Tom Pounder
Tom Pounder was born and raised just outside of Washington, DC. He has been working full-time in ministry since 1997. Tom has a background in Student Ministry working over 22 years with teenagers and currently serves as the Student Minister and Online Campus Pastor at New Life Christian Church in Chantilly, VA.
Mobilizing Your Church to Reach Its Community
Friday November 17, 2017 | Tom PounderNovember is here and Christmas is right around the corner. It is truly the most wonderful time of the year. It is so amazing to see all the sights and sounds of the holidays this time of year. Whether it is the Christmas music, the lights, all the great holiday parties with great food, it […] Read more
Engaging Your Community Online
Thursday October 26, 2017 | Tom PounderThere’s a popular saying in youth ministry that says: If you want to reach students, you need to “go where they are.” That means that if you want to meet students you go to school sporting events, band concerts, the mall or other places where students hang out. That way, you can get to meet […] Read more
Thoughtful Social Media Conduct
Friday August 18, 2017 | Tom PounderWe all have stories from our past. Some of them are great ones where we share about those stories with fond memories and lots of laughs. But, if we are honest with ourselves, we all have stories we look back on and just cringe, thinking, “Did I really do that?” The reality is, good and […] Read more
How One Church Body Responded to Its Community’s Needs by Not Building a Church
Monday October 31, 2016 | Tom PounderNew Life Christian Church in Northern Virginia has been around for over two decades operating as a mobile church meeting in schools for most of its history. However, in 2011, when given the opportunity to open a church building of their own, New Life Christian Church decided to open the nZone instead. What’s the nZone? […] Read more
How To Use Facebook Live For Your Ministry Events
Tuesday July 19, 2016 | Tom PounderLive video is the “it” thing to do for Church social media managers and communicators these days. It started with Meerkat being released in the spring of 2015. Since then Periscope (which links directly to your Twitter account), and NOW Facebook Live have taken over and are the premier live video options out there. These […] Read more
3 Ways To Use Social Media For Outreach
Friday December 4, 2015 | Tom PounderThe one thing I love so much about Twitter and Instagram is the organic reach possibilities. A lot of that reach comes through the use of hashtags. We’ve all used them before. Had a bad day? Then, we tend to hashtag #tomorrowplease #ihatetoday #ijustwanttogotobed or something more creative than these. If you had something great […] Read more
What Are You Looking Forward To At This Year’s Orange Tour?
Wednesday September 2, 2015 | Tom PounderSchool has started, the leaves will be changing colors soon, and football is in full effect all over the country. That only means two things: Fall is here and the Orange Tour is starting! What?!? The Orange Tour?!? Oh yes, the Orange Tour. Every fall, the great people from The reThink Group take Orange on […] Read more
Does Social Media Matter For Ministers?
Thursday August 27, 2015 | Tom PounderQuick question. If you want to engage with your community, what do you think is the best way to do that? There are a variety of good things you could do (helping out with a community event or volunteer at an area school are good ones). However, I believe the most effective strategy you can […] Read more
Why You Should Consider A Social Media Policy For Your Team
Monday August 17, 2015 | Tom PounderTell me if you have heard this scenario before. A celebrity or athlete has too much to drink one night or gets upset about a situation and goes off on social media only then to delete the post later. Have you ever seen or heard about this? What happens when they delete it? Is it […] Read more
Smartphone Apps To Boost Productivity
Wednesday July 8, 2015 | Tom PounderEver since I got my very first smartphone (Palm Treo, to be exact), I was completely engulfed in how productive this little handheld device could make me. In the palms of my hands I had access to my email, phone, calendar notes and even some games I could play when bored in meetings (but if […] Read more
