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Social Media
Handbook
Tips for Effective Social and Digital Outreach for Churches
Over 100 million people watched The Bible miniseries in 2013! Now comes A.D., the
epic television series event that picks up where The Bible left off, at the resurrection
of Jesus and the action-packed journey of the first followers of Christ. Don’t miss
this opportunity to invite people to discover more about the stories they’re seeing!
The A.D. series premieres Easter Sunday, April 5, 2015 on NBC. This is an opportunity
for your church to reach your community and engage members.
The A.D. series and church campaign is an opportunity to engage your congregation
and community. Leverage your social media channels to share updates and invite as
many people as possible to experience this life-changing, 12-week campaign.
This social media guide is designed to give you a brief overview of how to use sites
such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and others to expand your outreach and invite
people to engage with your church.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ................................................................................................................ 3
Getting Started .......................................................................................................... 4
Email & Texting .......................................................................................................... 6
Facebook ................................................................................................................... 7
Google ...................................................................................................................... 13
Twitter ....................................................................................................................... 15
YouTube .................................................................................................................... 16
Pinterest ................................................................................................................... 17
Blogs ........................................................................................................................ 18
Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 19
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INTRODUCTION
How Does Your Congregation Connect?
Next time you get the chance, sit back and watch your congregation. Many are engaged in a
conversation with friends; some are scanning the bulletin; while others sit with their heads
down, looking intently at their phones or mobile devices. No matter the method they use—print,
conversation, or digital—each and every one is doing the same thing—connecting.
As a church leader, your role is to help your congregation connect—with God, with each other,
and with the community. And today we have a variety of tools available to help build those vital
connections.
You may already be familiar with the more traditional communication tools: radio, TV, e-mail, print,
direct mail, and word-of-mouth. Each remains an extremely valuable tool for reaching people.
Outreach tools such as A.D.-themed postcards, invitations, banners, and DoorHangers are available
at Outreach.com.
While traditional outreach and marketing remain essential to connecting with your community, every
church should consider digital tools as well. Church websites, blogs, Facebook pages and other
social networking sites can help you reach a broader audience.
What is social networking?
Social networking is a method of building relationships and connecting with large groups of
people through digital means. Where people once used the Internet primarily as a means of basic
communication and research, it has now grown to become a powerful tool for building personto-person relationships. It can be incredibly effective in allowing you to connect with a virtually
unlimited audience all over the world—and right in your own community.
Many churches are using social networking sites such as Facebook or Google+ to update their
congregations on ministries, events, and to maintain ongoing conversations. However, social
networking does take time. Whether you are marketing an event or a new sermon series, you must
take time to build relationships in order for social networking to be effective.
Please note: In the following pages, we will list several common social media sites. Outreach,
Inc., has no vested interests in these sites, with the exception of Outreach Websites, and does not
recommend any one site over the other. This material is for informational purposes only.
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GETTING STARTED
Building a Digital Strategy
Once you decide to add social media to your communications tool chest, the first thing you should
do is answer the following questions:
1. What do I want to accomplish with these tools?
2. Who is going to be using these tools?
The answers to these two questions are very important because they set the stage for everything
you’ll do with social media. To help your church succeed in this area, here are some additional
thoughts to help answer these questions.
What do I want to accomplish with these tools?
It’s not enough to have a website or a Facebook page. You also need to have a clear plan for using
them. Decide whether you’re going to use your website as an online information hub, an extension
of the weekly bulletin, or an online home for your church members. What about Facebook? Do you
want people to use it to keep in touch during the week? How about a place for them to discuss this
week’s sermon? Will your youth leader use it to keep parents informed about schedule changes or
upcoming events? It’s okay to do all of these things, but make sure you have a plan that you and
your staff can follow.
WHO IS USING THESE TOOLS?
Most websites and social media pages are designed for a target user—the person who is most likely
to visit your site. Your target user may be a busy mom who needs to know when to drop her kids
off to an activity. Maybe it’s a guy in his thirties who wants to know about the latest sermon series.
Decide who will use your site and what information they want. Make sure that information is up to
date and easy to find.
Other important tips:
There’s a lot that goes into building a successful social media presence. Keep these insights in mind
as you get started.
Update regularly. Fresh content is the most important reason people visit web and social media
sites. Make sure that you are providing regular updates to keep people coming back. The rule of
thumb is to update your website at least once a week. Your Facebook page should be updated
daily (at least one update each day—two or three updates are even better). Twitter should also be
updated daily.
