Social media for churches: a gentle guide for busy administrators
Every church has somebody who says ‘we ought to be on Facebook’, and every administrator has quietly wondered who exactly ‘we’ is. Social media can be a real blessing to a church, but only if it is kept to a size that the people doing it can keep up. This guide is about finding that size.
Start with the people, not the platform
Before choosing where to post, think about who you are trying to reach. For most Methodist churches the answer is two groups: the people already in the pews, who want to know what is happening this week, and the people in the wider community, who might come to the toddler group, the lunch club or the carol service if only they knew about it.
Those two groups are rarely in the same place online, which is why it helps to know roughly what each platform is good for.
| Platform | Good for | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Events, notices and photographs for the congregation and local community | Still the most familiar platform for many churchgoers. Use a Page, not a personal profile | |
| Photographs and short videos of church life | Suits families and younger people. It needs pictures more than words | |
| Quick reminders to people who have asked for them | Personal and immediate. Only add people who have agreed to join | |
| YouTube | Recorded or live-streamed services | Valued by those who can’t get to church. Check your music licence covers streaming |
| X, formerly Twitter | Circuit and district announcements | Less used by congregations than it once was |
Two or three posts a week is plenty
The quickest way to wear out a volunteer is to promise a post every day. For a local church, two or three good posts a week is more than enough: the Sunday service and who is leading it, one event coming up, and a photograph or a line about something that has happened. Circuits can post a little more because they have more churches to draw on.
Photographs do better than text almost everywhere. A picture of the flower arrangers at work or the Messy Church craft table will reach more people than a beautifully written notice. Just make sure the people in it are happy to appear, and take particular care with pictures of children.
Who holds the keys
This is the part churches most often get wrong, and it only shows when something goes wrong.
- Run the church’s presence as a Facebook Page, managed from people’s own accounts, rather than a personal profile called ‘St Mark’s Methodist’.
- Give at least two trusted people admin access, so the Page doesn’t vanish when one person moves away.
- Keep a note in the church office of which accounts exist, who manages them and which email address each is registered to.
- Agree with the church council what can be posted and who can post it. A short written policy is enough.
Keeping it safe
Social media sits squarely inside your safeguarding responsibilities. Posts should never identify children by their full name, and conversations with young people belong in open, group settings rather than private messages. If you are unsure about anything, your District Safeguarding Officer will be glad to advise, and it is far better to ask before posting than after.
Common questions
Should we reply to every comment?
Reply to questions and kind words where you can, briefly and warmly. You do not have to debate anybody, and it is fine to hide or remove comments that are abusive.
What if nobody at church wants to do it?
Then do less, not nothing. A Page that shares one post a week about the Sunday service is still useful, and it is far better than an enthusiastic start that stops after a month.
Can we post the same thing everywhere?
You can, though each platform suits a slightly different style. Loudhailer, part of the Chrestos Cloud, takes a piece of news written once on your website and helps you adapt the wording for Facebook, Instagram, email and text message, which saves retyping.
Do we need a separate account for each church in the circuit?
Not necessarily. Smaller churches often do better sharing a circuit Page, with each church’s news appearing there, than running a Page of their own that rarely changes.
Keep it small and keep it going
The churches that do social media well are rarely the ones with the most followers. They are the ones that post steadily, answer politely and look like the friendly places they really are. If you would like to see how Loudhailer could take some of the work off your hands, get in touch and we will gladly show you.
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