The Use of Facebook in Congregational Evangelism: A Practical Plan

Abstract

Facebook is used every single day by hundreds of millions worldwide. As soon as they logon, people are viewing dozens of photos, videos, and status updates that their friends are passing around. Imagine if congregation members were to pass along content from their church’s Facebook Page to their unchurched friends. Despite Facebook’s popularity and ubiquity, only half of all WELS churches utilize this social medium. Many that are using it are satisfied simply with keeping in touch with members and making bulletin announcements. Facebook holds much more potential than that, especially in terms of Great Commission evangelism. Members of the local congregation have dozens, if not hundreds of Facebook friends in desperate need of hearing the gospel. This project focuses on treating those friends as outreach prospects. Rooted in scriptural principles and with a view toward trends in congregational and commercial marketing strategies, this project proposes a practical plan for a church to use a Facebook Page to reach out to the unchurched members of its community. This is a five-step plan that consists of 1) getting the members involved, 2) looking presentable, 3) generating content, 4) using Insights, and 5) contacting prospects.