About Social Media
I’ve heard other clergy
claim that they plan to “have nothing to do with” social media. I suspect what
they mean is that they wish to not start a facebook or twitter account, and are
hoping to avoid dealing with a personal online presence.
Here’s what I’m thinking:
it’s too late. Whether or not we want to be present on the internet, we are
already there. Pastors are present and findable via internet search because our
names are associated with our church, our photos are posted whenever we conduct
a wedding, and we are listed in obituaries whenever we conduct a funeral. These
and other digital references are happening, whether or not we are aware of
them, so the advantage of participating in social media at least a little bit
is twofold – you have a better grasp of how you are being represented online,
and you can add your own perspective and stories instead of relying solely on
others.
In addition, social media
can be an excellent communication tool. Like all communications, how social
media is used determines how effective it is. I think it was in Junior High
that I was taught the two components of effective communication: 1) message
sent, and 2) message received. Social media provides opportunities to both send
and receive information.
As one of the two main curators
of our church’s official information channels, my job is to choose wisely so we
reach our desired audience effectively. This includes planning ahead and
utilizing several tools so we create neither a dry spell nor a flood of
communications.
I find in Church
communications that when I rely exclusively on the print newsletter and bulletin
and spoken announcements from the pulpit, our information stream can have
significant gaps in it. Adding social media to our information stream helps
fill in gaps, engage people in new ways, and gives some of our members tools to
invite others to participate.
While there are number of
places a person can go to learn about how to use social media in the Church, I
really really appreciate UMCommunications. Here’s a link to some of their
information about social media: http://www.umcom.org/learn/connect-with-social-media
Current articles at this
site include Instagram, blogging, and text messaging.
Today's garden photo is from Baton Rouge, LA.The garden is across the street from First UMC - I love the garden name!!!! You might enjoy the church's website, www.firstmethodist.org
No comments:
Post a Comment