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GETTING STARTED
Think of your sites as outreach tools. Many unchurched people will form their first impressions
about your church based on your online presence. Make sure that the sites look professional, up to
date, and have a clear message.
Don’t forget the basics. People will always want to know service times, directions, and phone
numbers. Keep this information current.
Everybody uses social media. It’s not just for kids and teens. Sites like Facebook keep families
connected—everybody from grandma to middle schoolers use it to stay in touch. Your site will be
seen by people of all ages and lifestyles.
Bonus Material:
Click here for “Nine Tips for Integrating Social Media into your Website”
Click here for “Five Things You Need to Know Before Designing Your Social-Media Strategy”
Digital Ownership
Don’t Consider It a Separate Ministry Area. Many churches make social media one person’s
responsibility, when in reality, everyone can contribute. Your pastor can tweet thoughts and ideas,
your youth director can post info on the church Facebook page, and your men’s ministry can start
a group on LinkedIn. You may designate one person to oversee the effort and make sure there is a
consistent message, but invite everyone to get involved.
Where to Go from Here
Now that you know the basics of social media, the next step is to decide which one to try first. In the
next few pages, we’ll share information on some of the most popular social media tools, and help
you learn how to do the following:
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Choose the right e-mail provider for your church.
Create a Facebook page or group where you can gather the existing church community,
create events, and invite friends to join you for those special events (see the “Using
Facebook” section).
Create buzz about your event via viral chat. Join Twitter and begin a conversation with
hashtags (#). Remember to keep your tweets below 120 characters so others can retweet
them easily.
Set up a blog to host sermons, devotionals, and spiritual-growth tools for your congregation.
Are you ready to jump in? Good! Let’s get started.
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Email & TEXTING
Despite the continued popularity of social networking, texting and chat, sending e-mail newsletters
or bulletins is still an important part of every communication strategy.
Many churches send e-mail via Outlook, Gmail, or other consumer-based software.
Others choose to use an outside third-party provider.
Why use a third-party provider?
The larger the church database, the more likely the need for e-mail software. The main
reasons for using a third party to send your church’s e-mails are:
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to avoid the appearance of sending spam
to regulate who receives e-mails
for database management
to make your newsletters look more professional
“While churches probably don’t need to worry about breaking spam laws, they do need to worry
about breaking trust. While it may not be illegal, mass e-mails from your church may quickly be
classified as spam by the recipient—and that’s really the person who matters.” — Church Marketing
Sucks, a church communications blog
For Your Recommendation
Third-party e-mail groups provide a variety of services at different price points. The list below
includes some of the more popular providers.
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Outreach Websites offers both web hosting and e-mail management plans. After the free
trial period, packages start at $49 a month and include web design, hosting, storage, e-mail
accounts, and tech support.
MailChimp is a personal newsletter publishing platform. Choose from a basic free account or
add paid features to help track your list and provide metrics to your team.
Constant Contact is another great company that provides e-mail templates and list
management. The site offers a free trial and monthly plans begin at $15.
Feedburner is also a FREE way to distribute a blog and other news items by e-mail.
TEXTING
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There are now many FREE online services that offer mass texting. The benefit of a service like this
is that you can quickly and effectively communicate a message to many people simultaneously,
such as information about an event at your church like your A.D. sermon series or viewing parties.
People will need to opt-in to receive your texts. A few texting services: AFreeSMS.com, Joopz.com,
and Pinger.com.
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Facebook
Facebook is the largest social-networking tool on the planet. In mid 2014, the site released new
statistics showing just how many people are connected through its services.
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Facebook has more than 1.32 billion monthly users. (That’s 1/7th of the world’s population!)
Over 1 billion people log on to Facebook using a mobile device.
The average user has 140 friends and is connected to 80 community pages, groups, and
events.
Facebook’s strength is linking people to people using data on your page to direct you to others
who have similar backgrounds and experiences. Because Facebook has become a significant part
of today’s culture, we encourage you to take advantage of its ability to connect people with your
church and church leadership.
Before You Start
Remember your social media strategy and ask: “What do I hope to accomplish?” and “Who will be
using this?” Always write as if you are talking to one person. Facebook may have 1.3 billion users,
but you are writing for an audience of one. Make it personal and relatable.
How Do I Start Using Facebook?
(1) Become a member for free at Facebook.com.
