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#DigitalEvangelism

5 Steps to Becoming a Digital Evangelist

6/10/2020

61 Comments

 

Jamie Jean Schneider Domm

Digital Strategist, Social Media + Big Data, North American Division

Two Girls Engaged in Digital Evangelism
Only 20% of Americans regularly attend church, and only 2 in 10 millennials consider regular church attendance important. The Church no longer has the option of embracing change or leaving it to the next generation. The time is now; otherwise, we will become irrelevant. Change is never easy, but anything is possible with the Lord (see Matthew 19:26).

People search online for answers to their problems. They turn to the internet for companionship, understanding, information, anonymity, and more. We must be the voice that answers back, online, to share our message of hope and wholeness. Our digital presence may be the only exposure to the Gospel many people receive. We must recognize that the mission field is online, and just as legitimate as traditional evangelism.

We need an army of digital evangelists dedicated to carrying the gospel to the digital mission field.
Here are 5 steps you can take to become a digital evangelist with resource links:
  1. Determine your target audience and platforms. The first step in reaching your audience is to develop a clear picture of who you are talking to. Seek to understand their felt needs and core values. Become a student of their culture. You must go where they spend their time and speak the language they speak. SDAdata.blog/understandingaudiences
  2. Develop a strategy. Define your purpose for being on social media and utilizing digital tools. Then frame your strategy accordingly, identifying key performance indicators for success. SDAdata.blog/foundation
  3. Research relevant content ideas. When it comes to digital evangelism, content is made to inform, to educate, and inspire. The Church should be the leader in creating content that improves the lives of others, and supports their spiritual growth. SDAdata.blog/contentevangelism
  4. Make time for engagement and community building. The church experience should extend beyond the confines of time and space in a building to an involved community that provides 24/7 support not only to members but also to our broader contacts. SDAdata.blog/community
  5. Engage in digital door-knocking. Digital door-knocking is when you share spiritual content on your social media profiles or through messaging and email to create an opportunity for people to engage with you about your faith. SDAdata.blog/digitalDK

​The life, character, and gift of Jesus Christ should be on display in your digital content and interactions. Jesus came not to uplift Himself, but to reveal an accurate picture of God’s character. It’s not about how many followers you have on your digital platforms, but how people can and do discover Jesus through you.
Jesus sought first to fulfill people’s needs; He then invited them to follow. 

We can use social media and digital tools to achieve our mission of spreading the gospel and helping people by creating content that focuses on mental, physical, and spiritual needs first. Once this foundation is established, we can invite our audience to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8, NIV). When used for digital discipleship and evangelism, this shift in focus is a way we can follow Jesus’ example for everyday ministry to real people. We can use social influence for kingdom building while utilizing modern tools and technologies.

For a practical guide to using digital technologies for outreach, community service, growth and evangelism, purchase the North American Division’s Digital Discipleship & Evangelism Guidebook at SDAdata.blog/book.

Available from AdventSource.
Print, Kindle and ePub versions available.
61 Comments

How to Start A YouTube Ministry: A Comprehensive Guide

6/2/2020

73 Comments

 

Jamie Jean Schneider Domm

Digital Strategist, Social Media + Big Data, North American Division

Justin Khoe

Digital Missionary, ​"I’m Listening with Justin Khoe; Life. Faith. And the things that matter."

Picture

INTRODUCTION

People come to YouTube for entertainment and education. It’s not an exaggeration to say that video is king! Internet video traffic accounts for 80% of all consumer Internet traffic. YouTube is the second-largest search engine and the second most-visited website in the world. This is where young people spend most of their time online.
 
Creating a YouTube account is very cheap. All you need is a camera and a device to upload from. YouTube is great for communicating ideas quickly and provides a storage place where your content never dies. It can be revisited or reposted as many times as you want.
 
In this free guide, we’ll take you through a step-by-step process for starting a YouTube channel from scratch. We strongly encourage you to take the time to go through this guide completely and review the resources before starting your YouTube channel. Or, if you already have a channel, use this guide to evaluate where changes need to be made.
Download the How to Start A YouTube Ministry Guide

​If you’re not yet convinced that your ministry should consider creating a YouTube channel, review the following statistics. 


YouTube Statistics (May 2020) 

  • More than 30 million daily users
  • Two billion monthly active users
  • Five hundred hours of video are uploaded every minute.
  • Five billion videos are watched on YouTube every day.
  • The average viewing session on mobile phones is more than 40 minutes (an over 50% increase per year).
  • YouTube reaches more 18−34 year olds than any cable network in the US.
  • Six out of 10 people prefer online video platforms to live TV.
  • 93% of Millennials go to YouTube to learn how to do something.
  • 86% of viewers regularly use YouTube to learn new things.
  • 70% of viewers use YouTube to help solve a problem.

YouTube Demographics (May 2020)
  • 73% of US adults use YouTube.
  • 62% of YouTube users are males.
  • 78% of US male adults use YouTube.
  • 68% of US women adults use YouTube.
  • 81% of 15–25-year-olds in the US use YouTube.
  • More than 15% of YouTube’s site traffic comes from the US.
  • The 35+ and 55+ age groups are the fastest-growing YouTube demographics.
  • 75% of Millennials prefer YouTube over traditional television.
  • 51% of YouTube users say they visit the site daily.
  • 37% of the coveted 18–34 demographic is binge-watching.
  • 94% of American 18- to 24-year-olds use YouTube.
  • 85% of US teen boys (ages 13–17) use YouTube daily.
  • 70% of US teen girls aged 13–17 use YouTube daily.
  • 70% of YouTube watch time comes from mobile devices.
  • YouTube services are available in more than 100 countries in 80 languages.
  • 95% of the global internet population watches YouTube.
 
If you have the calling to reach young people, YouTube is a must. This 63-page guide will help you determine relevant topics for your target audience and position your videos to maximize reach and watch time.  

Click the button below to download this free guide. ​
Download the How to Start A YouTube Ministry Guide
73 Comments

The Basics of Data Tracking & Analytics

6/1/2020

0 Comments

 

Jamie Jean Schneider Domm

Digital Strategist, Social Media + Big Data, North American Division

Basics of Data & Tracking Image
If you can track it, you can measure it. As a result, you can gain a better understanding of your audience and their behavior, helping you adapt your strategies to more effectively reach them. Taking the time to review the performance of your digital communications and platforms enables you to better understand what is working and what needs to be changed, which empowers you to shape your digital communications strategy based on data. In the long run, this will save both time and money while maximizing impact.

Avoid data paralysis

Time is valuable. Don’t get so caught up in the details of the data that you respond too late and miss an opportunity. Aim to stay ahead of the curve and be proactive instead of reactive in your strategies.

