Saturday, August 13, 2011

How Does Your Church Use Facebook?

How Does Your Church Use Facebook?: "We must never forget that just as the building isn’t the Church, neither is the Church Facebook Page."


Facebook wasn’t designed for Churches.
I recently read about moms who are using Facebook to host live auctions for children’s clothing. Being completely based on the honor system, I guess this is a slick way to avoid eBay fees? A few do it from home, while other auction hosts are from larger organizations. At a scheduled time, these kid clothes auctions post a picture, the price, the sizes, and the auction begins!
I’m sure this isn’t what Mark had in mind when he started Facebook.
Just because Facebook wasn’t designed for this doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. The same goes for Churches.
How does your Church use Facebook?
Facebook was designed for socialization. So placing your Church on Facebook should be natural. Unless your congregation is void of Facebook members, there’s no reason your Church should be left out.
There are a number of things you should be putting on Facebook.
  • If it’s something for the Church bulletin, put it on Facebook.
  • If it’s for the prayer chain, more than likely, put it on Facebook.
  • If it’s a flyer posted-up in the Church, put it on Facebook.
  • If you put it on the Church Web site, put it on Facebook.
The list could go on!
There’s no way around it. People are on Facebook, and where people are, your Church should be also.
Too Much of a Good Thing
As Google+ Plus has emerged onto the scene, we should be reminded not to place all of our eggs in one basket. Facebook is here, today, and that’s all we know. A new day brings new technology, so don’t think about forcing or pressuring Church members to get on Facebook so they know what’s going on next Sunday.
Some Church members rely on the Church bulletin, the prayer chain, and the posters hanging in the Church hallways for their information. Don’t solely rely on Facebook. Keep printing those bulletins for those that want them and don’t delete your Web site!
The Real Church
As an online generation emerges and more and more people spend more and more time online, we must never forget that just as the building isn’t the Church, neither is the Church Facebook Page.
Being social is great. Connecting with others is important. Keeping in touch is valuable. Knowing about each other’s lives is huge. But social networking tools like Facebook should neverreplace face-to-face interaction and group participation.
After all, Facebook wasn’t designed for Churches.  

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