(2) Build your personal profile and adjust the privacy settings as desired. Profiles are not for churches
or companies, just people. Profiles “own” Groups and administrate Pages.
(3) Search for friends using the Friend Finder. You need to manually request your friends, and they
will have a choice to accept or decline you as a friend.
(4) Decide if you want to start a Group or Page for your church.
A Page represents a business or organization. Non-Facebook members can view your Page.
You can chat, create events, and update the people who “like” your Page. Since Pages are
not exclusive, they are a good fit for promoting your church and event. People who are not
members of Facebook can still view your Page, but cannot post to it.
A Group is a collection of Facebook members who have something in common. You can
chat, create events, and update your “members.” (Note: There are restrictions to the number
of people that can belong to a Group. If you are a large church, consider creating a Page.) One
powerful feature of groups is that people can place others in groups. Unfortunately, anyone who
would like to view this group needs to be a member of Facebook.
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FACEBOOK
(5) Make a Page for your church by going to Facebook.com/pages/create. Select the page category.
Select the secondary page category. Click Get Started and follow the instructions.
(6) Once you’ve created your Page, let people know about it.
(7) Whenever an administrator updates the status of the Page, it populates in the News Feed of
the people who “like” your Page. The more people who “like” your Page, the more people you can
reach. Update it frequently to keep your church or event on people’s minds and in their News Feeds.
(8) As you update the Page, frequently use questions as the status update in order to create
conversation, encourage comments, and provoke thoughts about the event. (See Eight Best
Practices for Posting on Facebook on page 9)
Creating an Event on Your Facebook Page
Events are great to create for your church’s branded Facebook Page. It lets everyone who visits
your Page know that you have events happening. Here is how you create and manage events:
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Go to the Timeline bar on your page (just above your daily posts).
Click the Offer, Event button and select Event.
Fill in the details.
Click Create.
For more information, view the official HELP page for events on Facebook.
A Few Tips About Facebook
Tip 1—Create an engaging Page that people will want to “like.” Post events, videos, discussion
questions, photos, and blog articles.
Tip 2—Use the News Feed. This allows users to engage with you—your status updates will appear
on their News Feeds. This, in turn, will appear in their networks.
Tip 3—Promote your Facebook page. Add a link to it in your e-mail signature, mention it on your
blog, and post a badge, fan box, or link on your website that will lead viewers to your Facebook
Page.
Tip 4—Advertise on Facebook. For a fee, you can target your area and let local members know
about your upcoming event. You can create an ad for Pages, Groups, or Events.
Tip 5—Create a special Event on your Page. Ask people who “like” your Page to share it with their
friends.
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FACEBOOK
EIGHT BEST PRACTICES FOR POSTING TO FACEBOOK
Below are eight advanced techniques that will help you create an engaging Facebook Page.
(1) Use provoking, open-ended messages
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Facebook should be used as a conversation tool. Questions or messages that provoke
people to share their thoughts work better than topical announcements.
When you are thinking of content, try to answer these questions to engage your audience:
What’s it like to walk in my shoes? What do you think about? What do you do? What are
your concerns? What are your joys?
People on Facebook want the spotlight to be on them and to be recognized. Whenever
someone posts a comment to your message or signifies they “like” it, they are also revealing
their affinity for you to their friends and increasing exposure to your Page. Try to write
messages that leave conclusions open for discussion or interpretation.
(2) Share what the A.D. Facebook page is posting!
Need ideas about what to post to get people interested in A.D.? Because this is a
national television event on NBC that millions of people will be watching, you can join the
conversation and invite people to learn more about what they’re seeing on TV. Visit A.D.’s
official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ADtheseries for images and updates
that you can share and repost with your channels. When you re-post, you can add your
own text to the post such as letting people know they’re invited to the launch of your A.D.
sermon series on Easter Sunday.
(3) Status updates are more likely to appear on News Feeds than linked or video messages.
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Status updates are messages that don’t link to other destinations on the web and don’t
include video or photo attachments.
Video posts are embedded videos in your message. This reduces immediate traffic to your
Page/website, but increases the value of interaction on your Page.
Status messages should be blended with linked messages, photos, and video shares. They
should also be varied—use questions, quotes, stats, polls, and so on.
The goal is to get people to participate on your Page by posting and sharing your content.
(4) Tagging is great!
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Your message appears on your Page and other’s Pages and/or Profiles with a link back to
your Page.
