Thanks to everyone who attended the recent City Synergy at the Metropolitan New York Baptist Association. This resource page includes resources I recommend whether you are just getting started or need to take your online ministry to the next level.
The resources on this page are categorized under website, books, and links. Please feel free to share in the comments section any additional resources you’ve discovered to be helpful. But before you check out the resources, watch this video about the importance of social media.
Website
The first step to setting up a website is to purchase a domain and a hosting plan. You can purchase a domain and hosting plan from hostgator for less than $4 a month (use coupon code “mnybasocial” for a 25% discount). Hostgator can automatically install WordPress which is a blogging platform (you’ll need this).
Once you have a hosted website you will need to purchase a “theme”. This is basically the design of your website. I recommend the Outreach theme from StudioPress. I use the Outreach them for our church website.
Watch Michael Hyatt’s 20 minute video on how to launch a WordPress blog.
Now start adding content, start collecting emails (I recommend Mailchimp which is free until you have 2,000 subscribers), and make sure you have social media buttons in prominent places on your website.
Books
There are a lot of books written on social media. Brandon Cox and Nils Smith are writing to church leaders about the use of social media. Michael Hyatt and Gary Vaynerchuk are writing to a much broader audience but their advice is still very applicable to the church. If you can only get one of these books, get Platform by Michael Hyatt.
Links
I’ve found lots of articles online that I’ve found helpful. Here they are in no particular order.
- How To Use Social Media Effectively In The Church
- 7 Things Every Pastor Should Do Every Week on Social Media
- Social Media in the Church [Infographic]
- How Churches Use Social Media [Infographic]
- 19 Ideas For Your Church to Use Social Media to Interact With Its People
- 10 Reasons Why Your Church Should Have A Website
- Seven (Plus One) Deadly Sins of a Church Website
Is your website listed on google maps and on the first page of search results?
Are you using the business resources provided by google (email, calendar, etc.)?
Have you considered a Google Ad?
A Checklist For An Effective Church Facebook Page
The Beginner’s Guide to Facebook
12 Reasons To Start Twittering
How to Become a Twitter Ninja in Less Than 30 Minutes a Day
The Beginner’s Guide to Twitter
Notes