Social Media Tips for 3 Great Loves

As our congregations and settings participate in our 3 Great Loves imitative, sharing on Social Media will help highlight, prompt, and generate excitement for your ministry and impact.

The big 3 Social Media(SM) platforms we utilize as a denomination are: Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Interestingly we have found that Facebook has the farthest reach in general. But please feel free to post to all three!

First, if you are not on SM, create an account for the platform you determine best for your setting. Many of our congregations, national settings, conferences, covenanted organizations, and clergy are present and active on SM. (Refer to the user guides and information available from the respective SM platforms on “how to’s” and FAQs in getting started with that SM platform.)

Now, start having fun! SM Posts are a way to present an idea, share something you/your churches/settings are doing, and also inspire action. Post can be pictures (like that of collected goods from a basic needs drive, especially holidays, but all through the year), short videos (like a congregation serving those in need), highlight stories (such as advocacy work), or lift up congregations or other settings living out “the love.” Also being mindful, the UCC is made up of so many parts. We are nuanced, textured, and varied. What constituencies do we often not hear from? (Like our Conference Camps, or Chaplains or other ministry settings). Just as our congregations and local church pastors, they too are doing and living and being the love of God. All of these a great way to highlight the AMAZING things already happening in your conferences and be a part of this collective effort of 3 Great Loves.

Finally, don’t just post about the stories, make sure to use the ever important “hashtag.” A hashtag is a keyword or phrase preceded by the hash symbol (#) and people include these in their social media posts. Essentially, it makes the content of your post accessible to all people with similar interests. And it helps index posts and is something searchable.

For 3 Great Loves we have a central hashtag: #3greatloves

Additionally, there are other hashtags for each effort of the initiative as well:#loveofneighbor#loveofchildren#loveofcreation

Social Media Tips for 3 Great Loves

Please use the primary hashtag for all SM posts and the respective hashtag for each of the “loves” as appropriate. Also, please use #justworldforall and other UCC hashtags, #ucc, #unitedchurchofchrist, etc. as they are fitting.

This can be a free marketing tool for us to get interest in our churches and settings. And if your setting already has SM accounts, be sure to tag them and those involved in your posts.

Now, go have fun, live out the Love of God with 3 Great Loves, and let’s make a just world for all.