The Social Media Gospel: Sharing the Good News in New Ways

by Meredith Gould

Overview

If you are responsible for managing digital communications in your parish, staying current with trends in the rapidly changing world of social media can seem like an overwhelming task. Which social medium platforms make sense for your church community? How can you make them an effective tool for ministry?

As a veteran social media expert, author, and sociologist, Meredith Gould has helped answer these questions and more in her best-selling book The Social Media Gospel. In this second edition, Gould provides an easy-to-understand, step-by-step guide to digital ministry for those wishing to embrace new technologies to build community and deepen faith. In this expanded edition, Gould delivers new content with humor, helpful tips, and counsel anchored in practical experience. She focuses on key topics for effective church communication, including:

• Building and ministering to online communities
• Privacy and self-disclosure in the digital age
• Integrating communications across digital platforms
• Managing and monitoring social media
• Faith storytelling with visual social media
• Hashtag development and live-tweeting

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814635582
Publisher:	Liturgical Press, The
Publication date:	07/15/2013
Pages:	152
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.20(d)

About the Author

Meredith Gould, PhD, is a sociologist, longtime spiritual seeker, online community manager, and digital communications professional. Her consulting experience spans all levels of church across denominations. Dr. Gould is nationally known as a passionate advocate of using digital tools for ministry and to encourage practical spirituality. Learn more at www.meredithgould.com.

Table of Contents

Foreword David L. Hansen ix

Preface xiii

Acknowledgments xvii

Section I Frameworks for Understanding 1

1 Defining Social Media 3

2 Thinking Theologically 7

3 Thinking Generationally 13

4 Learning Styles 18

5 Personality Types 22

6 Virtual Community Is Real Community 27

Section II Choosing Social Media 33

7 Strategic Planning 35

8 Participants and Participation 39

9 Curating and Creating Content 42

10 Print Is Not Dead; It's Being Transfigured 45

11 Bridging the Digital Divide 48

12 Reaching Out to Special Populations 52

13 Social Media Durability 55

14 Why Choose Blogging 58

15 Why Choose Facebook 62

16 Why Choose LinkedIn 67

17 Why Choose Pinterest 70

18 Why Choose Twitter 74

19 Why Choose YouTube 78

Section III Making Social Media Work 83

20 Integrating Social Media 85

21 Managing Social Media on Multiple Platforms 89

22 A Bit of How-To about Tweetchats 92

23 Jargon Alert 96

24 A Bit of How-To about Writing Online Content 99

25 Managing Online Conflict 102

26 Social Media Burnout 106

27 Best Practices for Digital Ministry 110

Appendix A Strategic Choices 113

Appendix B Yes, You Need a Social Media Policy 115

Appendix C The Communications Audit 121

Notes 124

Subject Index 129

Scripture Index 134

Editorial Reviews

Meredith Gould's The Social Media Gospel is a go-to text for my course on digital media and ministry, and it has been very well received by students. Pastoral ministry students value its practicality, its keen awareness of digital culture, and its warm, accessible and authentic tone. Part of the challenge of ministry formation in our digital culture is that it can seem like an overwhelming context. Gould's book makes the overwhelming not only accessible but enjoyable as she readily brings herself and her valuable practical experiences to this text. I am #grateful for the second edition, which acknowledges the changing shape of our digital culture, even in two short years since the first book. Hope there is a third, fourth and more down the line."
            Daniella Zsupan-Jerome
            Assistant Professor of Liturgy, Catechesis and Evangelization
            Loyola University New Orleans

This book's themes are pretty straightforward: church is more than a building, online life mirrors offline life, strategic thinking guides wise decisions. The gift of The Social Media Gospel lies in Meredith's frank and accessible advice for putting those principles to work in a ministry landscape we can all find overwhelming. I can’t wait to share this expanded edition with new cohorts of seminarians and practicing ministers.
            Kyle Matthew Oliver, digital missioner in the Center for the Ministry of Teaching at Virginia Theological Seminary

“In the first edition of The Social Media Gospel, author Meredith Gould offered the basics to take the fear away from tackling social media, especially in ministry settings. Rather than replacing face-to-face connections, we learn the best ways to use online communication and social media to enhance our ministry. In her second edition, Gould adds even more detailed guidance for our individual needs. Both editions are gems for those wishing to properly navigate the ever-changing waters of social media.”
Elizabeth Caywood, Living Lutheran

From the Publisher