You are viewing this site in staging mode. Click in this bar to return to normal site.

"Instagram was the reason I came back to church" Read Elliott's story

16 July 2018 16:39

My friend Elliott is 27 and returned to church over 4 years ago, having not walked through the doors of a church since his childhood. 

"I suppose I didn't really think church was relevant for me. I spent my weekends looking for good coffee and going out. I loved photography and obviously was on Instagram.

At some point, I followed the @Brighton instagram and then looked at the girl who ran it's profile. She was a great photographer but some of her shots were from a church. I ended up following @StPetersBrighton and so I sent them a Facebook message to ask about coming along. When I arrived, the people looked normal and it wasn't like my previous experience of church. 

Walking back into church was surreal but I felt welcomed and stayed." Elliott, 27

What is Instagram?

For those of you who do not use Instagram - it is a photo and video-sharing app where you can upload pictures with your chosen caption and hashtags. 

Instagram has grown in usage since it's inception in 2010 and now has over 150 million users worldwide. 

Why is Instagram an effective route for reaching your community? 

Did you know roughly 73% of teenagers and young adults use Instagram (as of February 2017) with those under the age of 25 spending an average of 32 minutes a day on the app?

Young people are engaging with Instagram, whether your church is present there or not. So why not see whether your church could be present within this online community?

Your church could provide an alternative to some of the community young people are searching for on Instagram, but you can only do this if you make your church available on the platform. 

How can a church use Instagram to effectively communicate with the community? 

  • Be authentic: You simply want to show who you are and be present. 
  • Be professional: Instagram is over saturated with photos and you want to show the life within your church, in all it's fullness 
  • Be (at least semi) branded: It can seem like branding is not important however, on visual platforms, a branded or consistent look/feel can help build trust and it's this trust that will help people to engage with your church. If your church is lucky enough to have brand guidelines, these will give you everything you need to ensure your photos are on brand. 
  • Be connecting: Instagram is a great way to connect with events in your community, so if something is happening and you're there, be sure to use the hashtags and all the good stuff, to connect with as many people as possible
  • Be bold: Do not be afraid to share what you church believes and stands for on Instagram - you never know, you could be the only bit of light someone encounters within their half an hour of scrolling! 

Looking for inspiration? 

Here are some Instagram feeds we really rate... 

 St Peters Brighton 

 

St Thomas Norwich

Can we help?

If you'd like to speak to our team about getting started on Instagram or embedding your Instagram profile on your website, do not hesitate to get in touch and we'd love to hear from you.  


Back to All News Stories