Most ministries and churches do not have the luxury of a dedicated analytics team, but you don’t need to dive too deep to get valuable information about how your website and campaigns are performing. Since most ministries are new to digital communications and analytics, we’re going to stick to a high-level overview. Go back to those key performance indicators we discussed in the strong foundations section, and use those as a guide for what to track based on your ministry’s goals.

Take the time to familiarize yourself with the terminology of the various data points. Most analytics tools define their terms within the platform. You can usually access these definitions by hovering your cursor over the question mark next to the data category.

The data that is most important to your efforts will be:
  • Website performance data
  • Social media platform analytics or insights
  • Social advertising performance reports

Compare the information you find to the performance goals and metrics you established. Always look for areas of improvement and adjust accordingly.
Communicate with everyone involved by:
  • Sharing report summaries with your team (both good and bad)
  • Creating summary reports for management, committees or boards; keep detailed reports for yourself
  • Problem-solving as a team; sometimes the best solutions are found outside your industry/department/specialty

Use trackable links (a.k.a. UTM codes)

​UTM codes are segments appended to a URL that enable data platforms like Google Analytics to record information about website visitors and traffic sources. This is vital for social media managers as it enables you to measure and prove social media success or, alternatively, identify problems and adjust your strategies. Creating trackable links is surprisingly easy to do and will give you valuable insights into how well your digital communications and ads are performing.

What is a UTM code?
UTM = Urchin Tracking Module
Example: https://www.SDAdata.org/?&utm_campaign=DigitalGuide-2020&utm_source=Social-Media

UTM codes can be used in links shared via:
  • Social media posts
  • Email
  • Online ads
  • Websites
  • Any link that drives traffic to your website
 
Creating your own trackable links
A trackable link has five building blocks:
  1. The URL you want to direct people to
  2. A ? to signify the start of the UTM code
  3. & + UTM
  4. The name of the promotional campaign the link is related to
  5. The source where the link will be used
 
Example:

URL – https://www.sdadata.org/digital-discipleship-and-evangelism.html
Campaign – DigitalGuide-2020
Source – Social-Media

Put it all together using this formula:
Regular link + ?&UTM + Campaign (what event, month, where, etc.) + &UTM + Source (channel/platform)

Final result:
https://www.sdadata.org/digital-discipleship-and-evangelism.html?&utm_campaign=DigitalGuide-2020&utm_source=Social-Media

Be sure to always test your links!
After you create your trackable link, be sure to test it to make sure it works. It can be very frustrating for your audience to receive digital content with a broken link.

Website performance data

The most common analytics tool for detailed website performance tracking is Google Analytics. Google Analytics is a free tool for monitoring where your visitors come from and understanding how they interact with your website. It’s easy to set up a free Google Analytics account. Most website hosting platforms offer easy-to-follow directions to get you started. Once you are set up, take the time to familiarize yourself with the tool and make it a habit to check your website’s analytics each month.

Terms and definitions
  • Session: A visit to the website during which the user is active
  • Users: Number of unique people who have visited your website during a specific time frame
  • Page views: Total number of pages viewed; repeated views of a page by a single user are counted
  • Page/session: Average number of pages viewed during a session
  • Average session duration: Average length of a session
  • Bounce rate: The percentage of single-page sessions in which there was no interaction with the page

Key metrics to monitor
  • Demographics: Age and gender
    Known data about your website visitors.
  • Geo: Location
    You can see location by country, city, state, and metro area. You can also look at language if that is relevant to your ministry.
  • Behavior: Site content – pages
    Here, you can determine your most popular and least popular pages.
  • Behavior: Engagement
    Length of visit/depth of visit.
  • Acquisition and traffic sources
    As communicators, we want to know what is working and what is not working to drive people to our website.

The channel (or traffic sources) breakdown
  • Other = UTM codes or campaigns
  • Direct (visitors typed in the URL)
  • Social media (no tracking code)
  • Referral from another website
  • Search engine (e.g., Google, Bing, etc.)
  • Paid search (results from Google Ads)

Campaign performance

When you drill down deeper under campaigns, you can learn what aspects of a campaign performed the best by using unique UTM campaign names for the different components of your communications strategy. Google Analytics automatically picks up the campaign name and source from the tracking links. There is no need to do anything in Google Analytics to make this work! Just be consistent with the UTM codes you use, and be clear with your campaign and source names.

Remember, prioritize. You don’t have time to track everything, nor do you need to!

Once you have determined what you’re going to track to determine whether or not you’re reaching your goals, check performance monthly, and record your results in a way that enables you to see trends over time. Some analytics tools like Google Analytics allow you to create dashboards for easy access, while social media insights may require that you create your own charts and graphs. To learn more about Google Analytics, check out our beginner tutorial on SDAdata.org.

Social media analytics or insights

Most social media platforms offer at least basic insights into the performance of a ministry’s account and who their audience is. Take the time to familiarize yourself with the analytics for your social media platforms and regularly check them to understand trends over time.

Pay particular attention to:
  • Demographics. Who follows/likes your page by location, age, gender, and language.
  • Engagement. This includes comments, likes, shares, messages, video views, etc. If you’re creating content that resonates with your audience, you should expect to see strong engagement rates.  
  • Video views. A more reliable metric for gauging success than number of views is how many minutes are spent watching your videos and the number of thru plays. Many platforms count a few seconds of watch time as a view, so the number of views can be misleading. 
    ​
Peak visit/engagement periods. Knowing when your profile traffic peaks and when your audience is most likely to engage with your content will enable you to schedule your content strategically. 

Social advertising performance analytics

After you place your ads, don’t wait until the campaign is over to check performance. Monitor the ads closely to make changes and optimize as needed. Catch problems early on; otherwise, your money may go to waste. The great thing about social advertising is that you can edit campaigns at any time if they are not meeting your expectations. Make sure you understand what the numbers mean; most platforms have descriptions available in pop-ups next to the column head. 
​
Be sure to:
  • Understand where your ads are appearing and what locations have the strongest results.
  • Determine who you are reaching by age, gender and location. You may find that your ad doesn’t resonate with who you thought it would or that your targeting was off.
  • Monitor engagement/response. Are you getting the results you expected?
  • Test images, messages, and audiences (A/B testing) to learn what type of ad and messaging performs the best with your target audience.
  • Connect performance to Google Analytics and monitor visitor behavior using trackable links.
 
