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Leading Social Media as a Church Volunteer: An Insider’s Story

“Once upon a time there was a ministry that had so many resources and help, it was just CRUSHING all of their social channels. Engagement levels were insane, everyone got plenty of rest, and happiness rejoiced throughout the land.” << Yeah, right. Even though this is a fairy tale for most churches, it IS possible to find a happy ending in social media stories.

I had the privilege of meeting Caitlin Laxton recently and was amazed by her story. Five years ago she offered to post set lists to Facebook and now leads the church’s social media efforts as a volunteer one-man-band of sorts.

I asked if she’d be willing to share her story to help inspire and encourage others. (Content emphasis is mine) Enjoy!

Tell us a little about what you do and how you got involved

I am the social media manager for The Journey Church in Chesapeake, VA. My role is to create and share content that reflects the mission and values of The Journey Church and engage the community. I communicate regularly with the pastors and team leaders to plan posts according to their team’s needs.

I’ve been involved with the The JC since it was planted 7 years ago. After the first two years, I noticed our lack of social media presence. I didn’t know why at the time, but I felt we needed to be more active online, so I reached out to our Creative Pastor and asked if it would be helpful to him if I posted Sunday set lists every week to our Facebook and Instagram pages. He happily handed the responsibility over to me and I’ve been managing and developing it ever since.

What was the hardest part about getting started?

The hardest part about getting started was that I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know what to post or how frequent it should be. I just knew our church needed more consistency and engagement online.

What do you wish you knew then that you know now?

There are two things I wish I knew:

1. Quality over quantity. The quality of the content you create matters. Yes, it is great to post frequently and consistently, but if the content you are sharing is not capturing the attention of viewers and stopping their scroll, then what good is it?

2. Use social media to do ministry, not promote it. There’s a time when promoting an event or missions opportunity is needed, but don’t get caught up in just sharing those things. Remember to share God’s Word and how it applies to our lives.

“Use social media to do ministry, not promote it”

-Caitlin Laxton
What advice would you give someone starting out as a volunteer in social media?

Know your church. Know the mission and vision so well that it is reflected in the content you create.

Start small and be consistent. It can be as simple as sharing a quote from the sermon every Monday or, like me, share Sunday’s set list every Saturday.

What do churches/ministry leaders need to know to help this role succeed?

Social media can be used to minister to those who spend hours scrolling on the different platforms daily. When a church uses social media, they have the opportunity to stop the scroll and point people to God and the truth of His word. If they are churches, like mine, who do not have their own space yet, then social media is a great way to stay connected with others throughout the week.

Be open to new ideas from your social media team. For example, stepping aside before or after service to record a quick video to share scripture or encouragement from the sermon to be shared on social media. These quick and simple videos can make your presence online more personal than sharing a clip of your sermon.

What are some of the wins you’ve seen come out of this role?

It has shown me the importance of community engagement, especially during the COVID pandemic. During that time, we hosted Facebook coffee chats before our online services and posted graphics with questions to help keep the conversation and bond with others in tact.

On the business side of things, my role has supported the Creative Pastor and allowed me to network with other churches to better serve the online community.

Any other advice or tips you’d like to share?

Don’t be afraid to learn and grow. Join Facebook Groups specifically for church communications or social media content creators. Canva for Church and Social Media Managers are groups I follow in addition to Church Communications. These groups will be a place you can ask questions or simply just learn from what others are sharing.

Be in consistent communication with your pastors and other ministry leaders so that you all are on the same page with what needs to be shared and when. For example, I ask my pastor ahead of time what sermon series is coming up and what information he’d like to share with me about it so that I can prepare posts.

** WEIGH IN ** If anyone else has comments or ideas they’d like to share as a social media volunteer, (or staff member working with volunteers) feel free to share them in the comments!

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Rethinking the Role of a Communications Director

I’m sharing a post I wrote for Phil Cooke’s blog about how the role of your organization’s Communications Director needs to be more intentional now than ever.

https://www.philcooke.com/is-it-time-to-re-think-the-role-of-communications-director-at-your-church/

A few key characteristics to consider moving forward include:

• Strategic thinker—Able to see the big picture, this person typically is on the executive team or working closely with senior leadership

• Team builder— Even if your church is in a hiring freeze, these skills are invaluable as it includes building teams of volunteers. You’ll only grow as far as the person leading your efforts, so aim high.

• Collaborator — This person needs to work with various ministry leaders as well as creative types. So knowing how to understand WHAT needs to be communicated and HOW to translate that creatively takes spirit of collaboration (and the ability to speak fluently in the languages of both strategic thinkers and creatives)

And this is very important to understand: creative technical skills like graphic design or video are helpful, but much lower on the priority list since these can be outsourced if needed.

Communicating the vision of where your organization is headed is critical right now. This is actually more important than this weekend’s message or your service offerings. People want to know where you’re going and why this matters to them.

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It’s Not What You Say, It’s What You DO

I’ve been working with churches for almost twenty five years to help them reach people more effectively. But sometimes I wonder if my efforts are making any kind of a dent at all.

A good friend of mine doesn’t go to church. He’s not a fan and believes people who go to church are all just hypocrites. And he feels those who lead churches are the biggest offenders.

He runs a company that does commercial electrical work for large and small organizations, and recently told me of a large, multi-site church in a metropolitan city he did work for six months ago that still hasn’t paid him. Every time he asks about the outstanding invoice he gets another excuse, even when connecting with senior leadership.

