Tim Schraeder did an excellent job capturing Cynthia Ware (http://thedigitalsanctuary.org/) and my session at the Story Chicago conference.
Social Media Pulse
What are churches current social media patterns?
- We are living in a world people dreamed of.
- There used to only be a computer at work… then it went home… then to your lap… now to your hand.
- Mobile ubiquity, where everyone has a phone, presents challenges and opportunities for the church.
- There’s an embedded value system in social media [public/participatory, new media].
- There’s value in it that it’s instant.
- Everyone is an equal creator… it’s user-generated content.
- We’d rather buy something someone tells us about than what we are told by businesses or corporations.
- Users have a voice and are able to generate content.
- In a relationship economy, what people say matters deeply.
- We now have greater accessibility to information.
- Churches need to move from having “please have your phone off” signs to “please have your phone on” signs.
- The media is affecting our small group communities and the way that they interact.
- We’ve torn down the boundaries of distance; there’s now a worldwide conversation going on that anyone can participate in.
- The definition of “presence” is changing.
- We HAVE to think through these things theologically.
- Is physical presence necessary for you to be a part of and “be” the church.
- Social media allows customization [personalization].
- One size does not fit all … [MySpace, my reviews, my favorites, etc.]
- My can be consumer oriented, but it reflects the fact that media is in the hands of every person and every person has the ability to create media.
- Everyone is a content producer.
- We now watch TV on our own terms [TiVo].
- New generations are being raised with these new ideas embedded in their everyday interactions.
- As technology becomes cheaper and more effective, the Church is confronted with one of the greatest opportunities along with one of the greatest challenges of how to steward it.
- The Men of Issachar were able to see the times and were able to know what to do.
- Let’s go to the next level… let’s find out what we are capable of doing and how are we able to frame it in a Biblical context?
- The word of our testimony is the critical story we have that’s a powerful conduit [Christianity is viral] to reach someone we may have not been able to reach any other way.
- We’ve moved to a digital age.
- It will be normal for us to connect online, first and then meet in person.
- 43% of churches say social media is one of the most effective ways for them to communicate and engage with people.
- Church websites are the front doors to churches.
- 77% of people say the church website was an important part of why they chose to go to church.
- If people can’t connect to your website they may not go to your church.
- People make judgements about a church based on what the church communicates across their website.
- It’s a missiological issue.
- John 17:18
- Facebook is the 4th largest nation in the world if you look at the number of people that are on it.
- Non-Christians do not go to your website.
- Your website is primarily visited by believers looking for information about churches.
- 20% of all data people are accessing on church websites is information for new visitors… that’s a significant portion where you should invest your time.
- Use the web to help people new into the church to get deeper into community.
- Your web strategy should be looked at as an Internet Presence Management.
- What are you communicating online?
- How are you connecting to where people are talking and engaging?
- Where are you present? Where are you absent?
- Who is responsible for your church’s online presence?
- What does it mean to be the Church online?
- How do you define presence? What’s your theology of presence?
- We need to recognize that participatory media is decentralized.
- It’s unregulated.
- We have a lack of control.
- We have to look deeper at our theology.
- A mobile, extended presence can be used missionally.
- Is virtual community real community?
- What is Biblical community?
- We need to define Biblical community before we define online community and if it’s possible to have church online
- We need to ask if we can use an online presence to build real life community?
- We need to intently be on the internet, it’s a mission field.
- We, the Church, are called to be counter-culture… what does that mean at this technological crossroads?
- We are willing to be transparent online, but vulnerability is not often seen online.
Top Social Media Sites
- Private Member Portals [ MemberHub, Monk, Tangle, Unifyer, etc ]
- GoogleGroups
- MySpace
- Greatest needs online: events, post prayer requests, get connected, finding small groups and ways to connect throughout the week, integration with their church website and resource sharing.
- Churches are wrestling with how to use participatory technologies.
- The Cobblestone Community Network is a tool that’s been developed to help churches have private communication that’s integrated into social media channels.
- If you don’t set a strategy you’re going to have a difficult time pulling it together later.
- What is your strategy for the community online?
- Pick a horse.
- If you don’t lead your people, they will find their own way and go their own direction.
- This is something we need to pay attention to but we don’t need to know the mechanics of it; you can find volunteers or someone on staff to help manage this.
- Things are easier than they were before.
- There are challenges and effort required but it’s more centered on your strategy.
- Let people tell you how they want to be contacted… be platform neutral.
- Let people choose how the content gets to them.