If you've heard that social media is declining, you may be missing a big part of the story. Social media is still a critical tool for your church.

Who would have thought that 20 years ago when so many of us were ranking our top 8 friends on MySpace (yes, this was actually a thing) that social media would become what it is today? 

Still, we often hear church leaders and communicators say things like:
“We just don’t have time for it.”
“Does it really help?”
“It’s just not important to our mission.”
“I’ve heard it’s declining.”

We get it. Most of us have been in your shoes too and have wondered some of these same things. But with its continued growth from 970 million users in 2010 to 4.9 billion users today it’s still something we can’t ignore because it’s just too important to the critical work you’re doing every single day.

Social media is still an important tool for churches to connect with their members, reach new audiences, and share their message in the digital age.

Here are some reasons why social media is still important for churches:

  1. Catch More: This is a phrase you’ll see all over our website and around our office. We believe in fishing for people just like Jesus did over 2,000 years ago. Obviously, it looks a little different these days than it did then. The past 20 years of communications has changed the game for nearly every church. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have billions of users, which means that churches can use these platforms to reach a wider audience than they could through traditional methods like print ads or word of mouth. By sharing your unique message on social media, churches can connect with people who may not attend services or who may not have heard of the church or even Jesus before. It casts a net wider than you can ever imagine.

    Think about it, you might see 300 people during a weekend. But you could have a video on YouTube that easily reaches over 1,000 or a post on Facebook or Instagram with over 3,000 impressions. It just goes to show the impact you can have is far beyond just weekend services.

  2. Build community: By creating social media groups or pages for specific ministries or events, churches can provide a platform for members to connect, share their experiences, and support each other.  We know that this is just one of the many ways you need to communicate, but it definitely shouldn’t be ignored.

  3. Share your vision and the love of Jesus: Through social media, churches can share inspiring stories, quotes, and scriptures that can uplift and encourage their followers. And the world can always use a little more Jesus, don’t you think?

  4. Increase engagement: Social media platforms are designed to encourage engagement, which means that churches can use them to interact with their members and followers in meaningful ways. By responding to comments and messages, churches can show their followers that they care about them and are listening to their needs.

  5. Promote events and activities: By sharing information about upcoming events, churches can encourage their members to attend and can reach new audiences who may be interested in what the church has to offer. We often encourage our churches to start small with Facebook and Instagram advertising so they can see the big impact even the slimmest of budgets can have, which leads into our next point…

  6. Reach new people: Digital ads are much cheaper and far more effective than a majority of print advertising. Plus, you can actually see the data and reach of your ads. As an added bonus, you can also retarget ads to certain users and encourage them to a potential next step. 

We worked with a client who did some testing during Christmas 2021 around this. They sent a postcard to 5,000 homes which cost about $2,500 … it received 40 clicks from the unique URL/QR code. They also spent $500 on a series of Facebook and Instagram ads that had over 60,000 impressions and nearly 600 clicks. In other words, social media ads work! 

We understand that social media can be time-consuming, but the return on investment will be worth it.

If you don’t have time or are not sure where to start, let us know! We’d love to help you get started.