There are two simple ways to think about your church’s social media.
The first is rapid growth. You produce videos, podcasts, images and blog posts with the key goal of generating growth. No social media channel or content is off limits. Of course, over a certain period of time you find yourself eventually doing the following:
- Creating unsustainable content creation strategies which ultimately lead to burn out. For example, going live every single day on Instagram or posting a YouTube video every day.
- Creating click-bait content that generates traffic but adds little value.
- Using third party tools to of stock photos or pre-prepared social media images.
- Trying to mimic other churches’ social media strategies and content.
The second way to think about social media is to focus on creating something that’s durable. It’s about finding a rhythm to the work that keeps the work in line with who your church is and is done at a pace that can be kept for a long time. This way of thinking is much more difficult because it means the following:
- Saying no to the latest trend or social network that will help your church “enlarge your audience.” It’s not because you’re against growth, but you want to maintain your focus.
- Coming to the understanding that generating value for an audience isn’t about volume or speed. It’s about building a relationship that helps you understand what they need.
- Focusing on content that will point your audience to Christ and help them as they work to fulfill the great commission.
- Finding contentment not from your church’s social media numbers, but from the quality of content that you produce. Knowing that in the end those numbers are meaningless if what you’re producing won’t last.
To be clear this isn’t about being against growth. It’s about rejecting a culture that defines your church’s social media value by arbitrary numbers or lures you into practices that are contradictory to your church’s mission and vision.
Posted on August 20, 2021
Darrel Girardier serves as the Communications Director at Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood, Tennessee where he oversees the digital, design and video production teams. Previously, he was a Creative Director at LifeWay Christian Resources.
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