You've most likely hear A LOT about including text messaging as part of a church communications plan. Some of what you've heard is in favor of including texting and some is against.

It can seem a bit confusing, and as a result of the confusion,

• you might not be using text because you think it doesn't work.
• you might be using  text but NOT to its maximum effectiveness. 

Add to that the fact that text messaging has matured which means the rules have changed, and users today are more choosy. If the texts they are receiving aren't relevant, chances are your users will unsubscribe from your texting service. Or just ignore you if you're sending them direct texts. 

Mobile phones are the most used global communications device. Recent figures put the global figure for smart phone users at 2.6 billions ... and growing!

In the U.S., 97% of people text one or more times every day. That means the number of texts sent by the average American is double the number of phone calls. In some groups, the texting rate is even higher. Each Millennial, on average, sends 2,022 texts each month. That's 67 texts each day. And people rush to answer their texts: Answering an email? 90 minutes on average. Answering a text? About 90 seconds!

As a result, mobile devices are becoming the #1 choice for digital communications.  

Many pastors, church leaders, and ministers face the same problem: how to quickly communicate important information to your entire congregation. The emergence of numerous digital, mobile, and online communication channels has created a wide variety of digital options and tools that you can use to get your messages out and cut through the clutter of daily life.

When a message is sent, people are notified right away.  Text messages are the most efficient solution if you are looking to get a brief message out to the majority of people. With a 97% open rate, it is worth the small cost for each message because you can be certain that nearly everyone who receives the message will read it. 

With text messaging services like Viber, Skype, iMessenger, Google hangouts, WhatsApp, GroupMe, kik, etc. available for free use, why would you need anything else? For example, both GroupMe and WhatsApp are applications for a smartphone, but have a limited number of features. The application GroupMe allows you to create groups on your mobile device so you can send the same message to a group of people. You are able to add everyone within your address book to the GroupMe application which allows all messages sent in response to a group message to be propagated to the rest of the group. The application creates what is known a private chat room. The WhatsApp application works in much the same way, but each
user must have the application installed on the mobile device they will be using for sending the messages.

These are applications that can be downloaded and used on mobile devices work well for small groups, but are not suitable for use with large groups.

API (Application Program Interface) is a way in which vendors can allow apps written in different languages to talk to each other.  These apps can talk together because they are connected by what is called ‘the cloud’ (a communications network). Phones usually don’t allow you to extend your SMS application that way unless you hack themneither scalable OR legal! Other free apps such as Skype and WhatsApp
are niche networks. They prefer you to use their apps and their solutions so they are not interested in integrating either.

The advantage of using cloud-based text solutions is that they are built on architectures that allow you to extend the application and integrate with other tools that you are using. This means churches or the vendors can build integrations with other vendors such as MailChimp; hence, ensuring they can roll out a streamlined digital strategy. A digital strategy that is fully integrated, in which all your systems (or most of them) are speaking to each other, can be worth the expense of using a cloud solution versus just your phone or some free app.

Members and visitors must opt-in to be able to receive messages sent by service providers. To do this, most service providers use what are called short codes or long codes.

A short code is a number to which an SMS, or text message, can be sent. The code is usually five or six digits in length, making it easy for people to remember. For example, a short code could be 54321. A short code may be specific to one mobile operator or “common” and supported by all major mobile operators. A long code is a 10-digit telephone number.

Short Codes +/-
Although usually more expensive, short codes (being short) are easier to remember. Also, you can send large volumes of messages without being flagged by the cell phone carrier. For example, it is possible to send 1 million messages within 5-10 seconds.

Short codes are great for opt-ins during conferences, large evangelistic events, and in larger churches because they give people a quick, easy way to connect with what’s happening at the moment. However, due to their power, there are many more TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) restrictions governing how you can opt people in (usually only favors self opt-ins vs. manual). Also, once a person unsubscribes from that one shared number, they have essentially unsubscribed from everything. E.g. Using this shared short code across a multicampus? This means they would be removed from all communication across your campus as well. At least, this is what short code providers are legally meant to do.

Long Codes +/-
Long codes have a lower barrier of entry because they are more familiar to people. After all, long codes are just like regular telephone numbers, complete with local area codes. Also, long codes generally offer easier options to build your contact list. Plus, manually adding names is ok.

