Internet Ministries (IM), an Archdiocesan department, serves a resource for the national Church, the Metropolises, and individual parishes who seek it— and today, our favorite internet ministers took a break for their (otherwise nonstop) work behind the scenes to offer a workshop on engaging technological tools more effectively in our communities.
This accessible workshop focused on a central question proposed by Director Jamil Samara: “Think about the person, and not just the technology. How do we minister to them?” The expectation that “throwing technology at a problem” in the hopes of solving it simply doesn’t hold up; rather, Samara suggested, it it important to build relationships— and then maintain and strengthen them through various technologies. “The who is the real key. Who are the people on the other side [of a digital platform]?” he explained.
With this in mind, the team outlined ten key areas for parishes to focus on in 2024:
- Email Marketing Solutions
- Multiplatform Communication
- Website Navigation
- Data Driven Decision Making
- Relationship Building
- Live Streaming
- Graphics
- Local SEO Optimization
- Non-Profit Discounts
- Artificial Intelligence
Through careful and concise explanation, IM encouraged productive and collaborative discussion between participants, who shared specific challenges and best practices from their own experiences with one another. In one instance, a participant wondered how best to use livestreaming to bring elderly, homebound parishioners closer to the community, and in this case, IM proposed, the solution is not technological at all, but relational. Establishing a kind of “care team”— perhaps comprised by young adult parishioners— to visit elderly community members and assist them in logging onto a livestream service each Sunday might be one way of engaging more people in the liturgical and the communal life of the Church.
The aim is to bring people, parish members or not, closer to the faith through technology. “You want people to find you,” said Andrew Constantinou, so give them the opportunity to do so.”
In order to be most effective, parishes’ relationships with tech should be dynamic and continuous, rather than a one-time installation. According to Niko Kyritsis, when it comes to data driven decision making, it’s best to ensure firstly that analytics tools are properly set up and then to regularly review statistics so as to make changes and update practices accordingly. Where possible, a focused, team effort— including parish administrators, parish priests, and even a designated communications team— supports just this kind of active and strategic use of technological tools. Likewise, the Internet Ministries team is available to assist parishes in navigating these opportunities— in part by providing a number of free and discounted tools. Among them: free accounts for Constant Contact, a digital marketing platform, for every parish, 75 of which have already activated their accounts; Canva, a free, web-based tool for graphic design; and Techsoup, which explicitly aims to empower nonprofits by providing them with discounts on technical support and technological tools.
Missed the workshop? The Internet Ministries team is available at its booth in the Exhibit Hall (Eventide) today. Or, reach out to [email protected]
Photos: GOARCH/Brittainy Newman.