Some basic terminology you should know:
  • Results: The number of times your ad achieved an outcome, based on the objective you selected
  • Reach: The number of people who saw your ads at least once; reach is different from impressions, which may include multiple views of your ads by the same people
  • Impressions: The number of times your ads were viewed
  • Frequency: The average number of times each person saw your ad
  • Cost per result: The average cost per result from your ads
  • Cost per impression: The average cost per impression of your ads
  • Relevance: An estimation of how well your target audience is responding to your ad
  • Click-through rate (CTR): The percentage of times people performed a click after viewing your ad
  • Cost per thousand (CPM): The average cost per 1,000 impressions
  • Cost per click (CPC): The average cost for each click

Track so that you can learn

​Remember, if you’re going to take the time to put together a campaign strategy, take the time to track its performance so you can be better informed next time. There’s no point in testing strategies without tracking your efforts. If you don’t learn from your campaign, you can’t improve the next one. Social media and digital marketing are both an art and a science. Use data to inform your intuition. 
Click here for more on digital discipleship & evangelism
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How to Engage in Digital Door-Knocking

4/14/2020

7 Comments

 

Jamie Jean Schneider Domm

Digital Strategist, Social Media + Big Data, North American Division

Digital Door Knocking - Lion knocker
It's hard to knock on someone’s door, even if we already know them. In fact, it’s not even socially acceptable nowadays to just show up unexpectedly at someone’s house in case they are busy when we stop by. We must call and schedule a visit first. Add the need for social (physical) distancing, and it becomes clear that the old way of evangelizing can no longer be the primary method. But you don't have to knock on a stranger’s door to share your faith. Nor do you have to create the content. Canvassers are not also the authors of the books they sell. The burden of content creation is not for all of us. 
​Social media allows us to share our faith and engage with our community when it’s most convenient for them. It allows our audience to self-select whether or not they want to engage.
Young people spend upwards of 9 to 18+ hours behind a screen each day. That's a lot of opportunity for us to share and reach people anywhere. Excluding periods of sleep and quarantine, how many people are normally home nine hours a day to answer the door? In normal daily life, many people leave the house early and come home late at night.
​
Digital door-knocking is when you share spiritual content on your social media profiles or through messaging and email to create an opportunity for people to engage with you about your faith. The spiritual content can be anything (a picture, text, video, blog, etc.); just be sure to include with it a personalized message about how it impacted you. Your friends and followers can scroll past it or choose to engage when it’s convenient for them. Given that a lot of people could be stuck at home with extra time on their hands because of COVID-19 or a future crisis, social media may be their main source of entertainment and connection. There’s a lot of opportunity right now for us to share and reach people everywhere using digital technologies. Success can no longer be measured only by counting people in a building but, rather, we must consider whether or not we’re building a kingdom. 

World-of-mouth opportunities online

​Word-of-mouth is still the strongest marketing mechanism for getting the word out about a product or cause. People always trust the opinion of their friends and family over what a brand says about itself. This is why reviews and testimonies are so powerful. We participate in word-of-mouth marketing every time we share about a product or experience with others. We might share in person, but word-of-mouth marketing often takes place on social media and through messaging applications and texting, etc. We do this constantly when it comes to our other interests and don’t even realize it. In terms of sharing the gospel, this just means doing the thing you do all the time online but doing it for the kingdom. In other words, be intentional with what you share.  

​Here are some digital ways individuals can distribute our messages:
  • Forward emails.
  • Text invitations with an info link to contacts, or send invitations via messenger apps.
  • Share content from your church’s profiles or a ministry you follow and add a personalized message.
  • Live-stream events, sermons, Bible study groups, etc., from your social media profiles.  
  • Hit “like,” “love,” or “wow” on ministry Facebook posts to increase organic reach.
  • Post to community groups or apps like Next Door about upcoming events.
  • Find digital ways to connect with neighbors and community; then share your faith with them.
  • Follow, friend, or join online Christian groups to help increase their digital influence.


Leverage social influence through pods

Create a culture of sharing and content engagement within your church community. Nearly everyone is on social media. Even if you have an older congregation, a good many of them are likely on Facebook and have an email address. Don't assume that they are not; ask and find out what platforms they use.
​
Social influence can be both analog and digital. Churches do well with analog distribution (printed flyers for example); however, we need to start leveraging the digital social influence of our members. Even in a small church with 50 congregants, if half were on social media and were connected to just 50 people within the community (outside of the congregation), that's a potential reach of 1,250 people. This is a low estimate, but you get the idea. Train your membership to function like a social media “pod.” A “pod” is a group used to increase engagement on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook but can apply even to email. Members of a pod agree to comment, like, and share each other’s content or the content of a particular entity such as a church or ministry. Teach your membership to engage and share your church content on a weekly basis as a form of evangelism/outreach.


Pod commitments vary but typically fall into three categories:
  1. All users must engage with every post within an hour.
  2. All users must engage with every post within 24 hours.
  3. All users must engage with relevant posts whenever they can.

A congregation that understands the value of participating in ministry this way could serve as a powerful reach vehicle for souls. To realize this potential, they must be equipped and encouraged. Determine members’ strengths and train them to use their strengths.

Be sure to:
  • Take time in meetings and during service or choir rehearsals to prioritize technology.
  • Provide hands-on training to church members.
  • Ask them to take out their phones and take action right in the moment.
  • Empower a designated person to post about key events to local groups or community apps like Next Door.
  • Encourage members to mark Facebook events with “going” or “interested” to increase organic reach.
  • Encourage them to invite others to events via email/text or on Facebook.
  • Encourage them to “like,” “wow,” or “love” important content on your Facebook profile (and other social media platforms); this increases organic traffic.
  • Tell them when to expect emails and ask them to forward emails to their contacts.
  • Send out weekly emails with links to content you want members to share or engage with.
  • Keep them posted on how their efforts are working and create a sense of teamwork.
  • Get them excited about digital discipleship through sharing your excitement and testimonies about how it has worked.

Holiday test case

My local church is predominantly older, and we have around 200 members—not a mega church by any standard. For our holiday programs and special events, the leadership asks me to lead promotion. Beyond targeting the community with social advertising, I also spend a lot of time rallying the membership to hand out flyers, forward emails, share on social media, text people, etc. This is new for them and out of their comfort zone, but we are a close-knit community, and our members really do seek to help each other.

At the end of our six-week campaign for our annual Christmas play, 393 tickets had been reserved in advance, and on the day of the event, we packed the house with around 500 in attendance. Now, the DC-Metropolitan area has a lot of holiday opportunities, so people did not have to choose us. By and large, most people who reserved tickets online said they had heard about the event from a friend or family member, via email or social media. Word-of-mouth out-performed paid social advertising. For our previous event at Easter, by contrast, with no promotion strategy and much less competition in the area, only 100 tickets were reserved in advance.

After the Christmas play, we sent a survey follow-up to gather feedback to better understand our audience and let them know that we valued their opinion. This allowed us to understand how many non-Adventists attended the program. In this case, 20% of survey respondents were not Adventists. It also gave us an opportunity for service by adding this question: Is there anything we can help you with? Let us know how we can bless you, and please provide your contact information.

