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How Often Should a Church Tweet?

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One of the great things about Twitter is it is a constant stream of information. One of the bad things about Twitter is it is a constant steam of information …. It doesn’t stop.

When you use Twitter to make church announcements realize that Twitter appears chronologically. When I sign into Twitter I see the most recent tweets. Rarely, actually never, do I have time to look at every tweet I miss. Therefore, it is important to get your announcement out more than once.

Here are a few guidelines to help:

1. Tweet the same announcement at least 4 times a day.

People work and live in different “shifts” so try and accommodate them. I suggest sending one in early morning, one late morning, one midafternoon, and one after 9:00 PM. You’ll catch most that way.

2. Reword it every time.

Twitter doesn’t like for you to send the exact same tweet twice so mix it up a little.

3. Include a link.

When you have an announcement that you can build a Web page about always include the link to that page.

4. Start early and build intensity.

Start the announcements a good ways out with a few tweets and build frequency as you get close to the date.

Twitter can be a great advertising tool for your church of you use it consistently and well.

Reach Teens with Twitter – Church | Social Media

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The research is in and teens are flocking to Twitter. One recent study found that as many as 16% of online teens were using Twitter and girls age 12-17 were twice as likely to be using Twitter as boys age 12-17 (22% vs 10%).

The reasons are probably many on why this would be the case. Teens may just be experimenting with a new social media; they may belooking for a site their parents aren’t using; they may be finding it easier to follow their “stars” on Twitter; they may like the privacy Twitter users enjoy. Whatever the case, if teens are on Twitter, the church should be too.

Why? Religious and church activity is on the decline according to Barna in at least six key areas.

  • Small group attendance
  • Prayer
  • Sunday school participation
  • Donations to churches
  • Reading sacred texts other than the Bible
  • Evangelism

That being the case – we need to go where teenagers are – and they are slowly moving to Social Media and Twitter.

If you are in ministry (Pastor, Student Pastor, Small Group leader, etc) and you are interested in reaching students  – here are three things you can do.

1. Follow them
Sounds simple enough doesn’t it. By following that teenager you are letting them know you value them. It is a sign of respect in the Twitter world when you follow someone’s updates.

2. Engage them
If they follow you back send them an @reply “Thank you”. Engage them in Twitter conversation on a consistent basis and encourage their walk with the Lord. Find out about their world and don’t just have a one way conversation.

3. Resource them
Use Twitter to provide resources to help them in life. You might mention them in a “Verse of the day” or a devotional you follow on Twitter. Put things in your status updates that will apply to their lives.

Use Twitter to connect with teens and you might reach more for the Kingdom.

 

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CAUTION: Treat all of these relationships just as you would an in an off-line setting. Avoid private messages. To the best of your ability stick to like gender. Do not get over your head. Keep your spouse updated on all activity. NEVER do anything inappropriate.

Can the Church Reach Everyone on the Planet with Social Media? – Church | Social Media

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Recently I ran across this quote on the web about Twitter:

We think we can reach every person on the planet.”
–Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, as quoted by The Wall Street Journal’s Digits blog

Imagine that – a social media company has the desire to reach every person on the planet. Twitter wants to get their message out to every nation, tribe, language and people group in the world. They want every person to be able to enjoy the bliss of sharing their lives and thoughts 140 characters at a time. They want everyone to be able to connect with each other and enjoy the community that comes from sharing.

Hmmm…

Doesn’t that sound a lot like the mission of the church?

It seems as if we ought to have more drive, determination, and energy to get our Message out to the world than Twitter does. However, nothing says we can’t go along on their ride. Twitter is one of the tools the church could use to get the message of hte gospel out to their community and to the world.

  • Does your church utilize hashtags?
  • Have you tried to get a local topic trending?
  • Have yo used Twitter to search for ministry and evangelism opportunities in your area?

The ideas are limitless but do not wait to get started. Start somewhere now….today…this week.