Long codes are used ​for the continuing relationship for three important reasons:

• Long codes rarely send spam.
• Long codes include a local area code which is associated with a more human, personal experience.
• The ‘human at the other end’ feeling encourages people to respond—give answers, ask questions, etc.

​On the other hand, the length of the long code has a higher barrier of participation. For example, it is not as easy to say as the short code. As a result, it can be difficult for the church to sell a longer code to a crowd who may be distracted by what’s happening in the conference, concert, or other major event. In other words, the end user in that crowd might feel like it is a hassle or too much to actually do in order to participate.

The type of relationship you want to create determines the choice.

Short codes feel more controlled, more professional. Users don’t feel they are giving some random, unknown person their phone number. So, short codes suit large, anonymous situations such as public events and business campaigns. A recent use by a larger church was a wavechurch.com campaign. Wavechurch used a short code at their main service to encourage thousands of people to join their small groups. In addition to services, short code opt-ins suit large musical church events.

Long codes, on the other hand, are much more personal. The church can say, “Here’s our pastor’s number which is set up for both calls and text.” This creates the feeling that the user is getting direct contact to the church team since the user needs to give their cell phone number. For most churches, the number of first-time guests tends to be low—usually 5 - 10% or fewer of the church membership AND these first-time guests are familiar with the church or someone connected with it. In these situations, the long code does not have the same stigma but actually aids in building a healthy, communicative relationship from the start.

Here are some other things you need to consider when looking at cloud-based text messaging provider.

Be proactive by going to the company website to check out how active they are and if they are providing value. Are there any case studies? What about social media activity and blogging? What about the company’s attention to best practices? Is the system church-focused? If the company is familiar with the church niche, they will most likely have relationships with other church vendors (programs, apps, etc.) which you are already using. Also, they will understand church culture which is usually going to mean that their solution and process reflect common values.

Speaking of integrating, does this company offer an API? If not, does it at least integrate with your current app vendors? Adding a digital tool that doesn’t fit into your digital tool kit just doesn’t make good sense.

Can you try it out easily, contract-free? Really, there is no reason why a reputable company is not able to let you try out their system with no obligation. Avoid contracts where you have to sign up for a year. Also dubious are trial options which ask for a small cost to cover the purchase of the phone number. If you are really sold on a ‘pay first’ system, speak to a salesperson before signing up in order to see as much of the system as possible.

To help you with your research and next steps, download this free guide. 

Resources:

• Case Study: A Deep Dive (with Real Data) into the Use of Texting in Evangelism

For many of us, when we hear the term “missionary,” we imagine traveling to a third-world country, living without the usual comforts of home, learning a tongue-curling language, and fighting an epic battle against mosquitoes. But that is not the only form of mission work.

Mission work is the act of intentionally sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This means that we can use everyday devices like our laptops, smartphones, tablets, and cameras to help someone know of the hope that we have. 
​
If you want to be a missionary online but you’re not sure how to go about getting started, here are five important steps to help you:

Your project is a God-given assignment – a task that the Holy Spirit will equip you to complete. Your project or mission work will be based on your gifts, talents, skill set, and experience. But, don’t try to do everything.

Examples of mission projects:

• Creating an animated video series explaining the relevance of prophecies in Daniel and Revelation
• Writing a blog geared toward gaining victory over pornography
• Launching a weekly online Bible study on a video conferencing platform
• Starting a podcast answering the most popular questions people have about the Bible
• Managing a Facebook page sharing stories of how people came to know Jesus Christ
• Recording a WhatsApp Cast with daily devotional thoughts
  
  

Digital missionaries must choose a target area to work in, the same way that traditional missionaries choose a country. For example, your focus area might be Facebook or WhatsApp or YouTube.
​
The object of online evangelism and mission work is to reach people online and share content that will encourage, inspire, and point them to Christ.

It’s important to have a plan. That plan comes in the form of a content strategy.
​
A content strategy is like creating a blueprint or a map for your work. This documented plan encompasses the planning, creation, publishing, distribution, and management (of feedback) of your content. It also includes:

• A description of your target audience
• Goals
• A content calendar
• How you will measure your success

Download a guide to Digital Evangelism for Ministries. 

By taking these simple steps, you can be on your way to starting your work as an online missionary. Remember, this is not like a class project or a hobby; this is a sacred work and should be regarded as such.