Here is an example of how with the right coaching, even an older congregation can realize their untapped potential for helping their church better reach the local community through increased awareness. This example served as a test run and, since then, all the tickets for our special programs have been reserved in advance of the event.   
​
This example had immediate results, but having a congregation that consistently engages in digital door-knocking would have a long-tail effect that we may not fully appreciate this side of heaven. Using this model, our messages of hope and wholeness could be spread to every corner of the digital space and, while not everyone is able to walk through the door of a church, they will be able to connect with God.  
click here for more on digital evangelism & discipleship
7 Comments

Digital Discipleship During COVID-19: Serving Your Community with Digital Tools

3/31/2020

2 Comments

 

Jamie Jean Schneider Domm

Digital Strategist, Social Media + Big Data, North American Division

Picture
As states begin to issue “shelter in place” orders for residents, many find themselves stuck at home and unable to serve their church members and community in the usual ways. However, we are still called to minister to others. Remember, the church is not a building, it’s a people. When fleeing persecution, the early church took the gospel to new regions out of necessity. So, too, we must now take the gospel message to the digital mission field and spread our message of hope and wholeness when it is needed most.
​
Digital tools can be used in many ways to extend the church experience beyond the building and help those in your community who are struggling financially, spiritually, and emotionally. God’s kingdom is 24/7, and now is the time to embrace digital evangelism and discipleship for growing and sustaining His Church.

Here are 10 easy ways you can serve your community using digital tools during COVID-19:

  1. Commit to checking on five friends. Many people are feeling lonely and isolated. Now is the time to commit to regularly checking in on others. Make a list of friends and family but also include people who may not be well connected with others. Use this opportunity to reach out to them to build meaningful relationships. Use the technology that works best for you and the person you’re reaching out to. For example, an elderly person may prefer a phone call, while a younger person might prefer a text or message on social media. Set up times to video-call people through FaceTime or Zoom to connect with them face to face. Most importantly, ask a lot of questions, listen to their needs, provide encouragement, and offer to pray with/for them.

  2. Use applications (apps) to help those in need. Many people have lost their jobs or have been sent home without pay for the duration of the pandemic. If you are a financially stable individual with a steady income, you can help those in financial crisis by sending money via apps like Cash App or PayPal. You can also order groceries online to be delivered to a family or person in need.

  3. Buy gift cards for those in need and support local small businesses when possible. Purchase online gift cards from local businesses and send them to someone who needs a blessing. This will not only lift the person’s spirits but also help a local business that may be struggling.

  4. Order food for delivery. Whether it is for a medical professional working at the front lines or for an elderly neighbor in need, this is an easy way to bless someone through meeting a basic need.

  5. Leverage your digital influence to let friends and neighbors know you are available to help. Use your social media profiles to offer your help to those within your sphere of digital influence. Offer to babysit a medical professional’s child while schools and daycares are closed, tutor a young person via zoom/video chat, take someone grocery shopping, or pick up and deliver groceries. If you prefer to be more discreet, message people directly (phone, text, email, etc.) to see what kind of help they need.

  6. Pay attention to cries for help online. If we use our sphere of digital influence to stay connected to our friends and community, we can be there when people need us by simply paying attention and taking action. Go online with purpose, not just for amusement and to pass time. By being intentional, we can make a meaningful and measurable difference in people’s lives. Pay attention to what your contacts are posting online, and find meaningful ways to respond. Click here for action steps.

  7. Share positivity. How is God influencing your life? What is giving you comfort in this time of uncertainty? How have you been blessed? In this time of physical distancing, it’s more important than ever to find ways to share our message of hope and wholeness through our digital influence. Many people feel fearful, isolated, and discouraged. They may be wondering what this all means and open to learning about God. Share your testimony online to encourage and uplift others. Witnessing about the good that God is working in our lives affirms our own faith as well.

  8. Use your social influence to advocate for causes or share helpful information. If you have at-risk family members at home, you may not be able to help out at the local drive-through food pantry, but you can let others (who can leave their home) know that the pantry needs extra volunteers. By advocating for causes, you are still doing good and helping your community, even if you can’t be physically present. In addition, share important information (from credible sources) such as closings, health tips, news updates, and resources for financial assistance.

  9. Engage in digital door knocking. You don't have to knock on a stranger’s door to share your faith, nor do you have to create the content. Canvassers are not the authors of the books they sell. The burden of content creation is not for all of us. You can share spiritual content on your social media profiles or through messaging and email. It can be anything (picture, text, video, blog, sermon, etc.)—just be sure to include with it a personalized message about how it impacted you. Your friends and followers can scroll past it or choose to engage when it’s convenient for them. For people stuck at home with time on their hands, social media may be their main source of entertainment and connection. This creates opportunities for us to share and reach people everywhere.

  10. Create opportunities for prayer online. Even the skeptical may long for someone to care enough to pray for them personally. Social media is a powerful tool for soliciting prayer requests and following up on those requests. Prayer can be just one “like,” comment, or message away. Online communication lowers the barrier to asking, making it easy for people to reach out when they may be reluctant to do so face to face. Click here for more ideas for prayer opportunities in the digital space.

Physical distancing doesn’t mean we have to grow apart.

These are just a few ways to utilize the technologies we use every day to grow a vibrant community that will come back stronger and more unified from this experience.
​

Visit SDAdata.org/goingdigitalcovid19 for more resources to help your church or ministry go digital during COVID-19.

​Do you have more ideas about how to use digital tools to serve your community during COVID-19? Share them below! 
2 Comments

We're All Publishers Now; Responsible Use of Your Social Media Influence

3/3/2020

2 Comments

 

Jamie Jean Schneider Domm

Digital Strategist, Social Media + Big Data, North American Division

This post has been revised from the original 2017 post.

Responsible Use of Your Social Media Influence
He who is careless and heedless in uttering words or in writing words for
publication to be sent broadcast into the world, sending forth expressions that
can never be taken back, is disqualifying himself to be entrusted with the
sacred work that devolves upon Christ’s followers at this time.
– Ellen G. White, Counsels to Writers and Editors
Long before audio-visual equipment was invented, Ellen White knew how to do the figurative mic drop better than anyone.

This quote is a powerful and relevant reminder of the solemn task we have been charged with. I encourage everyone who is on social media, especially digital missionaries, to read her Counsels to Writers and Editors.
Social media is the ultimate equalizer. It gives a voice and a platform to anyone willing to engage. – Amy Jo Martin
Social media has eased entry into the world of telling stories, sharing ideas, and expressing thoughts to a wide audience. It used to be that if you wanted to tell your story to a broad audience, you had to buy your way in through costly traditional media. Times have changed; we are all writers and publishers now. But with this ability comes responsibility.

