Week 1 of a four-week series I recently did on Social Media for Ministry at Wheaton Bible Church in West Chicago, Illinois.

2. A DAY IN THE LIFE OF SOCIAL MEDIA…

3. WHY USE SOCIAL MEDIA FOR MINISTRY?
• CONNECT - Yes, we are in ministry, but networking and
communication are required! Connect with volunteers, your
people, and build new connections for ministry!
• COST-EFFECTIVE - We have these incredible, free resources at
our disposal, for our use.
• ENGAGE - We have an opportunity to join in a global
conversation going on all around us every day, and to engage in
ministry every day.
• INFORM - Social Media is a great, quick way to reach people
with the added bonus of enabling people to easily pass along
invites and information to family & friends. Increase awareness
for your ministry.
• SOCIAL MEDIA HAS TREMENDOUS POWER
• EVERYONE IS ALREADY THERE!

4. ALSO…
• Jesus was masterful at communicating spiritual
truths in settings and with language that connected
with his listeners.
• Paul strived to be fluent in the language of his
culture (1 Cor. 9:22).
• When used wisely, social media is a powerful tool
for church leaders serious about this rich legacy of
contextualized communication.
• This is the language of our listeners!

5. COMMON OBJECTIONS
• SECURITY
(I don‟t want my life on display)
• TIME CONSUMPTION
(I don‟t have the time)
• FEAR
(How do I manage a team that is using social media – what if I
make a mistake?)
• ESCAPISM
(I would prefer to engage through person to person contact, not
through a virtual/digital connection)

6. IT’S ALL IN HOW YOU USE THEM…
Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Blogging, Vimeo,
Flickr…and more!
These can all be helpful ministry tools
depending on how they‟re used, and how you
feel most comfortable communicating.
God will use whatever he needs to use to
accomplish his purposes.

8. OVER THE NEXT 4 WEEKS…
1. Get to know “The Big 3” (Facebook, Twitter &
Blogging)
2. Learn how to use each one, what demographics
are on each network, and what is the best
network for you (personally) and your ministry
(professionally)
3. We‟ll learn how to sustain your social media
reach.
4. We‟ll give opportunities for growth
5. Have fun!

11. THE BIG 3 - FACEBOOK

12. FACEBOOK…IT ALL STARTS WITH A PROFILE
1. Start with an email address
2. Create an account at http://www.facebook.com
3. Set up your profile
Profiles are representative of INDIVIDUALS (as opposed to
organizations, groups, families, etc.).
Authentic Identity – Facebook requires users to use their real
names in order to proclaim authentic identity. It‟s NOT a good idea
to set up a Facebook account in which your name is not a person‟s
name (ex: Wheaton Bible) because Facebook will permanently
delete your profile & information if discovered.

13. PROFILE SETTINGS
Security – It‟s important to ensure that your security settings are
appropriate. Visit http://www.facebook.com/security for more details.
Quick Tips…
• Always use https while using facebook
• Don‟t allow apps to access information UNLESS it‟s extremely
important and you trust the app.
Passwords – Make your password longer than 8 characters,
include a variety of numbers, letters, and symbols, and change it
regularly.

14. HIGH SECURITY PROFILE SETTINGS
Pseudonym – Consider creating a Facebook account with a
pseudonym that is used as a vehicle for creating a Page (more info
soon…). Turn off the ability for people to comment.
*The downside here is that someone could always link to your site
and say, “Check out this blog from our missionaries in China!”
Family-only posting – Use your real name, but only post about
family-related items, never ministry.
Passive reading – Have a Facebook account, turn off all
commenting, hid yourself from the ability to be found by searching
and then read your friends and family‟s Facebook content to your
heart‟s content. You will also be able to create a Page or Group)
Go to Facebook profile 

15. FACEBOOK PAGES
Facebook pages give a voice to any public figure, organization (or WBC
MINISTRY) to join the conversation with their audience on Facebook.
Page Administrators (there can be more than one) can be private for
added security (*at WBC, Dave and Liz must be co-admins with you!)
People and other pages (churches, other ministries, businesses, public
figures) can connect to your page by “liking” your page and becoming your
fan.
Your page‟s content is distributed virally when your audience responds to
or shares it.
Liz says, “I would work hard to form connections with logical
ministry partners, and network with influencers who might extend my
ministry’s reach”

16. FACEBOOK PAGES
• Usernames – easily communicate your facebook page‟s location
to your followers (wheatonbible becomes
facebook.com/wheatonbible)
• Share content with your fans!
• Links
• Photos
• Videos
• Blog Posts
• Twitter updates
• Prayer requests
• News
• And more!
• Expand the reach of your ministry through tagging
(@wheatonbible becomes a post on our wall)
• Take it a step further - develop a conversational calendar,
create weekly features, etc.

17. FACEBOOK GROUPS
Facebook Groups are a great resource for private communication.
1. Control who sees your group (3 levels of security)
• Secret – only members can see the group and what members
post.
• Closed – anyone can see the group. Only members can see the
posts.
• Open (public) – Anyone can see the group and what members
post.
2. Share with the group
• Post updates, questions, photos & more
• Chat with the group (You could have set „office hours‟ to
communicate with the members of your group)
• Create shared docs
• Schedule group events
3. Stay in the know
1. Get notified about new posts so you never miss an update
2. Connect off Facebook using the group‟s shared email address.

18. FACEBOOK NOTES
• Comes with all profiles and pages
• Allows you to pull in an RSS feed from a blog (so that your
fans or friends will be notified automatically of a new blog
entry)
• Can be used alone as a way to write notes, share longer
stories than can be shared on a Facebook wall.

19. FACEBOOK EVENTS
• Comes with all profiles and pages
• A great way to share prayer needs, upcoming events and
more with supporters. Upon creating an event, a News Feed
story with event info will post to your Page or Profile, and your
audience can RSVP.
• You can increase RSVPs by posting status updates leading up
to the Event, emailing lists, and linking from your website/blog.
• Be careful about creating an event and people thinking that an
RSVP there is “good enough” if you want them to RSVP
online.
• Liz says, “I would creatively promote my next event with
more than a simple announcement.”

20. HELPFUL HINTS – TOPICS TO POST ABOUT:
1. Ask open-ended spiritual questions (What‟s your favorite Bible verse? Where have you
seen God at work in your life this week?)
2. Share an interesting article or video & ask for comments.
3. Encourage people to share prayer requests or stories of answered prayers.
4. Post written or video testimonies from people in the church.
5. Ask people to share something about themselves (What was your vaorite vacation?
What are you doing for Thanksgiving? What made you laugh the hardest this week?)
6. Use facebook/twitter to ask questions or generate conversation around sermon topics.
7. Ask people to share a photo.
8. Post content from the Sunday service. Try to add comments that will stimulate
discussion.
9. Remember – don‟t just start the conversation and run. Engaging with people means
respond to comments.

21. BE LIKE GOLDILOCKS
• Start with what you can, and
STAY ACTIVE!
• Make Social Media a part of your
daily or weekly routine, just as you
check emails, do weekly chores.
• The best time to post on Facebook
is ( ) Remember not to start the
conversation and walk away!
• Sign up for Hootsuite and pre-
program them all!

22. SEE YOU NEXT WEEK FOR…
Twitter!