Ten Ways Pastors Can Use Facebook More Effectively

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and,  lo, I am with you always even until the end of the world.” Matthew 28:19-20

Using Facebook is a fantastic way to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ! FB is global, viral, and instantaneous! There are over 600,000,000 people registered on Facebook worldwide. And that’s million with an “m”! 

Indeed, FB is an easy way to connect and communicate with others, both inside and outside the body of Christ. And it can be done wirelessly, on an iPad or other suitable mobile device!

Here are ten examples of how pastors can use Facebook more effectively to help fulfill the Great Commission of sharing the Gospel within their communities and across the globe:

1. You can use Facebook’s Fan Page as your ministry/church’s website.

2. Pastors can use Facebook to post and receive prayer requests on their cell phones!

3. You can post updates on Facebook about your day and thoughts. Highlight “life moments” that can encourage and uplift others including staff, church members and friends.

4. Pastors can communicate with staff, church members, and others via Facebook as an alternative to email. 

5. Stay connected with your church’s youth group(s) through Facebook updates and Fan Pages.

6. Pastors can post RSVP invitations on Facebook for ministry events like revivals or gospel concerts using FB’s Event/Announcement app.

7. You can import your blog feed directly into your Facebook page. This provides additional exposure for your message(s), and hopefully will increase the number of your blog subscribers!

8. Facebook empowers pastors to reach beyond the walls of the church to connect and communicate without geographical limitations.

9. You can use Facebook to gather feedback from church members, staff and others to harvest insights in order to strengthen your ministry.

10. Network with other pastors and church leaders on Facebook to share information and ideas, as well as collaborate on joint ministry projects.

For additional information from me on how pastors and church leaders can more effectively use Facebook, as well as Twitter and YouTube, see Social Media And Ministry, Sharing the Gospel in the Digital Age.

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

Stay Blessed!

Kenneth Lillard 

Serving Others Thru Online Ministry

 

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45

Ministry comes from the Greek word diakoneo, which means  “to serve”. In the New Testament, ministry is viewed as 1) service to God, and 2) service to other people in His name.  Jesus provided the ideal model for Christian ministry. He came not to be served, but to serve! (Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45)

Sharing a relevant passage of scripture on Facebook is an example of serving God by sharing His Word with your friends online. If someone you know needs a job, tweeting the web address of CareerBuilder on Twitter is serving another during a time of need. Both are excellent examples of using social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, et al) to serve and minister to others online.

As ministers, we employ love and humility to meet people’s needs on behalf of Jesus. (1 Peter 4:10-11) Out of our devotion to Christ, we minister to others impartially and unconditionally, just as He did.

Today, ministry has come to be associated with only pastors, who often pursue it as a fulltime vocation, and devote their entire lives to ministry work. Thank God for pastors!  However, ministry is not just restricted to pastors. All Christians should be involved in some service to others. (Romans 12:3-8, 10-13, 2 Timothy 2:24-26)

And while ministering to others’ spiritual needs should be a top priority, we certainly can’t overlook the physical, emotional, mental, vocational, and financial needs either!

Digital social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, et al) provide great platforms to address many of these individual needs. Social media can be used to provide websites for relevant resources, words of encouragement, prayers, and  a caring , listening ear!

Habitat for Humanity is a great example of a Christian Ministry that uses its online presence to help meet the housing needs of those struggling with poverty across the nation and around the world.

Social media, definitely, offers some truly amazing tools to reach out and serve others through online ministry! The fantastic part is they’re mostly free, and right at you finger tips. Why not use some of these great tools to enhance your ministry?

Question: How do you use social media to serve and minister to others?

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

God Bless,

Kenneth Lillard

The iPad, Part 2

Last week’s post described how the iPad can be a powerful tool for ministry work. Today’s post is a continuation ofthat theme. You know, Apple is really on to something with the iPad. Maybe that’s why over a million have sold in little or no time!

Pastors and church leaders can definitely harness the incredible advantages that the iPad provides: fantastic mobility, tons of apps, great battery life/hardware, mad e-Reader capability (iBooks and Kindle), and much more.

Chris Brogan, a great social media commentator, shares some of his thoughts on the benefits (and shortcomings) of the iPad in the following article:

http://www.chrisbrogan.com/ipad-is-pretty-decent/

Pastors and church leaders can easily adapt many of  these applications and advantages to ministry work. How is your ministry using the iPad?

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

God Bless,

Kenneth Lillard

iPad – Cool Tool For Digital Pastor

With over 1,000,000 sold, the iPad, Apple’s new tablet computer and e-Reader,  has taken the digital world by storm! According to Apple, users have downloaded 12 million apps, and over 1.5 million e-Books from the iBookstore. And, no surprise, pastors are counted among those 1 million iPad purchasers. Why?

The iPad opens up exciting, new possibilities for ministry work. It’s a great time management tool. It frees pastors from the office desktop and bookshelves, allowing them to move out into the community to connect with members, or meet new people. With built in email and browser, the iPad allows access to data and workflow while maintaining personal mobility. In meetings, it permits easy access to notes and information, while being less intrusive than a laptop.  Facebook and Twitter connectivity through the browser adds social networking capability. Sermon prep can be done in the coffee shop or wherever the Spirit moves you!

Checkout one pastor’s personal take on the advantages of the iPad in this insightful article by John Chandler in Collide Magazine:

http://www.collidemagazine.com/article/326/the-ipad-is-here-and-its-coming-to-your-church

Definitely, the iPad is a really cool tool for the digital rev!

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

God Bless,

Kenneth Lillard