Links to Grace Presbytery's Child Protection Policy and standard policy and release guidelines to help your congregation form a policy for your congregation.

• 2024 GP Child Protection Policy
• Sample: Social Media Policy Template
• Sample: Social Media Policy Template
• Article: Social Media Policy For Churches: The Definitive Guideline
• Article: Church Social Media Policy: 10 Essential Rules
• 53 Templates for Photo Release Forms

GENERAL

Grace Presbytery's preferred platforms are Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Linked In, YouTube, and/or Vimeo.

• Article: Benefits of Social Media to the Church
• Article: Social Media for Churches: The Ultimate Guide
• Article: Mistakes Churches Make on Social Media and How to Avoid Them

FACEBOOK

• GP: Facebook Pages vs. Groups
• Article: Church Facebook 101: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started
• Article: 6 Strategies for Running a Successful Facebook Group for Your Church
• Article: 21 Social Media Post Ideas for Churches

INSTAGRAM

• Article: Church Instagram 101: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started
• Article: 12 Best Practices Using Instagram for Churches
• Article: Top 100 Social Media Post Ideas for Churches

PINTEREST

• Article: Using Pinterest for Your Church
• Article: Why Pinterest Marketing for Churches is Essential
• Article: Pinterest-ing Tips to Make Your Church a Curator of Cool

LINKED IN

• Article: Why Your Church Should Have
• a Linked In Presence
• Article: Every Church Should Be on Linked In

YOUTUBE/VIMEO

• Video: 8 Pro Church Videography Tips to Captivate and Engage Your Congregation
• Video Playlist: YouTube Your Church: Tips for Leveraging YouTube
• Article: Top 10 Dynamic Church Vimeo Channels

HASHTAGS

• How to Use Hashtags Effectively on Social Media
• The Ultimate Guide on How to Use Hashtags

APPS

The following apps can help to create, edit, and schedule social content.

• Canva - for creating images
• Fotor - for editing images
• Opus - AI video editing
• LinkTr.ee - link aggregator for social media
• Agorapulse - post scheduler
• Sprout Social - post scheduler

Here are the most important elements in an effective church website design:

• Easy to find contact information, address, and service times.
• Clear, readable fonts, defined branding, and an identifiable logo.
• A call to action on the front page (a button to donate, watch a live stream, etc. - engage with your audience).
• Keep your front page uncluttered and organized in a way to create paths to the information you want them to find.

We are happy to audit your current website and offer suggestions to strengthen your online presence.

• Article: Best Church Websites of 2024 and Why They Are Great
• Article: Top 100 Best Church Websites of 2024

• Article: Guidance on Website Accessibility and the ADA
• Article: Understanding the Importance of Website Accessibility
• Article: 2024 ADA Web Accessibility Standards & Requirements

Emily Adams is a trained partner with AccessiBe, a company that provides advanced AI-powered solutions, like accessWidget and accessFlow, to streamline and simplify the process of making websites accessible for users with disabilities and compliant with legislation. Together, we can help your church achieve and maintain WCAG 2.1 & ADA compliance while becoming inclusive and doing the right thing!

AccessiBe can seamlessly adjust your website based on a user's needs. There are settings to customize for: Seizure Safe Profiles, Vision Impaired Profiles, ADHD Friendly Profiles, Cognitive Disability Profiles, Keyboard Navigation (Motor Impairment), Blind Users (Screen Readers), Color Blindness, and more!

Due to how it works, the code can radically improve your SEO ranking, as it automatically tags all the images on your site. It also scans and updates to current compliance standards every 24 hours.

If you want to try it, we run AccessiBe on Grace Presbytery's site. Click on the setting icon (white gear on a red field) in the bottom right corner of the screen to see what the tool can do.

Ask Emily for an ADA Compliance Audit of your website and schedule a time to discuss running AccessiBe on your domain. As a partner, Emily can send you a link to sign up and she has increased access to customer service if you need assistance. The annual fees are paid directly to AccessiBe and the cost per website is $490 annually.

There are so many elements to live streaming. As I receive questions, I will post their answers here. If you have a question about livestreaming, please reach out to us. If we don't know the answer, we can research it for you.

