I just taught a 2-hour workshop on “Social Media and the Church” at William Jessup University in Rocklin, CA.  About 30 pastors and workers showed up to learn, contribute and discuss.  I fear that THEY taught me more than I taught THEM.

Key Learnings about the use of Social Media in Churches:

  1. Most churches are cautious, but consistent. The group I surveyed cited face to face relationships as a higher priority than new technology. They need to be convinced it makes sense and serves a real purpose.
  2. There really is an age gap - the younger the pastor, the more likely they are to use social media.  No surprise, but it did seem somewhat polarized in the room.
  3. Connecting people scares churches – especially if it is happening outside the safe walls of the church website.
  4. Driving traffic to the church Website is a welcome byproduct. Driving people to the curated, walled garden of the church website may be social media’s saving grace for churches.
  5. The Website will remain the flagship of tech in the local church…. but social media will help enrich – not replace – the experience.

Stay tuned, there will be more posts on the  content of the Social Media workshop coming soon.

-Brook Drumm

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