The short answer is yes: your church should have a Facebook Group.
But to get into more specifics: it’s free, it’s easy to promote events through, and it prompts member interaction.
Not even convinced your church should use Facebook? Here’s a better starting place.
It’s Free
Creating a Facebook Group for your church is free. It’s also through an established platform to not have to heard your congregation to a brand new website. With such a great deal, the real question is how can you not create a Facebook Group? Although the younger generation might be gravitating more toward Instagram, a large majority still have a Facebook in addition to their Instagram account. This makes FaceBook Groups a viable and FREE option for sharing information and creating a community space for your congregation.
Easy Promotion
Sharing articles or posts on Facebook is like a two-click process. It’s easy. People like easy. If your congregation has easy access to blog posts, event announcements or a sermon link, they’re much more likely to share it with their friends who might not yet be a church-goer. It’s a lot of work to modern social media users, to go from one website to another website. Unless they really really REALLY like the content, they’re probably not going to share.
However, if you provide a link in your Facebook Group to the blogpost on your church’s website, not only will that content be easily accessible, but it will pull double duty. It will direct people back to your website. And, getting new viewers to your website is always a good thing.
Church Member Interaction
This was talked about briefly. But, it warrants expanding on. One of the main goals of social media marketing is fostering connections with your audience. You want them to feel apart of a community, you want them to feel invested in your church. Beginning a Facebook Group is a great way to prompt that feeling of community and start that investment.
Like I said, posts are easy to share. More than that, posts are easy to comment on. Conversations can start in the comment sections. And yes, not all comment conversations are positive. However, if you have a moderator who is willing to check those with misguided enthusiasm, then comment conversations can contribute to the communal feeling. They can create connections that evolve into mentorships, small groups, or a person’s willingness to take that next step and attend church for the first time.
Facebook Group vs. Facebook Page
So to summarize, Facebook Groups are free, easy advertising, and an opportunity to foster community.
If you’re looking for the difference uses of a Facebook Group vs. a Facebook Page, then check out this article by Membership Vision. It’ll break down the specific benefits of each as well as give you more reason why your church should have a Facebook Group.
