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Three Benefits of a Church’s Pastor Engaging in Social Media

There are many different factors that go into someone deciding upon a church to attend including timing and location.  But the general vibe and atmosphere of a church also influences a person’s decision point.

Having your church congregation online is an incredible way to create a vibe and atmosphere, if done well, and should be encouraged. However, having the church Pastor online brings about another layer of familiarity and authenticity to a church. As shown in the infographic below by The Barna Group, Pastors are increasingly believing in the importance of social media to their church’s ministry.

Here are 3 reasons why I feel a church’s pastor should be regularly engaging in and utilizing social media:

  1. The Pastor’s engagement online gives the church a personality.

The pastor using social media creates a space whereby the church is more human and accessible, dispelling the myth that pastors are inaccessible to the general public.  By being open and authentic online, which could look like posting their own photos, events and musings, brings a “face” to the church even before actually meeting face-to-face.

A pastor’s online presence also gives a glimpse as to what the preaching might be like as well as the overall tone of a church community. 

2. Social media familiarizes the Pastor with their community’s current cares and concerns, and vice-versa.

It has been my experience as a Pastor, that by keeping up-to-date on posts on my Facebook Neighbourhood Groups, and even following locals on Twitter, that I stay in-tune with issues and factors affecting my community.  It has helped shape my sermons as well as overall responses by our church.

Pastors can also use social media to direct people to their church’s website for more information and providing neighbourhood needs, i.e. community services they offer such as food bank, volunteering, etc.

3. Social media can be an extension of your current pastoral ministry.

Some people feel they can be more vulnerable online vs. in person.  It has been my experience that many people – particularly those with a more introverted personality – are more willing to share their cares and concerns in a private direct message on Facebook.  A pastor who is willing to minister on social media brings the church online’s presence from that of broadcasting only (i.e. the posting of church events), to a place of interaction and engagement.  Please see the video below by The Gospel Coalition with regards to “using social media as an extension of your platform.”

How about you?  If you were actively searching for a church family to be part of, would having a pastor actively posting on social media positively influence your decision on checking out their church?

Three Benefits of a Church’s Pastor Engaging in Social Media

Hey you! Yes you. You’re awesome!

via Hey you! Yes you. You’re awesome!

Well done CCVERBRUGH! My personal criteria for movie watching:

– David Fincher always works
– Avoid Cameron Diaz and Liam Hemsworth like the plague (there are others)
– Amy Adams and Sean Penn are Jedi knights of acting (there are others too)
– Aaron Sorkin is the DaVinci of script writing

I love Aaron Sorkin! From his Newsroom intro to The Social Network (directed by Fincher) to his most recent Molly’s Game. I make a point of watching his works more than once … because of subtlety and entertainment value.

In the spirit of your blog … I think you’ll like this video.

Thank you for this!

 

7 Common SMS Marketing Mistakes You Could be Making By Henry Cazalet — Technopreneur

Free-Photos / Pixabay Since SMS marketing burst onto the scene in the late 90s, it’s matured. It’s no longer viewed as a new and edgy concept adopted by a few forward-thinking tech start-ups. Most companies have tried SMS in some capacity and many have well-established SMS strategies as an integrated and essential part of their […]

via 7 Common SMS Marketing Mistakes You Could be Making By Henry Cazalet — Technopreneurph

Circles within circles

(by MsMexplores)

In some ways, this whole social media familiarization course that we’re on is like what my son used to describe as a “circle story.”

In other words, it’s a narrative that lands you – after some asides, twists and turns – right back where you started. You may have learned something new or experienced some change in perspective, but the landscape is pretty much the same.

So it goes for me, at this point. I WANT to understand and ultimately embrace social media at whatever level seems best, most comfortable for me. I understand that I need to do this in order to remain part of the society I live in. I WANT to remain an active, contributing member of my culture. I don’t want to be the dinosaur, unable to adapt and left behind.

But another part of me remains fearful and doubtful. For all the benefits and remarkable positive results I learn about, there are at least as many horror stories that have come into sharp focus. Where is the balance: who or what is driving and/or regulating this beast that has emerged as the worldwide social media phenomenon?

One thing that gives me faint hope is the challenging public debate now emerging about the governance and oversight of social media. Various media reports of recent weeks have talked about several such events.

For example, Facebook is repeatedly being called to task by the German government for its handling of numerous examples of hate speech (see ‘Germany’s fight against Facebook hate’, in the Sun. Dec. 4/16 edition of the Toronto Star – an article that originated in The New York Times).

Google is going to the Supreme Court of Canada soon to fight a court order that directed it to remove from its search engine results a company that had been selling online the patented research technology of a competitor Canadian company, Equustek Solutions based in British Columbia. Google’s position is that it can’t be called upon to be an enforcer on the Internet: it is just a search engine in this case. This is a new area for the Supreme Court, so observers in many camps are watching closely.

There’s also the uproar about Facebook and “fake news” that was posted during the recent presidential election campaign in the United States. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has responded to growing public outcry over “fake” news on the site with new measures to cut down on misinformation posted by dubious sources. His seven-point plan includes stronger detection measures, verification of third-party sources by fact-checking organizations, possible warning notices and flagging of suspect stories by either third parties or members of the Facebook community. Specifics have yet to be spelled out, but it’s a start.

If we can keep challenging what we know is wrong, keep forcing pushback against the digital and multimedia giants with widespread, open debate then maybe – just maybe – we can turn the worst elements of this information-sharing explosion around.