Online Youth Ministry 101

Written by John Cade

How many times have you traveled and left some important items at home? It happens to all of us from time to time. We find ourselves wasting time and resources trying to replace certain items, or we simply try to survive without them. Sometimes, however, going without them is not an option.

Logged On and Tuned Out

This happens often in youth ministry, and you may not even realize it. Youth pastors travel far and wide to reach students, yet leave some of the most basic tools behind. We’ve got to grab hold of the one tool that youth understand and use every day - the internet.

Many of you have no idea where to start. I constantly hear questions such as “Don’t I need to know HTML to build a website?” or “How much money will this take?” After reading this article, hopefully you will have some ideas about where to begin.

Here are four free tools you can use on the internet to reach your students:

Social Networks – These exist to help people connect online. Ask your students which ones they are using, and create profiles on them. This will allow you to see what your students are talking about, who they are communicating with, and keep you informed about what is relevant to their generation. Create groups on these networks for your youth group, which will help you keep your students updated and serve as a landing page for their friends to learn more.

Recommended: Facebook (http://www.facebook.com)

Blogs - A blog is one of the easiest tools to manage to inform both students and their parents. There are several websites that offer free blog accounts. Before you start writing, make sure you are being intentional. Whether it is a post about last night’s football game or a mission trip update for parents, keep it short and to the point. People don’t enjoy reading novels on screen. Write a new post a couple of times a week.

Recommended: Wordpress (http://www.wordpress.com)

Video Sharing – If you don’t have a video camera or can’t afford one, keep it simple. Use your cell phone or a webcam. Publishing a video is entirely free on many video sharing websites. Use funny and interesting videos to connect with your youth to make announcements, convey a spiritual message, or just give them something fun to watch.

Recommended: Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com)

Photo Sharing – Like video, there are several free photo-sharing sites. Social networks let you create albums as well. Post pictures from recent youth events and share them with your students. Offering valuable content like pictures will keep them coming back often, allowing you to use the internet as a constant channel of communication.

Recommended: Flickr (http://www.flickr.com)

Never forget that your content is up against literally everything else on the internet. What does this mean for you? You must update your accounts frequently. Set aside a time (or two or three) each week to upload to videos and pictures. If you’re using social networks, update your status a few times a day so people will know that you are active.

A piece of advice for those who are ready to jump in: don’t create more profiles than you can manage. Start by using one site for each type of media.

Balance Resources with Personality

Perhaps the hardest part of being involved in social media is choosing what to say and when. There is no perfect formula for this. However, one recommendation I always make is to balance resources with personal updates. Yes, of course you want your students to read a daily devotion – so post one to your profiles daily. However, don’t be a robot! If you just fell out of the chair at your desk – tell them. The more personality you show, the more receptive they will be to the resources you provide. And let’s not forget – the root of what you are trying to do is taking advantage of the internet to build relationships with students.

Tie It All Together

Each of your profiles should link back to your blog or your youth ministry website. Your blog or youth ministry website should be the portal for everything else you do online. Wordpress offers a variety of widgets that you can apply to your blog’s sidebar. Take advantage of them to offer the most content in one place as possible. This will help you equip your students to KNOW their faith, OWN their faith, and make their faith KNOWN online.

John Cade

John Cade is the Internet Producer for LifeWay Student Ministry. He can be reached by phone at 615.251.2842 or by email at john.cade@lifeway.com. He loves talking shop about the internet and helping youth pastors use it more effectively, so do not hesitate to contact him.

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