If you bear in mind the magnitude of your mission task and the significance of sticking with it, you will find that you won’t easily give up during trying moments. Christ commissioned you to do this work. He will also empower you and provide the means to be successful.

Sometimes, online mission work can get out of control. Read this article about how digital missionaries can balance online work and spiritual health.

Are you interested in being an online missionary? Email [email protected] to register for our Online Missionaries Database.

Reposted with permission from centerforonlineevangelism.org.

Jamie Domm:
Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, bullies were confined to school hours and playgrounds. As a “funny” but quiet girl in a very small town, I found myself the subject of laughter and bullying more often than I care to remember. But I always knew that at the end of the day, I could go home. Home was my sanctuary, full of books that stretched my imagination to faraway lands, and loving parents who encouraged my “peculiarities.”

Times have changed. Kids are connected 24/7 and have the potential to have their entire lives recorded and documented online: the good, the bad, and the humiliating. They’re not only connected to their friends via texting, social media, and email; they are also reachable by their bullies, anywhere, anytime.

In my day, girls would whisper behind your back, write mean things on scraps of paper and stuff them into your locker, or just obviously exclude you. Yes, it hurt, but it also shaped my character, my compassion for others, and my sense of fairness. It drove me out of my small town to go to college, explore the world, and find a new life full of “funny girls” just like me. I don’t remember the nasty words spoken by mean-spirited children. In a strange way, I can thank my bullies for helping me become who I am today. But the digital world has ushered in a new type of bullying, one that is far more damaging than school yard pranks and being made to feel like you don’t belong.

Cyberbullies can make a self-conscious child or teenager’s life a living nightmare. They can be dogged constantly with mean, spiteful, malicious messages that tear apart their self-worth and identity—and everyone else can see it too. Children can easily begin struggling with suicidal thoughts caused by an endless barrage of insults sent to them right under your nose.

As a teen, I remember jumping into the lake where my family lived and my top came off; I ended up hiding under the deck until one of the neighbors was kind enough to fetch it for me. Everyone had a good laugh and teased me a bit, but by the next week it was over and forgotten. Fast forward to today: something similarly embarrassing happens but this time someone snaps a picture and texts it immediately to all of their friends and sends it out on Snapchat for others to take screenshots and share. In a matter of minutes, the moment is immortalized. This has happened many times—someone snaps an embarrassing picture on Friday, and by Monday the entire school knows. The victim is mocked, shamed, and humiliated again and again and again. It never ends, and the reach keeps expanding. The victim may feel the only way out is to take his or her own life.  

What can we do? Morally, as Christians, we should have a no tolerance policy on bullying of any kind. As youth leaders, parents, and teachers, we need to recognize the signs and know how to handle these situations when they appear. Being part of a church does not make anyone immune, but together we can make it a safe place for our youth.

The North American Division is dedicated to preventing abuse of any kind. Consequently, it has launched the enditnownorthamerica.org campaign to provide education and resources to church leaders, educators, and members. 

As a parent or youth leader, one of the most important things you can do to protect your kids is to be aware of any significant changes to their mood and attitudes. Be aware of common warning signs:

• Frequent headaches or stomach aches, feeling sick or faking illness
• Changes in eating habits, like suddenly skipping meals or binge eating. Kids may come home from school hungry because they did not eat lunch.
• Difficulty sleeping or frequent nightmares
• Declining grades, loss of interest in schoolwork, or not wanting to go to school
• Feelings of helplessness or decreased self-esteem
• Self-destructive behaviors such as running away from home, harming themselves, or talking about suicide
• Hiding their screen or device when others are near and avoiding discussion about what they are doing on their device
• Their social media accounts are shut down or new ones appear.
• A child starts to avoid social situations, even those that were enjoyed in the past
• A child becomes withdrawn, depressed, or loses interest in people and activities

 
Kids need to feel that they have a safe space to talk to a trusted adult. Ask them open-ended questions about school and friends. If you see a change, don’t ignore it or chalk it up to them being “moody teenagers.” Ask–don’t assume! Kids and teens want to know that someone cares enough to ask why they don’t seem themselves.

