We exist to see the UK Church adapt to and thrive in the digital age.
If your target audience is the unchurched and all your content is heavily theological then you are unlikely to really connect with them.
The same goes for if your target audience is your current Christian congregation then memes and click-bait content is unlikely to serve them.
Asking this question "What content will connect with my target audience" is a really impactful one when it comes to your digital presence.
Online is a means, not an end.
A God-given tool to help you and your church thrive in evangelism, discipleship and stewardship.
That is why we're hosting this free webinar 'Why your Church needs to be online'.
Don't be fooled... it might sound basic, but it won't be.
Our team will draw on their unique experience of working with over 1,000 churches in the past 5 years and how they've learnt that defining a digital 'why' is one of the critical factors for every church that has a fruitful online presence.
So do you want to know how to deliver the timeless message of the Gospel with relevant methods to 2023?
Sign up for this webinar today at https://www.digitalchurchtoolkit.com/pl/2147664957
TikTok is no longer a teen fad, it is maturing to become a ‘serious’ social media platform. Your church might not be on it yet, but we highly recommendation you download it and watch content so you can understand it as an ecosystem. That way when your church does jump on TikTok (because it will…essentially), you’ll be ready to take advantage of the opportunities it provides for the gospel.
What is the state of UK church comms in 2023?
How your church communicates is more important than ever before.
In 2023 there are unprecedented opportunities for the Gospel when your church uses God-given digital tools.
Every leader wants a thriving church, and in this free webinar, we will be sharing how your church can deliver the timeless message of the Gospel using relevant methods to 2023.
In this webinar, we'll be sharing the 3 questions every church that wants a thriving digital presence this year must ask themselves.
We'd love to 'see' you there.
Reserve your spot at www.digitalchurchtoolkit.com/pl/2147654285
Facebook is growing among the over the 50s, and they still need to know about Jesus.
We all want to attract young families and young people, but we have an ageing population and so it's important for the Church to still consider that older demographic. Facebook is a great tool for continuing to reach them.
What is the state of UK Church Comms in 2023?
1️⃣Churches that have a clear purpose for their comms will have the biggrst impact.
All good strategy starts with asking 'why', and your Church comms is no different. When you have a clear purpose, you can define success and develop a plan to get you there.
2️⃣Churches that see digital as an avanue for ministry, not just a tool for promoting events, will see the most fruit.
If you are wanting to see tangible results from digital in 2023, don't just see digital tools like social media as a way to promote your events; use them to give value, help people and start conversations.
3️⃣Churches that communicate online with empathy, authencity, and personality will resound and connect with people digitally.
Your church is not a distant ivory tower. It's made up of real people embedded in your local community - speak like it. When you communication like you understand people's needs, show what your church is genuinely like and sound like a real person, your audience will engage with you online.
4️⃣You should be focusing on YouTube.
YouTube is 2nd biggest search engine, after Google, and is where people go for information, education and entertainment. It's likely you are streaming your services to there, but not optimising your content for findability and engagement.
5️⃣You should be updating your church website.
It's highly likely your church website is out of date. But, it;' where people go to find out about your church, often long before they walk through your door. Ensure your church website is enticing, up-to-date, and inviting.
6️⃣You should download TikTok
It is the fastest growing social media platform, and your church will be on it soon enough. At the very least, download it so you can understand how it works.
Throughout 2023, we will continue to provide resources and training that enable you and your church to deliver the timeless message of the Gospel with relevant methods to 2023 and beyond.
FACTS: Facebook has added an option in Groups to allow members to make themselves moderators.
TIPS: Don't turn on this setting. If you need moderators then choose them from members you know and trust. This seems like a very bizarre option from Facebook.
🚀 Do you want to take your Church or Ministries' digital presence to the next level?
📱 Do you feel like you're the only person who is passionate about social media and digital?
🛠 Are you passionate and enthusiastic but lack the skills you need to implement your ideas?
The Digital Church Toolkit Academy provides church leaders, staff members and volunteers with an encouraging and supportive community of like-minded believers, all passionate of church digital comms.
Join as a Silver Member before the end of 2022 for only £199. Saving over £100 on a regular monthly subscription.
Interested? www.digitalchurchtoolkit.com/academylaunch
Yesterday marked the start of the next phase of Digital Church Toolkit.
Since 2018 our driving focus has been helping you & your church adapt to & thrive in the digital age and that is why we’re launching the Digital Church Toolkit Academy.
The digital revolution has changed the world and created unprecedented opportunities for the Gospel but the UK Church has been behind the curve.
