Facebook has given a secret gift to parishes Since Meta purchased Instagram in 2012, the developers at Facebook have been working really hard to be the social media channel of choice for neighborhood groups and local businesses. They’ve revamped their entire algorithm to help local organizations reach people in their neighborhoods. That’s the best-case scenario for Catholic parishes. Now, when your parish posts something on Facebook and your followers like and share that post, Facebook starts showing that post to more and more people in your neighborhood. If Susan shares your post, Facebook shows it first to Susan’s friends who live in the same area instead of Susan’s friends who live a few hours away or across the country. One of the most effective evangelization tools we have is for parishioners to invite their friends, colleagues, family, and neighbors to join them at Mass, or attend a parish function. Facebook powers that sort of interaction daily. All you must do is serve up the content and your parishioners will like, share, and evangelize for you. In this day and age, having your parishioners promote and share content from your parish on social media is 10x more effective than asking your parishioners to knock on doors. Plus, it’s free and your parishioners want to do it. |
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In the first century, St. Paul used all the tools available to him to evangelize. He could speak and write Greek, he had an amazing reputation as a Pharisee, and he had access to the Roman road system. You can bet he put all those tools to use while spreading the Good News. We can do the same. Your parish can use social media to engage and inspire your parishioners – and let them share your messages with their friends, family, and neighbors. |