Nick WolferStudio Production Manager, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists  COVID-19 has forced everyone to adapt quickly. Many pastors are attempting to hold church online, or post sermons for members to view. Many are using smartphones or a webcam on a computer to get the job done. Here are some simple things you can do if all you have is your smartphone.
Jamie Jean Schneider Domm Digital Strategist, Social Media + Big Data, North American Division  He who is careless and heedless in uttering words or in writing words for 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? 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:
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. 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 Jamie Jean Schneider Domm Digital Strategist, Social Media + Big Data, North American Division  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. 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. 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:
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. Jamie Jean Schneider Domm Digital Strategist, Social Media + Big Data, North American Division  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, |
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 | Being listened to is so close to being loved that most people cannot tell the difference. |
Engagers are at the front lines of mission and can serve as a powerful mechanism for community care. These empathetic individuals can operate within an organization or independently to engage in online conversations for the purpose of building meaningful relationships, understanding needs, and determining meaningful ways to serve others in both local and online communities.
Every opportunity to connect is an opportunity to advance the kingdom of God. Let’s not waste our digital influence. Social media and digital tools provide a unique opportunity for continuous people care that can enhance and strengthen the relationships you cultivate with church members as well as with the community your ministry serves.
Why do we need engagers?
When we consider the roots of the ten leading causes of death (diagram below), we can see eight opportunities for the Church body to improve the well-being of others. These eight root causes—stress, a sense of meaningless existence, lack of information/education, anger and frustration, loneliness and social isolation, low self-esteem or self-worth, economic disparity, and helplessness and emotional despair—can be addressed through the corporate Church’s messages of hope and wholeness as well as the local church’s ability to directly meet the physical and emotional needs of people.
The Curious Case of Roseto, PA
A real-life example of the potential impact of addressing these root causes can be found in the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. He begins the book with the story of an Italian immigrant town in Pennsylvania, whose population was made up entirely of Italians from Roseto, Italy. Due to prejudice, it was common for Italian communities during the early to mid-1900s to develop separately from the general population. The people of Roseto, PA smoked heavily, 41% of their calories came from fat, and many struggled with obesity. Yet they were able to avoid the main causes of death. An extensive study was done of this community, and the secret wasn’t diet, exercise, genes, or location. In fact, extended family living elsewhere in the United States did not enjoy the same low rates of disease.
There was no suicide, no alcoholism, no drug addiction, and very little crime. They didn't have anyone on welfare. Then we looked at peptic ulcers. They didn't have any of those either. These people were dying of old age. That's it.
Virtually no one under 55 had died of a heart attack or showed any signs of heart disease...death rate in Roseto was roughly half that of the US...the death rate from all causes...was 30–35% lower than expected. —Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers
My mother’s family is Sicilian, and I can personally attest to how extraordinary the health of this community was in comparison to that of other Italian-Americans. Italians in the United States tend to eat more meat, more dairy, fewer fresh vegetables, and less fruit than other Americans, and they favor white bread over whole grains; they also tend to suffer from chronic or severe heart issues. This is in sharp contrast to Italians living in Italy, whose health benefits greatly from a more plant-based, Mediterranean diet. However, growing up, we were taught to believe that Italians “just have bad hearts” and that we were genetically predisposed to have strokes and heart attacks. Recently, a man I had grown up with passed away suddenly at age 36. He appeared healthy, but his heart stopped while he was sleeping. Shock rippled through the Italian community followed by knowing nods of acceptance that it’s really not that uncommon among us. So, what is the difference between the Roseto community and the community I grew up in?
When the researchers looked beyond the individual and started looking at health in terms of the community, they found something fascinating. Extended family clans formed the foundation of the town’s social structure. Three generations lived under one roof, people stopped on the street and talked, neighbors took care of neighbors, grandparents were respected, and the people of Roseto were unified through church and civic engagement.
When the researchers looked beyond the individual and started looking at health in terms of the community, they found something fascinating. Extended family clans formed the foundation of the town’s social structure. Three generations lived under one roof, people stopped on the street and talked, neighbors took care of neighbors, grandparents were respected, and the people of Roseto were unified through church and civic engagement.
...The Rosetans had created a powerful, protective social structure capable of insulating them from the pressures of the modern world. The Rosetans were healthy because of where they were from (paesani culture), because of the world they had created for themselves... —Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers
In other words, they avoided illness because they had transported their communal, village way of living—embodied by the paesani culture of Italy—to their new home, whereas the Italian community of my childhood has become disconnected, individualized, and distant, only gathering together at the American Italian Society for major holidays.
