- There are different ways to digitally engage with people who are/are not already part of your community
Click here for the video version!
What is ONE THING I wish churches knew about welcoming new people online?
These “ONE THING” series questions may be getting more difficult each time.
Can I just list a few things that are NOT my ONE THING real quick?
Little things.
- Responding to email.
- Making worship times easy to find
- Being clear if you affirm LGBTQ+ folks
- Creating easy on-ramps for new people to get connected
- Encouraging your community to engage with comments, questions, and new participants
- Including ways to find more info
- Being active on whatever social platforms you decide to be present on
Shall I go on?
NO!
Because I need to tell you the ONE ultimate THING that I wish Churches knew about being welcoming to new people online…
Here it is:
There are different ways to digitally engage with people who are/are not already part of your community.
That’s it? Yep.
Say More? Okay!
There are ways to digitally engage with people who are already part of your community in some way – they need to be updated of your opportunities, provided with spaces to connect with other community members, and have their gifts celebrated and engaged.
- Email them newsletters.
- Encourage them in your Facebook group.
- Send them group and personalized text messages.
- Invite them into volunteering roles.
- Give them a shout on on various social platforms.
These methods of engagement are not how to digitally engage with people who have never connected with your church in any way or are very new to doing so.
If the first time you meet someone in person you invite them into a volunteer role, they will probably want to get out of there as quickly as possible.
Similarly, if the first interaction someone has with you online is you asking something of them – to physically be present somewhere, to give money, to give time, to give energy… they may not be interested in engaging further.
Typically, before you ask these sorts of things, you have some sort of relationship already established. Establishing that relationship takes time, energy, and two-way communication. So focus on fostering relationships. You certainly already know how to do this!
And before I give you some examples for HOW to do this if you are totally blanking, you need to know that this is an ENTIRE module of information on our DIY Digital Communications Review Course. We spend a lot of time with different ways to integrate new people into your community – techie tips for doing this digitally and examples for what this looks like in practice. This is just one of SEVEN modules helping you review your digital communications to make sure they are as effective and efficient as possible – websites, social media, videos, branding, content creation, and more is all covered in this DIY DCR course STILL ON SALE for 25% off until the end of this week only.
So how can you foster relationship with new folks online?
- Share something about your day
- Highlight a key member and why you love them
- Share a fun fact about your denomination
- Teach on a theological concept
- Encourage them in their day
- Sing a song they can enjoy!
- Offer advice for how to handle a difficult situation
Each of these actions offers some kind of value to the people who come across your posts online. This is going to help them get to know you as a leader, as a community, without ever being asked for money or their volunteer time.
The best part? Not only is this going to help you form relationships with new-to-your community folks, but it will also help foster relationships you already do have.
To level up your Digital Communications even more, grab our DIY Digital Communication Course to learn all these great things we teach about each week.