To tag, “like” the Page or become a friend with the person (Profile). Then in your message,
type @ symbol followed by the name. After you press “@,” a menu should pop up where you
can select the Page/Profile you want to tag.
Tag in status updates and comments. Tag all the time.
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FACEBOOK
(5) Keep it fresh.
Update your Facebook page 2 or 3 times a day. Avoid more than 3 daily posts. Unless there is a
pressing reason for extra posts, users will ignore extra notices and may even view them as spam.
(Events or crisis/disaster relief information is the exception to this rule.)
(6) Respond to comments.
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People enjoy giving their “two cents,” but they don’t like talking into a vacuum. Reply often
to the responses posted by your followers and ask follow-up questions.
Personalize your comments: Facebook doesn’t have threaded commenting, but we’ve all
seen people addressed as “@username.” By placing the “@” symbol in a comment field, you
will be tagging that person to that comment as well (see page 9). Simply acknowledging the
person who asked a question or offered a response will make that person feel special, and
it gives him/her a great reason to post something on his/her own wall. You’d be surprised at
how often a personalized greeting can inspire a glowing status update.
Maintain a positive image: Keeping your tone light and your topics engaging is crucial to
maintaining readership. However, that doesn’t mean others won’t post negative comments
on your Page. Address their concerns quickly and professionally, and then follow up with the
posters off Facebook. Your fans will watch how you react and they will respond accordingly.
(7) Make your point quickly.
People love Facebook because it allows them to get several bites of information in a short amount
of time. Catch their interest by promising them a short time investment— keep your status updates
short, and post pictures when they can make your point for you. If your updates reach beyond two
hundred characters, your audience may lose interest. Brevity is your friend.
(8) Use images in your post.
People like pictures! Especially pictures of themselves. Be sure to post eye-catching images of your
church events. Tag the people in those photos.
How to tag a photo on Facebook:
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Click on the photo to expand it.
In the expanded view, hover your mouse over the photo and look for the Tag Photo button
on the bottom of the page.
Click the Tag Photo button. A list of names will pop up. Select the name(s) and add others.
Click Done Tagging.
Tagging photos means those pictures will show up on other people’s Pages.
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No recent event pictures? Post images with quotes (like Scripture verses or sermon quotes). People
never get tired of looking at pictures!
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FACEBOOK
ADVERTISING ON FACEBOOK
Many churches choose to run digital advertisements on Facebook. Whether we like it or not,
Facebook has gathered massive amounts of information about people on their servers. This allows
them to deliver ads to specific people very well. Many churches choose to run ads that display only
to people within certain cities or that are friends of church members. It can be an effective way to
advertise to the community right where the community is interacting and getting information on
Facebook. To visit the official webpage for Facebook Ads, go to Facebook.com/advertising
A Facebook ad needs to have:
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a title—25 characters or less
body text—135 characters or less
a destination URL—225 characters or less
a picture—the image you choose will be resized to 110 x 80 pixels
a targeted audience—to your community
Title
Try to give your ad a catchy title while being descriptive.
Body text
Try to use an action statement. Examples:
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Heard about the new A.D. TV series on NBC? Learn more about the stories at New Song
Church this Sunday at 8 or 10:30 AM.
Watching the A.D. TV series on NBC? Want to know more about what you’re seeing? We’re
talking about it this Sunday at Rock Church!
You’re invited! Join a viewing party to watch NBC’s A.D. TV series. Find out more at
YourChurchName.com.
This Sunday, get a sneak preview of NBC’s A.D. TV series! Join us at 10 AM at New Life
Church.
Destination URL
This should be your website, a Facebook Page, or Facebook Event. We recommend directing
people to your website so that they learn all about your church and learn about its ministries.
Picture
Try to make your ad’s picture attractive and relevant.
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facebook
Targeting
You can select where your ad is shown. Pick the cities in which you would like your ad to display.
You may also add keywords to target an even narrower group. You can post a status update to let
the members of your Facebook Page or Group know about your event. You also may want to target
the friends of your Facebook Page fans or Group members.
Payment
You can pay per click (PPC) or pay by the impression (referring to how many times your ad is seen
regardless of whether or not it gets clicked). You must bid for ad placement. Depending on your
competition, you may pay anywhere from $0.30 per click to $1.00 per click.
