A few weeks ago I attended the BUG Conference along with my pastor and student pastor.  It was a very insightful  conference that covered Facebook, Twitter, blogging and church marketing.  It quickly became apparent that 20 & 30 year olds are among the most effective users of social networking.  Most of the presenters were younger than my children.

The Demographics

The majority of the attendees were white males, age 20-30.  There was a small percentage of people over 45, a small percentage of women and an even smaller percentage of people of color.  In fact, of the 200+ participants, I counted 8 people of color.  What these numbers said to me, is that more women, people of color and folks over 45 need to get up to speed using social networking to benefit their ministries.

Technology Changes Daily

Technology can be intimidating because it changes so quickly.  Just a few years ago, social networking was all abuzz with teenagers and college students who wanted to keep up with each other.  Then a strange thing happened – those students became today’s entrepreneurs, business owners and leaders and all of a sudden faxed and paper resumes became a thing of the past.  These young leaders and ministers were using Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Linkedin and Technorati to network, promote their businesses and find jobs.

Two great things about these services is 1) they are free and 2) you make friends.  If you have a computer, know how to create a username and password, that’s half the battle.  Social networking is not a fad.   In one form or another, it’s here to stay.  It’s time to get up to speed!  However, take some time to learn the strategies and etiquette involved in these networks.

What’s Next

Read articles

• Michael Martine of Remarkablogger is one of my blogging friends.  He has written a wonderful article that gives an inside look at Twitter:  The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Marketing Your Business on Twitter.  These same practices apply to ministry.
• Twitip is another blog that I read.  They conducted a poll that is worth looking at to get some insight on how people are using twitter:  Poll Results:  Why Do You Tweet?

Take a Class or Workshop

• Find a workshop or conference
• Bring someone into your church to teach a class or workshop
• Study how other people on Facebook or Twitter use these tools

There is no reason to let your budget keep you from learning to use these tools.  Most of what I’ve learned came from a few blogs that I read on a regular basis, and observing how other people in ministry, like Shaun King, use Facebook and Twitter.  In fact, I found Shaun King through StumbleUpon.  My current goal is to learn how to be strategic with social networking.

Tell me what you think?

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• announcing the new ministry he started at the beginning of the year (Courageous Church)
• inviting people to attend services at the church (over 600 attended the first service)
• recruiting volunteers to help with the church
• getting people to loan him equipment for a speaking engagement
• donations for their new office space
• finding a contractor for some small jobs at the church

Since the recent upheaval around the Iran elections, blogging and Twitter have received a lot of attention and we see how they can be used in many different situations.

If you are interested in learning to use social networking for ministry or business, you might want to check out the BUG Conference, a one day marketing clinic at the Highlands Church in Birmingham, Alabama.  I have already registered and am looking forward to learning a lot about using social networking more efficiently and effectively.

Maybe I’ll see you there.

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I didn’t know any of this either until I read an article by The Copyright Queen.  My church, like many others, thought it was ok to set up a big screen tv, let the members gather with snacks and party food and enjoy the Super Bowl.  Here’s an excerpt from the article:

The controversy blitzed churches when NFL officials spotted a promotion of Fall Creek Baptist Church‘s “Super Bowl Bash” on the church’s web site in January 2007 and overnighted a letter to the pastor demanding the party be canceled. Pastor John D. Newland said his church would not break the law. The NFL did not change their position for Super Bowl 2008, and warned that it would consider legal action if any church allowed a public viewing on TVs larger than 55 inches (this limitation is stated in the Copyright Law).

For the full article, here’s a link to her site – Christian Copyright Solutions.

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A man having a bad day.

What happens when your staff or volunteers have a bad day?  Every now and then we all have a bad day, but everyone is not able to play it off.  There are some people who are pleasant and greet you with a smile no matter what kind of day they are having.  They have the ability to separate the task at hand from their personal issues.  On the other hand, there are people who wear their personal problems and feelings on their faces and in their attitudes.

When your ministry workers (paid staff or volunteers) are on duty and out front, they should leave their problems at home.  If they cannot leave their problems at home, then you have to implement Plan B.  Plan B says move them to work behind the scenes and put someone else to work in their place out front.

A few days ago I was at the grocery store.  I enjoy shopping at this store because the workers are very friendly and helpful.  This particular day when I got to the cashier, she didn’t speak, she didn’t make eye contact, she didn’t smile and she never acknowledged my presence.  After she rung up my items she just turned around and started bagging my groceries.  She didn’t give me the total, she never said a word.  So I asked her, “Are you going to say anything?”  She looked at me as if to say, “What’s the problem?”  She was having a bad day.

Not only was this cashier rude, but she did not provide good customer service. A similar scenario can play out at your church.  Just like at the store, when people are offended or annoyed at your church, you should want it reported to someone in authority.  You want it reported so the problem can be addressed.  Problems that go un-addressed become bigger problems and can cause you to lose members or cause visitors to not come back again.

So, what should you do about ministry workers who have a bad day?  A few suggestions are:

• During their initial training, advise them of Plan B
• Minister to them and see if there’s anything you or the ministry can do to help
• Remove them from the front line and assign them a task working behind the scene
• Explain why they have temporarily been moved to a different position
• Acknowledge them when they do a good job or go beyond the call of duty

Even though the church is like a business in many ways, it is also unique in many ways.  One of those ways is how quickly the church can turn people off and drive them away.  When visitors who are looking for a church home, come to worship at your church and they feel ignored or offended in some way, they will not come back.  I know because I’ve been there.  One of the things that you must keep in mind is that you only get one chance to make a first impression.  Make it a good one.

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