Church Brand Architects

By: Michael Holmes

“That’s absolutely ridiculous!! If that’s what people want to do outside of church that’s fine, but that has no business in the House of God!!!”

That’s what a minister told me when I tried (emphasis on “tried”) to show him how effective social media, especially Twitter, would be for ministry.

And you guessed it: after that response I backed off. No sense in going to war with one of God’s minister’s about ministry strategies in Jesus Name!

And so since he wouldn’t listen, I thought, maybe there are some ministers here who will listen.

Twitter is an essential tool for ministry–I mean considering the fact that almost EVERYONE is on Twitter (the Dalai Lama recently joining).

Understand this:  Twitter is growing at a MIND-BOGGLING pace! Currently, Twitter sends over 50 million Tweets per day:

Wow!

Do I have your attention?

Why should we use this?

But the benefits are too many to name…but let’s see the ones that are most beneficial:

• Reach the unreachable–The greatest opportunity Twitter provides is in building a platform to reach the un-churched.  Pete Wilson– senior pastor of Crosspoint Church–an avid Twitter user with over 51,000 followers said this: “There was no Twitter before recently and ministry still happened, so too much importance shouldn’t be placed on it. I have a lot of fun on Twitter, but it never fails that someone comes up to me after service and mentions that they found Cross Point because of Twitter. It’s also a great way to keep in touch with people in your church.” [1] In this day and age, social media is in instrumental in church growth!

• Monitor your church’s “brand”–I don’t want to insult you but EVERYTHING is a brand (and by “brand” I mean an “expected experience”). And that “everything” also includes your ministry. People are talking about it…and most of the stuff you’re not hearing. Twitter gives you an awesome opportunity to monitor what people are saying.

• Find lost sheep–When asked in my church recently, “What can we do to find ex-members? Where can we go to find them?” I immediately shot my hand up and said, “You can find them all onFacebook!!” Social media has been instrumental in finding long lost people. Whether it be finding a lost cousin after the Haiti Quake using Facebook or finding a missing family member on Twitter after the Chile earthquake (and through Google person finder). And though those were extreme examples, lost sheep can be found through social media–and all good shepherds go after lost sheep.

• Help in fundraising–With ministry, money is not a measure of ministry success but it is a necessity for ministry. When the devastation of the Haiti Quake took place the world was shocked at how much money was raised through a social media and text messaging campaign. Money that would take weeks to raise was raised in a matter of days. Social media has been instrumental in raising money for Chile and is instrumental in raising money for charity. Twitter has great ways to raise money for your ministry (or non profit).

• Promote events– Sites like Tweetvite, Eventbrite, Amiando, or meetup.com. Any ministry can set up a successful Tweetup

• Meet needs faster–Ultimately, ministry is about meeting the needs of people–spiritual and otherwise. Twitter was instrumental in meeting the needs of this homeless family this recent Christmas.

A Twurch Family

But I must admit in spite of all this there are going to be people that “we don’t need social media to preach Jesus.” They’ll say, “As long as we preach Jesus and Him crucified, love people, and be faithful we’ll reach our communities.”

And you know what…they’re right. Ultimately it’s God that draws people to Himself. However they’re missing a HUGE advantage with the tools of social media (especially Twitter).

The Bible says:

“When He (Jesus) looked out over the crowds, His heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. ‘What a huge harvest!’ He said to his disciples. ‘How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!’” [2]

There is a huge harvest and I think if Twitter gives me the opprtunity to reach that harvest then I’m all for it!

But who care what I think…what do you think?

1. Personal Interview with Pete Wilson
2. Matthew 9: 37-38 (The MSG)

Disclaimer: Here are some resources to get started with Twitter

• The Twitter Guide Book
  
• The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Twitter Success
• Twitter Success Blueprint
• Twitter for Beginner’s -5 Things to Do As a New Twitter User
• Top 10 Twitter Tips for Beginners
• Twitter for Ministry and Church–A Business Perspective
  

Michael Holmes

Bio: Mike Holmes is the author of I Shall Raise Thee Up: Ancient Principles for Lasting Greatness. He’s also a blogger that writes on leadership development from a Biblical perspective. It’s leadership by the Book! When he’s not writing blogs or speaking he can be found writing bios in the third person. Check out his website/blog here.

email: mike@raisetheeup.com
site: http://www.raisetheeup.com
Author, I Shall Raise Thee Up: Ancient Principles for Lasting Greatness

Raise Thee Up Blog Worship: A Secret Leadership Strategy

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I came across this article on one of my favorite blogs Church Marketing Sucks. If you have not had time to visit, it is definitely worth the time to go there. The premise of this article, is that with the advent of so much technology, ie. video broadcasting to multiple locations, TV, and even the internet, the church must make sure the brand is Jesus and not a rock star Pastor. There are specific points I agree with in the post and of course, some points I don’t.

