Media Outreach

Using technology to speak our culture’s language continues to grow in necessity all the time.  No doubt there.  But the question becomes, when is it NOT the right way to engage your audience?  Since church is in the business of people and meaningful relationships, there is a time when utilizing technology is not the answer.

When planning for a Sunday experience and trying to choose which way to engage your audience ….how do you decide?

Should you print out a card to send people home with, increasing the life of your message and empowering them with a tool to engage someone else face-to-face?

Should you fore go print and invest in online streaming so you can broadcast to those that are too afraid to walk through the door?

Should you invest time into social media throughout the week to reach a larger audience, reinforcing your message each day, or take your time meeting your leaders in your office and in Starbucks to pour into them?

The truth is, we should be using all of these.  But, how do we know when to use technology and when to say no?

That being said, creating a filter for you and your team is a healthy exercise.  Outlining when to use technology and when to say “no” can help you immensely. This offers efficiency and independence as your people make decisions throughout the week, while, as always, equipping you to re-enforce your vision and brand to your folks.

Creating your filter will take some time, but here’s how to get the ball rolling.

1. Define the pros and cons of each medium. If it is evident (and written down somewhere) which mediums work best for your audience and when, it will make decision making much easier.
2. Outline the boundaries for each medium. As a group, after agreeing on the vision/values/mission, discuss boundaries for each medium. For example: Our team will only spend 20 minutes a day on social media. Or: We will only stream the message when we are teaching a series.
3. Create a timeline of when a visitor will encounter each medium. Throughout the “life cycle” of a visitor (i.e. from guest to member to volunteer to brand evangelist), define when a person should be experiencing the different types of technology.  For instance, maybe texting is a perfect tool for reminding volunteers they are serving on Sunday. And, maybe the website is mostly used for visitors and attempting to engage inactive members.

This may take some time to work through, but in the end you’ll be better for it! Technology is our friend…but can be turned into our foe if we’re not careful. Good luck! We invite you to share your thoughts with us here.

Photo By: bigpresh