Why Won’t Someone Just Make It Easy for Churches? Because It’s Not.
Thousands of churches are getting serious about developing a digital ministry strategy. I know because you’re reaching out to us here at The Unstuck Group asking for help.
I also know because pastors have been reaching out to me personally with this question:
“Tiffany, what would YOU do if you worked at our church?“
What would I do? You may not want to hear it… But before I get into that let me tell you where my perspective was initially formed.
I started my career at a marketing communications agency. We served big national consumer brands, like Verizon and Bridgestone Golf, as well as local small businesses and regional B2B companies.
Our clients asked us to help them solve all kinds of problems—from internal and external communications strategy to branding to public relations to digital marketing.
And when we signed a new client, the start-up process with every single one of them—regardless of company size, region, market or business model—was exactly the same.
Before we could craft a single communications strategy, we needed to learn some things about this new company, and we needed complete clarity around each of the following questions:
- What’s your vision for the next 5 years? (What do you want your company to look like?)
- Who is your target customer? (Who do you serve really, really well?)
- How are you reaching them now? (What’s already working for you? What’s driving growth?)
- If you’re losing customers, why are they leaving? (What are they choosing instead?)
- Who is your competition? (And how do you compare?)
- How are you perceived in your target market? (Is the perception true? Do we need to change it?)
- What are your goals for trying a new strategy? (How will we know we’re helping you win?)
- Who does what on your team? (Who owns and drives each goal?)
If those sound more big picture than specifically related to communications strategy, it’s because they are.
No digital strategy company worth its hefty retainer would tell you they can give you a strategy that will work without diving deep into understanding who you are, where you’re going, and how you define success.
(That’s a good reason to be skeptical of ANYONE who promises you a plug-and-play social media plan or digital ministry strategy.)
Digital Ministry Strategy = Ministry Strategy
Back when the pandemic began and churches were shifting ministry online, so many of us started producing content to try to help. I’m sure many other leaders felt the frustration I did:
We’re speaking in a language pastors don’t know. We’re not really helping. We’re just adding to the noise.
Digital Ministry Strategy = Ministry Strategy Share on XWe’ve been trying so hard to come up with a simple, straightforward way to give pastors exactly what they need to translate their ministry strategy into a digital strategy.
If you’ve felt frustrated, know that we have, too. We want to help you win.
But I’m getting more clarity about why this feels complicated with each new conversation.
It’s because it is complicated.
Ultimately, your digital ministry strategy cannot be an addition to your “real” ministry methods. For this to work at all, you’re going to have to start where we used to start with new clients when I worked at the marketing agency.
You have to dig all the way down to the foundation of your ministry and start answering those questions I listed above.
Your digital ministry strategy cannot be an addition to your “real” ministry methods. You have to dig all the way down to the foundation of your ministry and answer those key questions first. Share on XAnd when you answer honestly, you’re going to see how digital media can be leveraged strategically in many areas of your ministry.
Digital strategies are going to become embedded parts of your ministry strategy. It won’t be something separate. It won’t be something different. They will be elemental, essential, components of how you do what you do to help people far from God meet him and take next steps in their relationship with him.
That new, clear perspective you have on how your church does ministry will include in-person gatherings and environments and online gatherings and environments—with both in-person next steps and digital ones.
And they’ll all be completely woven together, into one comprehensive way you do church.
And you’ll revisit, and change it, and try new things, and keep iterating with the things you learn—because it won’t be your digital ministry strategy. It will just be your ministry strategy.
You’ll waste your money on contractors if you hire them before you’ve done the heavy lifting.
I’m probably hammering this point home way beyond what’s necessary, but here it is again.
There’s no quick fix here.
You’ll waste your money on contractors if you hire them before you’ve done the heavy lifting (answering questions about the foundation of your ministry.) Share on XBut let me close by trying to bring some hope:
Churches and missionaries have been answering questions like I listed above (with some obvious differences) for a long time. Here at The Unstuck Group, we’ve helped 650+ churches do that in just the last 15 years, and there are many other organizations and individuals who help churches do it, too.
With clear answers to questions like these, any church can make the pivots it needs to make.
Engage outside help for web design, apps, video production and social media to help execute things you don’t have expertise in.
No one but YOU, pastor, can lead the charge with a team to clarify these things for your church:
- What’s your vision for the next few years? (What do you believe God wants your church to look like?)
- Who are you trying to reach? (Who has God equipped you to serve really, really well?)
- How are you reaching them now? (What’s already working for you? What’s driving growth?)
- If you’re losing people, why are they leaving? (What are they choosing instead?)
- Who is your competition? (HINT: It’s probably not other churches. How is culture attempting to meet the needs only God and the local church can truly meet?)
- How are you perceived in your community? (Is the perception true? Do you need to change it?)
- What are your goals for trying a new strategy? (How will you know you’re winning?)
- Who does what on your team? (Who owns and drives each goal?)
If you’re feeling paralyzed by the significance of the change that needs to be led, you’re in good company. God’s given you an opportunity to carry the mission of the Church forward and see a great harvest. If you start trying to answer those questions and realize you need help, let’s talk.
Carry the weight God’s given you the responsibility to carry. If you do that well, you’ll also be able to more clearly see the path forward for structuring your team and hiring outside support in a way that leads to success.