Branding is a 2 headed dilemma for the local Urban Church. Our Pastors are generally bigger than life and they are for lack of better terms “Rock Star” brands within themselves. it is the culture of the urban Experience. This is an argument I have with my Non-Urban counterparts on a daily basis. For better or for worse, in the African American community the brand of the church is often the brand of the Pastor. They are intertwined, co-mingled, and often  not distinguishable from each other. Should that be the case?  You weigh in. But not to sway your opinion – first read this article by Brett Borders. Then I will post my blog on the subject.

Read the Blog Here

Richard Byrd

Your Urban Church Marketing Specialist

ChurchBrand Architects

by: Felicia Shakespeare

First and foremost social media has to be viewed as a tool that will get users from a means to an end. It’s not intended to replace what should be deemed as “normal” human behavior, like face to face interactions or verbal conversations but I’m convinced that social media, if used consistently, and in the right context, can allow individuals in a ministry to connect “quickly,” “consistently,” and “effectively,” with their congregation. Social media can become an active and significant component to enhance any church’s ability of reaching people.

Let’s stay connected……

The greatest advantage of social media is the opportunity it allows people to quickly connect. For example, if the Pastor or another ministry leader, such as the Pastor’s Wife, Youth Pastor etc. wants to write a blog addressing their area of the ministry or just share something they feel is straight from the heart of God, the opportunity is now here to share. It could feel almost like a one on one conversation with the readers. The readers have the ability to participate in this process because they can provide comments or feedback about the blog. If they have additional questions, those can also be posted. Blogs in most instances are setup to be shared through other social media tools like Twitter or Facebook, therefore this information can be forwarded on, now turning this into a form of outreach.

Social Media: Support System

Social media in my opinion is ultimately designed to “bring people together” and with it’s ongoing use can create a powerful dialogue, giving members the feeling of a strong consistent support system. The infamous question that leads to almost all discussions on Facebook is the prompt: “What’s on your mind?” For a congregation, what better forum to give a voice to the members? The information being posted first and foremost is customized to the audience of friends, fans, or followers, which varies depending on the application being used. Pastors can make regular personal posts themselves, which always adds a special touch as the leader, or they may allow a staff member to act on their behalf as an administrator of the page. This allows for quick dissemination of whatever is intended to be communicated either way. Most times unless members have set-up an appointment for a formal counseling session at the church, it’s seemingly can be impossible to really get quality one on one time with a Pastor before or after a church service. Sometimes members have questions and may be too shy to ask or just may not have the time to wait in a line to speak to the Pastor. By the use of social media you may actually post what you are wanting to share as the advantage is the applications are accessible 24/7. You can post when it’s convenient for you! I can recall there were instances that I have wanted to share something with my Pastor or ministry leaders, but time may have not permitted me to stay to share or to meet and greet them. But now that dynamic has changed, I can post a comment or send a note. Posts on any of the tools are identified as personalized from the individual sending, therefore the interaction shows that it’s coming from you!

A World of Information

One third advantage of social media is it allows Pastors and staff to keep members abreast of what’s happening in the church in a concise, effective manner. Not only can daily messages of encouragement be shared, but actual up to date announcements, like; births, deaths, service cancellations, etc. can be communicated through social media mediums. Many individuals have these applications on their cell phones as well nowadays which allows for real time, up to date data!

Churches can also use social media tools for personalized invites for upcoming events. This allows the event planners to gauge the number of possible participants. This will also help a ministry team be more effective in their planning. If there is an overwhelming positive reaction to attend an event, it can then be assumed that the planning team is on the right track with that group. At the other extreme, if there is minimal interest shown to attend, then it’s back to drawing board for the next time or that event may even be considered for cancellation in order to reserve resources. Effectiveness represents success, not just going through with something ignoring the raw data being provided!

If you can clearly understand how social media will impact your ministry to quickly, consistently, and effectively, impact how you serve your members, I would say invest in all of it’s possibilities. It is a free resource.

