Maximizing your Digital Presence

Connecting with people is important for any business, let alone the church. The challenge is connecting in a personal manner that is also non-obtrusive. For years, most churches have used paper connection cards to gather guest information and to track church attendance. In many contexts it still works and is the most efficient and cost effective way to connect with people. But the game is starting to change.

Mobile devices are changing the way people think and connect. Here are some ways to leverage our digital world in the church today.

Ask people to check-in on social media during the service

The key to this is having someone manage the social media outlets for the church and then send a thank you note to those who “check-in."

Create a digital program versus a paper program

We made this move and it saved our church money.

Not only did it save us money we found it was easier for people to stay connected because paper programs get thrown away and digital programs could be located all week.

Utilize online giving avenues

Make it as easy as possible for people to give to the church. People are regularly doing online mobile banking. Encourage them to do the same when it comes to regularly giving to the church.

Create a church app

There are many great app developers out there that can create a solid, workable and useful app for the church. This serves as one more extension for the church and its people to stay connected.

Consider taking the paper connection card and making it available online

When I was pastoring at Harvest we moved everyone to filling out a digital connection card. It took hours of planning and work to figure it out but it became a huge success. Instantly, our connections went up and it saved us time and money. Furthermore, it added a wow experience for our guests. You can take a look at our creation.

Encourage people to interact with the service via social media

A great way to maximize this avenue is by using hashtags that are specific to a series or sermon. Be creative and come up with a hashtag that people will want to use and that makes sense in how it connects to the church.