williamhenley8
Even with all of the focus going towards the internet and social media, there are still many “hold outs” in the church thinking the internet is no good for them and the church doesn’t need to do “marketing”.
According to Pew Research, there are now more than 7.7 billion people on the planet. Out of that 7 billion, 4.54 billion of them are internet users! Can you imagine that? 4.54 billion people, that’s more than half of the entire population using the internet! If your goal is to reach and disciple people in today’s fast-paced tech world, the internet is the field from which you can glean and social media gives you direct access to billions of people in need of true discipleship.
If you think that is impressive, check this out. Of the 4.54 billion people that are on the internet, more than 3.8 billion of them are social media users! That’s right, 3.8 billion people use social media for the purpose of reaching out, keeping in touch, and getting informed.
If the church is going be successful in this new day of ministry and kingdom building, then it will have to find a way to take its foundational place in this new fast-changing world of radical social interaction.
Even though this new extension of growth and outreach is unfamiliar, the church will have to learn to adapt and utilize the necessary tools to penetrate this “new norm”. Just as the church needs to have a foundational place in the family, government, and the marketplace, it also has to have a foundational voice in social media. Social media is not just a place people go, it is the way we learn, communicate, are entertained, and so much more. Social media has been woven into the fabric of our society. As time goes on, social media will become even more of an integral part of how we interact with one another in our communities and how we express our faith.
To make the deepest and most lasting impact on the church’s future growth, it is imperative that ministries begin to consider (if you haven’t already), implementing a strategic digital growth marketing plan for building your online church discipleship initiatives.
In this new tech digital age, online interactions are not only vital to the current growth of your church, but it is an integral part to ensure you are in the proper position for continued future expansion.
Do you realize that anyone 14 years and under has never experienced life without social media? For the youth of today, being online is second nature. It has become an inherent part of their lives just as television, radio, and telephone were such an integral part of our development. Today it is even more of an influence because now people carry their television, newspaper, radio, telephone, encyclopedia, and access to the answer of any question in their minds, right in the palm of their hand.
In this new day that is being thrust on us, it is imperative we see the tremendous opportunity the Lord has opened for us through the vehicles of the internet and social media, to help us seize the strength of this kairos moment and assist with ushering in one of the greatest harvest times the kingdom has ever seen.
Marketing is nothing but a plan you use to inform people about yourself, your business, or any other product or service.
There are many ministries that believe the church should only grow organically without the assistance of growth technologies. Actually, there is nothing wrong with the “word of mouth only” tactic for building the church. In some ways, it does help keep somewhat better “control” of the local church environment.
The problem comes when you consider the loss of influence the church has been suffering in our nation. The world is speaking loudly, and unfortunately the church has not been speaking loud enough or not penetrated the hearts of people deep enough to cause the culture to pause and consider God. We know this is true because when COVID 19 hit, the government and the people both considered the church, unessential.
The internet and social media are giving us another opportunity to cast our nets for a draught!
Facebook alone has more than 2.6 billion monthly viewers.
How often in the time that you have been serving in ministry have you set out to purposely reach and disciple 2.6 billion people?
Social media marketing is different from traditional marketing. It’s personal. It is the personal interaction with individual people to bring them direct information about who you are, what you think, and how you can best make a difference in their lives through your interactions on social media. Once enlightened, even the staunchest people who are against “marketing” for the church, can find a place of agreement in social media.
If you can find a way to communicate your thoughts, ideas, intentions to people wherever they may be, not just if they come to the place you are, then you will be in a much better position to influence their lives and start the process of discipleship.
