Download pdf - How to use Social Media in Ministry

How to use Social Media

in ministry?

Practical applications

By John Roland, MDiv

Social Media Strategist

Twitter: @jaroland74

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/johnaroland

Social Media Benefits . . .

Four main benefits:

• communication

• collaboration

• community

• collective intelligence opportunities

John Roland, @jaroland74

Social Media Revolution 2015


• Social Media (SM) and the Donut Factor---We can define social

media in terms of donuts, but think of SM more like an appetizer

or dessert in your marketing mix. It’s certainly NOT the main

entrée and won’t fill you up … yet.


“We don’t need social media.”

• You may be ignoring social media, but it’s not ignoring you.

• Ignore Social Media at Your Own Risk.

• Churches, Ministries, and the entire community are active

in social media.

• They engage in peer discussion.

• If you don’t engage with them, the conversation continues.

• But, it goes on without you.



2014 Pew Research Survey

• The results in this report are based on American

adults who use the internet. Other key findings:

• Multi-platform use is on the rise: 52% of online

adults now use two or more social media sites, a

significant increase from 2013, when it stood at 42%

of internet users.

• For the first time, more than half of all online

adults 65 and older (56%) use Facebook. This

represents 31% of all seniors.• http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/09/social-media-update-2014/#socialmedia


How does Social Media relate

to ministry?

• Social media is ALL about the

SOCIAL in the Social Media.

• Media will change, SOCIAL will not. It is ALL about

people. It is a tool to CONNECT to people.

• Sound familiar?

• Are you good at Pastoral Ministry? Social media is for

you!


Why Social Media? Think Dale Carnegie

• 1. AROUSE IN THE OTHER PERSON AN EAGER WANT (establish a

problem solver brand)

• 2. BECOME GENUINELY INTERESTED IN OTHER PEOPLE.

• 3. GIVE HONEST, SINCERE APPRECIATION

• 4. BE A GOOD LISTENER. ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO TALK ABOUT

THEMSELVES

• 5. TALK IN TERMS OF THE OTHER PERSON’S INTERESTS

• 6. REMEMBER THAT A PERSON’S NAME IS TO THAT PERSON THE

SWEETEST AND MOST IMPORTANT SOUND IN ANY LANGUAGE

• 7. SMILE (present yourself in a pleasant, happy way)

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/significantly-improve-your-online-marketing-applying-seven-graham?trk=object-title

Social media is a super tool!


Social media can be

misunderstood


Cannot fool all the people . . .

• In the 15 years since Bill Clinton sat in the Oval Office, the Internet overwhelmed

the media "gatekeepers"—the few dozen priestly reporters and editors who

determined what news, opinion, and gossip the public would hear about.

• Today, there are 300 million people equipped to do their own reporting, writing,

and publishing. You can't keep the truth from them. You can't bully them all or

fool them all.

• That is why transparency, authenticity, and accountability are sacred attributes

of any modern leader. Whether you're running a church, a business, or a political

party, leadership is now a lying-free zone.

• http://www.nationaljournal.com/2016-elections/hillary-clinton-a-pay-phone-candidate-in-an-iphone-world-

20150310

Watch Out, Pastors: Millennials Are Fact-

Checking Your Sermons

• The one-way communication from pulpit to pew is not how Millennials experience

faith.

• By nature of digital connectedness, Millennial life is interactive.

• For many of them, faith is interactive as well—whether their churches are ready

for it or not.

• It's an ongoing conversation, and it's all happening on their computers, tablets

and smart phones.

• What's more, many of them bring their devices with them to church.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2013/october/watch-out-pastors-millennials-are-fact-checking-your-

sermon.html?paging=off

Top 4 Ways Millennials are integrating

technology & faith by Barna

https://www.barna.org/barna-update/millennials/640-how-technology-is-changing-millennial-faith#.VQ4rKY7F9yy

Watch Out, Pastors: Millennials Are Fact-

Checking Your Sermons


One-in-Five Americans Share

Their Faith Online

http://www.pewforum.org/2014/11/06/religion-and-electronic-media/#electronic-forms-of-religious-engagement

http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/08/05/72-of-online-adults-are-social-networking-site-users/

Humor break—Just go outside!


