This week we are looking at taking advantage of resources for using digital communication at your church. As we dive into these resources let us first state an obvious one that is often overlooked. Ask for help. If you are reading this then you understand that digital communication is vital to your church and ministry. We all recognize that most churches and ministries are years behind the curve but that is why I am writing and you are reading, to help close the gap. If you attend a smaller church do not think that you are limited, or that you cannot create and produce great content for your church. You might need a little help along the way. One of the first steps is asking for help. On more than one occasion I have emailed, or even better, sent a message through social media and asked for help from communications staff at mega churches. Most of them have responded quickly and pointed me in the right direction. They have even provided me with content that they have previously used. They are more than happy to talk through process and design. Ask for help, don’t waste time trying to create a wheel that was created years ago.

The second digital resource is social media itself. Facebook alone has numerous groups of church social media managers or church visual communication. Members of the group range from lay leaders who want to help their church to full-time communication directors at large churches. Within these “closed groups” people share ideas and get feedback. I have even seen some give away photos, sermon slides, and social media templates. For me personally, when I cannot figure something out I post inside these groups asking for help.

The last digital resource is graphic design related. This part seriously intimidates lay leaders but I am going to talk about two resources that will help you out. The first is called Canva. Canva is a web-based program that has several templates already laid out for you. You just replace the text and the picture and you are good to go. If you want to get fancy you can pay for the pro version and easily add your church logo and color scheme. The second is an Adobe product called Spark Post. This is another web-based program that allows you to create a variety of social media graphics. The templates are pre-formatted for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, & Tumbler. This App also is compatible with all mobile devices. So if you create content on the go this might be a better App for you.

To Recap:
1. Reach out for help directly with other social experts
2. Join Facebook Groups
3. Use tools to help save time with design

Tags: social media, digital, resources