Tools I Use In Ministry: Social Media

Staying connected to other people has always been a priority for humans.  Hand signals, written symbols, smoke signals, cups & strings, morse code, the telephone, internet and cell phones are all used to help us feel connected to other people.  Cell phones provide internet access to even the remote places in the world.  Social Media has grabbed the world over and many of us are addicted to it.


We use social media to keep track of family, friends, co-workers, people we went to hight school with but never talked to, strangers that saw us on the street and big time creepers.  I used to play MUD's back at the start of the internet, then AOL brought on instant messenger, then MySpace and now Facebook rules the internet.   Facebook has over 800 million active users with 50% of them logging in on any given day.  While Facebook is king there are many other sites that give us that social feel.  Twitter helps us spy on other people and let the world know when we use the bathroom.  Google+ is the newcomer to the scene and seems to be making waves by filling in where Facebook is failing.


No one knows what the next thing in Social Media will be but most everyone agrees it will be where students are.  Teenagers and college students have always been on the forefront of social media and use it to its fullest.  The world is becoming more mobile and students are more connected because of it.  Youth pastors need to be at the top of their game when it comes to staying connected to students.

Facebook is the king when it comes to social media.  There is almost a guarantee that your students are on it.  You need to be also.  Facebook has many great features that a youth pastor can use.  Personally, you need to be friends with your students and learning as much as you can about them.  Students like to share information with their friends and you get a look.  Facebook allows you to have a Group Page for your ministry or church.  This allows others to stay connected with your ministry and up to date on the news.  You can post pictures, events, status updates and more.

Twitter is like Facebook but without all the fluff.  Twitter allows you to update your status and share it with anyone you want.  Your status is limited to 140 characters, so you have to be created.  I use Twitter for our youth ministry to provide updates to parents, adult leaders and whoever else wants to know what is going on.  We have embedded Twitter in our website for easy access.  You can update your Twitter status via text messaging, so updating on a trip is super easy and helps parents stay in the know.

Google+ is Google's newest attempt at entering the social media landscape.  They seemed to take everything people hated about Facebook and make it very easy to use.  The big difference with Google+ and Facebook is that Plus allows you to update your status and only those within your Circles are able to see it.  you can send out a private or public message or just to a specific group of people.  Plus also includes a feature called Hangout which allows you to start a video conversation with up to 8 people at once.  This feature has a lot of potential in the youth ministry world for small groups, informal meetings and training.  Plus is evolving at a great pace.  Google is working really hard to make this push into the social media scene and take away from Facebook.


Text Messaging isn't a program like the others but is a great way to stay connected with students, parents and families.  Text messaging can be done from any cell phone but group messaging usually requires a separate program.  You need to try them and see which work best for you.


Social media is becoming more and more a part of our life.  We love being connected to each other.  You need to do what you can to keep up with your students and their parents.  Social media makes it easier for all of us.