One of the last things Jesus told his followers was “Go and make disciples.” The words are simple to understand. But after 2,000 years, they are still hard to put into practice.
That is why we have created this Digital Discipleship Guide. Leadership and ministry are rapidly changing. The rate of change in culture has been accelerating for quite a while, but the pandemic shifted this change into high gear.
Blog Post
Does your church have a website? Most likely, the answer is yes. This is one of the easiest ways to reach people because all you have to do is make use of your website’s blogging capabilities. You can use your sermon or sermon series as a basis for these posts.
As a pastor, your preferred delivery method is speaking, but there are lots of people who would rather read your sermon than listen to it (no offense!). It all comes down to learning style. In addition, there are people who would like to revisit your sermons in written form.
Podcast
Your church is probably already recording your sermon audio, so why notrepurpose it as a podcast?
Most churches have their own podcast these days, so this is a great time to join the podcasting movement. But you are not limited to just sermon audio. You can also host conversations with other pastors, church members, or even community leaders on topics that are important to your ministry. This can also be a great tool to use to dive deeper into parts of the sermon you didn’t have time to preach on from the pulpit.
YouVersion
TheYouVersionapp is a fantastic resource not only for reading the Bible, but for other types of devotional content as well.
You can use the YouVersion app to post your own devotional or sermon content as well as Bible reading plans.
In addition, you can post special events or even details about your church services and location. You can learn more about this resource and how to use ithere.
Some people believe email is an old-fashioned technology that has run its course. But if you talk to any marketing expert, they will tell you that email is still very effective in reaching people.
Why? Because your message is going straight to the other person’s inbox, rather than getting drowned out in their endless social media feeds. Nearly everyone has an email account and checks it at least several times a week.
If your church is not using an email marketing service, you should definitely consider it.
Social Media
With nearly half the world’s population on social media, one thing is for sure: platforms are more accessible than ever before, and they are apowerful gateway between your church and community.
It seems that almost every month, there is a new trendy social media platform popping up. However, we recommend focusing on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, since that is where the majority of your audience probably hangs out.
If you are only going to do one thing on social media, we recommend creating a Facebook group for your church or ministry.
Book
Well-known pastors such as Andy Stanley, Craig Groeschel, Max Lucado and many others write books based on their sermon series. Regardless of the size of your church or platform, you can do the same.
If you have a passion for books, you can reverse-engineer your sermon series to make it more book-ready. In fact, some pastors write book chapters first, then adapt them as sermons. This is a helpful option to keep in mind during your sermon preparation process.
Virtual Small Group
There are a couple of major advantages to having a virtual small group.
First, you caninclude people who are not able to attend in-person eventsat your church, or perhaps don’t even live in your area. This opens up your group to the whole world.
Second, you will attract and engage people who may not normally participate in a live setting. Those who are introverted or shy often come alive in a virtual setting, whereas they might not even attend an in-person group.
If reading these eight suggestions feels overwhelming, you are not alone. Many pastors today feel intimidated by the huge range of options in getting their message to people.
But instead of feeling frustrated and giving up, choose one or two of these options and give it a try in the next week. You might be surprised at how much you enjoy it, and how effective it will be in making disciples for Jesus.