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google
GOOGLE+ LOCAL PAGES
Google+ is another powerful social media networking tool that is similar to Facebook, but with one
major difference. Google+ allows you to share different things with different people, depending on
which “circle” they are in.
The Google+ page allows you to build circles of friends and acquaintances. This means that you
can select who goes in a certain group and what info they can access. You can set up one circle
for your church leadership team, one for volunteers, and one for the general congregation. You now
have the opportunity to use one piece of software to send a variety of messages to specific groups
within your church.
HOW TO START
Google+ is one of the many free services you receive when you sign up for a free Gmail account.
To start a Google+ Page for your church, click here for the Google+ Start Guide. After you create a
Page, make sure to promote it on your website and other social sites. You will need to have contacts
added to your Page—here is how to add people to your circles.
GOOGLE PLACES
Exposure for your church and traffic to your church website is important, especially for church
plants and smaller churches. Google Places is an easy way to get your church noticed and people
connected. Google Places is a FREE listing on Google for your church, like a Yellow Pages ad, but
online.
Here’s How Google Places Works
When someone in your geographical area goes to Google and types “church,” a map will appear
with the churches that have a Google Places account. Each church is represented by a RED marker.
Take a moment to try it for your area: go to www.google.com and type “church.” What churches do
you find?
When a user clicks on your RED marker or on the name of your church, they are pointed to your
Google Places Page. On this Page, you can provide contact information, details, photos, a link to
your church website, reviews, and more.
All you need to get started is a Google account! Visit the Google My Business page. This page will
also help you if you already see your listing on Google but need to modify it.
Also, visit the User Guide, which will guide you through the steps of setting up and running a
successful Google Places account. If you are signed in, it will track your progress as you enhance
your account.
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google
ADVERTISING ON GOOGLE
Most churches want to be found on Google. If your church does not appear on the first page of a
Google Search, you might want to invest in an ad that appears at the top or right side on the search
listing. Below are descriptions of two ways to run an advertisement on Google.
Google AdWords Express is an easy way for local churches to advertise on Google. There is no
maintenance required; everything is done for you. You decide how much you want to spend monthly,
and you’ll never be charged more than that amount. Your ads are displayed on Google and partner
websites. You’re only charged when someone actually clicks on your ad. You can advertise your
website, your Google Places Page, or your Google+ Page. (Note: This is a fee-based service).
Google AdWords is an advertising platform that allows churches to advertise anywhere with Google
search, display (pictures), and mobile ads. You create ads and choose keywords, which are words
or phrases related to your church. This platform is more robust and allows for more specification.
Google does not manage the ads—you do. There are no minimum budget requirements and no
minimum terms. With AdWords, you’re charged only if someone clicks on your ad and lands on your
website, not when your ad is displayed. (Note: This is a fee-based service).
To create a Google Ad you must have a Google AdWord account. To obtain one, visit adwords.com.
A Few Tips About Advertising on Google:
• You can choose between various ad types—text, image, display, or mobile ads.
• Effective ads are clear, well-written, and specific.
Text ads
• title—twenty-five characters
• description lines—thirty-five characters per line
• display URL—thirty-five characters
Image ads
50K maximum size and a destination URL
Mobile ads
Mobile ads are optimized to appear on small mobile devices with a mobile-optimized site or clickto-call option.
• title—eighteen characters
• description— eighteen characters
Display ads
You can use the display ad builder to customize your own display ad that will engage users and
drive traffic to your site.
To get started, visit the Get Started Page on Google.
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TWITTER
Twitter is a quick and easy way to share late-breaking news, last-minute notices, and short updates.
Think of it as the “express mail” of social media. Twitter is unique because it only allows 140
characters per post (that includes spaces and punctuation).
Because Twitter messages are so brief, many users include hashtags (#) in their posts. Hashtags
are used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet as a way to categorize messages (Note: hashtags
may also be used on Facebook).
Twitter provides a sizeable audience and is very “mobile friendly”— meaning that it’s easy for people
to access, read, and respond via their phones or mobile devices.
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Twitter has 271 million monthly users.
Seventy-eight percent of Twitter active users are on mobile.
Five hundred million Tweets are sent each day.
Users employing hashtags (#) are more likely to be retweeted by their network.
Twitter can be linked with blogs and Facebook to create a stronger social-media presence.
What Is a Hashtag?
A hashtag, or the # sign, followed by a word or phrase helps people find relevant tweets on a topic
in the Twitter search. For example, when posting about your A.D. sermon series and viewing parties,
use the #ADTheSeries hashtag.