• Notice – Recognize if there has been a change in mood or behavior and explore what the cause might be. Try to determine if these changes happen around a child’s use of their digital devices.
• Talk – Ask questions to learn what is happening, how it started, and who is involved.
• Document – Keep a record of what is happening and where. Take screenshots of harmful posts or content if possible. Most laws and policies note that bullying is a repeated behavior, so records help to document it.
• Report – Most social media platforms and schools have clear policies and reporting processes. If a classmate is cyberbullying, report it the school. You can also contact app or social media platforms to report offensive content and have it removed. If a child has received physical threats, or if there is potential for crime or illegal behavior, report it to the police.
• Support/Intervention – Peers, mentors, and trusted adults can sometimes intervene publicly to positively influence a situation where negative or hurtful content is posted about a child. Public intervention can include posting positive comments on digital platforms about the person targeted with bullying to try to shift the conversation in a positive direction. This should be handled carefully because for many children, it is even MORE humiliating to have an adult publicly defend them. Fear of public intervention may be a reason they are secretive and don’t want to tell their parents in the first place. It can also help to reach out to both the child who is bullying and the target of the bullying to express concern. If the harassment continues, removing the child from the bullying situation would be one of the best supports. If possible, try to determine if more professional support is needed for those involved, such as speaking with a guidance counselor or mental health professional. In severe cases when the bullying isn’t solved by reporting, close social media accounts, change schools, and find new positive friends and mentors.

 
Additional resources on cyberbullying:

• www.stopbullying.gov
  
• www.loveisrespect.org
  
• 10 Actions to Prevent and Stop Cyberbullying
  
• www.endcyberbullying.org

​This blog post is part of a SEO series created through a collaborative partnership between the Social Media + Big Data department of the North American Division and the Center for Online Evangelism.

Whether you’re a conference, union, church, a school, a regional office, a service organization, or a retailer, you may be asking:

One way to understand SEO is to think of the internet as a traditional library, but bigger. All the world’s content is in this library. To find material on a certain topic, you don’t just wander through each aisle. This is a large, multi-story building with shelves from floor to ceiling. If you want to find what you need, and fast, you ask the librarian: Google.

You approach Google: “I need snow leopard information.” With that, Google brings you stacks of books. There are travel magazines about zoos that have snow leopards, kids’ picture books of snow leopards, decor magazines about snow-leopard-print area rugs, reference books on animal facts, a few encyclopedias, some National Geographics, and some support manuals for Apple OS X Snow Leopard.

You’re overwhelmed, so you say, “Actually, I just want to know where snow leopards live.”

Google whisks the previous stack away and returns with a smaller stack of literature. You pick the first book off top, quickly scan through, and find, “Ah—they live in the mountains of Central Asia.”

Done. And you only needed to look at the first few pages of the top book.

The goal of Google’s search engine is to give searchers exactly what they’re looking for. If it didn’t do that very well, people wouldn’t use their search engine.

Google acts as the Great Virtual Librarian, seeking content that is most relevant to what was typed in the search box. The more specific the search query, the more specific the search results.

On the other hand, if an author wants their book to make the librarian’s short list for a certain topic, they must demonstrate to the librarian that, for a certain topic, their book is the best match or contains the most reliable information.

An author might do this by designing a catchy cover. They might also make the book title contain words that are often used when people ask questions about this topic. They write a subtitle that further specifies what readers will learn, and they craft the back-cover copy as a teaser to draw the reader in. They also have someone write an author bio that positions that author as an expert in the field.

The author will also seek to get on bestseller lists, be quoted in various magazines, and even get recommended by other authors. Maybe this author will write forewords to other books and have other prolific authors write the foreword in theirs. The author will be posting ads, participating in interviews, doing readings, etc.

The author creates a credible “buzz” and elevates this book as relevant for its topic.
The librarian sees all this and brings this book to all readers asking about this topic.

And if the library patrons willingly receive it, or even come back to read it again, all the more reason to keep bringing out this book for queries on this topic.

The author catered to the librarian by catering to what the readers were looking for.

Keep this analogy in mind as we go through this series. Each of those elements represent an online process involved in search engine optimization and, ultimately, the success of your web presence.

SEO is all about helping the right people in the “online mission field” find YOUR ministry. There are people out there that are searching for what is already your specialty—a cooking class, a good private school, a small friendly church, a big friendly church, a health seminar, an online Bible study, information about a perplexing Bible verse, how to deal with peer pressure, or how to find help and support when your friends and family aren’t helpful.

