In this week’s post in our ongoing series on parish hospitality, we begin to land the plane; that is getting into concrete realities of doing the hard work of becoming a welcoming parish. Here we are going to zoom in on a vitally important aspect of being a hospitable parish that is easy to overlook, tempting to neglect, and can seem like an overwhelming challenge to overcome without the right experience, knowledge, or human support. Yep! That’s right. The website. The socials.
Let me start right out of the gate with the main point, because we will come back to it again and again. In a digital age, hospitality begins with the website (and your social media). While there are of course many downsides and negative consequences tied to social media, it remains true that technology is also a great gift to the Church. In many ways, not since the invention of the printing press has such an opportunity to share the Gospel and advance the kingdom of God been given to the Church. As Jesus reminds us, “To whom much is given, much is required” (Lk 12:48). This means, once again, a bit of an honest reflection and examination of conscience is in order!
Considering all that we have talked about so far, especially in part one of our discussion, take some time to honestly reflect on these questions. In that reflection, do not be too hard on yourselves! Make room for what you believe you are doing well. Consider how this could be improved!
Parish Website/Social Media Examination of Conscience
Does our website/social media accurately reflect what we believe?
Does it demonstrate what makes our parish unique?
Does it illustrate a sanctuary where the thirsty can come and drink?
Does it make clear that we are a community of faith, action, and hope? A place where the Gospel is proclaimed, celebrated, and lived?
From our website/social media, is it clear that we are a welcoming family home?
Is it clear that we are a place where believers are equipped and sent forth to renew the world around them?
Is it clear that we are adding value to people’s lives? Not just our parishioners, but also the wider community?
Rarely anymore does anyone go anywhere (especially those of us in the millennial and under demographics) without first checking out the website, checking out the landscape if you will, maybe even looking at reviews or scrolling through social media accounts. That’s precisely the reason the questions above become so important! If we must “think like a visitor” to become a more hospitable parish when visitors are on campus, we also must “think like a visitor” when others visit our website or view our social media!
What is being communicated? Do we use our social media to promote the occasional parish dinner/fundraiser? The fish fry? The giving appeal? As I have said previously, hospitality is about encounter! Who do we need to encounter first? CHRIST! The most hospitable thing we can do is help visitors (and parishioners of course) encounter Christ! That is possible in some ways through our website and even more, through our social media! But it takes intentionality. How is Christ incarnate in our parish community? What makes this a “home”? Now, how can we make that come through on our website and in our social media posts?
A few things to consider doing differently:
Canned Social Media Content: While I do believe that services that provide social media support for parishes are absolutely a good thing, it’s much better when the local parish can let their own unique “incarnational” touch come through even on canned posts. That’s the key to getting the most out of these services. Again, this is purely my opinion, but I am leaning on Church teaching and Scripture, and experience when I say that.
If there is a lack in skill or knowledge to create digital content, then of course utilize these services! But I would invite you to add your own local flavor! Make it unique! That said, there are so many resources and YouTube channels out there designed to help individuals, ministry volunteers, and church staff learn to use social media more effectively! Take advantage of these resources! A few that come to mind:
For social media posts:
Canva (A pretty user-friendly platform to help you design. Endless YouTube tutorials are available to help you learn).
For tips on social media strategy:
Pro Church Tools (Although this is a Protestant group, I have learned a lot from Brady Shearer over the years; consider what could be applied in your own local parish setting).
Repetitive Posts: Many times, I have encountered social media posts by parishes that clearly just are not working. No “likes”, no comments, no shares… The next day I discovered an identical post with the same result. And the next day and so on. A visit to the parish social accounts reveals nothing but a string of repetitive posts with no engagement. That does not look good! It does not actually help the cause! The way to fix an ill-performing post is not simply to do the same post even harder!
I have also seen parishes, that with the best of intentions, have the same two or three people pray daily on their social media. While, this is a good thing, if that is all that is on our social media, it influences how the parish is viewed. Do they look happy to be praying? Are they representative of the parish as a whole? Is the wider parish community involved in some way? Think like a visitor, does this inspire them to come and pray in person? Again, this is not a criticism, but rather an invitation to simply add something more! Keep praying, but what more can we add? How can we do this more effectively?
The same goes for online services. Post-Covid, so many parishes are still streaming their Masses. Again, I am not saying that this is a bad thing. But in streaming those online services we must ask the questions:
What is the perception of online services? What is the experience for those watching?
Does a zoomed-out view of empty pews allow the parish to be seen as that welcoming home? If not, how could we do this better? If yes, why do you believe this to be true?
Is the mix of sound good for streaming? Is the video of good quality? Is there anything of any value in the posted text with the streaming video? Or is it merely the music copyright information?
Is it personal? Am I just watching something unfold from afar or does Fr (and those present for Mass) seem aware of my presence? Is Fr addressing the online audience as well?