The Digital Church Toolkit Academy will provide church leaders, staff members & volunteers with online training that equips them to use digital tools & platforms to preach the Gospel, build His Church & expand the Kingdom with relevant methods to 2022 & beyond.
For an affordable monthly or annual fee, individuals will get access to a support community, live weekly training & an ever-growing library of eCourses.
We have developed this with your Church in mind, whatever your size, budget or context, we believe one of our packages will meet your needs without breaking your church’s bank account.
How will the Digital Church Toolkit Academy help?
🚀Join a Community🚀
Be encouraged & supported by an active community of like minded-believers, passionate about church digital comms.
🎓Learn From Training🎓
Learn the skills & insights you need to improve with weekly live training & an ever-growing library of on-demand eCourses from the Digital Church Toolkit team & friends.
⛪️Don’t Break The Bank⛪️
We have developed the Academy with your Church in mind. For less than a weekly coffee, you can access industry-leading experts & training.
As yesterday was launch day, today is Black Friday & in the spirit of Christmas - we have a special launch offer for you. You can join as a Silver Member before the end of the year for only £199. Saving you over £100 on a regular monthly subscription.
You went into ministry, whether paid or not, because you wanted to serve God & love people, not be confused & consumed by digital & we genuinely want to help you accomplish that call.
If you think that the Digital Church Toolkit Academy could help you, & your Church, take advantage of our special launch offer today.
www.DigitalChurchToolkit.com/AcademyLaunch
Yesterday the very first Digital Church Summit.
Hundreds joined us online and in person to explore how the UK Church can use God-given digital tools to advance the Gospel, see local churches thrive and change lives.
Should we do it again next year?
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Thanks to all our contributors for their time & insights; Aussie Dave Adamson, Peter Murden, Stew Smith, Darren Maylam, Beccy Oliver, Phil Hawkins, Tobi Arayomi, Clare Hooper & Ben Jones.
Shoutout to friends & partner orgs who helped make the event happen; King's House London, CLO Coffee & Ian Yates.
We started Digital Church Toolkit back in 2018 because we wanted to serve the UK church, helping you adapt to and thrive in the digital age.
Since then, we have been privileged to work with hundreds, if not thousands, of churches.
This experience has taught us that although churches are often behind the curve, there are simple steps you can take to transform your church's digital presence so it helps people find and follow Jesus, online.
This is why, next week, we're hosting the Digital Church Summit.
We believe this event will equip you to preach the Gospel, build His Church and expand the Kingdom, in relevant methods to 2022 and beyond.
Why would you want you and your church to miss out on that?
We are in the midst of a communications revolution, and it's called the digital age. How the Church in the UK responds to this will shape our nation for generations to come.
But unfortunately, the church in the UK, and probably your church, has been on the back foot and behind the curve when it comes to utilising digital tools and platforms.
By joining us at the Digital Church Summit, you’ll learn effective strategies for advancing the Gospel in 2022 and beyond.
This event will be unique, and you ain't going to want to miss out on it. Hundreds of church leaders, staff members and volunteers will be joining us, online & in person. They'll be joining us to get new ideas, learn from experts and ultimately to enable their church to reach more people with the Gospel.
Why would you, and your church, miss out on that? Make sure you don’t, by registering today at www.digitalchurchtoolkit.com/summit
"Build something 100 people love, not something 1 million people kind of like." — Brian Chesky, Co-Founder & CEO, Airbnb.
This idea relieves a lot of the pressure we can feel when we are trying to reach the world with the Gospel. This quote suggests that if we focus on a small community, and build something that this community loves, then when outsiders look in or new people come along, they will likely feel that love and want to be part of the community too.
IN THE NEWS: Email is 40x more effective for getting people to take action than social media. So writing emails that are enjoyable to look at and read is important.
Brand your emails well by: adding your logo, using consistent colours, using consistent fonts, adding visuals, including relevant links, and finding your voice.
Want to get the latest news and top tips that you need to know about digital and church comms? Sign up to receive The Informer every Wednesday morning, for free - Link in bio.
Are you at today?
We’re hosting a Church Comms MeetUp at 11am in the Exhibitors Lounge. We’d love to see you there!
Alternatively, has a few openings for one2one coffees. If you’re interested, DM us to set something up.
Due to disruption caused by the rail strikes next week, we have taken the decision to reschedule the Digital Church Summit to November 24th.
