Virtual Front Door - Practical Tools to Start With
This week, we're letting you in on the details of one of the first of four major initiatives that we’ll be launching through the support of the Lilly Endowment. This one is all about digital ministry, and we’re calling it the Virtual Front Porch Initiative.
Our goal? To help churches build out a digital presence that feels like a true welcome because the front porch is where people connect, stories are shared and new connections begin to bud.
You can read all about the initiative (including how we’ll be partnering with 12 congregations over the next few years) over on our companion post.
But for those of you wondering what small steps you could take right now to improve your church’s website, experiment with social media, or think differently about your digital welcome we’ve gathered a few trusted resources.
Some are tools we’ve highlighted before, others are brand new!
Social Media: A Window Into Your Church
Digital Marketing expert Florence Sevensma helps unpack why digital presence matters for congregations of every size. She explores how people now “visit” online long before showing up in person, how small, consistent rhythms build trust, and why storytelling is what creates connection. Florence also shares practical, sustainable steps for capturing content, involving volunteers, and protecting both tone and mission. It’s an encouraging, accessible guide for ministry leaders who want to reach people scrolling for hope, belonging, and a place to land.
Listen to the podcast (or wherever you get your podcasts)
Watch the Webinar - contact us for the recording.
What We Learned from Brady Shearer
At Creative Ways ‘24, Brady Shearer joined us as our keynote speaker with a presentation called “The 1-Page Social Media Plan”. We’ll be releasing this keynote on the podcast feed in the near future, but for now here are a few recent episode’s of Brady’s show - The Pro Church Tools Podcast.
New to Social Media? Start Here.
If phrases like “vertical video” or “hook-based content” make your head spin, you’re not alone. You’re probably looking for a smaller, simpler first step into the world of social ministry. Back in 2024 we launched two learning offerings on CHURCHx with our friend and social media expert Tim Campbell-Smith.
Social Media 101: Platforms & Possibilities - Register For Free Here
Social media is wildly expansive: where do we start? What do we do? This course is all about exploring what the major social media platforms are we may use in ministry and what may be possible with them. We'll explore user bases, features and possibilities.
By the end of the course, we hope you'll be able to
Differentiate between platforms and each of their primary appeals to consumers
Compare and contrast similarities and differences between social media platforms.
Social Media 101: Running and Growing A Social Channel - Register For Free Here
Okay, so your ministry got onto social media...now what? In this course we review what it means to run and grow social media channels. We define growth, explore ways to grow and review different tactics and strategies.
By the end of the course, we hope you'll be able to
Begin to define for yourself what growth means,
Differentiate between posting, engagement, and research/planning activities, and
Identify and brainstorm growth strategies.