Should your church be involved with social media?
I get asked that question frequently.
I was recently in a church that didn’t have a Web site. I scolded them for that. Seriously, I don’t see how a church can expect to meet new people without a Web site. The majority of people these days will check out a church’s Web site before they ever visit the church. If there is no Web site…no visit. (That speaks to the quality of the Web site also.)
I’m not sure I can answer that question of social media for every church though, so I will try to guide you towards a decision that’s right for your church.
Consider these 3 questions:
Do you want to reach younger people?
If you want to reach people these days, you have to go where they are, and younger people hang out in a world of social media. The number one way people under 40 reach me is with a Facebook message. Twitter is growing. E-mail is still common, but not growing at the rate of the other two.
Will someone maintain it?
My friend Scott Williams says, “For a business to not have anyone responding to their social media streams is equivalent to not answering the phone.” You can’t simply have a social media presence and expect results. You have to commit to it and work it. Not being active in social media may be worse than not doing it at all.
Can you afford not to?
Again, I can’t answer that question, but can you reach the unchurched people you are attempting to reach without social media? If you can, perhaps you don’t need it. If you’re not sure, perhaps you should give it a try.
One suggestion I have is to find the person or persons in your church who are already active in social media. Get them to volunteer to help the church in this area. You don’t have to assign this to a staff person who isn’t interested or doesn’t understand. Find the right person, give them authority and responsibility, and let them help build the Kingdom through your church and social media.
How well is your church doing in social media?
Name a church you think is doing a good job in this area.
