Build Community and Grow Disciples Through Digital Engagement

A Stronger Church and Community

Spiritual growth and development have never been confined to the walls of a church. You need to take advantage of critical opportunities to engage with your community by using only traditional communication and engagement methods. Churches that embrace digital communication and interaction have experienced tremendous attendance, engagement, and discipleship growth.

As you discover technology's almost limitless potential for connecting with others, you’ll notice how it strengthens and supplements on-campus experiences, particularly those related to discipleship and engagement.

Digital engagement can strengthen your church and community and help you accomplish your mission.

At its center, digital engagement isn’t about technology. Instead, it is a toolbox allowing your church to connect with your congregation and community in new and recurring ways, ensuring meaningful interactions that transcend time and geographical boundaries.  

As the landscape of church attendance habits shifts and community interaction evolves, you need an intentional digital strategy to reach people where they are. A comprehensive digital presence will:  

Change Dynamics: When your church welcomes and adapts to online engagement, you’ll experience increased connection and relevance within your community. 
Expand Reach: Digital platforms enable your church to reach beyond local communities, engaging a global audience.   
Enhance Community Involvement: Online tools foster participation, allowing your members to engage in church activities remotely.   
Create a Welcoming Environment: An accessible digital presence ensures everyone, including those with physical limitations, can participate in church life.

Digital engagement is more than bringing the church to life online. It’s a way to have deep, impactful interactions with people that help them grow as disciples. Combining the various digital tools and platforms creates inviting spaces for worship, evangelism, and community building.

Let’s explore the essentials of digital engagement together and highlight vital tools, strategies, and benefits your church can use to grow disciples and fund ministry.      

Getting Started

Interact with Greater Impact

Digital engagement can transform your church significantly, broadening your impact and fostering a stronger, more connected community.  As you incorporate digital technology into your strategy, you can conduct a digital audit, set clear goals, and encourage your staff or volunteers to lead different aspects of the digital program.

Conduct a Digital Audit

Adding exciting new digital communication channels to your current strategy might be tempting. Still, before you audit your digital technology and platforms, ensure you 1) choose the best options available for your church, mission, and community and 2) don’t waste time or money on digital resources you don’t need or like.

When you start your audit, assess your current engagement efforts, such as the number of website visitors, the number of people watching your live stream, and the amount of online giving. Identify strengths and areas for improvement.

Document the percentage of your community that only uses digital channels, the percentage that never uses digital, and the percentage that uses a combination of both.

A digital audit will provide valuable insight into how to improve and further engage with your community and spark ideas for reaching more people with your mission.

Set Clear Goals

Goals help your church stay laser-focused on your mission. When you define your strategic objectives, include digital information in your plan. Write digital-specific goals that align with your overall goals. Focus your goals on achievable results that propel your church in growth, membership engagement, and discipleship in a meaningful way.

To ensure consistent and continual growth in each area you measure, base your goals on the benchmarks from the previous year.

Livestream service attendance
Event attendance and interaction
Website visitors
Social media engagement

Digital technology includes reporting features so you can track your goals, making measuring your engagement effectiveness easy.

Train Staff and Volunteers

Digital technology does take time to learn–time many leaders don’t have. This is when you recruit the help of staff or volunteers. You can find many people inside your church who enjoy the digital world and would love to help you.

To be successful, they need the proper training to implement your church’s digital tools. Digital platforms often come with tutorials that people can watch or read. They can also contact the company directly if they need further assistance.

Having your staff or volunteers help run technology frees up your time and allows them to use their talents. When they connect with your church in this way, you provide an additional opportunity for them to grow as disciples.

PLanning and Budgeting

Invest in the Future of Your Mission

Creating a budget for online engagement is crucial to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of digital initiatives. If you don’t invest enough in digital, you will miss opportunities to connect with people and grow disciples within your church.  

Here's how your church can approach financial planning in this area:  

Assess Current Needs: Start by evaluating your church's digital presence and identifying areas that require investment, such as live-streaming equipment, software licenses, or staff training.  
Set Clear Goals: Determine what you hope to achieve with online engagement, such as increased audience reach, enhanced content quality, or improved interaction. This will help you prioritize spending.  
Allocate Funds for Technology: Invest in reliable technology to support your digital strategy. This includes high-quality cameras and audio equipment, a robust internet connection, and user-friendly platforms for streaming and interaction.  
Consider Software Subscriptions: Factor in the cost of necessary software, such as streaming services, video editing tools, and design applications. Opt for flexible subscription plans that align with your budget.  
Training and Support: Allocate resources to train staff and volunteers to use new technology and platforms effectively. This investment ensures a smooth digital transition and maintains the quality of online worship experiences.  
Monitor and Adjust: Review the effectiveness of your digital efforts and expenditures regularly. Be prepared to adjust the budget to respond to changing needs and technological advancements.

What should you spend your digital budget on? 

Now: 70% on the “now” strategies and technologies. They include the software and platforms you pay for each year. These drive your immediate results. 

Next: Invest 20% toward technology you plan to add to reach new people, engage at a higher level, and build community. 

