As we get closer to leaving 2020 behind and moving ahead to 2021, we’re bringing you part 2 (5 MORE!) practices to embrace in the New Year.
Will 2021 be just like 2020?
Not if we don’t let it be.
Much of the difficulty of 2020 was out of our control, but that doesn’t mean we cannot adapt to what has happened better in ‘21.
Click here for the video version of this post!
Last week we shared 5 Church Practices to lean into in 2021 as we attempt to grow and adapt to what 2020 has taught us. Today, we’re sharing with you five more.
- Open Membership Beyond Location
While our faith communities have been physically distanced, our spiritual connections (hopefully!) have remained intact, thanks to our ability to be church online.
Geographic boundaries and physical proximity to a building is no longer a prerequisite for church membership.
This pandemic has forced many faith communities into new ways of being church and that has been digitally. Your online presence should NOT evaporate into the ether when the pandemic is ‘over’ and in-person worship and activities resume.
Perhaps you have connected with new people in new cities or countries, or perhaps re-connected with previous members who have moved away.
Embrace the opportunity to maintain and strengthen your online presence in 2021 and beyond. As a church, we have no better medium to spread the love of Jesus than the internet!
- Invest in Your Digital Ministry Presence
Church leaders don’t usually like to spend money.
Sometimes, this is out of necessity. A budget or a lack of budget.
But sometimes, it’s exactly what you need.
You may want to consider investing in social media scheduling tools, a subscription service or done for you social media image packs to help with your continued digital ministry presence.
No doubt you have learned a lot since March about ‘how to do’ things online because you were forced to. Perhaps now take a step back and re-evaluate; what worked well, what was a struggle, what could be improved?
Take advantage of the plethora of digital tools to make your digital presence easier.
Whether it’s video or graphics editing software, education, or outsourcing some of your efforts, such as by using pre-made templates, you may find this assistance well worth the expense.
Spending money on a tool, course or consulting will demonstrate to your staff, council and even your faith community that being online is valuable and worthwhile and should not be abandoned because in person activities have resumed.
8. Help Your People Understand Social Media
If you are serious about making an investment in your digital ministry presence, it will pay greater and quicker dividends if you share the knowledge and tools with your community.
You. Do. Not. Have. To. Do. It. ALL!
Distribute the work.
Make it fun and engaging.
People will want to be part of something that their pastor or faith leaders are passionate about. Your people will want to make a difference; help with outreach, nurture relationships, and sow seeds of love and kindness.
Invite them in.
Consider making some trusted members Admins on your social media accounts. Host a Saturday webinar on Zoom or Google Meet and demo your process and best practices for social media engagement.
Brainstorm more ideas from the group. And be sure to record it for reference and to share with other interested parties.
In the online world, fear of “not knowing how” keeps many people from diving in. Be mindful that people will need to learn at their own pace. Recording it for later review will be key in allowing people the time and space to gain confidence with a new skill.
Video, Video, Video
People continue to prefer to consume information via video.
Fear not, books are not a thing of the past yet. But when it comes to making an announcement about an upcoming event, you are likely to get much more engagement from a video than from a post.
The same goes with any weekly or daily devotion you might consider putting out. Writing down your thoughts is one thing, but sending out a video of yourself is quite another.
For many, it is more real. It is more life-like.
It may be more vulnerable on your end, but it is more authentic on theirs.
Consider how you can incorporate more video into your social media strategy.
Can you vow to show up once a week on IG stories or your church Facebook page?
Can you send out a video message along with your written one?
Can your singers be shown rather than just heard?
There are many ways to utilize video for churches, the charge is to figure out how it best fits with your context and start hitting record.
Develop a Centering Practice
Last but not least, do not neglect your spirit amidst it all.
Do you have a personal centering practice, church leader?
Whether regular centering prayer or meditation or a prayer walk?
Maybe you can wash dishes or exercise in a spiritual state, but many of us need to take time out of our daily activity to reconnect ourselves with the Divine.
Ministry can be overwhelming by itself, adding in ministry-in-quarantine along with constantly re-learning how to do things along with isolation can be nearly unbearable for some.
Take the time to develop a practice that ignites your faith. As we said last week, you can’t take care of your community well until you take care of yourself. This goes for your spiritual self as much as it does your mental, physical, and emotional self.
However your 2021 digital ministry manifests for your community, be sure to embrace it wholly and carefully, remembering there are hearts and souls on the receiving end of your digital ministry work. It might be the only contact with the love of Jesus they ever know.