This is a presentation that was given to the mission developers and redevelopers at the July, 2013 ELCA Missional Leaders Training in Baltimore, MD by Pastor Ed Kay, Assistant to the Bishop for the Delaware-Maryland Synod, ELCA.

1. Making Sense of
Social Media
And How to Use It For Ministry
Rev. Ed Kay
Delaware-Maryland Synod

2. Outline for the Workshop
• Guiding principles
• Uses for pastoral & congregational ministry
• For you... your leadership... your church...
your community
• Effective uses of social media
• Questions from the group

3. Guiding Principles
It’s about discipleship.
“No one else can build a discipling culture for you - it
must begin in your own life and then overflow into the
lives of those you lead. You will not be the perfect
example, but you can be a living example.”
- Mike Breen, Building a Discipling Culture

4. Guiding Principles
It is a tool for ministry.
“Social media is a set of tools that will exponentially
increase your ability to [proclaim the Gospel and to care
for your flock].”
- David Hansen, The Social Media Gospel (forward)

5. Guiding Principles
Virtual community vs. real presence.
“Social media can be an extension of a pastor’s
personal presence but will never entirely replace it.”
- David Hansen, The Social Media Gospel (forward)

6. Platform: Facebook
You Leadership Church Community
• You: Profile - interacting with members/community,
being a “living example” of a disciple
• Leadership: Group - building community, coordinating
ministries, communicating info
• Church: Group - building community, coordinating
ministries, communicating info
• Community: Page - public face of the congregation
✺✺ ✺ ✺

7. Platform: Twitter
You Leadership Church Community
• You: Profile - interacting with members, ambassadors
for church & faith, one way to “hold the newspaper”
• Community: sharing the Good News with the
surrounding community
✺ ✺

8. Platform: Blogging
You Leadership Church Community
• You: sermons, devotionals, theological writings
• Leadership: special initiatives, general communication
• Church: life of the church
• Community: sermons, living out the strategic plan of
the congregation
✺ ✺ ✺ ✺

9. Platform: Google Drive
You Leadership Church Community
• You: personal productivity
• Leadership: collaborating on projects,
council/leadership team docs
• Church: registering for events/groups
• Community: registering for events/groups
✺ ✺✺✺

10. Platform: Dropbox
You Leadership Church Community
• You: personal productivity
• Leadership: collaborating on projects,
council/leadership team docs
✺ ✺

11. Platform: Instagram
You Leadership Church Community
• You: interacting with members/community, being a
“living example” of a disciple
• Church: visual images of the ministry of the church;
sharing pics with others to invite/encourage
• Community: visual images of the ministry of the church
✺ ✺ ✺

12. Platform: YouTube
You Leadership Church Community
• You: sermons, devotionals
• Church: sermon/teaching compliments, visual images
of the ministry of the church, sharing videos with others
to invite/encourage
• Community: visual images of the ministry of the
church, evangelism/outreach
✺ ✺✺

13. Other Platforms
• Vine
• Pinterest
• Meeting Wizard / Doodle
• Foursquare

14. Effective Personal Uses of
Social Media
• Be you
• Be interactive
• Be mindful
• Be humble
• Be bold

15. Social Media & Safety
• ELCA - www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-
Three-Expressions/Churchwide-
Organization/Communication-
Services/Resources/Web-Ministry/Social-
Media.aspx
• St Paul Area Synod - www.spas-
elca.org/resources/social-media-use-and-
boundaries

16. Online & Print Resources
• Online
• St Paul Area Synod - www.spas-
elca.org/resources/social-media-use-and-
boundaries
• #chsocm - www.churchsocmed.blogspot.com
• Print
• Click to Save by Elizabeth Drescher & Keith
Anderson
• The Definitive-ish Guide for Using Social Media in
the Church by Bruce Reyes-Chow
• The Social Media Gospel by Meredith Gould