Social Media for Ministry Leaders and Pastors: Where Do I Start?
Just what is “social media” anyway? Why has it taken the online world by storm? In this webinar you’ll learn why the social web is absolutely crucial to communicating with the next generation. You’ll learn how the up-and-coming generation communicates and why you need to be in those channels, contributing your story to the social media flow. We’ll focus on the “why” and the “how” of social media. If you’re confused by terms like “tweet”, “like” and “blogging”, this webinar is a great place to start in getting a social media education! Join blogger and social strategist Justin Wise to uncover the basic principles of social media and why you need to be integrating it into your ministry work flow.
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/762009344
Title: Social Media for Ministry Leaders and Pastors: Where Do I Start?
Date: Friday, March 25, 2011
Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM PDT
Hawaiian Islands Ministries Honolulu 2011 Conference
Hawaiian Islands Ministry Honolulu March 24-26, 2011 | Hawaii Convention Center –
Join me, I will be presenting 3 sessions:
A Look into the Near and Distant Future of Online Ministry
In this session leaders will learn how to develop web strategy to address a ministries’ needs. Learn what is on the horizon that will impact your ministry. This session is designed for strategic leaders regardless of their technological level of understanding. In this session participants will 1) learn how to plan for an effective ministry online strategy, 2) explore key emerging technologies that will impact their ministry and 3) hear how cutting edge organizations are implementing revolutionary practices today.
Websites/Social Media and Your Church
In this session you will get behind the scene access to the real world results of several church web strategies. We’ll look at the church website, social media involvement, mobile, content creation and more to see what is really happening. How effective are they? What are the best practices or common mistakes a church makes? This valuable session will equip you with practical insight, best practices & strategies that your church can implement whether you are an online expert or a beginner.
Forming Missional Communities
In this session you will learn how to build “Missional Communities.” We will discuss how churches have planted or transitioned to include living as a community of people who are united around a common, local mission. Also, how these communities are local expressions of Jesus and his church in the world, living out the gospel in all ways. Learn from one of the founders of the GCM Collective (Gospel Community Mission) about how these movements are changing cities and reaching the lost.
What is your Church Web Strategy?
It is increasingly obvious that an organization’s online presence is the new front door for many people. In 2010, according to Edison Research the Internet has become the most essential medium (from options such as television, radio and others). In fact, this research found that now more people would give up their TV for the Internet if they were forced to only have one of these. The rapid pace of our interactions moving more through the web demands greater attention from the key leadership of your organization.
This shifts holds from the research we’ve done as well. Let me give you two supporting findings:
- 27% of respondents said the church website was how they first learned about the church of those who have attended their church less than 1 year.
- 61% said the church website was somewhat to very important in their decision to attend the church from the above respondents.
Sadly, developing an online ministry strategy doesn’t seem to be as important to many church leaders. MonkDev interacts with hundreds (if not thousands) of churches and ministries every year about the web. Often these conversations can include questions like, “Should we be on Twitter?”, “Are all-Flash websites a bad idea?”, “How do you get better placed on search engines to be found?” “Should we have a large image rotator on our website?” While these questions aren’t bad per-se, too often churches have seen the web from a tactics point-of-view or an add-on tool rather than what it is, a radical paradigm shift.
What I see missing from many churches is a clear strategy for using the web. For example (and to be a bit extreme to make a point) a church that says, “We need to create a Facebook page because everyone is doing this.” This would show that your strategy is to become a copycat of other churches. Churches shouldn’t think about online tactics until they have a web strategy. Let me share a few things we communicate to help churches prepare for building a web strategy.
Principle #1 : A Web Strategy shouldn’t begin with thinking about being Online. – Being Online can be meaningless if you don’t know what you are doing or who you are. Churches we speak with often have an unspoken vision that is internal to a few key leaders, but this vision isn’t frequently communicated or thought through at a level where it drives the organization in a clear and focused direction.