New: The last 10% is for emerging technology, which you can use to enhance your strategy and stay ahead. 

By carefully planning and setting a realistic budget, your church can enhance your online worship engagement and ensure you use your resources wisely.

Opportunity to cultivate generosity

Grow Generous Disciples

Generosity is an essential part of discipleship. When people give their time, talents, and finances sacrificially, they grow stronger in their faith.  Living in a digital age allows you to significantly impact the lives of the people you serve and the community.  

By embracing digital platforms, your church has an unprecedented opportunity to cultivate generosity within your community. Here are some strategies to nurture generous disciples through digital means.  

Online Giving Platforms: Integrate trusted giving platforms into your website and mobile apps to facilitate easy and secure donations. Simplify setup processes and provide clear options to encourage recurring donations.   
Storytelling and Impact Reports: Share compelling stories and detailed reports on how contributions positively impact your church and the broader community. Utilize newsletters, social media, and videos to illustrate the transformative effects of generosity.   
Virtual Workshops and Seminars: Host online sessions focusing on stewardship and generosity. Invite experienced speakers to discuss financial planning, generosity as a spiritual discipline, and aligning financial resources with faith-driven missions.   
Gratitude Campaigns: Regularly express appreciation to givers through personalized emails, shout-outs during virtual services, or special mentions in digital newsletters. Highlighting gratitude fosters a culture of generosity and recognition.   
Alignment with Church Mission: Communicate effectively how digital contributions align with the church's overarching mission and vision. Ensuring transparency and connection to church goals helps donors understand the significance of their support.

Implementing A Digital Strategy

Meet Disciples Where They Are

An effective digital engagement strategy has many components, and it can take time to know what success looks like or where to start. Successfully implementing digital engagement strategies requires thoughtful planning and execution.

Digital engagement allows you to connect with a person at the right moment with the right message. Here are some best practices to consider as you communicate and grow disciples in a digital age :

Understand Your Audience: Learn about your congregation's digital communication preferences. What social media platforms do they like? Are they comfortable using a QR code? You can send a survey or talk with them about how to best connect with them online.   
Consistency is Key: Develop a regular schedule for digital communication and engagement. This will help build trust with your congregation and keep them informed and involved in church activities.  
Authenticity and Relatability: Use a genuine and approachable tone in all digital communications. Members respond better to authentic interactions that feel personalized and meaningful.  
Utilize Multi-Channel Approaches: Don’t rely solely on one digital platform. Use a variety of channels such as social media, emails, and text messaging to reach different segments of your congregation where they are most active.  
Encourage Two-Way Communication: Foster interactivity by encouraging congregation members to share their thoughts and experiences. This can be achieved through social media comments, live chat during services, or feedback forms.  
Prioritize Accessibility: Ensure all digital content is accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities. Use alt text for images, provide video transcripts, and ensure easy navigation on digital platforms.  
Measure and Analyze: Regularly assess the effectiveness of your digital strategies using analytics and feedback. This allows you to make informed adjustments that enhance engagement and meet your community's evolving needs.

More accessibility

Connect with Generations of Disciples

With digital communication, it’s easy to forget that real people are behind their screens. However, digital engagement doesn't happen only on Sundays; it happens 24/7/365. You don’t have to engage with your community intentionally every moment of the day, but they can engage with you at any moment, so be there for them.

People can watch your past sermons in the early hours of a weekday morning, listen to your podcast as they drive to work or read a social media post for encouragement before they turn in for the night. People will turn to other sources if you don’t share your message and mission on digital.

Digital communication is an opportunity to reach generations of people who find digital technology not only more accessible to use but also prefer it.

Websites, email, and social media are ingrained aspects of everyday life. Even the older generations have welcomed live streams, email, and social media as ways to connect.

When your church neglects digital as an essential form of communication, you miss opportunities to connect and disciple.

Website

Your website is your front door. It is one of the first places people go to learn about your church. Your website should be simple and use explicit language. Ensure it’s easy to navigate so people can find what they want. The most common information people want is the days and times of your services.   

Ensure the design is user-friendly and mobile-responsive to cater to everyone. For returning visitors, add these essential features to your website:  

Event calendars: Let people know what’s happening at your church. Please include the date, time, location, and other relevant information, and allow them to add the event to their calendar.   
Sermon archives: Designate a page on your website to store past sermons. This allows people to listen to messages they missed messages or refer to ones they enjoyed. As they refer to this section, many people will grow stronger in their faith.   
Donation options: Provide a way for people to give. Online giving continues to increase, and some people find giving easier.

Live Streaming Services 

By embracing the power of live streaming, your church can transcend geographical boundaries, connect with a broader audience, and foster a sense of unity among your congregation.  

The best platforms to consider are the ones your audience already uses, such as:  

YouTube   
Facebook Live   
Zoom

Don’t forget about your online participants during the service or event.  Engage your audience with interactive elements like Q&A sessions or polls. Including them will keep them connected, engaged, and coming back.  

Social Media Platforms 

Don’t overlook social media. It allows you to share with the community, foster a sense of connection, and share important messages and events. Social media has the potential to reach those who don’t attend church, giving you a more significant platform for evangelism and discipleship.  

