How Churches and Their Members Use Social Media

Franklin, TN (PRWEB) July 22, 2010 — Franklin, TN – A just released National
study by BuzzPlant, a leading internet marketing firm focusing on the
faith-based market segment, shows that churches across America are not taking
advantage of the social networking phenomena that has revolutionized
interpersonal communications in the 21st Century.

“Thousands of churches are not walking through the unprecedented number of open
doors social networking has provided them,” says Bob Hutchins, Owner of
BuzzPlant, the Franklin, TN firm that has executed on-line campaigns for such
clients as The Chronicles of Narnia movie series and developed marketing
strategies for the likes of Sony, Zondervan Press, General Motors and Twentieth
Century Fox. “American churches have millions of people on their rolls who do
not feel connected today because churches, as a whole, have failed to
effectively connect with them as the times dictate.” Hutchins further likened
church’s languid pace of contemporary communication to a continuance to use
quill pens after the advent of the printing press. “To not be proactive in
wireless communications today is to not be communicating”, says Hutchins.

The BuzzPlant Study entitled, “How Do People of Faith Use Social Media?”,
surveyed churches across the country exploring their levels of involvement in
the social media explosion which is not only becoming a marketing powerhouse but
the point of connectivity between people of all generations. The study showed
that while almost half of surveyed churches have some sort of social media
presence, such as on Facebook, the vast majority use it poorly or are not
committed to maximizing the effectiveness it offers the church to connect with
its members and promote the connectedness that people need and are increasingly
turning to social networking to satisfy.

“Sixty-two percent of churches have their sermons on a website or do a
pod-cast,” Bob Hutchins reports, “but that is not much better than an upgraded
xeroxing of sermons for people to pick up at next week’s service.” The BuzzPlant
study shows that only 28% of the churches surveyed post a blog by their pastor,
that only 32% use social media to get feedback from the membership and only 25%
always use social media in the promotion of special church events and
activities.

The study shows that the larger the church, the more likely it is to use social
media to stay connected with its members. The 1,000 member and larger churches
use it for small group and friend connections, special event promotion and youth
activities. The smaller churches, 150-300 members, are most prone to use the
medium to obtain feedback from its members.

Hutchins found the blogging results of the survey interesting. Relatively few of
the surveyed churches have blogging pastors yet fully half of their
congregations follow the blog of nationally prominent pastors, such as John
Piper and his www.desiringgod.org/blog. The survey also showed that 68% of local
church members would like to connect with their local leaders through blogging
or other social media.

The message to churches from these results is clear: put the quill pens away and
get with the times. As Bob Hutchins puts it, “There has never been a better
opportunity to connect with large numbers of people on a personal basis as is
being offered the modern American Church.

(Source: Christian Media Updates)

Print This Post Print This Post