There may not be much that our society agrees on these days, but I think we can agree on this one thing: social media is an essential tool for connecting families to our ministries.  No matter which platform you choose to use, social media helps keep families in the know in a timely manner, in engaging ways.

It can be easy to get overwhelmed with all of the platforms and options available today. Figure out which two or three platforms are the best for your ministry. In our experience, Facebook and Instagram are two of the best for engaging with families.

Once you have chosen your platforms, you may still find yourself staring at your computer or phone screen, fingers poised to type, but mind blank.  We are here to help!

Here are seven things that parents are looking for from your social media:

Help me see what my kids are doing. 

Almost all parents ask their kids the same question in the car on the way home from church. “How was church? Did you have fun?” And kids often give vague answers like “Good.” It can be difficult for parents to really know what’s going on in your ministry! Help them “see” by posting pictures of their kids in action. Take a picture of them worshipping, or doing an activity, or listening attentively to the Bible Story. You can even reference the Bible Story and let them know where they can go in their own Bible to read it again with their kids!

Be a resource for me.

Help your parents by posting things like which local restaurants they can take their kids to eat for free after church on Sundays, or boredom-buster ideas, rainy-day ideas, etc. Promote community events as well as your church-wide events.

Interact with me.

Post some questions that parents can ask their children around the dinner table or while they are in the car together. Then ask parents to share how their kids replied! You can get some very funny, or some very poignant interaction this way.

Don’t overload me. 

You want to give enough information, but not so much that parents are overwhelmed. Don’t cross-link accounts so that what you post on Instagram also posts to your Facebook account. You can post about the same material, but present it different ways.

But remind me frequently.

If there is an event coming up, post about it multiple times. The day of the event is a nice reminder, but make sure that’s not the only time they hear about the event.

Create Facebook events and invite me.

If you have a fun event coming up in your ministry, create a Facebook event that parents can share with their friends. Sometimes inviting people to church is hard and scary, and this makes it easier!

Make me laugh.

Life is stressful. Posting funny pictures and videos helps people de-stress, and parents can have a great laugh with their kids!

So, flex those fingers and get ready to post about your ministry! When you do, you’ll be creating a connection point that may play a part in lives being changed for eternity.