...the values of the world we inhabit and the people we surround ourselves with have a profound effect on who we are. —Malcolm Gladwell
To live out our faith and mission in the modern world, we have to be counter-cultural by striving to build healthy communities and support systems. While family and community structures have broken down, the Church, with some effort, can rebuild some of what has been lost to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of people. While the world has changed, people, fundamentally, have not. We still need each other. Digital tools and technologies offer a way to build meaningful relationships in a busy modern world. This takes empathetic and intentional people who can use their digital influence to uplift and connect with others.
Jamie Jean Schneider Domm
Digital Strategist, Social Media + Big Data, North American Division
While understanding your audience and developing a content strategy takes a lot of effort, constructing your social media posts is actually pretty straightforward and mostly formulaic. Once you have your content planned out and your target audience determined, there are basic principles to follow to maximize effectiveness across any channel. Even as the technology changes, these principles will largely stay the same. In this section we’ll cover how to create posts and write messages for social media that effectively communicate with and engage your target audience.
Main principles for creating a post (also applies to paid ads):
Guidelines for choosing good visuals (also applies to paid ads):
There are a lot of FREE or low-cost web-based tools out there like Canva with pre-made templates for social media images. If you’re short on high quality images, there are also stock photo resources available online where you can get professional images for free or very low cost.
When laying out your images and designs, utilize the “Rule of Thirds.” This guideline divides an image into nine equal parts. Important elements of the image are placed along (or near) intersecting lines. This helps create tension, energy, and increases interest.
Main principles for creating a post (also applies to paid ads):
- Get to the point & focus your message.
- Less IS MORE (think snackable content).
- Include a call-to-action (should reflect goals/objectives).
- Include a link (so taking action is easy).
- Limit text in images & use high quality images.
- Video is king.
- Use the lingo of the platform.
- Be honest; no bait-and-switch.
- Include captioning on videos and always provide context.
- Tag relevant accounts. This increases your reach and encourages partners to share.
- Use relevant hashtags.
Guidelines for choosing good visuals (also applies to paid ads):
- Keep it visual; less text is more.
- Optimize your images for each platform.
- High quality (take your own or use stock images).
- Consider the “Rule of Thirds.”
- Invoke an emotional response/tell a story.
- People are attracted to bright colors and group shots.
- Keep a consistent look, brand, and color/font palette (see Branding for Ministry).
- Be creative.
- Use contrast to help your image stand out.
- Keep it simple.
There are a lot of FREE or low-cost web-based tools out there like Canva with pre-made templates for social media images. If you’re short on high quality images, there are also stock photo resources available online where you can get professional images for free or very low cost.
When laying out your images and designs, utilize the “Rule of Thirds.” This guideline divides an image into nine equal parts. Important elements of the image are placed along (or near) intersecting lines. This helps create tension, energy, and increases interest.
Visit SDAdata.org/branding-image-design-resources for guidance on free and low-cost stock images, design tips, and branding guides.
General Tips for Getting Your Social Media Posts Noticed
- List posts perform wellThis content allows for a highly shareable headline for an article or video: “7 Ways to Reach Young Adults,” for example. People love that list posts are highly skimmable and offer clear takeaways. This is what we consider “snackable content.” Snackable content is short content that is easily understood, quickly consumed, and memorable.
- Use “you” and “your” frequently.
These words tell a person’s brain that this message is about them—which draws them in. - Enable your readers to envision a better life.
If readers believe they will learn how to do something better, get an answer to that nagging question, or have their mind blown, they will be more likely to stop and pay attention, as well as share. - Slightly alter headlines for different channels.
By reflecting the culture and expectations of each platform, you’re more likely to connect with your audience. - Tug at emotions. Validate people and let them know you’re here to help.
Acknowledge your audience’s felt needs and tell them how your content addresses their situation. Create conversations, answer questions, solve problems, and address their pain points. Ask questions; even venture assumptions, such as “Feeling stuck?” or “Life is tough.” Then offer solutions. Do this without asking for anything in return. Build a relationship based on your service to the community. Refer to element 3 in the previous section on writing for online audiences. - Stay real and conversational.