Maybe YOU can’t reach everyone in THE world, but you can get the message to everyone in YOUR world!

4 Ways your Church can use Twitter – Church | Social Media

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Twitter is slowly starting to catch on. With 100 million active users people are beginning to force their way through the learning curve and use it consistently as a communication tool.

But, where does that leave churches? If a church has a Twitter account how should it be used to communicate with those inside and outside the church? Is it a tool the church can use? YES!!

Here are 4 easy ways to get your church started with Twitter (and there are many more):

1. Hashtag your Sermon

That’s right – break your sermon down into small chunks and tweet it out throughout Sunday with your church’s Twitter handle. It will not only get important parts of your sermon out to those who didn’t hear it, but it will serve as a reminder to those who did! Be sure and leave enough spaces so that people can re-tweet it as well. Take about 6 key statements from your #AMsermon and share them all day on Sunday.

2. Make Announcements

Use Twitter to make timely church announcements just like you would on Facebook. Be sure and include links where applicable and urge your members to re-tweet to their lists.

3. Engage the Community

Use Twitter to engage your community. The great thing about Twitter is that it allows your church to connect with people you might not otherwise have a connection with. Follow and engage as many people as possible. Keep a look out on your timeline for ministry opportunities and ways you can connect.

4. Brag

Yep, brag. Brag on church members and the work they do for the church. Brag on the church missions project, community service, etc. Find ways to appreciate people on Twitter and you will be shocked at how much more engaging your church’s Twitter list becomes.

Twitter can be used effectively from a church account. Sign your church up today and get started.

 

I would love to hear your comments below. Use Facebook or leave a standard comment.

“Like” this post so you can help churches reach more people!

 

3 things Southern Baptist Leaders (and Pastors) could learn from Twitter.

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The Southern Baptist Convention  is underway. The Social Media changes that have come this year are very evident. Last year when I led TalkSBC we were ground breaking in the use of video and Social Media to cover the convention. We tweeted, posted, blogged, Youtubed, and Ustreamed when no one else was.

This year  – that has all changed. BP has released it’s official Twitter hashtag (#sbc20ll or #sbc11 ) and the Social Media coverage is taking care of itself. With all of the Tweeting going on what can the SBC learn (and pastors too!)?

1. Let the conversation take place

It seems that in the past that SBC leaders were afraid of the conversation.  Nothing was officially stated but when you spoke with leaders you had the feeling they were hoping to stifle the conversations taking place. It felt as if the philosophy was to supress the conversation and it would go away. So, entities issued anti-blogging guidelines and employees were told to stay off Social Media. Maybe if the conversations were ignored they would go away.

They did not go away.

They are not going away.

You should not want them to go away.

When the conversations take place you find out what people are really thinking.

The SBC and pastors should want the conversation to take place about the convention and about your church. When the conversations take place you find out what people are really thinking. You discover their frustrations. Joys. Desires. Fears. Concerns. Likes. Dislikes. You find out who has a following and who doesn’t. You get to listen to all walks and stations in life. You hear from the young, the old, the retired, the upstart, the newbie and the oldie.

Let the conversation happen. It’s beneficial.

2. Listen to the conversation

You have to listen. Pastors and leaders cannot ignore the conversations. You have to pay attention. Take notes. Think of Social Media conversations as the Textus Receptus of our day! It’s not one tweet that is going to make you change – its the culmination of all those tweets that are going to make you pay attention.

I’m not talking about a knee-jerk reaction to random comments. Just listen. Things are being said. Feelings are being shared. In the midst of all that you may discover something that needs fixed. You may discover a great idea. You may discover an innovator that needs to be listened to and heeded.

Pay attention.

3. Respond to the conversation

How great would it be if after the convention a study was put together of all that was being said on Twitter (Social Media) and a study was done on what Southern Baptists feel need to be changed / done to make our Convention great again?