For example:
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Join us for message based on the TV show #ADTheSeries this Sunday at 9 & 11. More info at
(church website).
Learn more about the stories you’re watching from #ADTheSeries! Join us at (church name),
Sundays at 8 & 10.
Join us at (TIME) to watch the epic TV show #ADTheSeries. Free popcorn and soda!
Twitter is an easy way to get multiple messages out each day. By using a desktop application service
such as Hootsuite or Tweetdeck, you can schedule tweets on a consistent basis. Add the hashtag
feature to these updates about your event at your church, and you can significantly increase your
social media impact.
For information about what not to tweet, who to follow, how often to tweet, and best practices for
retweeting, read this blog article: http://couchable.co/blog/post/using-twitter-more-effectively.
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youtube
YouTube is the online destination for user-generated video. More than one billion people visit
YouTube every month looking for everything from videos about cats fighting vacuum cleaners, to
everyday people doing science experiments, to old TV shows or guys commenting on the latest
video games. It’s like TV for everything and everybody.
The best part of YouTube is that it offers free video hosting to anyone. That means anyone can start
their own YouTube channel and post their videos. Now your church can have an online TV channel
and post promotional videos, sermons, and any other content your team creates.
Getting Started
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First, you will need a YouTube account. Click here to learn how. (Note: YouTube is owned by
Google, so you’ll have to sign up for a free Google account.)
Second, upload your videos. Click here to view the Getting Started guide.
Next, share those videos on your church’s Facebook, Twitter, e-mails, and websites by
embedding them or linking to them.
Important Info
Before you post any video or music, make sure you own the content, or have secured rights to
distribute the content. Copyright violation (posting something you don’t own) is a serious problem
and can lead to fines or lawsuits. The way to avoid these problems is to create and post your own
original content (for example: Sunday sermons and church presentations).
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pinterest
Did you ever own a corkboard? Remember all the postcards, pictures, and notes you pinned to it?
Pinterest.com allows you to do the same thing online.
On Pinterest, people share the things (pictures and videos) they are interested in by pinning them
to virtual bulletin boards. Since organizations and businesses are a part of people’s lives, brands
have quickly embraced Pinterest. Why not churches as well? In addition, Pinterest provides traffic
to websites by linking videos and pictures back to the original content.
How Can Churches Use Pinterest?
Be creative and share visually what your church is all about. This is a great opportunity to share your
vision and mission in a unique way. Here are some ideas of what a church’s pin might look like:
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styled Scripture quotes
photos of people at your church events
videos
repinning items that relate to your church’s culture
anything of interest to your community—be a resource
create different boards for each ministry in your church (children, youth, couples), and post
anything that might be of interest to them
discipleship and daily devotionals
How to Start
Set up an account on Pinterest.com, then take some time to explore the site and see what others
have pinned. Start “following” relevant boards, and others will start following your boards as well.
For helpful hints on pinning and posting, read The Beginner’s Guide to Using Pinterest available at
Pinterest.com.
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BLOGS
A blog or “web log” is an online journal that is easier to build and maintain than a traditional website.
Blog services such as Wordpress and Blogger offer instant access to free blog accounts, and in
many cases, provide predesigned templates.
Blogs provide a location for long-form content. Many churches and ministers use blogs to publish
devotional thoughts, articles on current events, and sermons. Be diligent to update the blog at
least every other day. If members of your church staff blog, ask them to contribute a post to the
church’s blog. As your A.D. sermon series begins, write blog posts about why the stories of the
early disciples in the Book of Acts are relevant to us today, and details about how people can learn
more about the content they’re watching on television by attending your church’s campaign. For
maximum outreach, link to your blog via your social media updates and your e-mails.
How to Get Started
WordPress and Blogger are two prominent blog sites, but there are several others available. Sign up
for a FREE account on the site of your choice, then spend time experimenting with your new blog.
Ask others to review it and make suggestions.
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CONCLUSION
A Final Thought
Social media offers you many free and low-cost ways to share your church with your community.
People still use traditional media, and they will continue to do so. However, social media gives you
the ability to connect in a greater way with your congregation and community.
A word of caution when it comes to instant communication: Once your message is out there, it’s out
there to stay. People will have a permanent record of your words. Use them wisely.
We hope that these tools will help you build new connections with your congregation, and help
share your church’s message with your community.
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