williamhenley8
With us rounding the corner on COVID 19, it seems the future growth of the church will partly fringe on our ability to adjust to the changing ways that we will have to interact with our congregations and grow our ministries in the future.
With so many saying they are still leery of returning to services, and some wondering if they will return any time within the next year, it stands to reason that for the church to maintain its continuity of new and sustained growth, they will have to invest in and consider the new ways that tech innovation will help sustain their congregations through the pandemic and transition them for success in the future.
As I go to popular social media sites on Facebook, or popular curators of content on the different platforms, I like many have asked, “What makes their videos or content special?” Most times, when I look at them I see no real difference in many of the other posts I read. As a matter of fact, many I see that are “popular” are not much better than the ones that are not. What makes them so popular? Although the answer may be complex, the bottom line is not. What moves media online is a matter of engagement. People love engagement. They love being a part of the conversation, and the more people are speaking on the conversation, the more popular it has a chance to become.
With your congregation, not only do you have instant followers but more importantly you have a group of people who are genuinely moved by your content. By teaching them to like, comment, and share the online activities from your organization, the people in your congregation will become great advocates for the mission of the church you have longed for them to become.
Statistics show that people trust the word of employees of a company 76% more than they trust the information coming directly from the organization itself.
As you teach them to become an active part of the online community, their online voice helps them become the new age outreach pioneers for your ministry. With your interactions planned and presented properly, your target market (your current membership) will continually be engaged and will cause them to share your posts with their family and friends.
Just as you have an expectation that your leaders attend services and work in the ministry, so should you request that same level of faithfulness and interaction to build the online church.
In the brick and mortar extension of your church, you normally want your people to be the extension of the church and draw others in. When you apply that same concept online, the result you get is the internets magical word called, engagement. Instant engagement and conversation. To grow your church now and into the future, it will be important to use the people in your congregation to build your ministry and the kingdom, one comment and like at a time.
It is time to change the way we use social media. We have to bring the conversations we are having in person; online. We can keep private conversations private of course, but healthy conversation and interaction online about the issues that mean the most to your congregation will yield great results! In time, you will see more and more unfamiliar names commenting and responding to the things you say.
Find a way to bring the culture of your organization to the world using social media and the world will respond.
The more people you have connecting, the better your chances of organic growth. Many think growth is not organic if you have people purposely commenting and liking on posts, but actually, you do the same thing when people come to church on Sunday and participate in the services and functions going on inside the building. The main difference is, on social media your interaction, relationship and fellowship is seen before many people and all can participate, at their convenience whether in your physical location or not.
It makes no difference if you have a small or a large congregation; In your church there is a culture, a way of living and believing that has drawn the people there. The preaching may be one reason, and the way you worship may be another. Maybe your organization is known for being friendly and inviting; whatever the reason, that is what you show online.
Here’s a good example: If you are known for having a family friendly environment, then you could use the phrase “Building Families With Care” and build an entire campaign around the theme of your thoughts, and visions about building families with care. From there you could get pictures of some families praying, or walking together smiling (always try to get images of people smiling, it draws others in), a couple holding hands, a father holding his children, or a mother kissing her child on the head, the list goes on and on. With social media, you can bring the words and expressions of the goals of the ministry to life. The key is to find creative ways to show the culture of your church through the interactions you post online.
