September 12th, 2016
Ryan Gilbert | Lead Pastor- Raintree Community Church
RaintreeChurch.com | UnhinderedTruth.com
Why does this matter?
1. NOT aiming to be a Come-and-See Church.
2. Pastoral/Ministerial Responsibilities: Shepherding/Leading.
3. Online is a HUGE medium for shepherding people.
4. People are online: To connect with so many online throughout the week can be on of the most time-efficient and effective ways to minister to the Church and others!
Goals for Today
1. To show attendees how to get started with online ministry.
2. To show how to make effective use of online mediums with EXCELLENCE and EFFICIENCY.
Social Media
Why does it matter?
1. This is one way to connect with the majority of your congregation.
2. GREAT outreach to new people.
3. READ THIS! The Ultimate Social Media Strategy for Smaller Churches[1]
Common Mistakes Churches make with Social Media
1. Using it for last-minute communication.
2. Too many events.
3. Text-Only posts (to FB).
4. Pretending to be something you’re not.
5. Volume over Value: don’t post just to post.
Goals
1. Connect (75%)
a. NOT just events
b. People, Stories (keep it personal)
2. Cultivate (20%)
1. Repurposing Content for Social Media: Church Covenant
2. Twitter: Sermon Quotes
3. Resources, blogs, articles, etc.
3. Communicate (5%)
a. Communication Strategy: Social Media NOT really about announcements
A Few Tips
1. Facebook: never just text. Always add an image. TAG people!
2. Twitter: quotes from sermon or others!
3. Instagram: Be personal. Be fun!
4. Videos, Videos, Videos. 78% of people watch videos online every week.[2]
a. Fall Back Vid, Use your people! Be creative and SIMPLE.
5. Schedule posts (FB: “Publishing Tools” at top of page, then “Schedule Posts”
6. Don’t do it all, do a little bit very well. Value over Volume.
Website
The New Front Door of the Church
· 17 million non-church goers visited.[3]
· 80% of first-time visitors to a church check out the website first.
TabernacleFamily.org | The Story
Things to have in mind with a Website
1. Aim for Visitors! | RaintreeChurch.com
2. Welcome Video on front page
3. “What to Expect” Page
4. Location, Service Dates and Times
5. Communicate who you are, not just events (Inspiration over Information).
6. Search Engine Optimization (back-end of website)
7. It MUST be mobile friendly!
8. Most important stuff “above the fold.”
9. Does it actually work? (Forms, Page Load Speed, everything, etc.)
10. Who will actually update it?
Extra Perks of a having a great Website
1. Online Giving
2. Podcasts
3. Blogging
4. Signups!
How to Build a Website with Wordpress
1. Choose a church theme.[4] (“Forgiven” theme is $59)
2. Sign up for Hosting.
3. Install Wordpress.
4. Install your theme.
5. Customize your theme’s appearance.
6. Publish your content.[5]
Announcement Videos
Why Consider Announcement Videos?
1. FAR more effective at times than live announcements
2. LIMITS the announcements (no last-minute announcements)
3. LIMITS the time it takes to give announcements
4. You can use it online!
Big Things to Have in Mind
1. Limit what you announce!
a. Develop a Communications Strategy
i. Tier 1: video news, email newsletter, bulletin, social, text
ii. Tier 2: email newsletter, bulletin, social
iii. Tier 3: email newsletter, bulletin
2. Occasionally, big, big things can be mentioned by leadership (Buy-In)
3. Communiate the WHY, not the what!
4. Change things up. You don’t have to do announcement video every wk.
A Few Tips
1. Forget the green screen.
2. Always introduce yourself (video and in person).
3. Not just announcements, but IDENTITY and STORIES.
4. B-roll is A-AWEsome.
5. Equipment: Best Cameras[6]
6. 2 minutes or less, only the most important few announcements.
7. Avoid gimmicks, except for special occasions (Xmas Eve and Trumpet).
8. Evaluate: Weekly- Tabernacle Family; Series- Gospel-Centered Family.
Texting/Emailing
Remind 101 (Remind.com) (Vid)
· Reminders for events
· Passage to read for upcoming message
· Snow Days, Cancellations, etc.
· Q & A during Worship Gatherings
MailChimp (MailChimp.com) (Email)
· Up to 2000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month FREE.
· Connecting, upcoming events, etc.
· Go to RaintreeChurch.com to sign up for Raintree’s newsletter.
Graphics
Options
1. Photoshop: whatever you use, it will take time to learn
a. $9.99 a month for Photoshop Creative Cloud
2. FREE alternaive: GIMP.org
a. Full dashboard, works easily in layers, photo retouching features and exports results in various formats
2-Step Fool-Proof Method to Creating Great Graphics[7]
1. Choose a Background Color
2. Use a Decorative Font for the Title
3. Examples
A few tips
1. Be mindful of Negative and Positive Space.
a. You need to leave room for negative space. For example, if you have text about an event, the time and date of the event, and contact information, balance that positive space with the open space on the graphic. You should aim for an equal 50/50 balance.
2. Be consistent.
a. When creating graphics for your church, keep them similar to provide a clear palette. People will recognize your brand, your fonts and your colors and it will create a seamless design.
Branding
What is Branding?
1. Your brand is what and who people say you are.
a. Mission Statement
b. Slogan
2. A Brand is the visual representation of your church’s identity.
Why does it matter?
1. Purpose in your branding communicates purpose in your church.
2. Consistency in your branding communicates consistency in your church.
3. Identity, Consistency, and Authenticity
3 Basic Elements of Church Branding
1. Color Scheme
2. Logo[8]
3. Fonts (link below)
A few Hints
1. Google Images: Select “Search Tools”, then choose Size: Large
2. Free fonts Online![9]
3. Steal like crazy!
Last Tips for all things Church Media Related
1. Communicate who you are more than what you’re doing.
2. When communicating what you’re doing, link it to who you are.
3. Focus on stories of people more than events of the church.
4. Don’t try and do everything; instead do a few things well.
Next Steps with Media and Communications
1. INTERN! Or just ask your current church if you can help with media.
2. LEARN! Pick ONE thing, then take online tutorials and DO it!
3. Take advantage of free Resources:
Resources to Keep up With
1. Pro Church Podcast with Brady Shearer
2. Rainer on Leadership Podcast
3. Preaching and Preachers Podcast, Jason Allen
4. ChurchMarketingSucks.com
Connect with Raintree
Internships at Raintree
RaintreeChurch.com/Internships
Young Adult Group at Raintree
Facebook.com/RaintreeYoungAdults
[1] prochurchtools.com/ultimate-social-media-strategy/
[2] blog.hubspot.com/marketing/video-marketing-statistics#sm.01p4xc7e18sofqs10gu1aasnevh26
[3] greymatterresearch.com/index_files/Online_Church.htm
[4] themeforest.net
[5] wpexplorer.com/build-church-website-wordpress/
[6] prochurchtools.com/best-video-cameras-church/
[7] prochurchtools.com/2-step-foolproof-approach-creating-graphics-dont-suck/
[8] 99designs.com
[9] prochurchtools.com/free-church-fonts/