As social media sites like Facebook and Twitter become engrained into the fabric of ministry communications, some useful practices bubble to the surface. These communication means are here to stay, and should be used carefully and intentionally for practical results. However, one of the worst things you can do in a public forum is to jump in headstrong and stand on your soapbox before studying and gaining and understanding of the medium and your audience in that specific space.  Keep in mind:

Objective. Each social media forum has a slightly different structure that dictates the type of information shared and hence the objective of being in that arena. Facebook is “person”-based, with each page representing and individual, and a “news feed” feature providing a real-time stream of activities of those connected to you. This is a place to micro-communicate ideas like what the church is doing, specific needs, and individual theological, inspirational or spiritual thoughts.

Twitter, on the other hand, is designed for individual ideas in the moment. The simplicity of Twitter is more limiting, but the ability to post multiple thoughts and ideas within a few hours is more readily available.

In both of these social media spaces, clearly understand your objective, which is to be a valuable voice in a much larger conversation.  And as in any conversation with multiple thoughts and viewpoints, the church’s input in the social media space should be to provoke thought, inspire action or encourage others. Social media is not largely a one-on-one medium—it’s more like being in a living room with a group of loosely connected people.  You will likely not be successful posting “The Four Spiritual Laws” in this environment. Instead, ask “Why is my church a part of this conversation?”

Content. More than any other aspect, the quality of content you place on social media networks will determine how well and how often you interact with those connected to you (individually) and your church. As you post, ask yourself “How will this information serve my audience?” This is especially important in light of the church’s mission and purpose and the Gospel. Inside jokes, overly-political or personal thoughts and useless information lack “staying power”. Your church’s involvement in social media should speak well of the God you serve. In social media arenas, interesting and useful thoughts thrive, while useless information and those who post it quickly find their reach and influence in decline.

Consistency. Hand-in-hand with the quality of your content is the consistency with which you are involved, post and interact with your social media audience. These sites are liberally littered with individuals and organizations that started out with daily or hourly updates and stopped after about a week—six months ago. Social media forums by their very nature demand consistent interaction at least on a daily basis. If you cannot commit to this level of consistency, it may do more damage than good to pursue social media as a communications outlet for your church. Consistency also builds interest and increases your audience over time.

Face-to-Face. Social media is a personal realm of communication versus a broadcast means. Understand that even though you are posting messages to an audience, you are speaking directly to individuals. As you participate and write, ask yourself, “Would I be comfortable saying this directly, face-to-face, to another person?” Your responses and interactions will also be to individuals. Take great care to talk with your connections versus broadcasting to them.

Don’t just promote. Those who study social media indicate that content from any organization—not just churches—must be more than promotional in order to be effective. Posts promoting this ministry, that sermon series or a certain event are fine, but must be mixed with non-promotional content, or you risk coming off as no more than a promotional mouthpiece.  For the church, consider posting scripture, quotes from your Pastor or other ministry staff, and opportunities for ministry both within your fellowship and your surrounding community. Use your social media outlets to do more than promote. Also inform, educate, inspire and encourage.

Watch and adapt. Remember Frienster?  It was a social media outlet that came and went a few years back. Now it’s dead and buried.  Myspace is another social media network that appears to have peaked. Facebook seems to be the medium of the moment for the broad majority, especially those over age 25, with Twitter capturing the interest of the next generation. Even at this writing there are a dozen more social media outlets that are vying for attention. It’s a foregone conclusion that five years from now, the landscape of social media will have changed tremendously. At the same time the church is adopting and participating in social media, it’s important to also be on the lookout for where the conversation is moving, and be ready to participate in that space as the landscape changes.

About the Author. Eugene L. Mason has more than two decades of experience in ministry communications and technologies. More...