Example: Feeling defeated? Marriage is hard and you're struggling. We're here for you. Join us for a free seminar. Click here to register in advance and get a free book with 5 practical tips for improving your marriage.
Guidelines for Choosing Hashtags
A hashtag is simply a way for people to search for posts on social media that have a common topic and to join or being a conversation. You may recognize it as the pound sign, or if you're a musician, a sharp sign. Hashtags can be used in many platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. When searching for hashtags on a particular platform, like Twitter, your results will only be pulled from Twitter. To see posts with the same hashtag on other platforms, you must search them separately. Instagram posts with the highest number of engagements have 11 or more hashtags attached.
The ability to create a collective conversation has made hashtags a vital tool for reaching and engaging audiences that share a particular interest. For maximum impact and reach, use a combination of three types of hashtags:
TIP: Hashtags aren’t used much on Facebook. The platform’s current search capability (as of 2020) isn’t polished and, often, relevant posts don’t show up when searched. It doesn’t necessarily hurt to add a couple hashtags on Facebook to help people understand what you’re talking about or reinforce branding. In general, take advantage of hashtags on Instagram and Twitter.
Download the Hashtag library to help with your hashtag strategy.
The ability to create a collective conversation has made hashtags a vital tool for reaching and engaging audiences that share a particular interest. For maximum impact and reach, use a combination of three types of hashtags:
- Popular. These are widely used or trending hashtags. You can find these in the trending section of Facebook and Twitter or use sites like trendsmap.com. Make sure your hashtags will actually yield results—sometimes people make up hashtags that are never searched, and therefore will not increase your reach. Instead, search for popular hashtags relevant to your post, and use them.
- Niche hashtags. These hashtags are less common and tend to reach a targeted audience. For example, to reach the Adventist community you should use hashtags like: #Adventist, #SeventhdayAdventist, #NADadventist, #SDA, #SDAchurch and #HappySabbath.
- Branded hashtags. These hashtags should be unique to your brand, not used by anyone else, and should reflect your message in less than 20 characters. Branded hashtags are a great way to reinforce your brand, start a themed conversation, and create a curated stock of content that tells your story. They also enable your audience to engage with you, contribute to the conversation, and become part of a collective story. #DigitalEvangelism and #enditnowNAD are examples of branded hashtag, and you can use them to engage directly with the ministries.
TIP: Hashtags aren’t used much on Facebook. The platform’s current search capability (as of 2020) isn’t polished and, often, relevant posts don’t show up when searched. It doesn’t necessarily hurt to add a couple hashtags on Facebook to help people understand what you’re talking about or reinforce branding. In general, take advantage of hashtags on Instagram and Twitter.
Download the Hashtag library to help with your hashtag strategy.
Anatomy of a Strong Social Media Post
Use the following format to write a practice post for your ministry and brainstorm visuals. Follow this format for each platform the message will be posted to.
Message (Copy):
Visual/media: Use the following space to determine if your visual is well suited to your message and goals. (Applicable to either pictures or video.)
Message (Copy):
- Teaser language (1-3 sentences):
______________________________________________________________________________ - Call-to-action:
______________________________________________________________________________ - Link:
______________________________________________________________________________ - Relevant hashtags (if applicable for the platform):
______________________________________________________________________________ - Relevant accounts to tag (if applicable for the platform):
______________________________________________________________________________
Visual/media: Use the following space to determine if your visual is well suited to your message and goals. (Applicable to either pictures or video.)
- What mood or emotion are you trying to convey?
______________________________________________________________________________ - What mood or emotion are you trying to evoke in your audience?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________ - What story are you trying to tell?
______________________________________________________________________________ - Is the message of the visual focused and clear?
______________________________________________________________________________ - Does your chosen visual tell a story? What is it? Does that story align with your message?
______________________________________________________________________________ - Does your chosen visual fit in with your overall look and branding?
______________________________________________________________________________ - Will your visual stand out in the newsfeed, stopping the viewer from scrolling past your message? What can you do to make it stand out?
______________________________________________________________________________ - Is the visual clear and easy to see on a small screen?
______________________________________________________________________________ - Is the visual easy to understand without much context?
______________________________________________________________________________ - Is text on the image or video easy to read on a small screen?
______________________________________________________________________________ - Does the visual help inspire the viewer to take a specific action?
______________________________________________________________________________
| Download the Creating Strong Social Media Posts Fillable Workbook |
Examples:
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