Principle #2 : Ministries should align together toward the shared vision of the church. – It’s easy for churches with their variety of ministries and leaders to move from a place of ministry alignment behind the central vision of the church. Further, in larger churches there can be a level of staff and ministry buy-in to set expectations and work together on communicating toward this changed vision. 
Principle #3 : Often what is the hardest part of a thought through web strategy is the changes offline -
Recently we met with a church who identified a few core goals in developing the community, discipleship, leadership training and connecting people into home groups. In the meetings it became clear no one currently owned this goal/process and it was decided they would have to hire someone. Further, many communication directors move from gatekeeper (often not intentionally this way but functionally) to consultant to release and consult ministry leaders to best use technology to achieve their ministry goals. All of this requires a rethinking of roles and responsibilities that go far deeper than building a website.
MonkDev has a strategic process to help churches build a plan on how they should use the web. This process includes a Vision & Strategy Session for the leadership team to unpack what they believe God is calling them to specifically. Secondly, we meet with Stakeholders & Ministry Leaders to have the leaders communicate this and we guide the team through a educational session that includes case studies to help them see how it might look. These stakeholders then work on their own ministry visions/goals that align with the overall vision of the church. Lastly, we gather all this information and work with the communication & implementation team to translate what was discovered to the web.
In the last three weeks we’ve been on-site of three churches (AL, CA & WA) helping them translate their ministry strategy to the online environment and are booking more into January & February, so it is good to see churches understand how important this is. At MonkDev we are passionate about serving churches in this way and helping ministries use web technology for the Glory of God is part of our calling. Also check out our web solution currently used by thousands of churches called Ekklesia 360.
Learn more about our Church Web Strategy Sessions.
Project Coordinator – Position Open
MonkDev (Monk Development, Inc.) – an industry leading, innovative web development and software as a service company based in San Diego, CA – seeks a Admin/Project Coordinator to perform general administrative tasks and manage and distribute incoming projects and monitor client progress accordingly. MonkDev is one of the largest web developers and fastest growing private companies in San Diego. We provide web solutions across all industries but we are thought leaders in the non-profit space, where thousands of churches, ministries and other non-profits use our services and technology.
Learn more here: San Diego – Administrator/Project Coordinator
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Customer Evangelist – Position Open
MonkDev (Monk Development, Inc.) – an industry leading, innovative web development and software as a service company based in San Diego, CA – seeks a Customer Evangelist to lead our marketing/communications efforts. MonkDev is one of the largest web developers and fastest growing private companies in San Diego. We provide web solutions across all industries but we are thought leaders in the non-profit space, where thousands of churches, ministries and other non-profits use our services and technology. This person will be responsible for positioning MonkDev in our markets by developing and implementing strategic marketing, messaging and public relations initiatives. We seek a highly creative, entrepreneurial marketing/communication professional with an understanding of the non-profit market.
Learn more here: San Diego – Customer Evangelist
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Graphic Designer – Position Open
MonkDev (Monk Development, Inc.) – an industry leading, innovative web development and software as a service company based in San Diego, CA – seeks a graphic/web designer to be the visual lead behind our design projects and brand. MonkDev is one of the largest web developers and fastest growing private companies in San Diego. We provide web solutions across all industries but we are thought leaders in the non-profit space, where thousands of churches, ministries and other non-profits use our services and technology. The designer will be responsible for creating our corporate website, re-designing our web applications (eg. our Content Management System), mobile apps, product websites and many other projects.
Learn more here: San Diego – Graphic Designer
Read MoreDrew Goodmanson
CEO of Monk Development creators of Ekklesia 360. Co-Founder of Kaleo Church where I served as Pastor for 8+ years and helped coach several church plants in San Diego. Co-Founder of the GCM Collective, President of the Board at the Center for Church Communication, Board Member of the Entrepreneurship Organization, Internet/Technology Advisory Chair at the Christian Leadership Alliance. Connect
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