Who are your followers??

• NASCAR driver tweeted a picture of a crash at

the Dayton 500 race while inside his car and

added 100,000 new followers in under 2 hours.


Who are your followers??

• To truly take advantage of the benefits, we need to

know who is in our network or “tribe.”

• Seth Godin defines a tribe as “a group of people

connected to one another, connected to a leader,

and connected to an idea. For millions of years,

human beings have been part of one tribe or another.

A group needs only two things to be a tribe: a shared

interest and a way to communicate.”


Tribes—we need you to lead us


What do you want to POST?

•P: People (Who do you want to reach?)

•O: Objective (What do you want them to

do?)

•S: Strategy (How to do it?)

•T: Technology (Implementing

Technology)


Pick 5 Social Media channels and stick

with them.


4 minute overview on How to

Use Twitter & Tweeting



Great use of Twitter in

ministry by Matt Chandler

post sermon Q&A via #AskTVC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSQBGXHS5tc

Comments on Google Hangouts

• FREE—just need a webcam and a gmail account.

• Love watching Scott Smith’s GBC Evangelism

Google Hangouts.

• Focus on authenticity rather than flashy

videography.

• 10 people are allowed on camera at a time.

• Q&A via Twitter or Google+

• Posts on YouTube channel automatically.

2 minute example—

Great use of Google Hangouts

by Pastor Greg Surrat

http://www.gregsurratt.org/hangouts/

2 minute explanation of

LinkedIn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myGxNhGO4x0&index=7&list=PLEkF__EZwFZKYfGAqPtFWa_oz2geAfucE

• Create a living resume (professional picture a must)

with active recommendations, connections, and links.

• Actively request recommendations from people who

have seen your work. Link them to your profile.

• LinkedIn is a massive networking opportunity for

professionals and contributing to the group discussions

will present you as a thought leader in your industry.

• You should target the right groups and start

conversations related to your areas of expertise.


• Tremendous opportunity to encourage

Georgia Baptist people.

• Endorse people, recommend them in their

areas of excellence.

• Wonderful tool to connect and support

people where they are.


Listen to the voices . . .

• What is being said about you in Social Media?

• Set up Google Alerts that notifies you when someone

mentions you on the internet.

• Set up a listening station. Great example on how to do it:

www.zephyrmarketing.net

• Social Mention* searches across multiple channels for

mentions of you or your ministry in real time


Tools to manage Social Media

• Hootsuite.com

• Buffer.com

• Both FREE sites allow you to schedule

your posts and bring some balance to

your social media activities!

How GBC employees can use

social media?

• Thank people by name using their Twitter account

handle. Make heroes out of them.

• Encourage by endorsing and recommending pastors

and volunteers on LinkedIn.

• Include as many pictures & videos (with permission) of

people and volunteers in your posts as possible.

• Create authentic online connections (Google

Hangouts) to thought leaders for GBC pastors.

How GBC employees can use

social media?

Future of

Social Media?


Future of Social Media?

• Everything is going to mobile devices.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRiwUCXPo8U&list=PLEkF__EZwFZKYfGAqPtFWa_oz2geAfucE&index=9

Future of Social Media?

• It is all about short, quick video.

• Posts are viewed exponentially more

when a picture or video is attached.

• Meerkat, Vine, Instagram, & Snapchat

are expected to grow tremendously.


Future of Social Media in

ministry?

• Live streaming video of services.

• Interactive sermons (live tweets, texting).

• People taking selfies of them living out the

theme of the message.

• Continuous dialogue with ministry leaders is

expected. No more gatekeepers.

• More video conferencing for conventions.


Do not be afraid!

• Social media is ALL about the

SOCIAL in the Social Media.

• Media will change, SOCIAL will not. It is ALL about

people. It is a tool to CONNECT to people.

• Sound familiar?

• Are you good at Pastoral Ministry? Social media is for

you!