This has been a difficult decision as we know the inconvenience this will create for those planning to join next Thursday. However, we were becoming increasingly aware of how difficult it was for those with tickets and our team to travel to the event.
For those who have already registered, it will be valid for November 24th. If you haven't registered yet, we'd love for you to join hundreds of others from across the UK to learn how you and your church can advance the Gospel in the digital age.
Want to register? www.digitalchurchtoolkit.com/summit
Due to disruption caused by the rail strikes next week, we have taken the decision to reschedule the Digital Church Summit to November 24th.
This has been a difficult decision as we know the inconvenience this will create for those planning to join next Thursday. However, we were becoming increasingly aware of how difficult it was for those with tickets and our team to travel to the event.
For those who have already registered, it will be valid for November 24th. If you haven't registered yet, we'd love for you to join hundreds of others from across the UK to learn how you and your church can advance the Gospel in the digital age.
Want to register? Link in bio
It’s hard to make an impact without any direction. And it’s hard to know which direction to go in. As a church you want to help people find and follow Jesus.
But, it’s important to get real specific… hone in on your local and it’s needs, what is unique about your church and how it can meet their needs and what is the long-term goal.
Once you’ve got specific about the impact you want to make, you’re able to develop your strategy, including your digital comms strategy, around the change you want to see in the world.
"There are only volunteers... I get to choose how I want to respond to events and people." - Chris Do
We love this way of thinking. This total ownership over our actions. Sometimes our team makes mistakes or a campaign doesn't go as well as we wanted it to. But when this happens, we choose to assess how we can improve next time and find a positive way forward together.
"Are you targeting anyone or someone?" - Dain Walker
If you're trying to reach everyone you'll resound with no one. Ensure that across your Church comms you are being specific with who you're trying to reach.
Even big brands, such as Starbucks, are honing their marketing activities to target demographics (age, gender etc), psychographics (hobbies, challenges etc) and extra insights (social media behaviour, target market stats).
Knowing exactly who you're targeting your content at will maximise the opportunity to connect and engage with the intended audience.
Q: Which Christian content creator are you most grateful for??
Let us know in the comments which Christian podcaster, musician, or app company is blessing you most.
Seeing results from social media takes time and consistency, but most people don't have the patience to persist.
We regular hear "social media doesn't work for us" and after a little exploring it turns out they didn't see the results they desired after a few weeks or they were not consistent with content. After working with hundreds of UK churches and Christian organisations, we know the opportunities for the Gospel that exist on social media.
But, they are all on the otherside of consistency, patience and persistence.
Q: Which are the best metrics to track social media success?
Let us know in the comments what currently works for you and your church.
Decide to be an enthusiast rather than an expert and your fear will flee while your creativity soars - GaryVee .
None of us need to fake it 'till we make it. We can all just be enthusiasts bringing the best we got to what we love ❤️.
Whether it's practical advice from the coalface of church comms or top-level Insights into the future trends in the Church, this event will be packed full of fresh inspiration, strategies, and ideas for you to take back to your Church.
Join hundreds of leaders and believers from across the UK to learn how you and your church can advance the Gospel in the digital age.
Sign up FREE - https://www.digitalchurchtoolkit.com/summit
“The key to being fearless is realising that most people care a lot more about their own worries than when you mess up. So, you don’t need to be afraid of someone leaving a nasty comment or your post not doing well. Ultimately, people have their own things to worry about and so your failures and mistakes aren't that big a deal to them.” -
Are you worried about taking risks when it comes to online church content? Let's be brave and courageous together...and take risks!
Q: How should churches spend their marketing budget?
Let us know in the comments which marketing channels churches should be focusing their spending on.
The Digital Church Summit is 8 weeks away and we're excited to give you the opportunity to learn from experts.
We have a stellar line-up of speakers and panel guests, including:
1. Dave Adamson (speaker) - One of the first online pastors in the world, Dave Adamson, has grown and led online communities of more than 80,000 people each week.
2. Stewart Smith (speaker) - Creative director and strategic thinker with national and international brands, and previous drummer for world-touring Christian band Delirious?.
3. Church Comms Managers (panel) - An honest, and practical session, helping you take your church comms to the next level.
4. Digital Church Innovators (panel) - A session led by those involved in different innovative ideas and projects from cryptocurrency to viral TikTok content.
Join hundreds of leaders and believers from across the UK to learn how you and your church can advance the Gospel in the digital age.
Register for FREE - https://www.digitalchurchtoolkit.com/summit
Q: What type of social media content engages best?
Let us know in the comments what currently works for you and your church.
