2014 Church and Social Media Year In Review, Part 2

As 2014 draws rapidly to a close, now is a great time to look back at the top Church and Social Media events and stories of the past year. Hope you had a chance to take a look at ‘2014 Church and Social Media Year in Review, Part 1,’ shared earlier on this site.

Here, in Part 2, we share more of 2014’s top #churchsocialmedia news and developments posted on social media!

Best Christian YouTube Channels – ThinkInternational

Blogging While Brown 2014/ Conference Highlights – Rothesia Stokes/ She Has Purpose

Christianity Today’s 2015 Book Awards – Christianity Today

Christian Bestsellers, December 2014 – Christian Book Expo

#ChSocM Chat/ ChurchSocMed Using social media to build church and deepen faith – Storify

#ChSocM Integrating Technology Into Life and Faith – #ChSocM Founder, Meredith Gould

#ChSocM Searching and Finding Information About Social Media for Church – #ChSocM Founder, Meredith Gould

#ChSocM Strategy and Mission in Church Social Media – #ChSocM Founder, Meredith Gould

#Ferguson and the Cross – Derwin L. Gray/ Christianity Today

Forest Hill Church on Pinterest – Forest Hill Church/ Pinterest

Great Free Resources From Top Churches – djchuang.com

Haley Veturis of Saddleback Church: Episode 85, Social Media Church Podcast – @djchuang

How We Read the Bible: Bible Gateway’s 2014 Year in Review – Biblegateway.com

Is An Online Church Really A Church? – Ed Stetzer/ Christianity Today

Joel Osteen Radio – SiriusXM subscription satellite radio service. Joel Osteen Radio on SiriusXM launched on Sept. 29, 2014.

Jason Caston: The Internet Church Campus/ Biola Digital 2014 – Jason Caston/ WebMatters

Just the Top Bible Websites, Plain and Simple – DJ Chuang/ American Bible Society

Lessons From Mars Hill Church – Gerry & Sherry Breshears/ Living Grace to the World

Maya Angelou: Award Winning Poet, Author, and Activist Dies at 86 – Huffington Post

My Proverbial Summer – Kenneth Lillard

Social Media in Youth Ministry: Tumblr – Rachel Blom/ churchleaders.com

The Potter’s House – T. D. Jakes/ thepottershouse.org

The Year In Gospel: Lecrae Dominates – Billboard

Top 300 Christian Blogs – Kent Shaffer/ Church Relevance

Top Church Tech Blogs 2014 – ChurchMag

Top Churches On Facebook – Social Media Church

Twitter and the Rise of Microprayer – Casey Cep/ The Kernel

Btw, you can stay update-to-date on all the latest news and developments in Church and Social Media by reading SOCIAL MEDIA and MINISTRY NEWS. And you can follow me at kennethlillard.com.

What were your top Church and Social Media stories of 2014?

As we count down to a brand New Year, I sincerely wish all my wonderful readers, family, and friends a Happy, Healthy, and Blessed 2015!

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

Be Blessed!

Kenneth Lillard

2014 Church and Social Media Year In Review, Part 1

Can you believe that 2014 is almost over? Yes, we just have a few more days until the start of a brand New Year! 2014 has flown by like a jet plane. However, it has truly been an exciting and eventful year in Church and Social Media.

FAITH BASED MEDIA 2.0 continues to tell the fascinating story of how today’s churches are using the latest technology and social media to share the Gospel. Here are some of the top #churchsocialmedia stories shared online via social media over the past twelve (12) months.

4 Ways to Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Count – Relevant

10 Apps to Grab for Your New Smartphone or Tablet – Spiritual Living, Christian Faith/ crosswalk.com

10 Best Religious Personal Finance Blogs – Shared via @ChristianPF

10 Social Media Tools That Make Everything Easier – Chris C. Ducker

11 Imaginative Ways to Use Social Media for Your Church – Steve Fogg

20 Great Ways to Use Instagram at Your Church – TheCreativePastor.com

20 Tips to Tap Into Your Divine ‘Instinct’ for Business Success: T. D. Jakes – blackenterprise.com

21 Of the Best Social Media Articles This Year – SocialMediaToday

31 Days of Thanks – Our Daily Bread

49 Church Blogging Tips – Dave Hakes/ Internet Toolbox for Churches

55 of the Best Church Website Designs – Vandelay Design

100 Years of Glorious History From the Hampton University Ministers’ Conference – Huffington Post Religion

Stay tuned for ‘2014 Church and Social Media Year In Review, Part 2’ where we’ll share more of the top #churchsocialmedia events and stories of 2014!

What were your top #churchsocialmedia stories of 2014?

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

Be Blessed

Kenneth Lillard

The Best of ‘SOCIAL MEDIA and MINISTRY NEWS’ – SUMMER 2013 EDITION

Can you believe it? It’s Labor Day Weekend 2013 already! Where have all the sun-drenched days of summer gone? The  autumn leaves of red and gold will soon be swirling in the air. To mark the occasion, we have assembled a special souvenir of the awesome Summer of 2013 that we hope will bless you, and remind you of those much-too-soon-departed, wonderful days of summer!

