Is your church online? Are you active on social media? If not, maybe it’s because you don’t know the importance of the internet in today’s culture. More people in your community are on some social media platform than are not on it. That makes it a tool you need to use to reach others.

Deciding on a social media strategy begins with knowing the reasons to be online. Here are six things that you should be using social media for.

1. Stay connected

The first step in being active on social media is meeting your people and staying in touch. That means having a page on a social media site that is easy to reach and clearly identifies who you are. As your people find your site, follow them back to make sure you stay connected. As you build a following, you actually build a community and experience that can be replicated in person.

2. Advertise

Anyone can follow you on social media. That’s what makes it such a powerful tool for reaching the lost. Engage those within and outside your church by regularly advertising your church’s service times, upcoming sermon series, outreach opportunities and general mission through advertising.

More people in your community are on some social media platform than are not on it. That makes it a tool you need to use to reach others.

3. Hype Events

Use your social media to reiterate upcoming events. When others follow you from outside your church, use it to let them know what your church is doing. Social media can be much more powerful than a handout or a poster because it’s digital and always accessible.

4. Prompt Action

What do you want your people to do? Let them know on social media. Whether it’s an upcoming volunteer opportunity or a specific application from last Sunday’s sermon, repeat that call to action online. Give them a short burst of motivation to remind them of why they’re doing what you’ve asked them to do. When people see it online, they are more likely to follow up on it.

5. Inform

Social media is a great way to reinforce what you’re teaching on the weekends. Use your online presence to inform your people by repeating the main points from your message, giving out tidbits you might not have gotten to earlier and posting articles that help them learn more. In that way, social media can become a discipling tool for the digital age.

6. Inspire

Use your online presence to inspire your people and followers spiritually. Ask for prayer requests and share praise reports. Post inspirational quotes. Share testimonies. The possibilities are endless. Social media can often get negative. But you can use it in a positive way to impact those in your church and community.

What other ways have you used social media to share the Gospel, help people grow closer to God and grown your influence? Why not share those tips online with your favorite social media site.