Instagram and Ministry – Telling the Story

New Life Church Celebration Weekend (above) on Webstagram

In the African American preaching tradition, “telling the story” is highly prized. Storytelling is very powerful. It captures the imagination and connects with people on a deep emotional level like no other approach can. Instagram provides a new and exciting way to connect with others online and tell the story of Jesus, and of your congregation in action, in a fresh and innovative fashion. It’s, virtually, a new way to visually share the Word!

A photograph can tell a story in ways words often cannot express. After all, “a picture is worth a thousand word.” People naturally connect with stories, and sometimes those stories are most eloquently told in pictures.

Because of digital social media and the ubiquity of web 2.0 technologies, the church is becoming increasingly more interactive. Many congregation members are already on Instagram, as well as Facebook and Twitter. And more often than not, they are connecting via smartphones, iPad’s, and other mobile devices.

Rapidly rising visual social media sites like Instagram and Pinterest are part of a new trend influenced by the shifting habits of technology users. They are moving toward greater visual social sharing. Why? Social engagement appears to increase when pictures are shared. In our fast paced digital age, pictures (with minimal hashtags and/or captions) can communicate lots of information quickly and succintly.

So, what is Instagram anyway? It is a free photo-sharing service, and social networking site launched in 2010. In 2011  Apple named Instagram, “App of the Year”!  In a nutshell, Instagram allows users to take photos, apply filters to them, and then share them with other Instagram users, as well as on other social media networks like Facebook and Twitter. It currently has over 100 million users.

Something surprising happened in August 2012. The average number of daily active Instagram users hit 7.3 million, topping Twitter’s 6.9 million. Pictures beat words! In addition, the average Instagram user spent 257 minutes accessing the photo-sharing site by mobile device in August, as compared to the average Twitter user who spent 170 minutes on that site during the same time period. Instagram has taken storytelling to mobile devices in a really big way!

So, how can the church tap into this remarkable social media phenomenon known as Instagram to help tell its story? The following are just a few examples:

• “Instagram” church services by posting pictures on FB, Twitter, and other social media platforms.
• Post pictures of baptisms, gospel concerts, and conferences. Behind the scenes glimpses at conferences and other special events are always interesting.
• Use Instagram to creatively market your church.
• Post pictures of small group activities.
• Post pictures of volunteers engaged in community service  and other outreach projects.
• Post pictures of mission trips.

For greater impact, help boost your Instagram pictures with these tips:

• Try to get the best, most compelling original photos you possibly can.
• Make sure you photo captures the essence of the story you’re telling.
• Pull multiple images together in a collage using apps like Frametastic and PicFrame.
• Deft use of hashtags and captions in picture descriptions can create compelling themes and tags to reinforce the story’s message.
• Use apps like Hipstamatic, Camera+ and iPhoto to add additional pop to your pictures.
• Finally, it’s the quality of your photos that matter most, not the quantity!

For more on Instagram and it’s many applications to ministry checkout  the following links:

• CNET How To: Creative Ways to Use Instagram – [YouTube Video]
• Gizmo – Instagram Updated w/ New Features – ItsOnBTV – [YouTube Video]
• How to Use Instagram for iPhone or Android – Merlin Dean [YouTubeVideo]
• Instagram – Wikipedia
• Instagram Cheat Sheet: 14 Steps to Master It All [Infographic] – Bit Rebels
• Instagram Blog
• 12 Ways to Share Your Faith Online With Instagram – Paul Steinbrueck
• Using Instagram in Church Ministry – Catholic Tech Talk
• 5 Ways to Use Instagram for Youth Churches – Leadership Collective
• Instagram for the Church Planter – ChurchMarketing.Com
• Instagram Your Church? – Media BLEEP
• Real-Time Engagement: Using Instagram for Your Church or Ministry – Church Mag
• The Interactive Church – Kevin D. Hendricks
• Instagram Use Is Exploding – Wired Business
• The Rise of Visual Social Media – Fast Company
• Mars Hill Church’s Instagram Photos –  Statigram
• Hillsong Church Popular Photos on Instagram – Populagram
• Telling the Story and Making Your Points While Preaching – Sherman Haywood Cox II

How are you using Instagram to tell the story?

Until next time, remember, you can do all things thru Christ Jesus!

Be Blessed

Kenneth Lillard