It has been an especially rich and exciting summer at our companion publication, SOCIAL MEDIA and MINISTRY NEWS.  For each of the past 90 days, SOCIAL MEDIA and MINISTRY NEWS has offered its readers the best church social media news this summer, packed with information, videos, and photos of the latest, most-talked-about and interesting developments in the faith, social media, and technology space. (Click on the Archives icon to check out previous issues!)

Faith Based Media 2.0 is a faith-based journal of information, innovation, and inspiration. It is designed to creatively share the Gospel of Jesus Christ through social media and web 2.0 technologies. We’re always so excited to share the most exciting things happening over at SOCIAL MEDIA and MINISTRY NEWS with our loyal readers.

So, we’ve teamed-up and pulled together this summer’s top inspirational stories, chats, podcasts, and thought-provoking opinion pieces from the June, July, and August 2013 editions of SOCIAL MEDIA and MINISTRY NEWS.

As we say goodbye to the halcyon days of summer and eagerly anticipate Autumn 2013, we’re happy to present this unique, special edition of the VERY BEST of ‘SOCIAL MEDIA and MINISTRY NEWS – SUMMER 2013 EDITION’. Enjoy!

• 5 NFL Stars Turned Pastor or Christian Minister – Christian Post
• 7 Facebook Tips for Pastors – Pastors.com
• 7 Innovative Church Buildings in America  – Church Relevance
•  8 Leadership Lessons From Martin Luther King, Jr. [Podcast] – Michael Hyatt
• 10 Google Services You Didn’t Know Existed and How They Help Church Leaders – UnSeminary
• 35 Social Media Questions for Every Church – ChurchMag
• Are You Putting Technology Ahead of Your Church’s Message – Internet Toolbox for Church/ Dave Hakes
• Behind the Scenes at Christianity Today – Christianity Today
• Church: Social Media Chat: 8/13/13: Myths & Truths About Church Social Media [TwitterChat] – #ChSocM Meredith Gould
• Churches Play Catch-up as Social Media Continues to Grow – Facts and Trends/ Aaron Earls
• Complete List of Churches on Pinterest – Godvertiser.com Kenny Jahng
• Free eBook: ‘Sanctification in the Everyday’ by John Piper – ChurchLeaders.com
• Free eBook: ‘YouTube for Churches Quick Guide’ from ChurchTech Today – ChurchLeaders.com
• How Are Apps Making Prayer Social – Leadership Network/ DJ Chuang
• King’s Dream: Waiting with Perseverance – WP On Faith/ T. D. Jakes
• Mega-Mind of Bishop T. D. Jakes – Patrick D. Shaffer
• More Than 2 Million Will Participate in Back to Church Sunday – ChurchLeaders.com
• Most Anticipated Tech: End of Summer Edition – CNET
• New Bible App Updates, Another Huge Milestone, and More – YouVersion
• Preaching/ Speaking from an iPad? 10 Rules – Patheos
• Summer Boone of Church by the Glades – Episode 51 [Podcast] – DJ Chuang
• What Story Is Your Church Telling? – Mark Brooks

What church social media blog posts, podcasts, or articles were you excited about this summer? Please share them here with our readers and become a part of this, our special, SUMMER 2013 EDITION. Btw, to get your day started right with an on-time word of inspiration and encouragement, be sure to check out FAITH and DEVOTION DAILY.  Much Love & Appreciation!

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

Be Blessed,

Kenneth Lillard

Top 10 Social Media and Ministry Stories January 2013

The best and brightest thinkers in the social media and ministry space have been very busy during the first month of 2013.  Before sharing my recommendations for the top ten January 2013 stories, here are a few suggestions for those involved in church social media:

• Develop or order a church app that people can download to their smartphones. Mobile continues to be a real leader in the digital space.
• With increasing numbers of people accessing the Internet from their smartphones (a trend that will only accelerate) make sure your website is mobile friendly.
• Consider using QR codes to communicate more information in a smaller space.
• Pinterest and related visual platforms continue to rapidly grow in popularity. Be sure you have a presence there.
• Vine video is the new kid on the block! Think – Instagram for video! Vine presents tremendous potential for ministry use.  So, check it out!
• The social network Slideshare continues to experience rapid growth. Don’t sleep on it!

Now, to the top 10 stories:

Church Social Media 2013 Predictions – Tweetchat #chsocm

Tech and Bold Goals for 2013 – Tweetchat #ChSocM

21 Social Media Predictions for 2013 From the Pros – SocialMedia Examiner

Build Your Platform This Year: Check These 7 Steps – ChurchLeader

Accessing the Bible With 21st Century Technology – Algemeiner

Episode 30: Meredith Gould – Social Media Church – Podcast D J Chuang

8 Leadership Lessons From Martin Luther King, Jr. – Michael Hyatt – Podcast

Mobile Apps and Sites are Now – iChurch Method

How to Be Involved In Your Church’s Internet Ministry If You’re Not the Pastor – Internet Toolbox for Churches

Fly or Die: Vine – TechCrunch

To stay on top of the latest news and developments in the Social Media and Ministry space check out the new daily church social media publication, SOCIAL MEDIA and MINISTRY NEWS.

Which church social media stories from January 2013 would make your Top 10 list?

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

Be Blessed

Kenneth Lillard