Every week I hold online office hours and answer questions from folks like you. This week we’ve got a question about what needs to change in Christian organizations and when it’s time to punt on a social network. Take a look and be sure to join me every Wednesday from 2-4 p.m. CDT for online office hours!
What’s the one thing you wish you could change in terms of Christian organization development for the various churches you interact with?
My answer:
Truthfully, I wish more churches would take their organization seriously. There is so much good coming out of churches that gets lost in transition. Why? Because church staffers are so busy wearing 100 different hats, they don’t take the time to realize they need to get some standards in place.
The church is a spiritual body, but it’s also an organization. That’s not a dirty word, either. Organizations, by definition, need to be organized. When this doesn’t happen, the work of the church suffers.
That’s what I would change.
When do you decide it is time to ‘punt’ on a [social media] channel?
My answer:
I think once you’ve determined that your audience isn’t on a specific channel, it’s probably time to punt.
Platform development takes time, though. I think that’s information people don’t want to hear. If it can’t happen quickly, people don’t want to invest in it.
Google+ is a perfect example. I love this platform but most people have given up on it. Why? Because it’s not delivering the results right now that people want to see.
Thanks for the great questions everybody! Hopefully this information will help you get from where you are to where you want to go. See you next time in the office!
Nate W.
June 28, 2012
Guilty as charged when it comes to giving up on platform development. At one time or another I’ve started on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. After about a day of using the each of these platforms I’ve started thinking, “This is a waste of time.” haha
I guess it’s a matter of faith (which as church leaders/members we should be good at right?). When I spend time on these social platforms I feel like I’m stepping out into the dark and I wonder if I’m simply wasting my time.
I probably need to push a little farther and watch things develop.
Anyways, I’ll look you up on Google+ now that I know you’re on there. :)
Evan McBroom
June 28, 2012
As a team, we are finding great ROI and FOI (Return on investment and Fun on investment) with Facebook. Twitter has not brought us the results or experience we’d hoped – and I think two things are at play. Our main audience is not on Twitter, and/or we’re not feeding it with the right food for a new audience to chow down on. So, Facebook is getting most of our attention, and we often hear/see that investment return in many forms.
Jim Gray
June 28, 2012
I’m using Facebook for staying connected with those who are only on FB. I’m still using Twitter. And I’m smitten with Pinterest. I use Google Plus for research and connecting in niche areas.