Discover how to leverage technology in your church

I have a lot of apps on my phone. I’ve crammed most of them into folders and relegated them to the last page, since I only open them once in a blue moon. But Instagram? That little app sits in the bottom row on the front page (a place of honor, since it’s right where my short fingers can reach it when using my phone one-handed). 

It doesn’t really matter how large your congregation is, there will always be more work to do than your church staff can handle on their own. If you take a good look at thriving congregations, their church staff typically isn’t comprised of doers; it is comprised of equippers. Of course, staff workers will end up doing a lot of the work themselves, but to really get things done, they need to be able to equip their volunteers to assist them in doing the work. 

Hopefully my previous blog post got you excited about the potential for networking and using LinkedIn! In this post, I’d like to share how you can easily build your profile, build your network, and NETWORK.

If you already have a profile on LinkedIn, I’ve included some information for getting the most from it as well.

One of the most ingrained lessons I have learned over my career is the value of professional networking.

In its simplicity, a professional network is a valued resource for seeking employment, sales, and staying in touch with colleagues. At higher levels, a professional network is a valued tool for individual growth, support, education, and helping others.

Do you ever feel like you're being followed online?

Have you ever been shopping on a website like Amazon.com or Target.com, and suddenly you start seeing online advertisements for those products on other websites? Did you ever wonder how your favorite blog knew that you were interested in buying that pair of jeans, or that new book that hasn't even come out yet?

Well, wonder no more as I introduce you to the world of remarketing.

A consistent communications campaign has the power to inspire immediate recognition. It’s like hearing those first notes of a song on the radio while you scan through the stations. Just one a few seconds of the song (or one glance of your communications) can be enough to remind people of the bigger picture!

Creating a coordinated set of website banners, emails, social media posts, and more might sound like a lofty goal for Holy Week, since it’s right around the corner. But doesn't have to take a ton of extra work!

“Ok, Google . . . How do I effectively engage volunteers in social media ministry?”

1.3 million results.

“Hmm. Ok, Google . . . Can I please talk to a real person that has already been down this road?”

If you’re diving into a new role in church communications, you’re already well-versed in the power of Google. But you may have also noticed that Google doesn’t always get context right. It also doesn’t provide validated concepts—you don’t know what information is coming from gurus or real-world practitioners.

’Tis the season to bring a little Advent/Christmas spirit to social media!

Imagine a month where you didn’t need to think about what you were going to post on social media. Pretty great, huh? Better yet, imagine a month where members of your church are creatively generating images that you collect and share throughout the Advent season. Sound too good to be true?

Enter the Advent Photo-a-Day Challenge.

If you’ve spent time on Instagram, you probably know that almost every day of the week has a hashtag to accompany it. For example, there’s #ThrowbackThursday (endless baby pictures), #FlashbackFriday (last weekend’s lake pictures), and #SundayFunday (mimosas and bloody marys).

If these are foreign concepts to you, count yourself lucky!

Basically, there’s an unofficial schedule to indicate what pictures to post when, and most people follow it; they’ll save their baby picture for Thursday rather than posting it on Monday.

The concept of scheduling social media posts is not inherently a bad one, and it does apply to your church (although hopefully you’re not posting too many embarrasing baby pictures of your pastor).You should have a general schedule for posting that you stick to throughout the week.

In The Social Network (2010), which is arguably my favorite movie of all time, Mark Zuckerberg tells his best friend about his initial idea for what would eventually become Facebook: “I’m talking about taking the entire social experience of college and putting it online.”