Social media is one of those things that churches either seem to get, or they don’t. The only real middle category in between ‘get it’ and ‘what’s social media?’ is ‘trying really hard’. And I think my church, Twin Oaks UMC, is in that category. There are a decent number of us in the church who want to help the church out with social media.

So today I wanted to list some things that people in my church (and really any church) can do to use social media to the benefit of the church:

Post authentically – Before I share anything else, be aware that you need to post things that are genuine. Don’t try to make your church or ministry look ‘cooler’ than it is. I’m in a small, rural town. I don’t try to make people think we’re a slick, urban worship service. We sing hymns, not Hillsong. Don’t try to be something you’re not.

Check In on Facebook – If you’re at a church function, whether it’s a worship service, Bible study, or really any other church function, hit the ‘Check In’ feature on Facebook. This tells your friends that your church is active and that you’re active in it. (Side note: There is one time I would not ‘check in’ and that is whenever there is a potential safety concern. I personally wouldn’t ‘check in’ when going to a funeral, but I have seen it done well).

Take pictures – Take a picture of your family during the worship service. Maybe the decorations are really amazing this week; show me. If there is a special part to the worship service like baptism or communion, show me. Recently my church had a children’s ‘prayer huddle’ and it was a great moment:

Or maybe something out of the ordinary and funny happens. Recently, I saw pictures of someone in a dinosaur costume participating in the worship service (it looked awesome).

Quote It – Did the preacher just say something profound? Or maybe the scripture really rang true. Tell your friends. Type it out and share it. Share what it meant to you. This is a great example.

Share It – I posted a graphic advertising my churches Ash Wednesday service to our Facebook page, and I had a couple of members ‘share’ it to their own walls. This is kind of like checking in (#1 above) but it works with quotes and pictures (#’s 2 and 3). Sharing a post spares you from needing to create the graphic/picture/quote and simply spreads the existing content out.

A bonus idea I recently heard about is forming a ‘Buzz’ Team. This is a group of people who coordinate to share an event post at the same time, in order to make sure as many people see it as possible. The ‘Buzz’ team idea really takes advantage of some of the technical aspects of social media (algorithms used to determine what to show and what not to).

There you go. Five things you can do in 30 seconds or less to help your church reach more people quickly and effectively. There are certainly more things you can do if you want, but those are five quick thoughts to help you grow your church.

If you want more information about social media in churches, I have to recommend Meghan Howard’s blog (Click here). She has several great articles offering a better insight about social media in churches than I ever will have. Here are a couple really good ones:

Leveraging Social Media in the Church and 5 Important Questions to Ask Before You Post

What are some ideas you have about using social media?

What questions do you have?

Let me know down below.

And remember, I love you and there’s nothing you can do about it.