SOCIAL MEDIA

For Church Growth

A Beginner’s Guide
If you are launching your church’s social media
presence, this guide is a great place to start!

By implementing the principles here, you can

reach more people, and spread the Gospel.

The Center For Online Evangelism created this

guide with beginners in mind, but anyone can
benefit from the tips shared here.

Be on the look out for Part 2 coming soon!

OUTLINE
Why Your Church Should be on Social Media
What is Digital Evangelism?
Overview of Platforms
What is Church Growth?
Building Blocks for Your Church Social Media
Getting Your Entire Church Involved
Your Church Social Media Team
Know Your Target Audience
Time Management Tips
Managing Negative Comments
Social Media No Nos
How to Boost Engagement
Conclusion
Resources
Why Your Should Church Be On
Social Media

42% 90%
Of the world’s population is on Of millennials use social
social media media

Source: https://www.oberlo.com/blog/social-media-marketing-statistics
Why Your Should Church Be On
Social Media
The world is online The world is searching

Jesus went to the People search for

masses. As His almost any need
disciples, we should online. This
also work where includes searching
the masses are. faith-related topics.

More than half of Social media is one

the world’s of the main
population has platforms used to
access to the search for
internet. information.

Source: https://www.oberlo.com/blog/social-media-marketing-statistics
 What is
Digital Evangelism?
Social Media Ministry is a part of Digital Evangelism
Reaching the World
Digital Evangelism is the method by which we share the Gospel
with people online.

Since the masses are all online, it helps to have a strong online
presence.

There are various means by which we can meet the needs of

people online.

These methods include blogs, podcasts, social media, video

sharing platforms like YouTube and Vimeo, as well as messenger
platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook messenger.

Any device that gives an individual access to the internet can be

used to connect to people and share the Gospel.
What is Digital Evangelism?

Reaching the World

D.E. involves using internet platforms to reach the entire world
with the Gospel.

Using Digital Methods Effectively

D.E. is about learning the best ways to use these digital
platforms.

Meeting the Needs of People Online

Individuals who practice D.E. seek to meet the various needs of
online seekers. In this way, the door is opened to share the
Gospel.

Strengthen Adventist Presence

As people search to learn more about our faith, applying D.E. best
practices help ensure they find credible information about who we
are.
 Overview of
Platforms
Other platforms your church can use to reach more people

The Digital Age allows us to connect in ways that we never thought possible. These same platforms that connect many
individuals together can be used to connect the church with the people we are aiming to serve. Since most youth are
already online, they can be taught how to use their influence for good, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Churches
must begin to merge digital methods with traditional means of evangelism to connect with more people and share the
Three Angels Message with the world.
There are countless methods that can be used.
Here are some of the most popular platforms to
connect with the masses.

YouTube

Social Media

Church Website

Online small groups

Podcast

Blogs
 Best Platforms to Use for Your Church's
Online Presence

Facebook and
There isn’t one Your church does not When choosing a
YouTube are two of
platform that works need an active platform ask,
the most popular
for all churches. The account on all 1. What are our
platforms online. But
platform that you use platforms because goals?
Facebook is for an
will depend on the that can easily become 2. Who are we trying
older audience
goals and mission of overwhelming. to reach?
whereas platforms
your church, as well as Instead, choose one or 3. How will this
such as Instagram
your target audience. two platforms and platform help us
cater to a younger
work on those. accomplish our
audience.
goals?
What Do We Mean By ‘Church Growth?’

Using social media for church growth means we are

utilizing methods available to us to connect with
people, meet their needs, build a relationship with them
and invite them to learn more about Jesus Christ.

In the process, we also invite them to be a part of a

larger community where they can find support on their
journey to learning more about God.
 What Do We Mean By ‘Church
Growth?’

Growth in Relationships
As church members connect with others and build relationships,
they experience growth.

What are we
attracting people Personal Growth
When we learn more about the people we want to serve in our online and
to? physical community, we create content that caters to their needs. Relevant
content helps online visitors in their personal growth.

Growth of the Church

We see clearly in the book of Acts that as the apostles shared the Gospel, the church
physically grew. The actual growth of memberships should be one of the goals of online
ministry.

Growth in Christ
This digital evangelism method is a means to an end. The end is Jesus Christ. We want people to
have a personal, saving, growing relationship with the Savior. Your church social media should help
online seekers to grow in their personal relationship with Jesus.
Building Blocks
for Your
Church Social
Media
Purpose
What’s the reason behind your page? Is it just to take up
space online or reach people in your community?

Message
What’s the overall message you want to convey?
Your message should align with the overall mission
of your church and the Great Commission.
Content
How your message is presented is important. Are you using
videos, photos, and infographics? Be sure to consider your
audience when creating content.

Engagement
When users send a message to your page or
comment, engage with them so they know that
your church cares for them.

Goals
Write down what you hope to accomplish through
your social media ministry. Without goals you won’t
be able to measure the success of your ministry.
GETTING YOUR ENTIRE CHURCH
INVOLVED
To ensure the success of your social media
sccount, you will need to enlist the help of your
entire church.

Remind members to ‘like’ the page and interact

with the content there. Members can also refer
family members, friends, and people they meet
to your church’s page.

By doing this, they are connecting new people to

your church.

