Facebook for Churches – New Facebook a Game-Changer

Yesterday, Facebook announced some major changes.  Users now see this notice at the top of their “homepage”

Changes to the Home page are coming soon
Learn about the new features ahead of time. This is happening soon; check out the home page tour now.

It looks like changes the look and organization of the homepage and wall are getting another makeover.

But Facebook announced an even more significant change – to Facebook “pages,” the facet of Facebook designed for businesses and organizations.  This news is a total game-changer for churches.

As announced on the Facebook blog yesterday:

Starting today, we are announcing new profiles for public figures and organizations. Once called Pages, these new profiles will now begin looking and functioning just like user profiles.

Another post later in the day provides more details:

Now, major media outlets like The New York Times can use their public profile to share breaking developments that will stream directly into your News Feed… You can connect with organizations like the American Red Cross or Service Nation.

The big problem with Facebook pages up until now is that they had no interaction with their “fans’” newsfeeds.  A person could become a “fan” of a church, organization, or business, but then there was nothing to draw that person back to the page.  As a result there was almost no interaction on pages, making them almost completely useless.  What’s the point of having “fans” if you never interact with them?

This change to make pages more like profiles changes all that.

Now Facebook pages have a “status” just like individual profiles.  When an organization changes their status, that change appears in their “fans’” newsfeed, notifying them and giving them the opportunity to comment or click to the organization’s page.

Facebook didn’t specifically state this in their blog, but I assume the same will be true for other page features.  When an organization adds photos, video, links, or notes to their page, those updates will probably also appear in their fans’ newsfeed.

I can already see changes to my church’s Facebook page.

Pages are now more like profiles. Update your Page now.
Pages now look and behave more like user profiles. You can more easily publish content to your Page’s Wall and gain distribution through News Feed. Learn about how to take advantage of the new features.

And there’s a link to a new Facebook Pages Guide.

I’m really pumped about these changes!  Can’t wait to try them out!  In fact, I’m gonna do that now and post more later.

I’ve also created a Facebook page for OurChurch.Com.  Check it out and become a fan.

What are your thoughts on these changes at Facebook?

Paul Steinbrueck

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.