About the Author
Felicia R. Shakespeare was born and raised in the Chicago land area and currently resides in this part of the United States. Her professional background covers both the business and educational sectors. She is the author of the self-published book “Cycle of Prayer; The Never Ending Journey,” and the executive producer of it’s companion CD “Cycle of Prayer; Volume 1.” She is also an ordained Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and serves faithfully at her local church in many different capacities. Most of all she holds a sincere passion to see souls saved and people empowered to become whole; body, mind, and soul. She currently holds a Bachelor degree in Business Administration, and two Master degrees, one in Teaching and the other in Educational Leadership.

Proverbs 31 mirrors her endeavors and achievements as she continues to give God all the glory for the things He has done in her life and truly the best is yet to come! Proverbs 31:17, states: She is energetic and strong, a hard worker. (NLT)

Your Urban Church Marketing Specialists

http://www.churchbrandarchitects.com

In my last post  we discussed the necessity of social media for ministry growth; not just leading people to a building but to a relationship or greater relationship with Christ and greater fellowship with each other. Social media is not the ONLY way to do that but it offers the tools to help. In this post I want to follow up with SPECIFIC ways to do that. But before I go into “specifics” let me lay some groundwork:

1. It starts with the top: Ultimately, it is leadership that sets the culture of an organization (or ministry)–whether that culture be progressive or not it starts with the top. If the leadership is not sold on social media the ministry will not benefit from it.
2. Social media is a tool of ministry, not its “savior”: Many ministries struggling often see  this technology as a haymaker shot: “If we get on board technologically speaking, that’ll save us.” Technology doesn’t save ministries great leadership with purpose does. Technology that’s used in line with a core purpose will always bear more fruit than technology that’s used for the sake of being used.
3. Social media efforts must be measured: Sometime ago E-marketer released a survey where 84% said that they don’t measure any type of social media ROI. This is astounding considering the fact that social media allows us to better track our efforts. Granted, some things can’t be measured but there are things that can–track the things that can.

Social media and ministry

So without further ado here they are: some strategies that can enhance ministry effectiveness.

• Use Facebook ads: Paul Steinbrueck recently recalled how his church used this to advertise their past Christmas play. The ad was run for 9 days prior to the weekend of the performances.  Over that time, it was displayed 900,000 times and clicked on 600 times.  Total cost of the ad campaign was about $475. Wow!

• Consider a blog-centric strategy: Some ministries have different ministries that do different things at different times.  A blog-centric strategy allows the church to have a main blog and each ministry to have a blog. Feedburner is set up for each blog, so people can get info from whatever blog they want.

• Launch a Facebook Campus: That’s what Central Christian church did.  Following their mission of “connecting the unconnected” they launched the campus and hold services 7 times a week.  The Church partnered with Plainjoe studios and Facebook to develop the campus after positive responses from its year-old online campus. Launched in September, the inaugural service of the Facebook campus saw more than 450 attendees from around the world comprised of a wide variety of demographics.

• Listen: Granted, social media gives us a bigger microphone to speak from it also gives us a greater opportunity to listen to what’s being said.  You remember the saying: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” In this new era of social media, we’re being asked to be more transparent and personal–its our job to make sure people know HOW MUCH we care.
• Show who’s using it: Mickey Mellen (follow him @mickmel) gave an example of how his church does it.

• Got an event? Promote it through Tweetvite: Tweetvite allows you to create events specifically designed for Tweetups (or “meet ups” that use Twitter). Its free and offers a fully search able listing of upcoming Tweetups (should you want to get out the house). You can sign up through your Twitter, Facebook, or Myspace account; it allows you to map the location of the tweetup; and you can use your own URL. It’s great for informal get-togethers outside of of church as well.

The end of the matter

I must admit, there are endless ways to use technology for ministry. But the one criteria is this: it must be used prayerfully and purposefully.

We as believers have an obligation to “redeem the times”? Or as Paul said, “Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don’t miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity.” [1 Colossians 4:5 The Message)

And truth of the matter is, the "traditional church" is on its deathbed.The times have changed and will continue to change...but our Message never will. This new landscape presents us with new opportunities. But, its only an opportunity to those who see it as such.

Guest Blogger Mike Holmes

Bio: Mike Holmes is the author of I Shall Raise Thee Up: Ancient Principles for Lasting Greatness. He’s also a blogger that writes on leadership development from a Biblical perspective. It’s leadership by the Book! When he’s not writing blogs or speaking he can be found writing bios in the third person. Check out his website/blog here.

Http://www.churchbrandarchitects.com