“How do you post 4 times a day? The secret is that you document rather than create. Most people create content, but it is far more efficient to just live your life and produce content on the back-end”
In the news: Google's new Ads Creative Studio is a streamlined way to make new ad content from your existing assets. With it, you can automate foreign language overlayed text and auto-change video/graphic content. Start using this to create YouTube and Google Ads far more quickly. Search 'create an ads creative studio account' to get started.
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If your target audience is the unchurched and all your content is heavily theological then you are unlikely to really connect with them. The same goes for if your target audience is your current Christian congregation then memes and click-bait content is unlikely to serve them. Asking this question "What content will connect with my target audience" is a really impactful one when it comes to your digital presence.
Facebook has announced that in the next 12 months 40% of the content you see on your Facebook feed will be from people and pages you don't follow. This is a big opportunity for your church. Facebook algorithm will be showing the best performing content from pages such as your church to people who aren't necessarily Christian. In other words, people who aren't connected to your church are more likely to see the content that you are posting.
TikTok is no longer a teen fad, it is maturing to become a ‘serious’ social media platform. Your church might not be on it yet, but we highly recommendation you download it and watch content so you can understand it as an ecosystem. That way when your church does jump on TikTok (because it will…essentially), you’ll be ready to take advantage of the opportunities it provides for the gospel.
Facebook is growing among the over the 50s, and they still need to know about Jesus. We all want to attract young families and young people, but we have an ageing population and so it's important for the Church to still consider that older demographic. Facebook is a great tool for continuing to reach them.
New to Instagram: Target 'Followers' with ads -> News: Meta now allows you to target Ads at your Instagram followers. But hasn't this always been the case? No, up until now you've only been able to target IG engagement. Tips: Use this new functionality to re-engage your audience and following on Instagram. -> Want to get the latest news and top tips on digital and church comms? Sign up to receive The Informer every Wednesday morning, for free - Link in bio.
How should your church actually use Facebook Ads? -> We have developed a simple formula to help you encourage people to take the action you want from them. The Strategy Circle: 1️⃣Gain awareness 2️⃣Gather an audience 3️⃣Generate a transition 4️⃣Encourage relationship...and repeat!You should be gaining awareness primarily through social media. You should be gathering an audience primarily through social media. Facebook ads are then really good for generating a transaction; getting your audience through the front door of your church, and pointing them toward the next step (after they have been listening to your talks online, for example). This is a repeat formula to follow when planning how you're going to promote your alpha course that's starting in the new year! -> This clip was taken from Digital Church Toolkit Academy's live weekly training session.
Social Media is getting less social and more media -> News: Increasingly, what we see on our social media is defined by algorithms that want us to be entertained rather than kept up-to-date with friends. TikTok is more similar to a media company distributing content than a social channel, and its success is being replicated by Instagram and Facebook (with Reels), and Snapchat (with Spotlight). -> TIPS: Social media is no longer being driven by who you know, but more and more by what’s driving overall engagement. By churches playing the game of the algorithms and producing useful, engaging, informative content that adds value to people’s lives, social media algorithms will show your church content to more people. A classic example, seen in our latest blog post, is how the sermon can be the best at doing this - engaging people and adding value. -> Want to get the latest news and top tips on digital and church comms? Sign up to receive The Informer every Wednesday morning, for free - Link in bio.
How do you convert digital engagement into a meaningful interaction with your Church? Simple, Facebook Ads. Facebook Ads are still one of the most valuable tools available to you. You have spent the last two years, through the lockdowns, producing more content to put online than you have ever before, and as a result, you have had more online interactions than ever before. Facebook Ads allow you to directly target those who have interacted with your content and take them onto their next faith step, for example signing up for your next Alpha Course. —> This clip was taken from Digital Church Toolkit Academy's live weekly training session.
<50% identify as Christian in the UK —> Is this bad news? In the latest UK census, it was stated that for the first time in history the UK has less than 50% of the population self-identifying as Christian. But what the census did tell us was that over 31,000,000 people in the UK say they are a Christian. In the midst of a post-Christian culture, one which is often hostile to faith. When the nation has experienced the trauma of a pandemic and a Church which doesn't always take the teachings of Jesus seriously. In the midst of that, millions, upon millions, of people are still confessing to be Christian - we think that is good news. Now we are not the majority, the challenge for those involved in Church comms in the UK, is that we need to work on how we present the timeless message of the Gospel to a post-Christian culture and what methods we should use to do it in a digital age. —> This clip was taken from Digital Church Toolkit Academy's live weekly training session.
