The
strategies you are about to read are designed to shake things up. The
fact that you even opened this at all means you are looking for some new
ideas to spread The Word.
This is not designed for any particular type of religion.
Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Jehovah’s Witness can all benefit from this.
The world has changed.
Duh.
One
of the pillars of the church, any church, is to go to the people.
Pilgrimage is a foundation to their beliefs. For centuries it has been
literal. You would literally go to another neighborhood, another city,
or another country. You would use your feet, cars, planes, trains,
boats, whatever would allow you to “go.”
But the world has changed.
What are you reading this blog on?
A computer?
A tablet?
A phone?
Where are the people today? The people you want to share The Word with?
The truth is they are nowhere and everywhere, but they are on their phones. They are on their
devices.
That’s where you need to go. That’s the new pilgrimage.
The Push-back
Churches
want people in the seats, not at home, and not on their tablets or
phones. Part of having a church is being around church folk. Fellowship,
or whatever your church calls it, is vital. What you need to realize is
relationships are the same as they have always been. People care for
one another, people interact, they talk, they write, but the method is
different now. People have relationships on their phones, on their apps,
with people thousands of miles away, whom they have never met in
person. The interactions are the same, the feelings are the same, and
the caring is the same. It just looks different.
Did people stop communicating when phones were invented? No more writing? No more waiting 3 weeks for a response? Insanity!!!
They
were having the same conversations we are having today. Talking about
how human interaction is going to poop. This generation doesn’t do it
right. Sound familiar?
The
ones that embrace and utilize the power and ability of technology, that
reach more people more efficiently, will be the winners. On the flip
side, those that are resistant to change, will slowly dwindle, some in
to obscurity.
Go to the people. They aren’t on a map. They’re on an app.
These
strategies are designed to maximize the reach of what you are already
doing. Is there a little extra work? Yes. But the ROI (return on
investment) will blow your mind.
This is how you are going to do it.
Live Streaming
Most
churches have two services. My church (Emmanuel Baptist, San Jose, CA)
has an 8am and 11am (on Sundays, just in case that is not clear. It is
church after all).
Strategy:
8am Service: Facebook/Facebook Live.
Set up a smart phone to do a live stream of the service (I suggest just
the preaching, unless you have a killer choir like us. Just post the
good stuff). Anyone who is “friends” with you on Facebook will not only
be able to watch it live, they will be able to re-watch it anytime they
want. They can post questions during the service that you (whomever is
assigned to answer those questions) can answer either later that day, or
the following day, or whenever they get to it.
Imagine
the connection you will make by clarifying the sermon, answer deeper
questions, and responding in a one-on-one manner? Talk about fellowship!
Having
the sermon available immediately is also great for the people who were
actually in church as well. I take notes, I review them, but being able
to revisit the message during the week? That would 10x the power and
message of the sermon, and all with a phone. No video editing, no CD
burning, nothing. Click “record”, preach, the click “stop.” Done, and
probably better video quality than whatever you are recording on
anyways.
11am Service: Periscope.
Just like first service, but for a different audience. This is
worldwide. So your audience is ……… 10 million using Periscope itself,
and 310 million Twitter
users. Keep in mind, Periscope is owned by Twitter. When you go live on
Periscope, it sends out a tweet. Who can read tweets? 310 million
people. Think about that reach? Not just your neighborhood, not just
your city, the entire world. Boom!
Again, this allows people to watch and re-watch the sermon. Connect, reconnect. Etc.
Power. Reach. A social media Pilgrimage.
Are you starting to see what I am talking about?
Good.
Weekly Messages
You
have to at least write notes for your sermon (or whatever you call it)
on Sunday. Maybe you wing it. Maybe you preach like Jay-Z. I don’t think
that would be the best route, but to each his (or her) own.
Why not take your notes and create a blog? Sunday nights, you post it on Medium, Blogger and/or Quora.
You can go a little deeper than your sermon allows you (or time). It
will be available for people to read any time. As you accumulate blogs,
when things come up either locally or globally, you have a written, well
thought out response that you can re-post on your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat accounts.
So
often we find ourselves receiving the word we need when we need it.
Imagine having it with you at all times? Imagine being able to help
thousands of people the same day in completely different ways? That’s
the power of a blog, especially when you use the other social media to
distribute.
After
a year or two of weekly blogging and messages, guess what? You go
through all of your posts, rearrange them, update and edit them, and
release a book.
Now you are an author. Maybe you are the next T.D. Jakes. Maybe the
next Joel Olsteen. Paperback, e-version, and audio book. Now you are
reaching even more people. You excited yet?
You
are already writing, it’s time to look at different avenues of
distribution to maximize the reach of your lessons. That’s what this is
all about, right? Getting the message out there? So do it!
Daily Messages
These
can either be fresh ideas, or they can be main points from your
service. Get some good pictures from the weekend service, make them look
nice, then superimpose a quote over the top. Entrepreneurs are doing it
all over social media, why aren’t you? Create a look for your “quote”
posts, go crazy. Make them unique!
Take these 5 or six posts a week and put them up on: Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram. (Are you noticing a pattern here?)
Remember,
once they are done, as things come up in your church or in the news,
you have access to nuggets of gold to throw up for the world to see. You
are versatile and up to date on your content, your messages, and your
ability to reach people during the times they need it most.
Use what you are already doing and maximize your reach.
That’s what this is all about.
Fear
The
world is a crazy place. The further technology advances the more
freedoms we are going to have. Where to go, who to talk to, what’s
right, and what’s wrong. Messages of who we are and what we should be
have us under attack constantly. It rattles our foundation, it has us
questioning everything all the time. If you are not out there as a
church and community leader. If you are not getting your message to the
eyes and the ears of those who need it, then what are you doing?
What are you holding on to?
Do you feel your grip slipping?
Do you fear for the future of your church? Your city? Your world?
Then please understand the power of social media.
The world that you are so worried about is at your fingertips.
Get your message out there.
Go to where the people are, not where you want them to be.
