Back to Lent Month: Meredith Gould

October 3, 2013
Tim Schenck

meredith-gould-the-social-media-gospelBack-to-Lent Month continues with a recent book published by Meredith Gould, a member of the esteemed Celebrity Blogger Alumni Association. And, yes, the Supreme Executive Committee has the power to extend Back-to-Lent Month as long as it wants. As you might have guessed, we rule by whim and the Holy Spirit.

About The Social Media Gospel
Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and a growing number of other social media tools can help you build church community, deepen faith, and extend reach in previously unimaginable ways. The Social Media Gospel is an easy-to-understand, step-by-step guide by church communications professional Meredith Gould, who goes beyond "how to" and explains "why to" engage in digital ministry. Each chapter includes “Thought Bytes” for individual and group discussion. Appendices provide practical information about developing a strategic plan for communications, creating social media guidelines, and performing a communications audit.

Why this book?
Back in 2008, I published The Word Made Fresh: Communicating Church and Faith Today to make a case for church communications being a key ministry. I promptly started kicking myself in the butt for not including social media, which was just beginning to be noticed by church folk. Within months, I was thanking God for gracing me with the good sense to use social media for a variety of church communication challenges before writing about it.

Working “in the trenches” helped me realize the extent to which people really do not know how to think strategically about church communications in general and social media in particular. Realizing that led me to focusing on helping people understand why these tools are valuable, when to use them, and how to integrate them into a coordinated plan for communicating with internal and external audiences.

How does this book relate to Lent Madness?
Lent Madness exemplifies how to use social media to generate conversation and community by offering content that informs, educates, and inspires. It’s anchored in a blog and uses other platforms (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest) in ways that highlight the best strategic use of those tools. Almost everything I write about in The Social Media Gospel can be illustrated by an aspect of Lent Madness.

Why should the Lent Madness faithful buy your book?
A trinity of reasons: 1) It’s a great book – everyone says! 2) While Lent Madness faithful are obviously savvy about social media, they probably know lots of people (e.g., church leadership) who aren’t. 3) I wrote all the posts about St. Mary Magdalene, winner of the Golden Halo in 2012, something I’ll never let anyone forget. Ever.

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6 comments on “Back to Lent Month: Meredith Gould”

  1. I think this book is certainly needed as how we do "church" is constantly changing and evolving. Does this address how to include those folks who perhaps are elderly and not involved, nor do they wish to be involved with social media?

  2. Another electronic media skill for my poor addled and befuddled brain to try to learn, let alone understand. Well, guess I'll just to try to keep abreast or I'll fall by the wayside. What's all the credit hogging about poor Mary Mags bio? I just washed and retired her mug in order that I might start using the 2013 Frances mug that is much nicer. Got to skedaddle as nearly all the vergers in the good ole U.S.of A. have descended on Nashville for their 25th anniversary.

  3. Well, mercy ! I didn't mean you, Ms. Gould....rather the claimant member of the SEC.