Social media, in its essence, is people connecting with people to create a collective human story. We all want to be heard, and we all now have a platform for public speaking. You can have hundreds, thousands, even millions of people viewing your messages. But, as so often is the case, the person we need to set boundaries with is ourselves.

Your personal social media is a great opportunity to share your story and contribute to the collective conversation. It can serve as a powerful witnessing tool, revealing what God is accomplishing through you and your work. But…
Would someone know you are a Christian based on your social media?
What values are you reflecting? Would your audience like Christians based
on your behavior online?
I once listened to a powerful sermon in which the speaker asked, “If you were pulled into court today, is there enough evidence in your life to convict you of being a Christian?” Well, what evidence does your social media provide? Is your use of social media driving people away from the Church or toward Christ? Think about it.

Social media is public by nature and has blurred the lines between your work for the Church and your personal life. This can be a good thing. Follow principles of responsible use and be a living testimony to others. Be a light among the quagmire of negativity online. 
Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. – Matthew 5:16
Every opportunity to share is an opportunity to either advance or hinder the kingdom of God. People should use social media; it is a powerful tool. After all, the appeal of social media is that it reflects a basic human need, and that need is to connect and share. As digital disciples, that means connecting with each other and God as well as sharing the gospel.

It is likely that you have friends or followers on social media who are not Christians or who are questioning and struggling with their faith. As a member of the Church, you are always representing the Church even if you are not actively engaged in digital evangelism. This is especially true for pastors and others in leaderships roles. It is of vital importance that we maintain a high standard of ethics, striving to always be honest, professional, and kind. This means always verifying questionable content with credible sources before sharing, honoring the privacy of others, respecting intellectual property rights, and never releasing confidential information. However, you may share official statements from Church leadership.
 
Your posts can have a much greater impact and reach than you imagine. We recognize and value diversity of opinion within our community, but as an employee or member, your followers may confuse your opinion with the official position of the Church. While this is most likely not your intention, be mindful to:

  • Prevent confusion by avoiding posts that conflict with your ministry’s official positions on matters
  • Observe principles of impartiality
  • Avoid topics like politics where emotions can run high and can result in inflammatory or inappropriate language

Many discussions are significantly more productive in person. It is generally accepted that 93% of our communication is non-verbal (Mehrabian & Wiener, 1967; Mehrabian & Ferris, 1967). Online communication strips away the context of tone and intention. Many comments online are misunderstood without this context and provoke controversy and conflict instead of positive discourse. When asked why they left the Church, a sizable portion of former members cite something that was said to them or how they were treated by other members. My question to you is this:
How many people are you willing to drive out of the Church to make a point or to “win” your argument?
Public figures have the potential to magnify division and take thousands out of the Church. As individuals, we may discourage someone from even considering Christianity. We talk about a life lived as a reflection of Christ but turn into devils on social media. People say things online that they would never dare to say in person, and then wonder why their ministry efforts are not bearing fruit. We were all taught in primary school to T.H.I.N.K. before we speak. It is not enough for something to be True; it must also be Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, and Kind. This is especially true in online communication.
Because of the power social media can have, it’s crucial that we consider the effects our content will have on our audience. Both our negativity and our positivity grow exponentially as they are spread by our audience and friends online. When it comes to church, we can create a community of people that attack or a community of people that heal. – Kaleb Eisele, Humans of Adventism
We absolutely respect and value different perspectives among our members and ministry leaders. But as representatives of the Church, we must not use our public speaking platforms as a sounding board for the problems we see in the Church, in leadership, and in our country. We are a family; let’s resolve our internal issues privately. It would be considered obscene to go knocking on doors and to begin your evangelistic effort by lambasting the very Church you are asking people to join. So why do it online? We must protect our Church family and frame all of our digital communications with the salvation of others in mind. Social media is a powerful tool for sharing the gospel; let’s use it wisely and err on the side of caution.
The power and efficiency of our work depend largely on the character of the literature [message] that comes from our presses [social media profiles]. Therefore, great care should be exercised in the choice and preparation of the matter that is to go to the world. The greatest caution and discrimination are needed. Our energies should be devoted to the publication of literature [posts] of the purest quality and the most elevating character. Our periodicals [blogs, videos, and updates] must go forth laden with truth that has a vital, spiritual interest for the people.
– Ellen G. White, Counsels to Writers and Editors 
Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences. Carelessness in speech can and will inhibit our ability to accomplish our mission. When we turn people away from the Church, we are not only working against ourselves, we are working against God. You can also get your ministry or self in legal trouble. If you work for the Church, you may endanger your job and reputation. This can be avoided by using discretion and focusing on the positive, such as what God is accomplishing through your church or ministry. Let’s not fall into the trap of using the negative and sensational to get attention online when God calls us to focus on what is good and holy.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable―if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. – Philippians 4:8
We all have the same goal. I truly believe that social media is a vital tool for accomplishing our mission in the 21st century. Young people are leaving the Church at a startling rate. They spend up to 18 hours a day behind a screen, and nine hours of that time is spent on social media. What messages are you sending them? We must take the gospel where they are, and not where we want them to be. But when our actions and our speech contradict each other, we only have ourselves to blame for the rising egression. Let’s work together to get the job done and go home.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. – Matthew 24:14
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2 Comments

Balancing Digital Mission Work and Spiritual Health - REVISED from 2018 post

3/2/2020

5 Comments

 

Jamie Jean Schneider Domm

Digital Strategist, Social Media + Big Data, North American Division

Inspired by Dee Casper, Director, CORE at Pennsylvania Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Balancing Digital Mission Work and Spritual Health
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.
– Mark 6:31–32 NIV

For digital missionaries who spend significant time online working to further the 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 the 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 are a lot of toxic conversations and content on social media, just as physical mission fields have their dangers and temptations. If the early missionaries of our Church had stayed away from the mission field because of the dangers, the Seventh-day Adventist Church would never have 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.

Here are four tips for digital missionaries to help balance digital media and spiritual health:


  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 and books, etc. Also, in the morning, I make it a point to follow Jesus’ example and begin with solitary prayer and Bible study…with 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 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. Structure your digital evangelism/discipleship and personal life like a missionary outpost center. A physical outpost center is a place outside the city where you can get away from your daily work and connect 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 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 where you can recalibrate and then go back to your mission field stronger than ever. Don’t live in social media, 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. Digital missionaries must have a clear purpose for getting on social media. My friend Dee Casper (Director, CORE at Pennsylvania Conference of Seventh-day Adventists) asks us to treat social media like a post office. Typically, at a post office, you enter, pick up mail, and drop off outgoing mail and 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, check performance stats, and then leave. Don’t move in. We’ve all had the experience where we intend to watch one video, and two hours later, we don’t know how the time got away—never accomplishing what we actually set out to do.

