Social Media Is A Tool For Your Church

Social media is a tool. How you utilize any tool is determined by what it does. Many churches fail to see what social media truly is. It is not a billboard or a platform, it is not a place to bring glory to yourself or to use it like a business, it is a tool and it is an online community. A community is more powerful than the rest.

You can choose to not use social media and that is fine, great even, but if you choose to use social media you must recognize, like any tool it has the potential to do great good and great harm. 

Knowing how to use social media correctly is how you ensure you never do harm to your community, to people, to believers and to our representation of Christ.

A Fun Analogy

I read a book called “Magic Words” by Tim David. In this book, he proposes an analogy about language being a tool. I am going to use his analogy in pointing out how most Churches use social media as a tool. 

An ax, he points out, is a tool. In the hands of Paul Bunion, it is a great tool utilized to its fullest extent to help and give life and prosperity. In the hands of Lizzy Borden, it is a terrible tool utilized to its fullest extent to take lives. Both of these people are experts in their craft, they know how to wield an ax, and they utilize it to its fullest capabilities. A majority of churches are neither of these. Most churches, when it comes to social media, are a bit like the Jaguar’s punter Chris Hanson.

Back in the early 2000’s the Jaguars placed a log and an ax in their locker room as a motivational tool for the players to chop at the wood after a hard day of practice. Chris Hanson, the team’s punter is not skilled with an ax and sunk the metal tip into his leg after a hard day’s practice.

The Church Wielding Social Media as A Tool

The church, while wanting to use social media as an effective tool, is using a tool without experience or knowledge. We are posting without regard to the potential repercussions, or letting forums and chats run without restraint. Just like the Jaguar’s motivation log everything seems great and this tool designed for good intentions seems to be doing amazing things for the church’s communication online, but outside of professional hands and without discretion, it is not a matter of if the ax will slip, but when, and will we even be aware of it.

Accidents in Church Social Media

Social Media for Churches has multiple areas where the ax can slip.

1. Gossiping: This is a deadly word in the Church. Gossiping is detrimental to unity and we must be unified in all we do. 1 Corinthians 1:10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.
2. Becoming A Business: Have you ever followed a clothing brand or business on social media and then they just keep trying to sell you stuff. Their feed is simply ad after ad. You stop following their account because we already see enough ads. A lot of churches create a social media account and post every Saturday afternoon about Church being the next day. While this makes sense, you are likely to alienate your following and devalue your posts. Posting about church services should be done sparingly and strategically, not like your sister who tells everyone she is having another Tupperware party this week.
3. Becoming A Club: This is the most detrimental thing that can happen to a church’s social media and the church body in general. Why? Because it feels like we are succeeding when we are truly pushing the community away. If we create a culture online that ends up being exclusive, we will have major activity and support from a church body that continually supports us and our posts (which makes us feel great) but the tool fails to reach out to new members or people who are interested in us. How we combat this is by equipping our followers to reach out to people they have friendships with and not making the posts exclusive to our church.
4. Hate mail: Hate mail is actually great (as long as it is because we are honoring God and not man). It shows what we are doing things for God and not the world. If you get hate mail because you put up a hateful post, you are now the Lizzy Borden of social media and should not be allowed to have social media as a weapon. How you approach and handle hateful posts determines how you present yourself.
5. Find out more aspects of internet marketing by reading our philosophy of marketing and the church where we cover specific pitfalls and problems to avoid.

Good Church Social Media

Enough with all of this doom and gloom of things that can go wrong. What does good church social media look like? It is when we bring Glory to God instead of us or our Church. Since social media is a tool for the Church it should be used as such. Just as Hebrews 10:24-15 says let’s spur each other on, let’s not give up meeting together and let’s encourage one another . . . even more, as we see the day approaching.

What Christ Link Does

In our marketing process, we set up your website and social media platforms, train your internal marketing team, and act as a resource and ongoing helpful hand as your Church’s internet marketing grows.

The most important thing we provide you are watchful eyes. As a pastor or elder, you do not have the time to watch what your social media team is posting. And you have too many responsibilities to continually be checking up on your team. Christ Link keeps a helpful eye on your team and provides monthly reports to you on the data on traffic as well as an overview of potential “ax slips”. 

Contact us to learn more about our internet marketing services.