This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission from purchased products at no additional cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
What you might be missing if you’re not on Facebook or Instagram!
In this interview, a social media manager shares the importance of Facebook and Instagram in small churches and how to get started.
I’ve had the pleasure of connecting with Jenny Williams over the past few months. She is an energetic force to be reckoned with! Her story takes her from big church to small church, and she embraces it with the same passion that envelops her life.
I only wish you could hear her words dripping with her welcoming southern accent as this smiling woman from middle Tennessee starts with a, “Hey, girl!”
For more practical tips on getting started with social media for your church, check out Jenny’s guest post: Connection Over Content.
Big Church Vs. Small Church
Q: Jenny, let’s talk about church size. What do you see as some of the defining differences between a big church and a small church?
A: I love a small church. It’s how I grew up, and I love how connected everyone is. I feel like big churches versus small churches have some obvious differences, but I think they have some less-than-obvious similarities.
Some of the differences are easy to spot … size, numbers, budget, teams, etc. It is super easy to walk into a large church and see some immediate things like this. In a smaller church, you tend to be working with a tighter budget, smaller congregation, smaller venue, etc.
But one thing I have noticed is that larger churches tend to watch smaller churches and compare … “I wish we were smaller. It’s so hard to connect and minister to so many people!” And smaller churches are doing the same. “Man, that equipment is nice! I wish we had that budget or those resources!”
The biggest thing to remember is we are all different, and God is using each and every ministry, designed with His purpose in mind, to do specific things. And that’s really cool to me!
Don’t let marketing mistakes affect your attendance! For more practical tips on promotion for your small church, click the link: Marketing Ideas For Small Churches.
Q: Why should a small rural church even worry about social media?
A: Your rural location can definitely suffer when it comes to church communication. How do you change that? Social media!
Here’s the thing … if your church is content where it is, if you feel God has you right where He wants you, then do your thing. But for most of our churches, I believe we all want growth. That doesn’t necessarily mean massive congregations and buildings. We want to grow and connect our communities and people to Jesus.
In this modern age we are living in, social media can serve as the hands and feet of Jesus for our rural churches too! Promote events, even if it’s a simple potluck. Promote God! Tell the world what He is doing in your church and people –– all with the simple click of a few buttons.
Q: Why should a church with mostly elderly members add social media to its strategy?
A: Isn’t social media just for young people? Yes and no.
(You might be surprised how many of your older adults are active on social media. In 2018 there were 47 million Facebook users over the age of 55 in the U.S. alone! And 73% of all adults in the U.S. use YouTube!)
Yes, social media seems like a young man’s world! But we shouldn’t ignore that our youth are the future of the church.
If the older generation leaves, who will keep the flame hot? Who will continue to serve God and show the community and world Christ? Our young people. Even an older congregation can benefit from social media by keeping the community connected and attracting our younger generation.
Q: What are we missing if our church does not have a presence on social media?
A: Connection.
If you’re only connecting to the people in your 4 walls, we eventually will become disconnected from Christ.
In my opinion, churches should want to expand beyond their building. Building relationships should stretch far beyond the people who are already there.
Q: What are the biggest mistakes small churches make with social media?
A: You know, I truly think the biggest mistake a church can make with social media is not having a social media presence. I don’t care how old or young your church is or if it’s located in town or the middle of nowhere; social media works.
A second mistake is discounting the power of social media. Connection and authenticity is key!
And third, I believe that smaller churches sometimes have a tendency to be inconsistent. Quality and consistent content is vital in connecting with our communities and congregations. This doesn’t take a lot of time. It just takes a little dedication.
Q: Speaking of time, how much time does it take to do a good job with social media?
A: The cool part about most social media outlets is the function of pre-scheduling content.
I take about an hour or two a week to create and schedule our social media content for my church. This covers an entire week or more.
Make it fun! Find someone who enjoys social media, give them a clear directive of branding and the mission of your church, and allow them to be creative!
What events do we have coming up? What is the pastor’s message for the following week? Did the pastor have an amazing quote or scripture during Sunday’s message? All of these things can be quickly put into graphic content and pre-scheduled to go out throughout the week to connect the congregation and community.
Q: I’ve heard people say to choose just one platform to start. Do you agree with that for churches?
A: I do agree! Until you have a strong and knowledgeable media team or personnel, sticking to one platform is a fantastic idea. And, I’ll be honest, my suggestion is Facebook. You can reach a ton of people this way.
My church just recently kicked off an Instagram account. And it’s great. But we are staying really slow and small with this. Facebook is our go-to.
I’ve had people say to me, “Well younger people aren’t on Facebook.” And although that is correct to some extent, you’d actually be surprised how many people are still there, young and old.
So get a strong social media presence started with a Facebook account and grow from there.
Q: Give me one final nugget of social media wisdom!
A: Stay consistent. Post content relevant to your church, your mission, your people, and do that well. Be real and honest. Authenticity is something that draws people in every time.
More Social Media Tips From Jenny
In her guest post, Connection Over Content, Jenny addresses the what, when, how, & the 3 questions to ask before you start –– specifically for small churches!
Hi!!! I am Jenny Williams, a Christian, single mom of two kiddos, hairstylist, public speaker, and women’s ministry leader. Holy cow! I know! I am crazy!!
Through the love of Jesus and my family, I have learned that living your life to the fullest by way of surrendering it all to God is the only way to make it through this crazy ride we call life. So, I have tried to set out to help other women do the same exact thing!
I love to speak to women’s groups, sharing my story of life after divorce and sharing about the real life, love, and relationship with Jesus that has sustained me when I thought nothing else could.
Find her on Facebook at Cotton Jenny Ministries where she works to help other women realize their full potential in Christ. She also runs Cotton Jenny Leader’s Squad where she leads “a community of fellow women ‘Boss Babes’ to get together, share ideas, work out problems, and just build each other up!”
Read More