  4. 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 we have 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.
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5 Comments

Growing as Digital Disciples

2/27/2020

4 Comments

 

Jamie Jean Schneider Domm

Digital Strategist, Social Media + Big Data, North American Division

Growing as Digital Disciples

Content creation, engagement, and distribution are not limited to the official church brand and accounts. Make it a point to reach out to young people and let them know that their talents in this area are highly valued even if they are not part of the core team. Some people just need permission and a little mentorship to realize their talents and passion for personal ministry. Everyone has social influence through texting, messenger applications, email, and social media. Encourage and inspire them to use it to build God's kingdom.

The two primary roles in which digital disciples can serve are as engagers and distributors. For this reason, I have decided to unpack the role of digital disciples here in the guide, in-between these two sections of the digital discipleship and evangelism model.

The Bible tells us to become and make disciples. God calls us all to serve in unique ways. Ellen White encourages us to:
Let every worker in the Master’s vineyard, study, plan, devise methods, to reach the people where they are. We must do something out of the common course of things. We must arrest the attention. We must be deadly in earnest. We are on the very verge of times of trouble and perplexities that are scarcely dreamed of. – Ellen White, Letter 20, 1893
Identify people in your church who can be digital disciples, all on their own, as a means to further the mission of your church. This allows and empowers members to engage in ministry and discipleship in ways that aligns with their passion, spiritual gifts, tools of preference, and personal style. There is a spiritual void online because we are not doing enough individually as members or collectively as a Church. The mission field is wide open, it’s our duty to share the gospel through the tools available to us.

The Great Commission given to us by Jesus Christ states, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19). An easy and free way to reach the nations lies in the palms of our hands. When we hesitate to make the gospel message more available, we allow our own human weaknesses and fears to get in the way of our mission. How can we justify this resistance to boldly declaring our faith online? We live in an era of religious freedom with minimal persecution in North America (in contrast to what is happening in other parts of the world). However, the predominant perception among the Church body is that evangelism is an event run exclusively by a specific set of people.

In Exodus 4:2, God asks Moses “What is in your hand?” and tells him to lead the children of Israel to the promised land. To Moses, his staff is simply a tool for directing sheep, but with God’s direction, it becomes an instrument through which miracles are performed. If God spoke to each of us today, we would answer, “a phone,” a “laptop,” or an “iPad.” Most of us have a smart phone that can be used either for distraction or for positive impact. The responsibility of every disciple is to utilize every available resource for God so at the end of the age, when we face our Master, we will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant!...” (Matthew 25:23). We must commit to work diligently online to share present truth, regardless of who we are and what our official role may be in the Church.

Tips and Ideas for Individual Digital Disciples,
Adapted from growingfruitfuldisciples.com

  • Share your faith through daily digital activities (texting, Instagram, group chats, Snapchat, Facebook posts, blogging, etc.).
  • Invite your online community to join you in learning more about knowing, loving, and serving God.
  • Be willing to humbly share the story of your life as a Christian. For example, share how you've felt God's presence even when you've made poor choices. Honestly tell how you deal with specific challenges with God's help. Explain what guides your choices. Describe the joy and comfort loving God gives you in today's troubled world.
  • Pay attention to what your friends share with you directly and online. Listen with care. Follow up and see how they are doing. Respond to requests for help. Rejoice over their personal victories. Offer to pray with and for them. Record audio prayers and send them to the person throughout the week. Keep track of prayer requests, check back with the person for updates, offer ongoing encouragement, and celebrate God at work in their life. Assess and respond to their expressed needs. Remember, God has called us to serve without judgment.
  • Go out of your way to include and uplift friends and followers who are shunned, ignored, or bullied online.
  • Support your church's ministries with personal resources (time, talent, and finances). Offer to help with online content creation, updating the website, or funding a community outreach social media ad.
  • Reflect the character of Christ in all your digital and in-person interactions with others. Being a disciple involves all of your life, including your life lived online.
  • Pray for guidance to detect where God is calling you to serve. Support those with digital callings.
  • Evaluate the culture of the platform through which you feel called to serve to more effectively reach people within your sphere of influence.

Digital Discipleship Commitments

Grow God's kingdom by:
  • Building networks for friendship, fellowship, and support through your digital influence
  • Looking for physical, mental, social, and spiritual needs within your community
  • Responding mercifully to the discovered needs in a relevant way
  • Acting compassionately on behalf of people who are disadvantaged or at risk
  • Praying for the Holy Spirit to prepare you to reach others for Christ
  • Using your social influence to help tell the world the story of Jesus
  • Being able to give a reason for your faith when asked
  • Using your social influence to share the story of your personal relationship with Jesus
  • Being willing to be humble and honest when sharing your personal spiritual journey

By living out our mission online and exemplifying the character of Christ, we can become social media ambassadors for the gospel, impacting not only our local communities, but the world.
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4 Comments

Practical Tips for Digital Discipleship and Engagement

2/27/2020

2 Comments

 

Jamie Jean Schneider Domm

Digital Strategist, Social Media + Big Data, North American Division

Practical Tips for Digital Discipleship and Engagement
Let the members of your online community know through action that you’re fully invested in their lives. This is a Biblical concept found in Romans 12 that can be translated to the modern world.
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As digital disciples, we can live out Romans 12:15 online. Practically, this means when someone online expresses sadness, anxiety about a life challenge, or excitement about a happy event, we can empathize with them. Engage with their post or send a personal message to let them know you’re with them along the way, that you’re there if they need help. Be consistent and purposeful in your relationship-building.

As efforts to censor Christian viewpoints online and in the public space intensify, we may be tempted to respond defensively in a way that doesn’t represent the character of Christ. However, Jesus calls us to be a practical witness, one that puts Him on display in all aspects of our lives, one that is not easily censored. Jesus sought first to fulfill people’s needs; He then invited them to follow. We can use our digital and social influence to gain insights and focus on meeting the mental, physical, and spiritual needs of those around us. Remember, what starts in the digital space can transfer into the real world. Once relationships and trust are built, we can extend our invitation to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8, NIV). The gospel of action can further our ministry of hope and wholeness, even when words of truth are silenced or unwelcome.

Our integrity, genuine care for others, honor, and faith in Christ can never be taken from us. Our prayers cannot be blocked from reaching God. Christ’s character can never be shut down or banned. By embracing the attitude of a servant first and apologist second, light will shine through us to draw others to the God we represent. Be consistent in building relationships with others who may have very different beliefs. Once they know how much you care, they are more likely to come and reason with you over truth.

Understanding that acceptance does not mean approval, what if we became known as people who listened and helped first—without conditions—and people who proactively seek ways to improve the lives of others in practical, meaningful ways, regardless of who they are and without judgement. What if the Church became a safe place to land regardless of one’s affiliation or interest in faith?

