Hopefully you’re aware by now that a church is not building. A church is a community of people joined together in a common cause.

The same can be said of social media. Social media is not truly about apps and websites. Those are just tools that bring people together to engage and communicate.

Those who use social media the most effectively know this. They have created or joined a larger community of people that just happens to chat online. Here are a few ways that your church can take advantage of this by building a social media community.

Know Your Community

Who do you want to be in your community? What do they look like? What things do they care about? What are their needs? How can we help them? You need to have an answer to these questions before you can go any further.

Brainstorm these questions with your team. Write down your answers. Do some research. Ask some questions of the community itself. Take some time to get to know them on a deeper level.

Continue to keep the focus on real people. Never forget that it takes people to build a community. You need to know who these people are if you expect to reach them.

Have a Conversation

Knowing more about your community will help you to start conversations with them. Social media engagement is not meant to be one-way. At it’s best, social media is a two-way dialogue. It involves give-and-take among a larger group of people.

Image social media as a big party. No one wants to talk to the one guy in the corner shouting just about himself. So don’t be that guy. Invite conversations with others by asking questions. Join conversations already taking place at the party.

Most important, respond when people try to talk to you. There’s no faster way to turn people away than by ignoring a direct question or comment. Prioritizing regular social media monitoring so you don’t miss out on these opportunities.

Provide Value

Why should people join your community? It may not be something you’re thinking about. However, it’s something potential community members ask themselves before joining. What’s in it for me? How will this add value to my life?

You should know what your community’s biggest needs and challenges are. How can your church help to meet these needs? Is it by providing helpful resources on those topics? Can you host an online talk o