Mac Lake recently posted a quick interview with Mark Howell on some growing trends in group ministry. Mark is connected with quite a few churches around the country and really has his finger on the pulse of group life. Here is what Mark had to say -
Group life is has already entered the online environment and there is no doubt in my mind that online communities will continue to grow in number and influence. However as our churches embrace the social media environment there are some things I recently wrote on my personal blog that I think we need to keep in mind...
I have been having a ton of conversations about social media in recent weeks and I recently listened to a webinar that got me thinking further about our need to merge social media and ministry. Conference calls, staff discussions, breakfast meetings, have all caused me to finally get some of my thoughts down in a blog post. In order to fulfill our mission as a church we have to engage our culture using relevant methods and do so efficiently. Social media is not a fad that will soon disappear it is a tool that is here to stay and is changing the way our world shares information. As Christians and as a church we have a responsibility to communicate our message in this environment. If you are in ministry and considering using social media as a tool, here are some things to keep in mind:
Size is not a barrier for churches to use social media. A church of 100 can use it just as effectively as a church of 1000.
When you engage in a social media environment like a blog, facebook, myspace, or twitter you lose some control over the message. People have the ability to have conversations with others about your content. They can link to it, interact with it, and write about it more easily than ever before because the web is so easy to use. Your church is no longer what you say it is, it is what they say it is!
Upside - people are sharing information about your church!
Downside - negative comments can travel farther and faster than ever so the first impressions we make as a church are so much more important.
We need to empower our staff and our churches to engage in social media responsibly. The more engaging our team is, the more content there is about our church and our message to the world as Christians. The more engaging content there is, the more conversation there is. However, it is so important to remember that whatever digital environment we choose to use to interact with others, we still represent our church, and Christ. So we need to use it responsibly. Here are some good rules to follow (some of these rules I modified from a webinar with Sergio Balegno):
1 - Be authentic but careful
- Inform people why your are there, let them know what you do.
- Be honest and authentic.
- Don't post things online that violate the trust others have in you.
2 - Write about things you actually know about
- Post things that you are an expert on.
- Be responsible for your content, if you post something inaccurate take the initiative to correct it quickly.
3 - Add value to the conversation online
- Be thought provoking.
- Engage others online as a leader.
- Engage others through commenting and openly invite others to comment and join the conversation. Sometimes people in ministry can be used to “one way” conversation (since we preach and teach) so we need to remember that a social media environment is a two way conversation.
- When using social media remember to embrace it as a student, willing to learn. The whole point is to be viewed by others as an engaging contributor to the online community.
If you have some other things you think we should consider as our churches engage others in social media, comment below...
Todd Rhodes at Monday Morning Insight interviewed Steve Gladen about group ministry at Saddleback Church. The participation rate at Saddleback is about 120% of Sunday attendance. To learn more watch the video below:
