Social Media Course for Ministry Leaders

Shine Online, a social media course developed by Kristen Parker, Canadian communications specialist for the CRCNA, is now available. From her background with a master’s degree in media production, Parker developed the course to help church leaders and administrators build an intentional, effective online community.

“Today, social media is often the first place people go to check out a church before they ever attend in person. By moving from random posting to professional strategizing, churches learn how to show up more consistently,” Parker said. “This intentionality helps them move past today’s digital noise and create a reliable online presence that actually reflects their community.”

Parker said she got the idea for the course while completing her master’s degree. 

“I’ve always found social media strategy fascinating, so when it came time to choose a thesis for my master’s degree in media production, I knew I wanted to create something practical,” Parker said. “In partnership with the CRC, I developed Shine Online specifically for church administrative staff who might find the digital world a bit intimidating. My goal wasn’t just to add more information to the noise but to create a step-by-step journey.”

Churches rarely have someone available who is solely in charge of social media. Parker’s hope for the course is that it will provide a solid framework for church admins and others who may be in charge of their congregation’s social media accounts, taking away the guesswork and replacing it with a clear structure to succeed and “shine” online. 

Church admins often have a heavy workload, Parker noted. They are unsung heroes who play a vital role in the success of their churches. With everything on their plate, it can seem like an incredibly daunting task to create and maintain a church social media account.

“From working with administrators through my role over the past three years, I have been surprised at how much their job encompasses,” said Becky Jones, regional connector for Thrive. “What I have found is that there is rarely someone dedicated to social media, and this too can fall on their plate. Having a social media presence as a church has become increasingly important, as this can be a first point of access for people looking for a church community.”

The importance of social media is not diminishing, and churches that struggle in this area are losing one of the easiest points of connection to people outside of their congregation, said Parker. 

The Shine Online course is being introduced across a number of the CRC’s diverse congregations. Though it is currently available only in English, plans are under way to meet the demand and need in multiple languages.

“We all recognize that a church’s social media presence is often the first doorway for many people—those who search online before ever stepping inside—and it should be cared for with the same level of intention” as any connection with the local community, said Aura Guerra-Artola, Thrive’s Spanish connector. “When we first shared this resource with Hispanic youth leaders and pastors, the response was immediate excitement. Even though it’s not available in Spanish, many leaders are already finding creative ways to use it. In many Hispanic churches, ministry is very family centered, and we’re seeing pastors’ children and bilingual youth leaders step in, engage with the material, and then share it with others. We’re hopeful this momentum will continue to grow as we work toward making it more accessible in the future.”

Anyone interested in perusing the course can find it on the CRCNA’s learning platform on Thinkific. The course includes several free resources to improve churches’ social media, including Canva templates for various types of church-related social media posts.