People share a surprising amount of information online. It’s up to us to act on that information. Modern technology gives us the opportunity to reach into gated communities and closed-off hearts, allowing us to build bridges on common ground. Every post represents a real person, both their experiences and their needs. What prayers can we answer by simply paying attention?
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The Lord is coming soon because God has made it possible for the gospel to reach the entire world. Digital disciples can change hearts and minds by living out Jesus both online and offline.

Empower People: Small Actions, Big Impact

Most ministries or churches don't need big data; we need the power of the people. Instead of relying on heroes who single-handedly change the world, we need groups of people working together to make the world around us, in our local community, better. To generate real impact, we need to start small, realizing that big changes in a small community can have a ripple effect in the wider world.

Jesus spent time with the community to understand and meet people's needs. This is where digital disciples can play an important role.

Train all the generations in your church to:
  • Be intentional online with how they spend their time
  • Pay attention to the posts of their friends/contacts
  • Proactively reach out to friends online or via digital tools
  • Take action in appropriate and timely ways

Develop a Relationship-first, Empathy-first Engagement Strategy

This means redefining our notion of success to include metrics outside of attendance and baptisms.

Examples of questions you can ask to gauge success:
  • How many times did you (or your team) share the love of Christ?
  • How many conversations did you start or engage in on social media?
  • How are you painting a more authentic picture of yourself, faith, or the church?
  • How are you building relationships?
  • Do you better understand the needs of those you are connecting with online?
  • Have you found meaningful and practical ways to help people?

These questions represent personal ministry opportunities that anyone in the church can pursue through their social influence.

Invest the time to build a team. Build a committee of digital disciples who are available to respond to all online comments and messages to your ministry promptly and in a meaningful way, while being human.

This also means responding to messages in your inbox. Be the voice that answers back quickly when someone reaches out for help. If someone sends your ministry an email or messages your ministry with a prayer request, a challenging question, or a personal crisis, they should not have to wait more than one business day for a response. Even if you can't answer their question right away, it's vital to let them know that you received their message, are praying for them, and will have a response or resources for them shortly.

Christ-like care and an empathy-first engagement checklist:
  • Treat online conversations like real-life conversations
  • Respond in a meaningful way
  • “Like” or react to comments
  • Follow conversations and actively participate
  • Ask questions
  • Seek to understand people and their needs
  • Be authentic and transparent
  • Build trust and strive to break down the perceived barrier between the individual and your “corporate brand” (a.k.a. big Church)

Create Opportunities for Prayer in the Digital Space

I saw that every prayer which is sent up in faith from an honest heart will be heard of God and answered, and the one that sent up the petition will have the blessing when he needs it most, and it will often exceed his expectations. Not a prayer of a true saint is lost if sent up in faith from an honest heart. – Testimonies for the Church, volume 1, p. 121 
Even among the skeptical, there is a longing for someone to care enough to pray for us personally. Social media is a powerful tool for soliciting prayer requests and following up on those requests. Prayer can be just one “like,” comment, or message away. Online communication lowers the barrier to asking, making it easy for people to reach out when they can’t bring themselves to do it face to face.

I can personally attest to how sending recorded prayers can be a powerful way to minister to others. In the wake of a recent tragedy, I found myself asking, “What if we went beyond ‘thoughts and prayers’”? It happens all the time: a friend posts online that they lost a loved one or something else bad happened. We press the “like” button and carefully scroll over to the sad emoji. Then we type below “thoughts and prayers” or something similar.

We’re sincere about it, too. The person is in our thoughts, and we are praying for them. But we can take it one step further. What if they could hear us pray for them? It impacts people so much more when they hear someone petitioning God on their behalf. In times of crisis, they may not be able to answer the phone, or they may not want to talk to anyone. They can still hear us pray if we send audio recordings of our prayers. This can be done on most smart phones and messaging apps. It’s personal and intimate. That extra step that we take to invest in another can have a much more meaningful impact than the standard social media response.

Some additional ideas to use digital tools for prayer include:
  • Create digital groups for prayer (Facebook, What's App, Slack)
  • Host live video sessions weekly to take live prayer requests and pray for people live (YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, etc.)
  • Message prayer request contacts weekly to remind people that you're praying for them
  • Follow up by sending recorded audio prayers so they can hear you pray for them (or call, FaceTime, etc.)
  • Place ads to solicit prayer requests via Facebook messenger
  • Create weekly prayer posts and personally respond to every person who requests prayer
  • Send prayers and receive requests via Snapchat

Remember to keep track and follow up regularly. Being intentional will not only impact the lives of those you minister to, but will also strengthen your own belief in prayer as you witness it in action. You may not get updates from everyone, but be patient and persistent with all your digital discipleship and engagement efforts.

Additional guidance for assessing your online engagement for ministries:

  • Check daily for comments, questions, and messages and respond in a timely manner. Not every comment needs to be answered, but you are encouraged to “like” them. Don’t forget: engaging with positive comments or messages is an opportunity to affirm and strengthen a relationship. Sometimes, legitimate inquiries or simple misunderstandings are expressed that can open an opportunity to serve the needs of members by providing clarification or rectifying the situation.
  • Comments that are offensive should be deleted or hidden immediately, but do not automatically delete negative comments. These are an opportunity to listen and respond to the needs of the community. Depending on the situation, respond publicly to the person or via direct message. Use your discretion. Remove spam posts accordingly.
  • Talk with, not at your audience. Follow the conversation and actively participate. Seek to understand their needs, ask questions, and respond in a meaningful way.
  • Frame every response with the salvation of others as your number one priority. Be diplomatic, professional, and empathetic. Never respond to a negative comment out of anger, and do not take negative feedback personally. Reflect the values of the Church at all times.
  • Redirect people to the proper resources and or departments when needed. Follow up to make sure they received an answer or help with their question.
  • If a person seems volatile, do not respond, and hide the comment. If the person is aggressive, block or mute them if needed.
  • If the person is a victim of a crime, abuse, or other forms of violence, direct them immediately to the proper authorities and resources found here: https://www.enditnownorthamerica.org/get-help
  • If a person appears suicidal, direct them to the national suicide prevention center: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
  • For more guidance on how to respond to comments online regarding your ministry, refer to our Assessing Your Response Guide for Social Media below.
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2 Comments

What Does a 360° Community Care Strategy Look like?

2/26/2020

1 Comment

 

Jamie Jean Schneider Domm

Digital Strategist, Social Media + Big Data, North American Division

Community Care Strategy for Digital Discipleship

The Proper Care and Feeding of Followers

Social media is a valuable tool for listening to the needs of your audience and building relationships. However, simply having a social media presence is not enough anymore. Your audience expects a response when they engage with you online—often within a few hours.
Your goal in using social media for ministry ultimately should be to understand and fulfill a need, making a tangible impact in the real world. This means listening and taking action on a daily basis.
How your online followers perceive your ministry influences their perception of not only the Adventist Church corporately, but God. Your digital voice may be the only opportunity your followers have to see Christ’s love demonstrated in their life.