You may have heard the term “SEO” or “Search Engine Optimization” if you work with websites, content management, social media, or web development.

It’s a catch-all term to describe a collection of efforts to make your web presence more prominent in search results after someone types a related phrase into a search engine (most likely Google, but some use Bing, Yahoo, etc.)
​
Because it’s such a widely-applied and ever-evolving process, SEO does not have a set definition in a dictionary—it has several definitions! The most important thing to keep in mind, however, is that:

​It’s about your target audience’s needs, desires, and questions, and learning how you can best make the connection so they realize that, yes, you can provide what they need. You are worth their time.
 
Then they either buy from you, subscribe to your content, follow you on social media, join your cause, or come to your event or location (all possible calls-to-action—which will be studied later in this series!).
​
SEO combines some technical work with creative, strategic content work. Often, a complete SEO project involves an SEO specialist, a content strategist (copywriter), and a web developer. However, there are several SEO best practices you can implement yourself as a content manager, communication director, webmaster, or tech-savvy volunteer.

The process of SEO can have a big effect on your ministry’s online presence, whether your audience is local or global.

SEO is so big in the business world that there is an overabundance of tools and techniques being pushed by various “authorities” in the industry. It can be an overwhelming field to try to learn and keep up with, and it’s often difficult to know who to trust. Even experienced specialists in this industry still find it challenging.

​That’s why this guide was created to help you through SEO fundamentals, step-by-step, to make sure our Church’s ministries do not miss out on these potentially far-reaching benefits. 

Click here for the full SEO series and resource guide. ​

Most of the world spends hours online each day. Many people have become addicted to research, googling anything they have a question about. They look for maps and location information, check product reviews, read articles, watch videos, post comments, check in with old friends...they’ll even google questions close to their heart—questions they don’t feel comfortable asking close friends or family. Many people may google questions about topics such as spirituality, health, or information to help them through an inner struggle.

To be specific, 74,000 people google “Bible study” each month. That’s almost the entire population of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
​
The name “Jesus” is googled 1,500,000 times a month, and “Adventist” 18,100 times a month.

Currently, however, that’s not the case. Other websites are catching this traffic.

This is a missed opportunity to introduce these seekers to the hope and help that the Adventist message can provide. To quote Forbes, 

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is an ever-evolving set of strategies used in online marketing to help organizations reach more of their target audience. It is the process of utilizing a variety of techniques to positively impact a website’s visibility in unpaid search engine results. The higher a website ranks when a person googles search terms related to it, the more web traffic it receives. Most people do not scroll past the first page of search engine results. With this important fact in mind, I challenge you to google Seventh-day Adventist Church, Jesus, Bible prophecy, or the name of your church, ministry, organization, etc. What do you find? What kind of digital “curb appeal” did your search results reveal? Was it good or bad? Are people being led away by the competition or misinformation?

This resource will dive into what SEO strategies involve and how it relates to each of our ministries, from local to global. By being intentional and strategic, we can improve our digital curb appeal and encourage more people to encounter, and possibly embrace, our message.

Just as Seventh-day Adventists made strides in popular media throughout history—from print to radio to television—it’s now time to leverage the near limitless missionary opportunities the internet and digital technologies provide for us. 

We can’t ignore this vast online audience (“the online mission field”) that already wants what we have to offer—an audience we may never otherwise meet!

SEO is both highly technical and an art form. Professionals in this arena are highly sought-after and highly compensated by many types of businesses that know their true profitability depends on their findability and reputation online. But we can, with some education, invest the time (and sometimes money) ourselves to implement these valuable techniques. This is your chance to learn insider information and use it for the gospel—ultimately aiding the fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:16-20).

As with all things digital, the technology and tricks-of-the-trade will continually change, but the underlying philosophy will remain largely the same. With careful, prayerful guidance, let us begin. 

Click here for the SEO series and resource guide. 

​For the first ten years of my career I had the opportunity to develop my digital skillsets in the secular world with the hopes that someday these skills could be used to serve God more directly. I am pleased to say that there is a tide-shift happening now in the Seventh-day Adventist Church at multiple levels; we are collectively waking up to the untapped potential of the digital mission field.

