Tag: Apps

Does Your Church Have a Healthy Social Media Presence?

Does Your Church Have a Healthy Social Media Presence?

Does Your Church Have a Healthy Social Media Presence?

Even if your church used social media prior to the pandemic, you likely are using it in new ways this year. The church quickly was thrown into the deep end of social media. Some small town pastors were on the cusp of figuring out their first live stream. Other churches may have been figuring out how to implement other areas of media, such as new social media and online giving. Maybe you already had all of this prior to the pandemic, but you likely have added something new in attempt to keep your congregation connected. 

One of those things you added or magnified was social media. I have heard and read many stories about pastors who were against social media (for a number of reasons) that embraced it one-hundred percent during the pandemic. Even if it was not new, you likely amplified your presence in some form of fashion. Whether we discuss our life or ministry, we should always take time to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of whatever we do.

Over half a year later, we must stop and ask: does my church have a healthy social media presence? Hopefully you have already been evaluating this, but after increased traffic and usage, this evaluation has never been more important. Here are five questions to ask to determine the healthiness of your social media presence:

1. IS THE BOTTOM LINE VIEWS OR ENGAGEMENT?

It feels like a shot of dopamine when your views are up. I am no medical doctor, but we thrive off of dopamine. Your dopamine levels will naturally increase when your brain expects a reward. It feels good to see a high number of views, therefore, dopamine levels are high. These views are good metrics, but are often surface level effects. A deeper dive will reveal more metrics that end up revealing differing results. Our focus should be on engagement. Engagement has long lasting impact on the believer or viewer. If I am engaged, I come back wanting more.

Our number one engagement is the Word of God. God’s Word engages our hearts through prayer, song, and through sound biblical teaching. Look at how God’s Word engages, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 ESV). Your social media presence must be engaging. Social media should have a clear pathway to push viewers and followers down a road of discipleship and growth. 

2. ARE MY FOLLOWERS A NUMBER OR A NAME?

Followers should not be a bad thing, but the dogma of the more the better should never flood our social media presence. Do not get me wrong, you should attempt to reach people on social media, which ultimately increases your following. Be sure to catch what was said, we are to be reaching people, not numbers. Each follower has a name. Their name is far more important than them being your one-thousandth subscriber! Our social media policies ought to have a plan to take followers into people with a name.

This gets tricky with live events. It is near impossible to get the names of all attending your live stream. However, with strategic planning, you can attempt to connect with these people through engagement questions throughout the stream. Do not settle for followers, aim for a name. Praise God that He knows our name! We should aim to know their name too!

3. DOES THIS NEW SOCIAL MEDIA FIT INTO YOUR MISSION AND VISION?

This is a question that should be asked of everything we do as a church. Things you have been doing for fifty years should annually be asked this question. For some, Snapchat and TikTok may fit, while for others, it does not. Do your research. Ask pertinent questions to experts or to others who are using various platforms. It is essential that you do not do something just because the church down the street is doing it. When it comes to preaching the Gospel, you better be doing that, but it may not be beneficial to jump head deep into the new craze. Viral fame is not worth the consequences of forgetting to make His name famous. 

4. ARE WE BEING SAFE WITH SOCIAL MEDIA?

Social media can be dangerous. This likely is something you have seen overtime these last few months. Social media can be addicting for both the viewer and the producer. You likely (if not, stop what you are doing right now and do it) have strict policies for those who help with children. We should err on the same side of caution with social media. Do not let just anyone have the reigns of your social media. Have policies and procedures that lay out precautions and social media usage.

This may be a stretch for some, but even consider having members of your social media team sign contracts that enable you to remove those not fit. With social media advancing at the rate it does, you can never be too cautious. 

5. DOES JEALOUSY DRIVE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA DECISIONS?

Jealousy should never be our driving force. The church seeing results down the street does not always delegate your church down the same path. Be lead by God and not by jealousy. With that said, you may implement the same things (and we should learn from others), but implement it in such a way that it drives your church’s mission and vision forward. Bathe social media usage in prayer as you would anything else. God is going to use social media to reach people. Let Him be your guide, not the church down the street. 

If you have yet to evaluate, now is the time to evaluate. Social media will likely have some value for you and your ministry. If it does not, do not use it. However, I imagine that you have realized the value social media can bring as you seek to connect people to Jesus. If you are going to use social media, do so with purpose and conviction. 

What are some guidelines you have in place for social media? How are you using social media to reach people? What does your church do now that you did not do prior to Covid-19?

Written by Justin Beville. Justin has been married to Amanda Beville for over six years and has one son named Luke and twin boys on the way! He received his Bachelor’s degree in Christian Studies with a minor in Student Ministry from the College at Southeastern. Justin went on to complete his Advanced MDiv. at Southeastern. He currently serves as the Pastor of Students and Outreach at Kingsland Baptist Church. Like this article? Read more from Justin here!

Looking for a new position? Stop by MinistryJobs.com and have a look at the jobs that are available! Ministry jobs are hard to come by and job hunting is no fun. We help ministry job seekers find their ideal role in their next ministry – for free! More than 6 million search for a job every day. Be found! Looking to list a job or an open position? We help churches and organizations get job openings in front of potential candidates. We have several plans and packages available. Today is the day!

