Taking the plunge into social media

By Tracee Swank

The world is flat and it is getting flatter and more connected. It seems you cannot flip on a computer, television, cell phone, or radio without reading or hearing about how many people have become connected through friends, tweets, and links. Becoming connected in these new ways is a part of our culture. You can’t go anywhere without hearing someone talking about social media and online networking. So, after a few months of observing from the sidelines the impact that social media could have in ministry and the work of the local church we have decided to take the plunge.

With this vast new world of online connectivity how do you decide where to go after you jump in? Church Doctor Ministries has selected three online communities to join to connect with those in ministry to share tools and resources to assist the local church in becoming more effective at fulfilling the great commission.

Here are the three online media sites we have joined and why we think it is beneficial for other ministries to do the same.

Facebook: We created a Facebook Fan Page to connect with pastors, ministry staff, lay leaders, and individuals to share updates about the ministry through notes and daily updates. This is a great tool for ministries and ministry groups. We like Facebook because it is easy to create pages for individuals and organizations. It is also a great tool to connect with other ministry organizations and leaders to share ideas and discussions. We have noticed more and more church communities joining this site to communicate activities and events with members.

Join the Church Doctor Fan Page

Twitter: We have created a twitter account in order to connect with larger numbers of people. We like the micro-blog format of being limited to 140 characters as it keeps our messages short and to the point. We have found twitter to be useful for announcements of new blog posts, upcoming events, and day to day activities taking place in the ministry. Twitter also allows each of our ministry partners to connect with a larger community and it allows us to follow what other ministry leaders are doing all over the world. Twitter is Dr. Hunter’s favorite online networking site!

Follow CDM on twitter: http://twitter.com/ChurchDoctor

LinkedIn: We use LinkedIn to connect specifically with ministry professionals and organizations for the purpose of developing relationships with those interested in the type of consulting and coaching we do. We have found LinkedIn to be beneficial to connect with other coaches and consultants to share insights, ideas, and trends that directly impact us a non-profit ministry organization. The benefit of joining LinkedIn in our perception is the ability to join in the numerous groups and organizations to join to share information and collaborate with. Click here to join the Church Doctor Ministry Group on LinkedIn.

This is how we have decided to take the plunge into on-line social media networking. We believe these are great tools for pastors and ministry leaders to have their ministry development toolbox.

How about you? Have you taken the plunge? How are you using social media as it relates to your work in ministry?

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