Don’t forget to collaborate with the pastoral

team!
Get a list of members who GATHER VOLUNTEERS They do not need to be
can volunteer their time directly involved in
to help with the page. maintaining the page, but
Group them into they can help create
categories. content and produce ideas
for the page.
For example:
- Graphic creators This is also a great
- Editors opportunity to get your
- Writers youth involved in ministry
- Photographers because they are heavy
- Video creators social media users.
There are members who may
not be able to help directly GATHER SUPPORTERS
with maintaining the church’s
social media.
Dispel the myth that
people who are not
However, they can support in
various ways:
on social media

- Give financial support for cannot support this

ads and equipment branch of ministry.
- Sharing content to the circle
- Referring friends and
neighbors to the page
- Providing resources so
volunteers can serve
effectively
 Your Church
Social Media
Team
Don’t burn yourself out. Successful online
ministry means you need assistance from
others.

Gather a team to help you create

and distribute content.

Others will also have ideas that will

help grow your ministry. Here are a
few spots to include on your team.
 Team Leader
Manages the team and
ensures there is a smooth
flow.
Writer/Editor
Creates and edits copy to
be posted.

Designer
Designs layout to match
the copy.

Photographer/ Captures content through

Videographer pictures and video.
 Know Your
Target Audience
Who are you trying to reach?
If you want your church social media to be effective, you need to
know who you are trying to reach.

Knowing your target audience guides you on the type of content

you share and how you share it.

The kind of Facebook page you would have if you want to connect
with your members will be different compared to a page created to
reach the community around the church.

When you have your target audience in mind, create a persona (or
avatar) then design each piece of content to attract and meet the
need of that character.
To create your target audience, answer the following questions:

Are we trying trying to connect with church members or with the

community?
What are the needs and aspirations of the community?
What is the demographic of our community?
What challenges do they face?
Do they have a background knowledge of our faith?
What are the common jobs?
Are they religious?
Time Management
Tips

Growing your church social

media presence takes time. This
means you must learn how to
properly manage your time so
you can work effectively and
avoid burn out.
 Schedule Posts Get on and off

There are programs (and even Getting distracted on social

platforms themselves) that let media is a huge problem for
you schedule your posts. This many. Tackle this by having a set
saves you time because you time. Go on your page, complete
don’t have to log on every day your task and sign off after a set
to post new content. time.

Assign Tasks Turn off notifications

Social media allows you to add If notifications are constantly

several people as admins or showing up on your phone, you
editors to your church will be tempted to answer every
account. Share the workload single one. Decrease the risk by
to avoid one person doing the turning off your notifications
bulk of the work. and implementing the preceding
step.
 Managing
Negative
Comments
Remember, people are emboldened to say hurtful things online for various reasons. The most common reasons
include, they too, are hurting and a sense of anonymity gives them the sense of security to say mean things.
 Once you begin to grow your online presence, you might face
trolling or harsh comments from users. It’s best to prepare and know
how to deal with the situation when it comes up.

Know when to block commenters. If a user is trolling or being

disrespectful, consider blocking or banning the individual from the page.

Remember, people are emboldened to say hurtful things online for various reasons. The most common reasons
include, they too, are hurting and a sense of anonymity gives them the sense of security to say mean things.
 Managing Negative Comments

Don’t respond out of anger. Take control of your emotions. If you

respond when your emotions are running high, you run the risk of
putting something out there that you would later regret.

Don’t take it personal. Taking negative comments as a personal attack

could be overwhelming. Keep in mind that your identity is not wrapped
up in something negative someone has to say.

Seek guidance from the Holy Spirit before responding to users who seem bent to hurt.
 SOCIAL MEDIA
NO NOs
FOR CHURCHES
Once it’s online, you can’t take it back…
Do not attack page visitors. Avoid heated debates. If someone continues to troll
or be disrespectful, you can block them or hide their comments if intervention
fails.

Do not stream or upload poor quality content. You have a few seconds to capture a
user’s attention, and a poor-quality production will turn people off from your church
and our mission.

You do not need a presence on every single platform. Start with one
platform that is best suited for your church and community and gradually
grow.

Do not promote your church and its events. If your content and strategy is
effective, people will be drawn to your church community. Focus on building
relationships and meeting their needs.
How to Boost Engagement
on Your Church Social Media
Accounts
It’s not enough to only amass followers and likes…
Social media success in ministry is measuered by the
quantity and quality of engagement. High engagement
means that your audience is interacting well with you.

Ask Questions
With more followers interacting
Questions withengage
help your audience you,in anawareness
organic way because
they are eager to share thoughts and opinions.
grows online about your church or ministry.

Jesus was successful in reaching the hearts of people

because He engaged with them.

His priority was not to amass a huge following but to

interact and touch their hearts with His message.
4 Ways to Boost Engagement

Post questions so that your audience can share thoughts and

opinions.

Create visually stimulating posts. Include pictures, graphics,

and videos.

Respond to your audience when they do engage

with your posts. This makes them feel valued.

Create polls. This is not only a great way to boost

engagement but an effective tactic to learn more about
your audience.
 You now have the basics to help you launch your social
media platform. Remember to work in the power of the
Holy Spirit through prayer.
Ask Questions
Questions help your audience engage in an organic way because
they are eager to share thoughts andCOE is here to help
opinions. where we can, so feel free to email
[email protected] with any questions.

The following slide provides a list of additional resources

to help you succeed in reaching more people online.
Ask Questions SDA Big Data Social Media Guidelines
Questions help your audience engage in an organic way because
Start an Online Small Group
they are eager to share thoughts and opinions.

Online Missionary Guide

Involve Youth in Digital Evangelism
Exploring Online Evangelism
About Facebook Ads
 COE provides training for churches and
conferences through webinars and
Ask Questions
workshops.
Questions help your audience engage in an organic way because
they are eager to share thoughts and opinions.

If you want to learn more about

implementing online evangelism strategies,
schedule a workshop today.

Book a Workshop