People travel to different cities or countries to take a vacation or to visit new cultures. They may be looking to experience new things, meet new people, eat exotic foods and the list may go on. People do the same virtually. They actually do that with churches as well.
Before folks step into your building, they will surf through your website, click on your Facebook and Instagram links, and investigate. They will be trying to get a handle of who you are as a church, your values (not only the written ones in your mission statement!), and even who your churchgoers are.
As you know, online is a new normal now. So much information is available at the tip of your fingers (or your thumbs)! Our society has taken that turn for the better and the worse. Even though digital is different than the physical realm, there are some similarities.
People communicate in both places. They shop, connect, and relate with others. They spend massive amounts of time and money in both areas. They make friends, and enemies, in both worlds. They even take spiritual steps in both. People can have many tangible interactions with the digital version of your church.
Many churches have decided to be present in both worlds. Some are starting to live out in the virtual as well as in the physical. Some haven’t started yet. Wherever your church is on that spectrum, you must realize there are three major reasons to be digitally present.
First, you should follow Jesus’ example. He visited people where they were. They were by the lake; he went to the lake. Crowds were by countryside; he was there as well. The woman was at the well; he stopped to talk with her. If your people are online, go there! Follow His example.
Secondly, you are called to go into all the nations to proclaim the Gospel. One of those nations is virtual. If going to sit in a church is less and less common in the USA, then it is likely more and more usual for people to watch online sermons, follow courses and read their digital Bible. You can and should try outreach digitally.
Lastly, Millennials and Gen Z are online more than any other generation. If your heart is for them and you want to reach them with the Gospel, get online!
Since you are already traveling in the digital world through many interfaces like your church website, live stream, social media accounts and email, you may need to discover the customs of that place.
HOW TO GET ONLINE
Engagement on digital platforms may be measured in many ways. From easy counting of views and likes to using percentages of participation, SEOs, and analytics, there are tons of possible measurable means. Let’s begin with easier ones.
Have a website that is up to date. Online visitors will check your website out first before visiting you online or in person. If your last update was nine months ago, it’s time to up your game a little bit. To a virtual visitor, this is like dirty paint, long grass, and garbage on the porch of a real house.
Have your website look like your church and sound like your church. Are the words you write those you use in meetings? Do the pictures look like real people from your area and your church? The similarity is key here and it should reflect who you are as a church body.
Social media are the windows to your church in a virtual world. Active and up-to-date Facebook and Instagram accounts are must-haves today. If you don’t have any, plan on opening those in the very near future. It’s rather easy and straightforward.
A live stream is a very good idea as it allows people to join you when you’re actually active in your building. ChurchStreaming.TV and Stream Monkey are great tools for that.
You could even have your own YouTube channel (more on this later).
HOW TO INCREASE YOUR DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT
Counting views on a video on Facebook or Instagram is okay. But remember, this is comparable to someone actually opening your church door and peeking in…without going in! A vast majority of views lasts less than three seconds. The same goes for likes, though that requires a little more energy than scrolling past a playing video! Still, you can barely call that engagement.
So, in order to increase your digital engagement, there are a few steps to take.
- Who is out there?
Your first step is to determine and define who you’re trying to reach. In order to develop engagement, you must know who in the digital world that could be watching your church’s content. There are a few questions to ask yourself to narrow this down. Are they in an urban or more rural area? Do you want to reach out to your church community or more those that are not tied to your church yet? Younger people or older? Once you have landed on this, the rest of your strategy will be aimed at that group. You may want to target a combination of people, as well and can adjust your strategy accordingly.
For the next three steps, this means you’ll want to reach out to that crowd. Information is fine to give out but that doesn’t engage people. Calendar events don’t change lives. Aim for the heart, not the head. You are not merely trying to communicate information but you’re seeking life transformation for the people who are watching you.
- Comment more than like
Start building a comment mentality. Liking or hearting a comment online is like a head nod in the real world while commenting and discussing in the digital world is like engaging in a conversation. It is always preferable to discuss or engage.
Since you have designed your digital ministry for specific people, their level of engagement reaches new heights when they start commenting on your post, feed, or board. And if they really like it, they just might share it with people who they believe need to see your content, as well.
As you build a team to minister to these people, hold them accountable to discuss and comment during the action of a post. If it’s a live stream, they’re tasked with commenting under their real social alias. If your church’s social accounts are posting a photo or a reel, assign someone from your team to comment on and share the content. This builds up a habitual action of conversing online.
- Feed the feed
As you, your team and your church get in the habit of reaching out to their digital friends by commenting and discussing, you want to create some food to feed your flock. Feeding is about creating great posts that allow discussion and producing highly engaging short videos or reels to share. Your content should follow three specific rules: post it regularly (determine how often to post), build it with consistency (it fits your church’s feel and your aimed crowd) and say it concisely (long posts or videos don’t work as well).
The idea may be to post 1-3 times a week, with one life story, one sermon or worship excerpt and one quote, with your church’s logo evident. It may be asking a question, answering one or prompting people to action.
- Direction and destination
In the digital world, you want people to take the next step as well. That path will be different, but people will still be called to move forward. It could be to fill in a digital connection card, ask a question, meet someone (via locally or Zoom call), or join an online group. Maybe you would like to create a virtual “welcome to XYZ” or “Next Steps class” or even a “Virtual Growth Track.”
As you build your “digital team,” assign tasks like posting, commenting, and reaching out to people during the week.
It cannot be emphasized enough the importance of having an updated website, as already mentioned. Facebook is more of an online engagement medium. On a Facebook Live feed, it is important to comment to create digital engagement.
The younger generation flocks more towards platforms like Instagram which is more of your highlights and behind the scene tool. A quick 30-second reel in an excellent use of Instagram and the same may go for TikTok. As for YouTube, you already know how vast it can be. Need to repair your car? YouTube it. Need a new recipe? YouTube it. When it comes to messages though, viewers may be watching on a TV or a cell phone. So, views mean that people have actually watched it a little more than three seconds most of the time. This means you should post your messages on a YouTube channel.
In some final comments, you can ask for additional help from professionals like Subsplash, Pushpay, Doxology Creative, or Salem Church Products.
By following these general rules, your digital imprint on your congregants will grow from a mere “hi” to an actual conversation and increase a simple presence to engagement.
