Content Creation is a ministry essential. In company of the power of the Holy Spirit, it is the glue that connects the believer, the unbeliever and the glory of the church together. The digital age has opened up an immeasurable amount of possible connections that makes evangelizing easy. The harvest is still plentiful, and social media has given the few laborers more weapons.
The goal of digital evangelism and content creation must stem from The Great Commission:
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age:
Matthew 28:19-20.
Evangelism
evan·ge·lism | \ i-ˈvan-jə-ˌli-zəm \
Evangelism is generally understood as the act of proclaiming the gospel and the teachings of Jesus Christ to persuade people to adopt a Christian worldview. The word evangelist comes from the Koine Greek word εὐαγγέλιον (transliterated as euangelion) and originally meant a reward given to the messenger for good news but later came to just mean “good news”.
Digital marketing is the promotion of products, services, causes, or ideas in the online space using digital technologies and tools such as the internet, social media, paid display ads, website platforms, and mobile phones. Evangelism, by inference, can be understood as publicly sharing the good news. The way the gospel is packaged and delivered matters (as it relates to quality) but as long as the gospel is being shared, it is evangelism.
Content Creators have a huge opportunity to package the gospel of Jesus Christ that fits their sphere of influence. Below are a few ways that may be helpful in your endeavor to develop quality content that leads to salvation and multiplication.
Statistics
Video conferencing is the new telephone. The word “Zoom” has been permanently etched in our collective consciousness (that's the power of a brand, right?). The most popular videoconferencing application has grown from 10 million daily users in 2019 to a staggering 300 million daily users by 2021 (that’s a 2,900% growth). Video calls have become a powerful tool for evangelism and discipleship. Now worship services, Bible studies, board meetings, pre-martial counseling sessions are all one click away! The concept of inviting someone to church has now changed, you can send them a link and they can join from wherever they are.
Online communication facilitates long-term engagement. One lesson people learned from having to stay at home is that much can be done from the comfort of your computer or mobile device. We learned that we could engage in discipleship and mentoring relationships using the Internet, multiplying our potential to influence others for the Kingdom of God.
Over 300 million people joined the internet in 2020. Today, 60% of the world population has access to online tools. That means there is an audience of 4.6 billion people ready to hear the Gospel through videos, podcasts, reels, e-books, blogs, polls, quizzes, you name it!
Content Marketing Ideas
Youtube
For churches serious about content marketing, video’s a no-brainer. YouTube reports mobile video consumption goes up 100% continuously every year. If you’re interested in creating video content, YouTube is the smartest place to host it, Facebook live may also be a competitor.
Because YouTube is owned by Google, its content gets preferential treatment in searches. As long as you write rich description and tags for Google to index in each of your videos, they can be discovered by people all over the world. This does take intentionality.
Facebook
Facebook doesn’t just have to be a place where you promote your content, it can be a substantial content marketing platform. From written teaching to live video, Facebook archives all your content and makes it instantly shareable, enabling you to build your audience in the same location your material is hosted. The pricing to boost content to the people who have liked your page is extremely reasonable. Plus, there’s the added benefit of hosting your content where your audience already spends most of their time.
Sermons
Publish the sermon outlines. As long as they’re robust enough that people can get something out of them, outlines can make awesome content (and great content for your email marketing campaign).
Publish the sermon. This would make a great e-book and product to sale!
Break sermons up into multiple posts. If your pastor's sermons tend to be on the longer side, why not break them up into multiple posts and get more mileage out of them?
Alternatives:
Small group guides and questions
Bible studies
Personal devotions
Biblical commentaries
Create Devotional Content For The Email List
Senior Leaders have unique authority to gather. The Pastoral staff and auxiliary leaders can plan a 30-day devotional around a particular book of the Bible or topic. Promote this special event heavily, and collect email addresses. If the content’s good and people seem interested, you can stretch it out for two months or a quarter—maybe even indefinitely. This could be a great way to build a significant email list! You could also generate ministry specific content for married couples, singles, widows, deacons, ministers, youth group, intercessors, etc.
Dr. Dee Evans
CEO, Koinonia Training and Consulting
info@koinoniatrainingandconsulting.com
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