As a church, being missional should be a priority. From welcoming people who visit each week to inviting people to come to your events, you should be reaching out and making sure people feel loved and have opportunities to encounter the Gospel.
Many church leaders argue that social media doesn’t matter because being missional requires face-to-face interactions, but research shows that 50% of people trust churches, companies, and organizations more when they prove to be transparent online. This includes social media and websites. Research also shows that two-thirds of the United States adult population interact with social media. Churches should create strategic and missional social media content that reaches the masses.
Our team of experts wants you to have not only the statistics that show the importance of being missional online, but we also want you to have the tools you need to be successful. Consider implementing these four values as you plan your future church social media content.
Inspire with Church Social Media
One reason people turn to church social media is to find inspiration. From pastors looking for their next big idea to churches trying to discover new ways to serve their community, social media provides a great space to inspire others. Even encouraging your followers to love Jesus more intentionally can inspire them to become better followers of Christ.
Check out New Spring Church. They do an excellent job showing their followers what’s happening at their church and inspiring them to love people more.
Teach with Church Social Media
Use your church social media platforms to teach Christian values. Try using a live stream, showcasing snippets from weekly sermons, or creating graphics that teach Gospel truths.
North Point Community Church does a great job posting content that helps enlighten their followers about the truths in scripture on their social media account. Be sure to follow them for more ideas on how to use social media to teach the masses.
Share With Church Social Media
When Christians think of the word “share,” they commonly think of sharing the Gospel. While this is a great way to use your church social media accounts, you can share so much more to draw people in. From sharing the impact of previous events on your congregation to sharing financial information for people to see, sharing information via social media can be a great opportunity to keep people in the loop and show how God is using your church. The more transparent you are on social media, the more people trust in your church. Sharing information can create a trusting bond between your church and your social media followers.
One church that has seen quite an increase in engagement after sharing specifics of their church is Eagle Brook Church. Sharing things that happen within their church and being transparent has proven to be a great asset to this church and their social media followers.
Invite with Church Social Media
Most churches want to see that their online efforts lead to an increase in their weekly attendance. Church social media is a great way to open the door to tell people when and where to meet. Through using sponsored ads, churches can even extend the invitation to people in their community beyond just their followers, too. The more you can promote your church’s events, the more opportunities people will have to see and respond.
Social media can even be used to draw in people outside your community. Since many people use social media as a way to find a place to fit in, it provides a great platform for churches to meet that need. People want to feel understood, valued, and affirmed. Even taking a look at the top people and organizations that use social media, a common theme can be seen: encouragement and positivity. Using these two characteristics as your baseline as a church can reach out into the world and draw in people you might not have drawn in otherwise.
One church that is doing an amazing job promoting these aspects is The Rock City Church. They publish attractive content that reaches people both in their community and beyond their community. Check out their posts and the engagement they receive through their content. They are a great example to follow.
Next Steps
Before you jump in and begin posting, take some time and map out what you want your social media accounts to look like. Make a plan, implement the church social media tips above, and have goals that you can regularly fall back on so you know if you are moving in the right direction.
One way to do this is by creating engaging church media to use on your social sites. Get started by choosing from 90,000+ images, templates, and pre-designed files to customize and use through Sharefaith Media. We’ve got a library of social media images to help you stop the scroll and reach people with your church’s message.
