Your digital church presence
Digital communications are about more than just social media but encompass websites, newsletters, podcasts and more.
When considering what tools or platforms you would like to use in your church community, take time to consider:
- Which would benefit the community, and
- What you have time to manage.
It’s better to focus on one or two manageable areas, keeping them up to date, than spread yourself too thinly.
Below are some suggestions of tools and platforms you could consider using.
Websites
Your church website is like a shop window from which people can look into your community, find out useful information and get in touch with the church.
There are many platforms that can be used to create a simple church website such as WordPress or Squarespace with monthly costs. A Church Near You (ACNY) is the Church of England’s church finding website, where each of the Church’s 16,000 churches has a free site, making it the easiest (and cheapest!) place to create a website. Moreover, in the last year, A Church Near You has received more than 70 million page views from members of the public looking for their local church. Every church can edit its pages, create events, and personalise them for its community.
Get started on A Church Near You
- Find out how to get started on A Church Near You
- Attend a webinar to learn more about ACNY
- Five pages your church website should have
Social media
In 2020 Statistica reported more than 60% of people in the UK have a social media account. Creating a social media page or profile for your church is completely free and presents an opportunity to reach new people within your local community.
Explore our complete guide to creating social media accounts for your church, including moderation tips and safeguarding guidance.
Sharing images and video online
In communications, images are just as important as the words we use. Images can set the tone or underpin an important message. Without writing a word, they can welcome, inspire, encourage, and create a window to see into our communities.
But, before we go ahead and use an image or video online, we need to understand a little more about consent, GDPR and stock imagery.
Read our simple guide to consent, Data Protection and UK/EU GDPR and how it applies to churches sharing images and videos online.
Podcasts
In the UK, 7.1 million people are now listening to podcasts weekly, a figure that has doubled in the past five years (Ofcom). As so-called Zoom fatigue has set in, audio only content such as services and daily prayers have been on the rise in church communities, and some have used it as an alternative to live-broadcast services.
Learn how to create a podcast
Email newsletters
A good church email newsletter will keep the community informed and increase engagement and trust between church leaders and the community. As not everyone will see an update on social media, it’s helpful to keep your newsletter up to date to keep everyone in the loop.