If the leaders of the Catholic church are advocating social media use for Catholic outreach, shouldn't we evangelical Christians who are passionate about spreading solid Gospel truth (Christ, grace and faith alone) be engaged in a social media strategy for our ministries? 


Several years ago, Pope Benedict XVI encouraged Catholics to use the web and social media to reach others. In a video released by the Vatican on YouTube, he says in part, “So that the Church and its message continue to be present in the great “Mars Hill” of social communications as defined by John Paul II and so that it is not a stranger to those spaces where … people search for answers and meaning in their lives, you must find new ways to spread voices and images of hope through the ever-evolving communications system that surrounds our planet.”  Pope Francis has recently said much the same as recorded in this article from the National Journal. 

Due to this from the Pope, the Vatican added a YouTube account, a personal Facebook page for Pope Benedict then, and for Pope Francis now, an iPhone app, and a Facebook app. Outside of the Vatican, many of those in the Church have heard the "call" from the Pope and started blogging and creating other online resources like Open Source Catholic. 

If the Catholics have aggressively pursued the use of social media, smartphone apps, mobile internet access, and so on, shouldn't we be doing the same in order to reach people "where they are" with Biblical Gospel truth?

Too many of us have continued to only use old outreach options such as “door to door”, newspaper ads, radio spots, phone calling, or postcards. Not that these are wrong, but if they are effective, they are also expensive, require a lot of effort and/or often annoy as many people or more than they reach. 

Why should we use social media and the internet to help people find our church, school, ministry, and the Truth itself?  Well, because that is where people look for information – the information highway. 


People are on the internet and specifically on social media - throughout the day, everyday. We can reach them in their homes, waiting rooms, buses, airports, taxis, etc. with the true Gospel message of salvation through Christ faith and grace alone.

Is your ministry involved in this outreach medium? Is your ministry part of the conversation in social media. Can those who are using social media to find answers, truth, and local help find you? If not, don’t miss the opportunity. Get involved today. Put a strategy together and use this mostly FREE and highly highly utilized communication channel to expand your reach.

If you need help or advice, don’t hesitate to contact us at PurposeLaunch Marketing. Our purpose is launching yours.

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Check out a recent project for a Christian school at www.DiscoverTri-City.com . 

Looking to have your website make a great first impression? First impressions are one of THE most important assets that a website can have. People choose to leave or stay on a webpage in literally seconds. You don't want your website showing up to a meeting with a grape jelly stain on its pants. Here are 8 websites that know their market and are staying trendy. Perhaps these will give you some ideas on how to update your site and make it POP.  What sites have you come across that you think really grab attention and draw you in?

• What if you could promote your ministry more effectively for less money? Even better what if you could reach people in your church with more truth every day of the week as well as the folks in your community or around the world ? You can!

• What if you could have short services and give people truth through video, written and spoken word, pictures and conversation and know that every day, every time the Word would be heard by 50-500 people or more? You can!

• What if this communication was free? It is!

• What if you could grow your ministry, whether a business that is involved in Christian Education, Christian Literature, Christian Camping, Christian music or as a local church with promotion that is cheaper and more direct than ever before? You can!

• If this were all true, would that excite you?

• Would you feel an obligation to rise to the occasion, meet the opportunity head on and deliver?

• Would you feel negligent with the Truth if you didn't have those services and communicate with those people or promote your ministry or church through this means?

If you answered with a resounding "YES," then welcome to the world of social media for ministry.  I know you've heard of Facebook and so on, but perhaps you've not considered how vital it is to be utilizing all of this strategically and consistently.

Many folks age 45+ in ministry think of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn as complicated or for teens or for big business or maybe even as a "time waster."  The truth is that social media is where 75% of the people in your church and community are spending a lot of their time.

They are on the social sites before they get out of bed in the morning and after they go to bed at night.  They are checking Facebook or Twitter in the elevators, on the sidewalks, in their living rooms, in waiting rooms and even in the bathroom.

Social media is a great way to connect with your people, the community and the world all week long almost 24/7. It is a great way to extend your ministry, promote your ministry and communicate Bible Truth. 


If you aren't using social media to communicate truth, Please consider it.

Click below to watch a short video about the power of promotion through social media, then download a FREE resource I put together with 10 Tips on being more strategic with Facebook in your ministry. 

- Mike Glanzer

 If you think a blog site is simply a platform for an individual's personal diary or theological rampage, think once again! Local church and ministry blogging is just one of the most recent, most popular methods to build your ministry, increase your enrollment or reach more people. 

Here are a few reasons why every local church and ministry should capitalize on blogging.

Blogging is Easy and Inexpensive

Blogging is one of the easiest ways to improve your Google page rank and get your ministry noticed. Essentially, when you have a good blog going, and you keep it updated, Google’s search engines will notice your ministry before other similar ministries in the area, especially if your entire website has been built with SEO in mind.

It is simple to have a blog built into your website, and it is easy to either maintain it yourself or have your SEO company’s writers craft updates that will keep people informed and get your blog noticed most easily. Blog entries are inexpensive – even if you hire someone else to do them, they often cost less than $10 apiece. One word of warning – do not outsource to a non-native English speaker to write blogs for you! Writers in countries like India and Pakistan, as well as the Philippines and other Asian countries will write content for pennies on the dollar, but the results are not normally useable and can even result in a lower page rank. In a nutshell, you get what you pay for.

Blogging Is Immediate

You can write a blog entry and publish it immediately, so it’s up on your website just as soon as you’ve hit the “publish” button. You don’t have to worry about page structure, coding, or establishing links – and you don’t have to wait for an IT person to work your new information into his or her schedule. Those days of needing professional IT guys to run your website are almost over and they ARE over in regard to blogging. You can basically keep people informed on an up-to-the minute basis, if you want!

Blogging Converts To Leads For Your Ministry

Considering the fact that more and more people conduct internet research on their own before coming to a Christian school for a visit or before visiting a church, ministries that have a great looking website that includes a blog filled with useful information that is both helpful and educational tend to see a great return on investment once they’ve got the site and blog optimized.

Contact an individual or company that specializes in SEO, or learn more about SEO online to find out more about how blogging can help increase your outreach.

- Mike Glanzer