Barber’s Faith Speech, How to Maximize Your Church’s FB Page & Being a Regular at Church

Faith, according to SBC President Bart Barber, “does not always mean doing the riskiest thing—that’s foolishness, not faith.” But in his address Monday night to members of the SBC Executive Committee, he added “faith does mean doing the right thing, even if it’s risky.”

Pointing to the “Hall of Faith” passage in Hebrews 11, Barber said he is encouraged, even while living “in times that frighten me,” because the men and women listed in the familiar passage were not necessarily the people with the most or most consistent faith. Instead, they were imperfect heroes who had faith when it counted most.

Barber noted that at some points, what is listed in Hebrews 11 points to God rather than the men or women listed.
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In a post in the Baptist Press toolbox, Jonathan Howe offer nine ways you can help your church’s presence on Facebook. Here’s a few of them.

Give as much information as possible in the “About” section. Facebook offers several fields for you to enter information about your church—use them.

Remember your audience. Many of those who like and view your page will be members looking to stay in the know about what is happening at the church.

Get permission to post photos of kids. Many parents have an aversion to posting pics of their children, so it’s always best to ask or make parents aware that there is the possibility pictures from events might end up online.

Use Facebook events for major church-wide events. Facebook events can be highly effective, so save their use for major ministry or outreach events.

Encourage your members to share. Do not hesitate to ask members to share updates, promotional pictures, or events. It’s always better to have a few hundred people sharing a post rather than just your church page.

Answer any messages or questions promptly. The only thing more frustrating than not being able to find an answer is asking a question only to have it ignored. When people ask you questions through the messages function or in comments, answer them quickly and courteously.

Get all the tips in the toolbox at Baptist Press.
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Good News for Today is sponsored by The Voice of the Martyrs

Good News for Today is made possible through our friends at The Voice of the Martyrs, a nonprofit organization that serves persecuted Christians around the world. Founded in 1967 by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM is dedicated to inspiring believers to deepen their commitment to Christ and to fulfill His Great Commission — no matter the cost. Find out more and sign up for their free monthly magazine at vom.org/goodnews.
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If you want to be considered a regular at a local church by those behind the pulpit and in the pews, you’ll probably need to show up in person at least a couple times a month.

A study from Lifeway Research finds a majority of both U.S. Protestant pastors and churchgoers consider someone to be a regular church attender if they attend twice a month or more. Most also say that’s based on how often they attend a worship service, not other church activities.

Church attendance has decreased in the U.S., according to studies from multiple research organizations. Those trends were already pointing downward prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which only accelerated the churchgoing declines for many. Last fall, Lifeway Research found the average church is currently at 85% of their pre-pandemic attendance levels.

Read the full piece and sign up for our daily emails at Baptist Press.com.