Making Sense of Social MediaAnd How to Use It For Ministry

Rev. Ed KayDelaware-Maryland Synod

Outline for the Workshop

• Guiding principles

• Uses for pastoral & congregational ministry

• For you... your leadership... your church... your community

• Effective uses of social media

• Questions from the group

Guiding PrinciplesIt’s about discipleship.

“No one else can build a discipling culture for you - it must begin in your own life and then overflow into the lives of those you lead. You will not be the perfect example, but you can be a living example.”

- Mike Breen, Building a Discipling Culture

Guiding PrinciplesIt is a tool for ministry.

“Social media is a set of tools that will exponentially increase your ability to [proclaim the Gospel and to care for your flock].”

- David Hansen, The Social Media Gospel (forward)

Guiding PrinciplesVirtual community vs. real presence.

“Social media can be an extension of a pastor’s personal presence but will never entirely replace it.”

- David Hansen, The Social Media Gospel (forward)

Platform: FacebookYou Leadership Church

Community

• You: Profile - interacting with members/community, being a “living example” of a disciple

• Leadership: Group - building community, coordinating ministries, communicating info

• Church: Group - building community, coordinating ministries, communicating info

• Community: Page - public face of the congregation

✺✺ ✺ ✺

Platform: TwitterYou Leadership Church

Community

• You: Profile - interacting with members, ambassadors for church & faith, one way to “hold the newspaper”

• Community: sharing the Good News with the surrounding community

✺ ✺

Platform: BloggingYou Leadership Church

Community

• You: sermons, devotionals, theological writings

• Leadership: special initiatives, general communication

• Church: life of the church

• Community: sermons, living out the strategic plan of the congregation

✺ ✺ ✺ ✺

Platform: Google DriveYou Leadership Church Community

• You: personal productivity

• Leadership: collaborating on projects, council/leadership team docs

• Church: registering for events/groups

• Community: registering for events/groups

✺ ✺✺✺

Platform: DropboxYou Leadership Church

Community

• You: personal productivity

• Leadership: collaborating on projects, council/leadership team docs

✺ ✺

Platform: InstagramYou Leadership Church

Community

• You: interacting with members/community, being a “living example” of a disciple

• Church: visual images of the ministry of the church; sharing pics with others to invite/encourage

• Community: visual images of the ministry of the church

✺ ✺ ✺

Platform: YouTubeYou Leadership Church

Community

• You: sermons, devotionals

• Church: sermon/teaching compliments, visual images of the ministry of the church, sharing videos with others to invite/encourage

• Community: visual images of the ministry of the church, evangelism/outreach

✺ ✺✺

Other Platforms• Vine

• Pinterest

• Meeting Wizard / Doodle

• Foursquare

Effective Personal Uses of Social Media

• Be you

• Be interactive

• Be mindful

• Be humble

• Be bold

Social Media & Safety• ELCA -

www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/Resources/Web-Ministry/Social-Media.aspx

• St Paul Area Synod - www.spas-elca.org/resources/social-media-use-and-boundaries

Online & Print Resources

• Online• St Paul Area Synod -

www.spas-elca.org/resources/social-media-use-and-boundaries

• #chsocm - www.churchsocmed.blogspot.com

• Print• Click to Save by Elizabeth Drescher & Keith

Anderson

• The Definitive-ish Guide for Using Social Media in the Church by Bruce Reyes-Chow

• The Social Media Gospel by Meredith Gould