After two years of working for the North American Division, I have realized that there is potential for a beautiful marriage between traditional means of evangelism and digital communications. These new technologies are not meant to entirely replace the old methods, but serve to magnify and increase the scale of our efforts in a way that was not thought possible a few decades ago.

I spend a lot of time with seasoned evangelists who share with me their wisdom gained in the physical mission field. Many of their proven principles for effective evangelism have direct application in the digital space. To truly move forward with our mission, mentorship and education must go in two directions. Not only can the younger generations teach the older generation about technology and demonstrate how it can be used to advance our cause, but the younger, digitally-focused generations can learn much from the giants of traditional evangelism. Instead of getting frustrated by our different perspectives, we must communicate more effectively with each other to understand our common ground. Like a giant ship set in its regular route, it takes time to turn, and it takes all crew members working together.
​
The methods by which we minister to people and share the gospel are becoming more complex, but human nature, needs, and behavior largely stays the same. One “analog” idea that I have translated to the digital space is the idea of “curb appeal.” Long before the internet and 360° video, real-estate agents and pastors focused their attention on finding ways to optimize something called “curb appeal.” If someone was interested in buying a house, they most likely would drive by it before calling the agent to request a walk-through. For churches, the behavior of prospective visitors was similar. Pastors and ministry leaders sought to make their church inviting for potential visitors from the outside. This is still important today, but now we have the added need for “digital curb appeal.” 

The following statistics indicate why:

• 97% of people search for local organizations online (Forbes).
• 76% of mobile shoppers have changed their mind about which retailer or brand to buy from after searching on Google (Google Data).
• Nearly half (46%) of people say a website’s design is their number one criterion for determining the credibility of an organization (Hubspot).
• 46% of church attendees said that a church’s website was important in picking a church to visit (Network.crcna.org).
• 33% of people said that the internet was initially where they learned about their church (Network.crcna.org).
• In 2015 Facebook influenced 52% of consumers’ online and offline purchases, up from 36% in 2014 (The Drum).

It’s clear that an organization’s digital presence affects behavior. What do people find when they Google your church or find you on social media platforms? Is the content up-to-date? Is new visitor information easy to find? Are there pictures, testimonies, and stories that reflect your church community and are inviting to others? Is it clear what services and opportunities your church provides?  

According to a LifeWay Research survey, while “78% of churches have a website, only 30-40% of churches are using their websites for anything other than an electronic bulletin board! And about 42% hardly keep their websites up to date?!” The same is true with social media. Are you posting regularly and is all the essential information current? For many, your digital presence will be their first introduction to your church and possibly, the faith as a whole. Many people will find your website long before they physically visit a place of worship. A recent study by Grey Matter Research found that, “in the last 12 months, over 17 million American adults who don’t regular attend worship services visited the website of a local church or place of worship.”

Your church’s website and social media are your biggest digital marketing tools, and it’s where first impressions are made. If your congregation is connected to the corporate church account on social media and engaged, it’s likely others are seeing their interactions and could be negatively or positively drawn to your church based on the kind of content posted. Tell your story through your website and social media. Show a community that others want to join. Your website is a means of communicating, in general terms, everything that your church offers to a prospective visitor. It's your "curb appeal." Your social media can further demonstrate the type of community they will experience and spiritual messages they will receive.
 
In addition, “local search habits are strongly connected to mobile search habits, as 76% of people who search for an organization locally, visit within a day” (Google Data). “In 2017, worldwide mobile traffic accounted for 52.6% of all internet traffic” (Search Engine Land). Therefore, making your website mobile friendly is vital, especially since Google prioritizes mobile-friendly content in the search algorithm. 