What if SBC leaders of all entities responded to tweets and comments in the days ahead? What if they answered questions? What if they responded to criticism? What if they celebrated alongside? What if they made phone calls? Wrote letters? Invited people to lunch? Listened? Corrected? Affirmed?

If that happened the feelings among Southern Baptists would immediately change. No one thinks they have all the answers – they just want the comments they have to be heard.

Let the conversation happen.

Listen to the conversation.

Respond to the conversation.

Pastor: You should follow the same plan. Search Social Media to find out what is being said about your church. Encourage the conversation. Listen as your members speak. Respond to what they are saying.

It’s a simple plan that could reap great benefits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Osama Death spreads like Twitter Wildfire – can the Gospel?

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If you stayed awake and are involved in Social Media you saw the event unfold right before your eyes. When the networks broke into regular programming a few minutes before 11 PM (East Coast) the Social Media landscape began to light up with the news. As a matter of fact, Twitter says it set an all time record for TPS (Tweets per second). According to Tech Crunch,

The event had the highest sustained rate of tweets ever according to Twitter, reaching 3,000 tweets per second between 10:45 and 2:20am, raking in 38.7 million tweets in 3 hours and 35 minutes. At its peak it averaged 3440 TPS from 10:45pm  to 12:30pm EST, at an average of 12,4 million tweets an hour. For comparison, this year’s Super Bowl had sustained 20 minutes at 3,000 TPS.

Imagine almost 40 million people proclaiming the death of a man in 3 1/2 hours. If you were watching live, or saw replays, of  the Mets/Phillies game it was great to see how the news was spreading from mobile device to mobile device right before our eyes.

Now, why can’t we get the Gospel out like that? If the news of someone’s death spread that quickly shouldn’t the news of a RISEN SAVIOR spread even faster!!

We are not speculating, we know, that news can spread that fast. What if the church Tweeted the gospel at the same rate? What if every 3 1/2 hours 37.5 million people read/heard the good news? That means with almost 7 billion people on the planet the whole world would hear in a little over 27 days!

   In less than a month the whole world could hear!

What about it? Tell me how your church or ministry is using Social Media to get the good news out to your community and the world.

Leave your comments below…..

Tweet This!

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Twitter is not something just for the techies or the kids anymore. Maybe when it got started it was too complicated to figure out – not anymore. Maybe you think it is just for celebrities – no way.  Consider these statistics:

  • In the past year alone, the average number of tweets per day has nearly tripled from 50 million to 140 million.
  • Tweets generally spike during a significant cultural event, and recent figures have been staggering. On March 11, the day of the Japan earthquake and tsunami, Twitter users exceeded the average daily tweets by 37 million–that’s 177 million tweets in a single day.
  • Also surging is Twitter’s membership. 572,000 new accounts were created on March 12. For the past month, the average daily sign-up rate has been 460,000 new accounts, and Twitter has also marked a 182% increase in the number of users tweeting from mobile devices in the past year.

You don’t have to be on Twitter to do ministry but it sure can help. If you want to join the growing list of people on Twitter here are 3 things that encourage you to be a part of the community.

1. Use Twitter to mentor yourself – Sign up to Twitter and follow people who speak into your life. Listen to what they say; read their blogs; check their links. You’ll be surprised how much spiritual insight you can gain via Twitter.

Let others be blessed when God speaks into your life.

2. Connect with others – The great thing about Twitter is that you can connect, in some way, to anyone else who is on Twitter. It’s not like Facebook where someone has to accept your friend request. You can basically follow anyone you want. You can reply to their posts. You can re-tweet their Tweets. You can be part of their world all through Twitter. I personally have some amazing stories of people I have connected with via Twitter that I never would have otherwise.

3. Share your thoughts – Ever have a “God thought” that you wanted to share with someone immediately? It might turn into a sermon one day – it might not. Worst of all -you might forget it! How about Tweeting it? Let others be blessed when God speaks into your life.

Those are just a few ways Twitter can help your ministry. Sign up today and get started!

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