One of the phenomenal qualities of social media is it gives everyone a voice, but that hasn’t necessarily happened within churches… yet.
If any organization on the planet should be a “bottom up” organization it’s the church. Many of us have been signing “I am the church! You are the church! We are the church together!” since Sunday school.
But the reality is the vast majority of churches – at least in first world countries – are top down organizations, with “the common people” receiving all the leadership, information and authority from the clergy or staff.
Top Down Church Communication
This is especially true when it comes to church communication and social media. Those churches who are using social media tend have all their communication coming from 1 person or a handful of people at the top.
But is this the way God really works?
Does God only give wisdom and information to the top leaders?
Are the only people with stories, pictures and observations of God at work in our churches and communities the church staff?
No, of course not.
If like me, you believe God is at work in, around, and through every Christ follower, then one the challenges for us is to share the wisdom, stories and images of everyone.
How do we do that?
That’s going to be the topic in the next #ChSocM church social media chat Tuesday, June 9 at 9 PM Eastern time. I hope you’ll join us as we learn from each other.
In the mean time, you can help get the discussion started by posting a comment and addressing these questions:
- Is your church’s social media primarily top down or bottom up? Why?
- What are some ways your church (or churches you’ve observed) sharing stories, pics and other content from “the people” of your church?
Co-founder & CEO, OurChurch.Com
Paul has been the CEO of OurChurch.Com since its founding in 1996, combining his passion for faith and technology to lead the organization.
An accomplished writer, Paul has authored over 2,000 articles on faith and technology, featured on platforms like ChurchLeaders.com, The JoyFM, and his personal blog, LiveIntentionally.org.
Beyond his professional achievements, Paul serves as an elder at Journey Community Church and is deeply engaged in his community through his involvement with the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch and the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce. He is a contributing author of the book Outspoken! Conversations on Church Communication.
2 Comments
I so agree! Very fortunate that our church considers anyone serving a leader not just the Pastor. We're working on getting out there with social media.
That's awesome Sarah! The next challenge is to get the entire congregation sharing their God stories, wisdom, pics, etc in social media.