• Your website design is up to date and mobile friendly. You don’t need technical skills or a lot of money to have a professional, high-quality looking website. Aim for a simple look that shows an organized and logical layout. Take advantage of drag and drop platforms like Wix.com (my current favorite) that offer ongoing software and design updates as well as easy-to-edit responsive (mobile-friendly) templates—all for an annual hosting fee as low as $100. If you have a staff member with more technical expertise and want to be NAD branding compliant, the website branding pattern system ALPS, is set up to be adopted in a WordPress site. Click here for more info.
• Make sure essential information is accurate, up-to-date, and easy to find. Remember, empathy first. Put yourself in a prospective visitor’s place and seek to understand their needs and/or experience. Location, directions, and worship times should be visible on your homepage. Have a “Plan Your Visit” section with “What to Expect” FAQs. Not knowing what to expect is a barrier to entry for many people. This information can be included on both your website and Facebook. Links to this information can be listed on other social media platforms.
• Tell your story in the “About” section and share what you believe. Do your images on the website and social media reflect your congregation and culture? Do your listed core values and beliefs match what they will experience in person? To really connect with people, we must connect with their core values and needs. Write in a conversational and friendly tone to make your audience feel informed and valued. Make sure you communicate clearly to prospective visitors, and most importantly, reflect the love of Christ always. Much of this content can be “evergreen” with little need for regular updates.
• Showcase opportunities. Are all your upcoming events, ministries, and youth activities listed? If you don’t have the staffing for regular updates, present your opportunities in general terms and ask them to join your email list and/or like your Facebook page for event notices. Generally, church members do not check their own website, so shape your content around the needs of a visitor. Again, if you don’t have the resources for weekly website updates, present the material in a way that is “evergreen” with contact information on how a potential visitor can learn more. Once they step in the door, be sure to have a welcoming strategy to help them build relationships and get plugged into church life. 

Branding is the process of revealing the most complete picture of an organization to its audience through perception, experience, and essence. Brands are communicated, not just created. A brand is based entirely on a customer’s, not the developer’s, experience. Your digital presence is an extension of your church brand and voice into the online world. Your brand is how your church is perceived. 
​
Strong digital brands create connection and take a comprehensive approach to the member experience. Today, that experience often begins online. Your digital presence should make them want to experience your faith/mission in person. Then, when they come for that onsite experience, it should be a continuation of the positive relationship and trust you’ve built with them online.
 
Helpful resources:​

• 4 Church Website Stats You Can't Afford to Ignore
• 4 Creative Ways to Turn Your Church Website into an Evangelistic Tool
• 5 Reasons Your Church Website Might Be Keeping Visitors Away
• 10 Powerful Church Statistics on Social Media Use
• Church Websites Bring Visitors Through Doors
• How and Why You Should Engage in Church Marketing
• Is Your Website Content Written Conversationally
• Qualities of a Good Website
• Report: 96% of Church Websites Fail the First Impression Test
• Strategic Branding Reveals the Most Complete Picture of Your Ministry
• Tips for Your Member Care Strategy

 
Downloadable Resource:

• Digital Strategies for Churches (or Ministry)

For those of us who spend all day on social media working to further to gospel, it’s important that we learn to safeguard our own spirituality, as well as develop a healthy work-life balance. Another way to frame this is to make sure you are fed spiritually before you minister to others.

This can be a huge challenge, because when you work for a religious organization, EVERYTHING seems important because of the eternal impact of the work. And there seems to be no end to the work that needs to be done. Those of us who have chosen this type of career are self-driven but also driven by the expectations (or perceived expectations) of others. How do we prioritize? How do we set boundaries that enable us to get the job done, while taking care of our own spiritual health?

We’re not in this alone. God knows our limitations, and He doesn’t want us to work so hard that we work ourselves away from Him–the relationship that matters most. This is why He has given us the Holy Spirit. After we’ve given it our all for the day and go home to rest, the Holy Spirit keeps working.
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He also doesn’t want us to dive so deep into the mission field that we become corrupted by it. There’s a lot of toxic conversations and content on social media, just like physical mission fields have their dangers and temptations. If the early missionaries of our church would have stayed away from the mission field because of the dangers, the Seventh-day Adventist Church would have never become a global movement. We must go where the people are and minister to their needs, while simultaneously guarding the avenues of our own heart. 

1. Guard the edges of your day. Start and end the day without social media. I can easily become consumed by social media; it’s my job at least eight hours a day. If I don’t set healthy boundaries for myself, the negative aspects of social media start to drag me down and prevent me from really resting. Rest can take many forms, but I cannot rest by spending hours on personal social media when I work all day on those same platforms. What many consider pleasure, just feels like more work. When I’m not working, I consume media and information the old-fashioned way by reading magazines, books, etc. Also, in the morning, I make it a point to follow Jesus’ example and begin with solitary prayer and Bible study…out of a physical Bible.
   
