Workshops Engage Church Leaders in Digital Proficiency

Recently, leaders from 25 different churches participated in Digital Proficiency Workshops to learn how to improve their church’s digital presence. The events are sponsored and led by BGAV’s Ascent Marketing Group (AMG). These four-hour workshops are offered by region, with the most recent ones in northern Virginia with the NorthStar Church Network and Richmond with River City Faith Network.

Led by AMG’s Tom York and Gary Long, workshop participants learn region-specific challenges and best practices in using digital media (livestreaming, social media, et. al). Each church is presented a customized snapshot of their digital presence, which is used as part of the training to give specific feedback on how to improve outreach and engagement.

Participants shared lunch together and had lots of time to discuss with each other their challenges, successes, and tips. Participant feedback after the training put high value on being with volunteers and staffers in other churches—both like theirs and different—who are facing similar challenges and opportunities in the complexity of today’s digital world.

“We came today hopeful,” explained Curt Kruschwitz, pastor of Goochland Baptist Church. “We wanted to learn more about how we can use this digital world as a tool to reach people and share the good news of Jesus.”

Jessica Stanley, a volunteer at Goochland Baptist, also attended. “I was excited to learn about what other churches are doing and to hear about some of the trends that are taking place in that world. I think we’ve walked away with a lot of ideas and things we’re excited about.”

Curt added, “We got some good tips from the profile they gave us of our church. There are some things that we can quickly improve.”

Mikayla Barnes, Coordinator of Missions for the Concord Baptist Association, attended the workshop to determine whether bringing something like this to her area might be helpful. “We have 30 churches in a rural area,” she explained, “and I think we could use some help with digital content.” She commented on the experience, “It has been very engaging and one on one, and the snapshot of each church is really helpful. It’s personalized and can help a church grow.”

If you’d be interested in a Digital Proficiency Workshop for your area, please email us at bgav@bgav.org.