A day for social media? Who knew!

Today apparently is  Social Media Day. I’m not sure who proclaimed it, but I’ll accept the opportunity to celebrate the development of the many relationship-building tools it offers.

Maybe it’s because I am a bit of a news junkie and have a natural curiosity, but I really enjoy what Facebook brings to my life. People whom I knew only by name through my work are now 3D friends. I know about their families, their special interests, their political views…all kinds of things. And I appreciate them even more for sharing their joys, frustrations, personal victories and defeats. When I read posts on my wall I am sometimes led to prayer, other times burst into laughter or simply smile at a simple reflection on life. The kind of reactions friends have when meeting face-to-face or on the phone.

The cool thing about my Facebook friends is that I often have the opportunity to meet them in person. But we don’t have to do so much “catching up” because we’ve been following each other!

Facebook builds relationships and if your Christian faith is integrated into who you are, it will be evident as you interact on social media. Friends of mine who have little or no interest in Christianity see my posts, and those of others that talk about faith issues. I know one person who is a pastor but on Facebook he is better known as an amazing photographer. He told me that as a result, he has had wonderful faith-related “conversations” with fellow photographers who otherwise may have never “friended” him.

So, happy Social Media Day! I believe the Lord has given us these new tools to share His love in new ways to His honour and glory.

Always keep the big picture in mind

The growth in social media is catching the attention of an increasing number of churches. They are venturing beyond websites and starting Facebook pages sending out messages on Twitter and generally exploring all the networking opportunities social media brings.


This is all good if it is done for a reason. So often we jump into the next big thing because it’s the next big thing. We need to stop and ask “Why do we want to be on Facebook or Twitter?”

Social media is just one element in an overall integrated communication strategy. Church communication embraces things like your church sign, Sunday bulletin, monthly newsletter, e-mail, posters, newspaper ads, Sunday announcements, website and vehicles like Facebook and Twitter. Each should have a defined purpose and should be related to each other.

Here are some tips (feel free to add more in the comments ):

• Your website address, Facebook name, Twitter ID and e-mail address should appear on every piece of printed material and every e-mail from your church. These are the 21st century equivalent of your telephone number!

• Your website should invite people to join you on Facebook and Twitter

• Your church sign should at least have your website address (People will find you online before they will walk in the front door.)

• Stories from your newsletter should appear on the website, not necessarily as a PDF, but as part of your website

• When a news item or new story is posted, let the followers on Facebook and Twitter know about it

• Decide what information should appear in which medium for maximum impact

• Establish an e-mail list for the congregation. Decide what information is best communicated by e-mail. Sometimes you may want to provide a link to information on your website to provide a reason for members to visit the website.

• An unsupervised, enthusiastic teenager should not be responsible for Facebook or Twitter just because they may know how it works. Content and presentation are important and require direction.



Remember, your church sign, website, Facebook page and Twitter account are the public face of your church. Your church bulletin is likely the only piece of information a visitor will take home with them.