Social networks geared for your church are becoming more common. Recently we talked with Jason Wenell of the Table Project and there are similar products in the same space, including SoChurch. We’re happy to introduce you to Ben Forsberg, the CEO of SoChurch. We had the opportunity to interview him about SoChurch and the value of networks like this, and we’re glad to be able to share that conversation with you:
In a paragraph, how would you describe SoChurch to someone who’s completely unfamiliar with it?
Ben Forsberg: SoChurch is an online communication solution for churches, designed to empower leaders to get the right messages to the right people, reaching them where they are. These messages could be that church is canceled or a request to pray for a certain item. Leveraging Facebook, Twitter, e-mail and mobile (coming soon), SoChurch consolidates and disseminates conversations and content, making church communication simple.
Nice and simple, I like it. I think the first question folks have on their mind is, “Why?” Many lament church-based social networks as an example of separatism and disconnection with the community at large. What is SoChurch’s reaction to this?
Ben: SoChurch is not intended to be a church social network. While SoChurch can function as a place where church members can come to engage in conversations surrounding their community (groups and church as a whole), the real power of SoChurch is that it gets the right messages to church members wherever they are, enabling members to engage in the conversations in the ways most suited to them.
Another argument people give for avoiding these types of tools are that they duplicate existing functionality provided by sites like Facebook. Why do you feel SoChurch is worth the time and money investment for a local church?
Ben: While there is some cross over in functionality (such as: posting status updates) the differences are staggering. SoChurch offers many more options for content moderation, member controls and group management than Facebook ever will. Also, SoChurch is built with the group, not the individual, in mind, which encourages members to talk about what matters to the group or church, not themselves.
Additionally, SoChurch is built with the church in mind. As an example; you can’t post a gift or prayer request on Facebook and then track and follow up with who is responding to those types of posts, but with SoChurch, you can.
That makes sense. So in closing, from a birds-eye-view, we’d like to know this: At CFCC, we’re all about helping local churches communicate the gospel effectively. How do you think a tool like SoChurch ties into that mission for churches?
Ben: Because of built in social networking tools, SoChurch enables church leaders and church members to share information out to their audiences and friends. With the click of a button, a youth member can share a special event or a group member can invite someone to their small group, just by sharing the content they are receiving from SoChurch. SoChurch helps communication inside and outside the church. Like CFCC, our main focus is on church communication, made simple.