Read more Ministry blogs at MinistryJobs.com/blog

5 Apps to Increase Productivity

5 Apps to Increase Productivity

5 Apps to Increase Productivity

Technology has quickly infiltrated our society as both a blessing and a curse. Our fingers, hands, and even our voices are capable of doing a wide array of things. These pocket personal assistants are great when used properly and efficiently. On the contrary, these devices can get us into trouble and decrease our productivity rather quickly. A “quick” look at our Facebook notifications can quickly turn into an hour of watching random videos that end up wasting our time. They may be fun in the moment, but our productivity suffers greatly.

Even though these smart devices have been around for over a decade, we are still in a stage of infancy. Technology is rapidly advancing at a pace that causes us to jump past the training wheel stage. Content Creators are strategizing and planning so that they can control your precious time. Our time is precious and we must figure out how to redeem our time. The plans of a pastor can quickly change with a phone call or text from a church member with a need that warrants our immediate attention. Our time must be used efficiently and effectively so that we are ready to ride those unplanned waves. These five apps (listed by category) will increase your productivity and help you take control of your day in the office and on the road.

Time Management: Screen Time

Screen Time is an under the radar app that takes some digging to access. Screen time should be easily accessible and hopefully one day will. For now, you will have to rely on going through your settings or possibly a widget. The day I found screen time, was the day that I began taking control back of how I used my phone, rather than it using me. Weekly notifications that indicate how much I used my phone quickly gave me a desire to reduce that number. I still end up using my phone a ton, but the little things that matter less, cause less distraction because I am weekly aware of how I spend my time. Having a grasp on your usage will enable you to be more productive. Setting app limits or denying access to certain apps at various times of the day will reduce distraction and induce productivity.

Graphic Design: Canva/Over

Not everyone will have a need for making graphics. As a Youth Pastor, I make them all the time. There are many free apps that enable you to create quality graphics on the go or in the office. Inspiration often comes when it is least expected. The ability to quickly create a graphic allows me to free up time later. Canva and Over both are easy to learn and both have access to a desktop version (for those moments of creating in the office or without access to a smartphone). Many free apps require a purchase to remove a watermark. These are two that do not. Note: Churches can acquire Canva premium for free as a nonprofit. Note: The Over desktop version is still quite new.

Bible Study: Logos

Okay, the Logos app is not as powerful as the desktop version, yet it still packs a punch. This app does enable you to increase productivity though. I like to regularly review my sermon or lesson notes. While you cannot make additional sermon notes using the sermon editor on the app (I hope this changes one day), you can review and make Bible highlights that will later be reflected on the desktop via the cloud. It is great being able to have access to the prayer list anywhere you go. Reading commentaries or other books on the go can increase your productivity. It is much easier to pull out your phone or tablet to catch up on reading instead of lugging around your computer. Logos comes with a steep price; however, many are not aware of the limited and cheaper options that are provided by Logos. Faithlife offers a rental option (https://connect.faithlife.com/pricing) that includes some library options and some of the Logos features that are only available to Logos owners. You will not own Logos if you use this and cancel, but it may be a beneficial route for you to take to test out Logos Bible Software.

File Management: Files, Google Drive, etc.

I do not upload all of my files to a cloud, but I do upload ones that people will likely ask for when I am on the go. The ability to quickly forward a link via the cloud will make you more productive. Prior to doing this, I would have to send myself an e-mail or set a reminder. Doing that is not that difficult, but it takes processing time as you have to determine the best time for the reminder, etc. Some of these tasks can efficiently be executed by using an online storage system that you can access via an app. I use up to six devices on a given week. Knowing that I can access important documents and projects on any of these devices enable me to be more productive.

Member Management: Planning Center People

You are highly unlikely to carry around your printed church directory with you wherever you go. You are likely to take your phone. Some churches have directories built into their website and some use third party software for the church member database. The Planning Center Suite offers subscription based software for most of their platform. However, they offer Planning Center People for free. You can import your database and have access to church members on the go. From the app, you can quickly get directions to a home, or quickly call them as needs arise. Your productivity is increased when you reduce the steps required to complete a task. As an added bonus, you can create workflows from this app to track visitors or new member progress.

There are likely better apps out there to complete these tasks. However, I have found that these apps increase my productivity. Find apps that work for you! Declutter your apps, reduce your screen time, and use your phone to complete tasks instead of allowing your phone to control your precious time.

What apps would you add to this list? What are some boundaries that you set to reduce screen time?

Written by Justin Beville. Justin has been married to Amanda Beville for over six years and has one son named Luke and twin boys on the way! He received his Bachelor’s degree in Christian Studies with a minor in Student Ministry from the College at Southeastern. Justin went on to complete his Advanced MDiv. at Southeastern. He currently serves as the Pastor of Students and Outreach at Kingsland Baptist Church. Like this article? Read more from Justin here!

Looking for a new position? Stop by MinistryJobs.com and have a look at the jobs that are available! Ministry jobs are hard to come by and job hunting is no fun. We help ministry job seekers find their ideal role in their next ministry – for free! More than 6 million search for a job every day. Be found! Looking to list a job or an open position? We help churches and organizations get job openings in front of potential candidates. We have several plans and packages available. Today is the day!

Read more Ministry blogs at MinistryJobs.com/blog