BASIC LIVE STREAMING SETUP INFORMATION

• Video: https://youtu.be/ufBmroGkzaM
• Article: The Ultimate Guide to Church Live Streaming
• Article: The Dummies Guide to Live Streaming for Churches

IMPROVING YOUR VIDEO FOR LIVE STREAMING

• Article: The Do's and Don'ts of Live Video
• Article: 10 Ways to Improve Your Live Stream – Tips to Get Your Church Live Stream at Top Quality
• Article: 21 Simple Tips To Improve Your Church’s Live Stream

USING EXTERNAL MICROPHONES TO IMPROVE FB LIVE

• Article: Does Facebook Live Automatically Detect an External Microphone on Android?
• Article: Using an External Audio Interface with Facebook Live and Camera App on iOS

STARTER EXTERNAL MICROPHONE SUGGESTIONS

• You could add a WIRELESS LAVALIER MICROPHONE. There are dozens of types of wireless Lavalier microphones, from clip-on to hand-held. They pair to your phone with Bluetooth, vastly improve sound quality, and cut down on ambient noise. They range from $20 - $500. There are several lists of "best wireless Lavalier microphones" online that you can review and compare until you find one that works for your needs & budget. https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Lavalier-Microphones-Systems/b?ie=UTF8&node=11974761
• Or you could add a RODE VIDEOMIC, a shotgun-style mic that plugs directly into the audio port of  phone. Both options offer increased sound quality. They range from $40 - $300. Also, search "Rode VideoMic" to compare options, Make sure the plug on its style is compatible with your style of phone (will be listed in the description). https://www.amazon.com/s?k=RODE+VIDEOMIC&i=electronics&crid=2HTVWCA2MFYIU&sprefix=rode+videomic%2Celectronics%2C98&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

• GP's preferred platform is Mailchimp, but if you have a service or process that works for your congregation, stick with it.
• Even if you are not a Mailchimp customer, they have a vast online library of free resources on all aspects of newsletter writing.
• Article: The Ultimate Guide to Church Newsletters: Best Practices and Examples
• Article: Best Practices for Email Subject Lines

• GP: Overview of Image Use and Attribution Guidelines
• One License - Obtain copyright permission to reprint, podcast, and record hymns and songs for your congregation. Search and download high-resolution music image files to use in your worship aid, bulletin, or projection.
• CCLI - The Church Video License provides legal coverage for churches and organizations to publicly show motion pictures and movie scenes.
• Creative Commons - Creative Commons is an international nonprofit organization that empowers people to grow and sustain the thriving commons of shared knowledge and culture we need to address the world's most pressing challenges and create a brighter future for all.

These resources serve as a starting place for copyright considerations, but this is a rapidly evolving field. If you have further questions, please reach out to our office or research your specific issue online.

Here are a few of the websites you can leverage for free stock/royalty free photography/images you can use on your site, social media, or in your newsletters.

● Unsplash
● Pexels
● Nappy
● CreationSwap
● PicJumbo
● FreelyPhotos
● PikWizard
● FreePik
● Pixabay

• GP: Mindful Promotion and Communication
• GP: Press Releases: Promotion through Traditional Media
• Article: How to Promote Church Events: 3 Biblical Strategies
• Article: 6 Marketing Strategies to Promote Your Church Events
• Printing Resource: Half Price Banners

Branding is important for your church to engage your congregation and help identify you in the sea of options to prospective members.

• Article: Why Church Branding Matters and How to Do It
• Article: Steps to Writing a Successful Tagline
• Article: How to Write a Church Mission, Vision, and Values Statement 
• Article: How a Basic Style Guide Will Radically Unify Your Church's Message
• Article: 10 Tips for Creating a Good Church Logo Design
• Printing Resource: Half Price Banners

When considering your logo/branding choices, do some research. Look up the two churches geographically closest to you and the two that are the most theologically aligned with you in the area, and make sure your colors and logo stand out among them. The first time someone probably will be exposed to you is online and you want to ensure that you are memorable standing alongside the churches you are being compared to.

Emily Adams, Coordinator of Communications and Media, recommends the following:

BOOKS

• Creative Acts for Curious People: How to Think, Create, and Lead in Unconventional Ways (Stanford d.school Library) by Sarah Stein Greenberg
• Design for Belonging: How to Build Inclusion and Collaboration in Your Communities (Stanford d.school Library) by Susie Wise
• Feel Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You by Ali Abdaal
• Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May
• Rituals for Virtual Meetings: Creative Ways to Engage People and Strengthen Relationships by Kursat Ozenc and Glenn Fajardo 
• What Makes You Come Alive: A Spiritual Walk with Howard Thurman by Lerita Coleman Brown
• Abuelita Faith: What Women in the Margins Teach Us About Wisdom, Persistence, and Strength by Kat Armas
• Breakthrough: Trusting God for Big Change in Your Church by Dawn Darwin Weaks
• The Post-Quarantine Church: Six Urgent Challenges and Opportunities That Will Determine the Future of Your Congregation by Thom S. Ranier
• Beyond Banned Books: Defending Intellectual Freedom Throughout Your Library by Kristin Pekoll

NEWSLETTERS AND MAGAZINES

• The Presbyterian Outlook
• Carey Nieuwhof
• Wired

PODCASTS

• New Way
• Wiser Than Me
• Inside Trader Joe's