“The check is sitting on the Executive Pastor’s desk– he just hasn’t had time to sign it…”

“We’re just so busy, but we’re planning to mail it soon… “

“It didn’t go out yet? Really? Um, I’ll have to check…”

Every time he asked over the course of six months, another excuse was given that eroded their credibility. He finally said he gave up trying to talk to anyone. “It’s not like they don’t have the money,” he said. “They’re opening up a third campus”

It doesn’t matter how much you spend on marketing, branding, promotions, or buildings to reach people if you can’t walk the talk.

This includes people who do work for you.

 

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Free Replay 10/7

If you weren’t lucky enough to score a ticket to the ThatChurch Conference in Atlanta last month, they are replaying sessions **FOR FREE** on Monday & Tuesday.

Be sure to check it out: https://live.thatcc.com/?sc=TXWatiZ9&ac=HPdzOwKG

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ThatChurch Conference Notes

 

First, I want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who came to today’s session! As promised, here is a link to view the notes so we can all make the world a better place and save a few trees in the process.

If you have questions, or want help thinking about how to level up your current website, feel free to reach out: dnicole (at) AspireOne (dot) com

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Are We Who We Say We Are?

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The whole idea of branding can be confusing for a lot of smart people. And it’s easy to see why with all of the different definitions floating around—is it what other people say you are? Is it your logo? Or the website & other promotional channels?

The simplest way to wrap our minds around this is to think of it as a promise we’re making of what to expect, and how well we consistently deliver on that promise.

This all comes down to the EXPERIENCE we’re offering. Are we who we say we are?

When we think of it as a promise, we’re in control—we manage the expectations and experience of that promise. If we allow others to define who we are, we’re constantly in a reaction mode.

This goes beyond what we say in bulletins, brochures, & billboards to what we actually do.

Everything else is just a channel for delivering on that promise.

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The Price of Free


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It can be tempting to chase after “free” opportunities

  • A volunteer is willing to start a new ministry idea
  • An organization is offering to sponsor an initiative on your behalf
  • Someone is willing to include your ad on their website, magazine or newsletter
  • A partner wants to send a summer intern/assistant/extra-hands-and-feet-to-do-work-for-you

Sounds great, right? I mean, who doesn’t like free?

Before jumping on board, remember everything has a price. Sometimes it’s actual, physical dollars & cents. Other times it’s time. Or relationships. Or how much it impacts your brand or reputation.

So be sure to ask first:

  • Is the timing right for this opportunity?
  • What will it really cost?
  • Will it ultimately help accomplish what we’re supposed to do?

“So often people are working hard at the wrong thing. Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard.”

—

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The Dangers of Prioritizing Tools Over Training

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Recently, I read an article about how United Airlines plan to improve its connection to passengers through technology… primarily mobile.

United has been my go-to airline for the past 13 years. The vast majority of my work has been here in the states, so to achieve Gold status—living in the middle of the country, no less—is no easy feat. I’ve had A LOT of experience with gate agents, customer service reps, & flight attendants. Some were good, most weren’t.

Technology isn’t going to help in the way they’re hoping. People are. 

People who act like they care. That my problem matters to them & they’re willing to do whatever is within their power to help.

Technology (at best) is just an extension of the customer experience. Not the foundation of it.

Instead of investing in tech, invest in service training. Or better yet, in hiring & recruiting strategies that attract people who actually do care in the first place.

Whether in the marketplace or in ministry, the very people we’re hoping to serve get shortchanged when we elevate tools over training. Every. Time.

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The Keys to Communicating Change

“I just don’t get it,” he sighed. “I feel like I’ve been repeating the same thing for months until I’m blue in the face. Why aren’t people getting on board with the new vision?”

My heart went out to this frustrated pastor. He’s a gifted communicator and skilled at painting a vivid picture of the future people want to be part of. But he’s not getting the traction that he’d like in his new church.

Many of the leaders I work with are in the midst of leading through change. Some big, some small, but all with their own unique challenges.

The truth is nobody likes change. We are creatures of habit and prefer our routines. But leadership requires moving people from here to there and change just comes with the territory.

Understanding why people resist is half the battle. After working with leaders for over two decades, I’ve noticed there are three primary reasons why people don’t get on board with change:

1) They Don’t Agree

Let’s face it. This group can be the most difficult to deal with because some people are just impossible to please. They will find reasons to complain regardless if something changes or stays the same.

Don’t let these people hold your vision (or you) hostage by their version of what the future should be. Having a clear direction will mean some people won’t want to be part of it. Let them go to make room for those who do.

2) They Don’t Understand

Many leaders spend most of their time talking about WHAT needs to change without spending enough time on WHY it needs to change in the first place. The pain of staying where they are needs to feel greater than the discomfort or inconvenience of changing.

Paint a clear picture of why things can’t stay the same. Tie it to vision. Tell stories—make it feel real. Then focus on where you want to go & how you plan to get there.

3) They Don’t Know What to Do

Once people are excited, they want to get involved. The quickest way to squelch that enthusiasm is to overwhelm them with options. People don’t want a catalog listing 485 ways to help. When with faced with many choices, many shut down and don’t do anything.

Instead, focus on a few simple next steps that can apply to everyone. “Everyone” being a critical part. There is momentum that builds when everyone feels like they can take part in the vision. Once it’s in motion, it’s hard to stop.

Understanding why people resist is half the battle. The other half is consistently casting vision and celebrating small wins along with way. Because communicating change is a marathon, not a sprint. Prepare for the road ahead.

*Originally written for Catalyst