Strong digital brands create connection and take a comprehensive approach to the member experience. Treat your audience members online as if you’re talking with them face-to-face. Their online interactions with you should make them want to experience your faith/mission in person. When they come to you for that personal experience, it should be a continuation of the positive relationship you’ve built with them online.

Every opportunity to connect is an opportunity to advance the kingdom of God. Do not waste your digital influence. Social media provides a unique opportunity for long-term people care that can enhance and strengthen the relationships you cultivate with members, as well as the community your ministry serves.

People search online for answers to their problems—what better place for the Church to engage them?

If someone approached you in person and told you about a struggle or loss, you would respond, right? But when people pour out their hearts online to you or your ministry, are they getting a timely and meaningful response? Does your church or ministry have a team who is dedicated to responding to people online and providing a network of support? Not everyone is ready to walk through the doors of your church, but we can still show them God's love through the care we provide online.

Your digital content may answer some of their needs or questions, but not all. Be the voice that answers back and engages with them in a meaningful way. This is what we call a 360° community care strategy.

According to the Sprout Social Index, 90% of surveyed people have used social media in some way to communicate with an organization. What’s more, over a third (34.5%) said they preferred social media to traditional channels like phone and email. Like Christ, we should be willing and prepared to meet people where they are, and today, that is frequently online.

360° member/community care includes addressing the negative. By being actively engaged online, you have the opportunity to turn negatives into positives by addressing issues and resolving problems promptly. This is especially relevant to younger generations, who naturally turn to social media first to share their thoughts and feelings. Through a culture of online customer service and digital discipleship, you can build a reputation as an organization that truly cares about its members and the community it serves.

Nearly half (46%) of people have used social media to “call out” or complain about a business. That number jumps even higher when you slice the data by generation. Unsurprisingly, millennials are quick to take their frustration to the keyboard—56% of them have complained or called out brands on social media. That means that millennials are 43% more likely to call out a brand on social media than other generations (sproutsocial). Therefore, we should endeavor to be present in the digital spaces where millennials and younger generations are likely to express their dissatisfaction with religion, the Church, or the daily struggles of life. This affords us the opportunity to not only gain a better understanding of the challenges they face but also to intervene in a positive way that can prevent them from leaving the Church or bring them into a community of faith.
We underestimate the power we hold in our online content. Used correctly, social media can help us connect with and mobilize an unbelievable number of people, and the community created there drives real-world changes.
– Kaleb Eisele, Humans of Adventism

Do not underestimate the power of engagement. There’s no ROI (return on investment) without it!

Invest the time. Build a committee of digital disciples who are available to respond to comments and messages online promptly, while being human. That means engaging with a personal tone that conveys Christ-like care. It will pay dividends for your mission. By living out our mission online and exemplifying the character of Christ, we can become social media ambassadors for the gospel, who eagerly share our content and messages online.
 
Engagement is a Personal Ministry Opportunity.
This is not a job for one person or just for pastors. Too often, pastors are burdened with the responsibility of managing the day-to-day functions of their church while also doing all the work evangelizing to the community. When we leave all the ministering duties to the pastor or elders, we limit the opportunities for church members to grow as disciples. Engagement is a personal ministry opportunity for non-techie, nurturing individuals to be involved in digital discipleship and evangelism on an ongoing basis, from anywhere.

Leaders can divide their teams into three groups based on connections, interests, and talents.
  • People dedicated to connecting with church members online and responding to their needs
  • People dedicated to responding to comments, questions, and needs directed to the church in the digital space
  • Trained digital disciples who intentionally build relationships with non-members online and look for opportunities to serve
 
Digital interactions should be treated like real-life conversations in which we respond to audience interactions, share community-generated content, and “like” or react to comments. Engagers should follow relevant online conversations and actively participate in a Christ-like manner. Digital disciples should seek to understand their audience’s needs and respond in a meaningful way. Building online relationships can impact brand awareness, trust, financial support for ministries, and more. The goal is to break down the perceived barrier between the individual and your corporate brand. Strive to be authentic and as transparent as possible. This is how you build trust and authenticity.

Brands are Communicated, Not Just Created

A brand is based entirely on a person's experience. Think holistically about your engagement strategy, and remember that evangelism is more effective when it is built on a relationship. Therefore, our online identity or Adventist brand and faith must go beyond what we know and the message we have to share; it must be based on how much we care if we are serious about digital evangelism. We must change the way we use social media. Aim to create conversations and meaningful community that bridges the gap between the digital and the real world. Then be prepared to meet in the real world. Remember, brand touchpoints all work together.
There should be no disconnect between how a person is nurtured in the pews and how they are treated online, and vice versa.
Social media is an extension of our church brand and voice online. Our brand is how our church is perceived. As stated previously, our online interactions with people should make them want to experience our faith/mission in person. Then, when they come for that onsite experience, it should be a continuation of the positive relationship you've build with them online. Therefore, your church greeters and hospitality teams are also part of the engagers team. They are the onsite church ambassadors, and the atmosphere they create is vital to the visitor/member experience.

How our online community perceives us influences their perception of not only the Adventist Church corporately but God. Our digital voice may be the only opportunity they have to see Christ's love demonstrated in their life.

The Church should be the clear leader in people care.

Major corporations know that customer service is the key to long-term growth. Loyalty comes when organizations (brands) help people solve problems and address their felt needs.
Our mission is to maximize the highs; minimize the lows. Loyalty is created when brands help people solve problems and address their felt needs. The Church should be a clear leader in member and visitor experience as well as in people care. Remember that approximately a quarter of people are in crisis at any given moment in North America. We should be using digital tools to understand perceptions and needs to determine the most meaningful ways to serve.

Investing time can make a huge difference in the health of the local church and its ability to effectively build relationships with the community it serves. When we use our social influence to listen and ask simple questions like, “Are you okay?” or “How can I help?”, the intentionality behind our interactions becomes a powerful witnessing tool. Whether from a personal account or a ministry account, engaging in genuine conversations online is a means to live out Christ’s example of meeting people where they are and tending to their needs. We embody the spirit of the good Samaritan every time we respond to a cry for help. A 360° community care strategy is one that is driven by purposely reaching out to whoever we encounter online.

I believe that the next great awakening will be a digital one. We have the ability to preach and live out the gospel in view of millions of people, so let’s do it. We need every single one of us to commit to being a digital disciple within our sphere of social influence, using social media and digital tools as vehicles to reach out and care for God’s children.
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