For those churches seeking one more reason to join the social networks to reach your community, I have it here.
The compelling and encouraging story of Grace Road Church testifies to the effectiveness of outreach on Facebook.
A Rochester news station reports the captivating testimony here.
Grace Road Church began its mission just one year ago, with Pastor Kevin Maloney leading the way.
“We started in Kevin’s house just meeting, just 10 to 15 people in his basement for a while,” said Shelly Zastrow, member.
It went from that to 175 to 250 people who now attend Grace Road. Pastor Kevin said a major reason for the growth is social media sites like Facebook.
As many churches attest, Facebook is a common ground for possible church visitors to get to know the members and pastor before stepping foot in the church. How much more comfortable will these visitors be when they attend a service and recognize those around them?
In fact, this is exactly how Josh Viola got plugged in to Grace Road.
“I knew Kevin, but somebody had sent me a group request on Facebook so that’s how I got to know them to check them out,” said Viola, who regularly attends.
Watching the body of Christ work together to accomplish one goal, it is no question that we are built for relationship. Facebook allows churches to continuing building community with members, while reaching new acquaintances in one place.
Pastor of Grace Road, Kevin Maloney shares why they see the need to utilize this tool for outreach.
“We look at the bible and we see Jesus going into the world that people lived in. Today the world that people live in, in large parts, are social network sites,” said Maloney.
Facebook is certainly not a magic wand to grow any church. But it certainly a tool worth pulling out to continue growing the relationships we have begun, with the opportunity to reach others in the process.
It’s not too late to start. For additional ways to use Facebook and Twitter for your church outreach, view these articles.
Photo By BenStein
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