Would it be more effective to record and post the homily recorded in a more personal manner and invite parishioners to share online?
Pay Attention to Your Analytics: What kind of posts perform well? And what times of day (and what days) are the best to post? What kind of posts (and what times of day) seem to not do well? What can you learn from that? Again, when looking at analytics it could become tempting to give in to discouragement and/or miss the point! Social media is a means for you to extend the community of the parish to an online space; to transform the world around through the joy of the Gospel via digital outreach. Your social media is a means of providing not only evidence of a fraternal and welcoming home, where Christ dwells, but also an online community space where that can be found, as an extension of parish life. For some parishes, that means 24 “likes” on a post is a great victory! Rejoice in it! For others, it may be smaller. That’s okay! Analytics help you to have a good measurement for whether you are accomplishing the goal; and what may be needed to better serve the community.
Posting Too Much and Posting Too Little: Generally speaking, every post after the first one of the day (and you should try to post daily) will perform half as well as the one before it. That means, if you are going to post more than once a day, they better be good! Too many posts in one day, especially when they are posts that do not land well, are a good way to get “unfollowed” or “unliked.” The good news is, analytics will tell you exactly what posts led to that! But still, the goal is not to simply clog feeds; but rather renew hearts through encounter! Becoming a hospitable parish means we have prayerfully gotten to know our audience and how to stop the scroll!
Well Then… What Works? After years of engagement on social media in ministry settings, I can tell you with certainty that there are some additional kinds of posts to consider that can help your parish become more hospitable in its use of social media. Here are some suggestions:
Real People: We have found over the years that the posts that get the most engagement are the ones with faces; with real people in real life. For our apostolate, that tends to be showing our family life. In the life of the parish that might mean:
Monday Volunteer Spotlight
“Why Are You a Catechist” testimonies (choose those that are the most passionate and enthusiastic)
RCIA Testimonies: “Why did you become Catholic?” (again, passion and enthusiasm)
Five Minutes with Father
Lay Spotlight (how lay people are living out the “Thanks Be to God” of Mass by living the mission in the world. You guessed it! Passion and enthusiasm is a major plus).
Top Fives
o People love lists… What are the favorite books? Favorite movies? Favorite songs? This may seem hokey… But it actually does help! It is an important aspect of community life and naturally, sparks engagement.
Question Posts
Similar to above, some questions lend themselves well to engagement. Some we have used:
If you could have coffee with a saint, who would it be and why?
What is one book that changed your life? Why? How?
Funny posts
One of the best performing posts I ever saw for our diocesan ministry account at the time was very humbling… A Scooby Doo meme… (pictured below) that I did not make. As St John Bosco said, “Following the Lord and obeying his commands does not mean being miserable and never having any fun.” There is a joy that should come through in a hospitable parish! After all, if what we believe is true (and it is), then we should be joyful!
So, what about the website!?
Honestly, hands down the best resource I have ever found on what a parish website should be, is this article written by Brandon Vogt.
There is one thing however I would like to touch on. Once again, I will draw from personal experience to illustrate the point. Hospitality begins with the website. If the mission of the Church is the Great Commission (which it is), then the importance of RCIA should be obvious. However, on most parish websites that does not seem to be the case. I remember when I first began to explore becoming Catholic, I landed on a parish website only to find something that sounded like this:
The RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults), also called the Catechumenate, is a process of initiation into the Catholic Community of Faith for persons who are experiencing a conversion in their lives and seeking either Christian baptism in the Catholic Church or full Communion with the Catholic tradition of Eucharist and Confirmation.
What usually follows is a lengthy description of all of the stages of the RCIA process. The problem with this? It is essentially a catechesis on RCIA in language that is not really all that accessible to the average person who may be considering becoming Catholic. For my part, I had a degree in theology and was working in ministry. Yet even I, did not quite understand what I was reading.
What would be a more hospitable approach? Maybe a simple “Becoming Catholic” tab. Simple language, where to begin. All the details can come later. Invite the person! Share the love of Christ. Encourage! Demonstrate that the parish is the fraternal and welcoming home the person is looking for. Even better, maybe a testimony, or even a few testimonies from those who have come into the Church. What difference has it made in their life? I know for my part, my coming into the Catholic Church felt like the end of a life-long journey where I finally found what I had been looking for; and at the same time, it felt like a commissioning for the purpose for which I was created. In becoming Catholic, my life found meaning in the truest sense. That is precisely the kind of thing that I likely would have responded to had I found it when I first began considering becoming Catholic.
Once again, hospitality begins with the website and with social media. If we must think like a visitor on campus, so must we in our approach to our website and our social media. How is Christ incarnate in our parish community? What makes this a home”? Now, the task is to make that come through on our website and in our social media posts.
