I. Short Devotionals: Have one to two church members (and the pastor) take time during the week to prepare a few short (1 min) video devotionals (filmed in portrait orientation) that you can post on Facebook and Instagram during the week as reels. The devotionals should be uplifting and applicable to people’s lives. Here are a few topics:
- Taking a verse and expounding on it.
- Does God Truly Have Good Plans for Me?
- How do I Know God’s Will for my Life?
- Does God Love Me When I Sin?
- Does God Care About the “Little Things” In My Life?
II. Pictures of Your Members: Posting pictures of smiling, happy members can dramatically improve your presence online. It can help your church seem welcoming and open. IMPORTANT NOTE: NEVER post someone online without their express, written permission (your conference or union will have a draft of one you can use). It might be helpful to just have every member sign one in advance. Also, regardless of signing consent forms, it is usually a good idea to never post pictures of underage people.
III. Pictures of Fun or Service-Oriented events: Posting pics of your church as they have fun or serve others can help your congregation have a welcoming and open feel. It helps people see your church as outward focused instead of only concerned with itself.
IV. Take Videos of Your Pastor Preaching: Taking portrait-oriented videos of your pastor preaching can give potential members a preview of what they might hear on any given Sabbath. Make sure it’s a video of the pastor saying something that will attract people though! Keep the video short (about one minute or so) to keep people’s attention. The social media algorithms know if people only watch for a certain percentage of the video’s total time. When they don’t, they show the video to less and less people, so keep it engaging!
V. Bible Verses: Use a program like Canva and choose a photo to post a Bible verse on. Make sure you’re not using someone else’s artwork or photos unlicensed. Even using one of your own photos of the church or people in the church (or even a beautiful sunset you took yourself), can save you from any headaches and further highlight your church.
Next up, 5 things not to do. See you later!