Facebook Removes ‘Religious Views’ —> FACTS: Facebook is removing parts of your profile; “As part of our efforts to make Facebook easier to navigate and use, we’re removing a handful of profile fields: Interested In, Religious Views, Political Views, and Address.” —> TIPS: Facebook made clear that this change doesn’t affect anyone’s ability to share information related to these removed fields elsewhere on Facebook. So, we can all keep talking about Jesus. All good. —> Want to get the latest news and top tips on digital and church comms? Sign up to receive The Informer every Wednesday morning for free at www.digitalchurchtoolkit.com
With 45 million people giving their attention every day to the platforms that you are on, opportunity to reach those in your community with the gospel is enormous.
FACTS: Facebook has added an option in Groups to allow members to make themselves moderators. TIPS: Don't turn on this setting. If you need moderators then choose them from members you know and trust. This seems like a very bizarre option from Facebook.
//IT’S TOMORROW 🎉// The Digital Church Summit → There are 45 million people regularly using social media in the UK, making it the nation’s largest mission field. The Summit will help you and your Church maximise this opportunity for the Gospel through a fruitful digital presence. —> Register today and join with hundreds of other leaders and believers from across the UK to learn how you and your church can advance the Gospel in the digital age. Our desire is that at the Digital Church Summit you’ll learn effective strategies for spreading the Good News in 2022 and beyond. —> Register today at www.digitalchurchtoolkit.com/summit
Whether it’s practical advice from the coalface of church comms or top-level insights into the future trends in the Church, this event will be packed full of fresh inspiration, strategies and ideas for you to take back to your Church. —> Register today and join with hundreds of other leaders and believers from across the UK to learn how you and your church can advance the Gospel in the digital age. Our desire is that at the Digital Church Summit you’ll learn effective strategies for spreading the Good News in 2022 and beyond. —> Register today at www.digitalchurchtoolkit.com
We have brought together nationally and internationally recognised speakers and leaders, who all have a unique perspective on the digital age, church comms and the UK church, so you can learn from their skills and experience. —> Register today and join with hundreds of other leaders and believers from across the UK to learn how you and your church can advance the Gospel in the digital age. Our desire is that at the Digital Church Summit you’ll learn effective strategies for spreading the Good News in 2022 and beyond. —> Register today at www.digitalchurchtoolkit.com/summit
As a church comms manager you have LOTS of stuff on your plate. How can you possibly begin to do it all? Learn to delegate. Find someone who can help you with those Sunday slides. Suddenly with them off your plate, you can focus on other things.Want more tips like this? —> The Digital Church Summit, on November 24th, will be packed full of new ideas and helpful tips for your church comms. Join hundreds of leaders and believers from across the UK to learn how you and your church can advance the Gospel in the digital age. —> Register Today at www.digitalchurchtoolkit.com/summit #churchcommunications #socialmedia #simple
Social media is like a beast that needs feeding with content. How can your church keep feeding the beast? The sermon. People outside the church are looking for things that give them life. And the likelihood is that the sermon (hopefully) will bring it to them. By having a plan, your sermon becomes content for social media. Through video clips, you are able to consistently feed the beast with content that help your audience find and follow Jesus. —> Want more tips like this? The Digital Church Summit will be packed full of new ideas and helpful tips for your church comms. —> Join hundreds of leaders and believers from across the UK to learn how you and your church can advance the Gospel in the digital age. —> Register Today at www.digitalchurchtoolkit.com/summit #churchcommunications #socialmedia #simple
Here, Josh, co-founder of Digital Church Toolkit, shares info on using hashtags for your church's content. -> Want more tips like this? The Digital Church Summit will be packed full of new ideas and helpful tips for your church comms. -> Join hundreds of leaders and believers from across the UK to learn how you and your church can advance the Gospel in the digital age. -> Register Today at digitalchurchtoolkit.com/summit
It's October and it's likely you're in the midst of Christmas planning. It's important you define success and what your Church is wanting to achieve this year. —> Defining success allows you to set priorities, be focused, and evaluate how well you did afterwards. #christmas #churchcommunications #digitalchurch
// Register Free Today - Link in bio // —> Dave Adamson was one of the first online pastors in the world, growing and leading online communities of more than 80,000 people each week. We're excited that in less than 2 weeks we will be hearing him speak at Digital Church Summit. —> // Register Free Today - Link in bio // —> (Thanks Phil Cooke for this great interview with Dave Adamson)
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