   “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” – Mark 1:35 NIV
   
   The peace of the morning really enables me to think clearly and connect with God. I know that the moment work begins, I will be connected on multiple platforms for at least eight hours, so this “analog” devotional time is sacred. When the day is done, I disconnect and again turn to print material, exercise, and face-to-face conversations to help me wind down. Staying connected online throughout the evening can disrupt your sleep and result in depression. If you browse social media to stave off loneliness and pain, you will find the exact opposite of what you’re looking for.
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2. Secondly, structure your digital evangelism/discipleship and personal life like a missionary outpost center. A physical outpost center is a place outside of the city where you can get away from your daily work and connect personally with God. It’s a missionary community that provides education, restoration, and preparation for work to be done in the city, where missionaries will return to win the people’s trust and friendship with the intention of winning souls for Christ. Social media is a similar means of building bridges and relationships with people to create a positive influence within the community. Use the connective power of social media to share your faith and show your friends that you care about them. Social media is a center of influence for discipleship, and friend evangelism. But remember to maintain your outpost center, a distinctly separate part of your life to recalibrate, and then go back to your mission field stronger than ever. With social media, don’t live there, and don’t let your world be controlled by it.
   
   “When duty calls us to this, we should be doubly watchful and prayerful, that, through the grace of Christ we may stand uncorrupted.” –Ellen G. White, Messages to Young People 419.1 
   
   
3. Third, Digital missionaries must have a clear purpose for getting on social media. My friend Dee Casper (Brand Evangelist, ARTV) asks us to treat social media like a post office. Your behavior at a typical post office is: enter, pick up mail, and drop off outgoing mail and/or packages. Most people don’t hang out all day in a post office. That would be strange. If we go online with a plan, this helps prevent us from getting distracted from our original purpose and mission. Go on social media to drop off some content, pick up some content, connect with your friends, and then leave. Don’t move in. We’ve all had that experience where we intend to watch one video, and two hours later don’t know how the time got away—never accomplishing what we actually set out to do.
   
   
4. Fourth, when you’re lonely and have nothing to do, don’t try to fill the void by going online. It’s like going grocery shopping when you’re hungry. Temptation will always take you further than you want to go when you’re vulnerable. Social media is a tool; don’t let it use you. Go there to serve, not be served.
   
   ​“We may be placed in trying positions, for many cannot have their surroundings what they would; but we should not voluntarily expose ourselves to influences that are unfavorable to the formation of Christian character.”  – Ellen G. White, Messages to Young People 419.1

God has not called us to live in social media, but to influence people through social media. Our influence online can stretch much further than we imagine with the help of the Holy Spirit.

God has called us to use our digital influence for Him, whether that’s an audience of four or 40,000. We plant the seeds; God grows the seeds. People pour out their hearts online. We can be there in their moments of crisis with love, hope, and truth. But in order for them to listen to us, we must carefully cultivate and use our digital influence purposefully.  

By setting boundaries and sticking with them, we can be better equipped to help others. Share your personal tips for setting boundaries below!

Additional Resources:

• ​7 Tips for Starting Online Bible Studies
• Become an Online Missionary!​
• Creating Relationships Through Social Media​
• Daniel in Digital Babylon
• Digital Missionaries Needed
• How Does Digital Discipleship Work? 
• How Digital "Missionaries" are Reaching the Unreached
• How Digital Missionaries Can Escape the Infinite Scroll
• How to Create Digital Disciples in Your Church Community​​
• Practical Steps for Embracing Digital Discipleship
• We Are All Publishers Now
• What Is In Your Hand? Establishing the Digital Discipleship Movement
• Why Christians Shouldn't Leave Facebook​

Remember, time is like currency; you can either spend it on things that are worthwhile or waste it on what you don’t need. If you attempt to save money without a plan, you’ll end up spending it frivolously. The same concept can be applied to social media. Plan to use your time for what will matter in the long run. By taking small steps, we can begin to use our time more effectively to build our faith and help others find Jesus.
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What tips did we miss? What has helped you manage your time on social media? Share on our Facebook page — when you have the time! ​

Related Resource:

• 4 Tips for Digital Missionaries to Help Balance Digital Media and Spiritual Health

​Reposted with permission from centerforonlineevangelism.org.