Facebook: Perfect for building community and promoting events. Create groups and share updates to keep the congregation informed.   

Instagram: Use for visual storytelling—share photos and videos that capture church life and events.   

Twitter: Offers real-time communication and a platform for discussions and announcements. Create a hashtag specific to your church to make it easier for people to follow conversations. Use the name of your church as a hashtag.   

Email Newsletters

Email remains the workhorse of digital communications. It lets you stay in regular contact with your congregation and provide updates and news. Despite what you may have heard, people read email as long as you provide valuable, timely, and personalized information.  

Start with the Sender’s name. Have the email come from a natural person at your church, such as the pastor or youth minister.  People open emails when they recognize who it’s sent them.   

Keep the content clear and concise. Avoid attachments; people know this allows viruses to enter their computers. Instead, link relevant information on your website to your email.   

Share a variety of compelling and valuable content that resonates and encourages readership. You can send:  

Events   
Stories  
Mission work  
Updates   
News

Church Management Systems (ChMS) 

Church Management Systems are integral in streamlining administration and enhancing community communication. These digital platforms help organize information and automate tasks, facilitating a more efficient management experience.   

Your chosen ChMS will depend on your church size and how you plan to use it. A ChMS will help you: 

Membership Management: Easily track member information, attendance, and involvement in church activities, enabling personalized engagement and follow-up.   

Financial Management: Simplify the tracking of tithes, donations, and expenses with robust reporting tools that provide transparency and accountability.   

Communication Tools: Send targeted messages to specific groups within your congregation to ensure essential announcements and updates reach the right audience.   

Event Scheduling: Coordinate and manage church events, allowing smooth operations and preventing scheduling conflicts.   

Investing in a comprehensive ChMS can significantly reduce administrative burdens and allow your church leaders to focus on ministry and community-building efforts.

Greater Reach in Your Community

Transform Communities

Livestream has transformed how churches operate and interact with their communities. It allows you to connect with members who can’t attend in person, engage a broader audience, or provide an inclusive worship experience.  

Broader Reach: Allows your services to reach people beyond your local community, including those who are homebound, traveling, or living in different parts of the world. People can access recorded live streams anytime, allowing them to participate in services conveniently. It increases awareness of your church and its activities, potentially attracting new members and expanding your ministry.  

Accessibility: Ensure everyone has access to worship and community, regardless of physical or geographical limitations. Live streaming allows individuals with disabilities or those facing other barriers to attending in-person services to participate fully. This inclusivity is vital to foster a welcoming and supportive church environment.  

Engagement: Live streaming provides an interactive platform where viewers can interact in real-time through comments, reactions, and shares. This immediate feedback and interaction create a dynamic and engaging worship experience, fostering a sense of belonging and participation.  

Community Building: Live streaming creates opportunities for mutual support and prayer requests. Community building can extend beyond services by allowing people to attend events such as concerts, Bible studies, or movie nights.  

Creating a vibrant and engaging online worship experience involves more than just streaming a service. Here are some strategies to ensure meaningful engagement with your congregation:   

Interactive Sermons: Integrate chat features to encourage real-time interaction. During the service, attendees can ask questions or share reflections. Consider inviting your members to lead parts of the worship or share testimonies.   
Personalized Communication: Use email and social media to reach out individually to congregation members, acknowledging milestones or offering support. Personal touches can significantly enhance the sense of connection.   
Virtual Small Groups: Encourage participation in online small groups or Bible studies. These groups can meet through video conferencing, allowing for deeper discussion and connection beyond the leading service.   
Digital Prayer Walls: Set up an online space for members to post prayer requests and offer prayers for others. This will foster a supportive community and keep the congregation engaged in each other's lives.   
Pre- and Post-Service Activities: Host virtual coffee hours or discussion forums before or after the service to give members a chance to socialize and delve deeper into the sermon topic.

By intentionally structuring interactive, community-focused online worship services, your church can cultivate a thriving digital congregation that feels connected and involved despite physical distances.   

YOUR PARTNER IN SUCCESS

Encourage Discipleship with the Right Partner–Horizons Stewardship  

Horizons Stewardship offers invaluable expertise to guide churches toward successful digital engagement, expand their reach, and amplify their ministry's impact. With a proven track record in helping faith communities navigate the complexities of digital engagement, Horizons provides strategic insights tailored to each church's unique context.  

By collaborating with Horizons, churches can benefit from a comprehensive assessment of their current digital presence and receive a personalized roadmap for growth. This includes guidance on effectively leveraging technology, fostering meaningful online interactions, and ensuring that digital initiatives align with the church's mission and goals.  

Furthermore, Horizons supports churches in cultivating a network of trained volunteers and staff, optimizing resources, and utilizing analytics to fine-tune their strategies. Through their partnership, churches are empowered to create a dynamic digital environment that connects, inspires, and nurtures their congregations.  

Take advantage of digital engagement to reach new heights for your organization. Contact Horizons today, and let us help you unleash the power of digital to help you effectively engage and grow disciples within your community.