spikes occurring about annually. There is only sporadic interest in this topic!

Google Insights Results for "Multicultural Ministry"

What does this tell us? There are a few possibilities.

  1. If multicultural ministry is a goal, groundwork must be laid. The Church is starting from scratch with this concept. Awareness of multicultural ministry challenges and opportunities must be promoted.
  2. Multicultural Ministry will be an uphill effort. Measurable success may be a long way off. Success might be fleeting.
  3. Other things concern congregations more. Any effort at Multicultural Ministry is likely to take a back seat.
  4. Leadership must be developed for this type of ministry.

The data fails to inform in some areas. It measures only interest — not need.

Why are there occasional, sharp spikes? Was there some event at that time that raised momentary interest?

The value of these “insights” is in what the Church does with the data.

  • Opportunities must be identified.
  • Churches and leaders must have some training and leadership.
  • Instant results should not be expected.
  • Since, there is so little interest, there is likely little experience. All ideas and efforts need to be given a chance.
12 Feb 2012

The Art of the Video Interview

Why? and How?: An Interviewer’s Best Friends

Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How?

Six questions every video interviewer needs to know.

There are six well-known questions all journalists employ. They are called the five Ws and an H. Who?, What?, When?, Where?, Why? and How?.

The first four are of less value to video interviewers because the answers to the questions do not encourage complete sentences.

  • Who is leading this ministry? Answer: John and Mary Doe.
  • What are the plans? Answer: To help the homeless.
  • When will your event take place? Answer: Friday morning.
  • Where will this happen? Answer: Central Park

That makes for a boring and ineffective video interview. Would you stay tuned?

The last two staple questions can help you turn the first four Ws into dialog. Why and How questions are open-ended. You can get the information you are seeking in the first four Ws by asking good  Why and How questions.

  • How did your group decide on this ministry? Answer: Every Sunday, John and Mary Doe passed a man pushing a shopping cart with all his possessions down the street. At first they didn’t know how to help but  . . .
  • Why did this man’s plight move John and Mary? Answer: They remembered the stories their parents had told them of hard times in the Depression. They were always taught to appreciate God’s blessings and . . . . .
  • How can the neighborhood support you? Answer: You can come to the rally in Central Park next Friday morning at  9 am and be prepared to . . .

You can see how careful wording of questions will elicit colorful, meaningful answers. It just takes a bit of practice. Ask a friend to rehearse with you or stand in front of a mirror and ask yourself your intended questions. Role play the answers. You will quickly learn how to phrase questions to draw good, colorful, story-telling answers.

Make best friends with Why and How and the other four Ws will tag along.

11 Feb 2012

Why Use Video on Your Church Blog?

There is a great answer to this question: video improves the effectiveness of your blog or web site by nearly 700%! Astounding.

If you have an iphone and a computer you have most of what it takes to create videos for your web site. Of course, if you have a video camera, that is also good.

While there are things you can learn to make your videos better and more effective, there is not a great learning curve. We’re going to start exploring this with 2×2.

The advice for getting started:

  • Before you start, plan topics for 10 videos. This will assure that your efforts have direction and you won’t use initial difficulty as an excuse to stay out of the water.
  • Think short topics. Two minutes is a good goal.
  • Create a youtube account and upload your videos. Then link your web site to your youtube site.

That’s it in a nutshell. We’ll explore it more deeply in later posts.

photo credit: Tonymadrid Photography via photopin cc

09 Feb 2012

23 Advantages for Churches Using Social Media

A business web site (businessesgrow.com) recently published a list of 25 non-financial benefits of business blogging.

The list can be adapted to show the benefits of church blogging. Our list is a little shorter. We combined some things. Here goes:

  1. Create a database of answers.
    Seekers and members ask the same questions over and over. The need to have ready answers for most Frequently Asked Questions inspired Luther’s Small Catechism. Archive your answers to the questions you hear most often.
  2. Showcase your workers.
    Shine the spotlight on your volunteers. It is likely to inspire and encourage others.
  3. Integrate your message.
    Your pastor and church leaders create content regularly when they preach and teach. Give their work broader reach.
  4. Help search engines find your church.
    A lively church blog will rank over those annoying listings by the internet version of the phone book yellow pages.
  5. Tell your community why your congregation is different.
    Make your ministry stand out.
  6. Lay the foundation for other forms of communication.
    If you have an active blog, it will be easy to create a newsletter or congregational report. Cut and paste!
  7. Show your face.
    Your blog will reveal your congregation’s personality. Potential visitors will feel like they know you before they cross the threshold. Be assured — visitors today look at web sites first!
  8. Measure your vitality.
    A church with an active blog is proving they are engaged in the community with relevant and purposeful activity.
  9. Good public relations.
    Churches always have trouble attracting the attention of the press. If your blog has good community content, your local papers will find you.
  10. A quick and easy way to communicate with your current membership.
    If your members subscribe to your blog, they will get an immediate notification of breaking news. No need for the phone chain. Just don’t abuse it if you want to keep your followers.
  11. Engage your congregation.
    This may take some patient nurturing, but your congregation’s blog can become a place for congregational interaction and provide valuable feedback to your leaders.
  12. Ask questions.
    How many vestry or council meetings are spent debating what the congregation wants? With a congregational blog, you can ask them. Pose a question two weeks before a meeting and see what people have to say. If you want to keep this a valuable tool, be prepared to listen to the answers and respond wisely.
  13. Crisis management.
    You do not have to rely on anyone else to supply facts about your ministry. You can tell your OWN story! When a controversial decision is reached, use your blog to help the disgruntled understand. If your denomination is in the news, add your slant to the public issue.
  14. Forum for ideas.
    Again, this will take some nurturing, but foster the sharing of mission ideas. If people know they can make a difference, they will speak up. Be prepared to respond to ideas. No one likes to put their thoughts on the line only to be ignored.
  15. Give your leaders a platform.
    If their ideas are good, they will catch the attention both within and outside your community. That’s giving your church new reach and authority!
  16. Segmentation.
    This is something we don’t think about in the church. We like to think of ourselves as being “one.” There are, however, sub-interests within any united congregation. With the internet you can address these without leaving anyone out. In the business world it’s called “market segmentation.” In the church, it might mean directing some blog posts or creating a separate page or category within your blog for singles, youth, church musicians, daycare parents or Sunday School teachers.
  17. Identify advocates.
    An active blog will create “fans.” It’s nice to have supporters and know who they are!
  18. Inexpensive way to keep connected.
    You can gently remind your audience of upcoming events without the time to make phone calls or incur the cost of sending letters or postcards.
  19. Measure controversial issues.
    Should you change the time of worship this summer? You can debate this in a vacuum OR poll your members on your blog.
  20. Create a volume of work.
    Your blog will create your congregation’s history. Take your posts and create a quarterly or annual report. Your loyal members are likely to purchase an “annual” if you make printed copies available and include lots of photos.
  21. Network.
    Your blog can help you find people with special skills for a variety of needs from programming to building maintenance. Vendors may even be willing to contribute or discount services if you give them a plug and a link on your blog.
  22. Connect with people on an emotional level.
    Most congregational publications are fairly dry. Blogs can come to life with good story-telling, photos and video.
  23. Prove to your community that you understand today’s world. 
08 Feb 2012