Nona Jones brings her unique perspective on the whys and hows of churches implementing digital ministry, As both a pastor and an employee of Facebook, she combines research and experience to craft a strategy and vision for any church to implement. This book is a must-read for pastors and those involved in church social media. Her plan for social ministry is a great jumping-off point for churches to implement a stronger social media strategy.

This book came along at exactly the time I needed it! It’s very informative as to how we can not only inform and update people effectively through social media, but how we can truly minister to them. It’s great to have a book that presents the mission of reaching others as well as the method. I’m thankful that Nona Jones has shared her expertise in this field with us, and I know I’ll be referring to this book again in the days ahead.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Social media has changed many aspects of life. Though some have denied and resisted it, churches are being affected by the internet too. Congregations have to make a choice as to whether they will utilize social media as part of their ministries, or get left behind.

There are several opinions and strategies held by churches when it comes to social media. When lock-downs were put in place to curb the coronavirus in 2020, many had to scramble to piece something together. The church I attend had a backup plan in place, but I can see that we could have done more. The good part is that we still can do more.

This book describes how social media is not a replacement or supplement for physical locations, but an extension. There are people that may not want to or be able to come to your building, but that does not remove our ability to share the gospel with them. Social media extends a church’s reach to a wider area. The book lays out simple to follow plans for making social media a place to further your ministry.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Excellent! Nona Jones provides a clear roadmap to a digital discipleship strategy for local churches. This should be required reading for all churches during this current pandemic.

( received complimentary e-book in exchange for review )

Having a call placed on my life to share the Gospel via social media, this book found its way to me at just the right time. While I needed to read thru this title a lot faster than I would have liked, I did pick up valuable insight which will be applied immediately. In addition, I weill certainly be doing an indepth re-read very shortly. For me, this book was not a title to be read just once. Very much looking forward to implementing more from this book into my micro ministry very soon.

"Social media is about marketing. Social ministry is about disciples." I loved the foundation behind this book! Ministry, wherever it happens, is about changed lives! The first half of the book discussed discipleship and how important it is for us to follow God. I loved how the book reframed how we view online ministry and opened up the potential of how it could be used to change lives!

The second half of the book was focused on the practical. While it gave some great tips on how to set up an online ministry, it seemed to be written for mega-churches with large budgets already in place. She suggested to hire a Facebook campus pastor to run your social ministry. That is only practical for large churches with money to spare. There were some things that I will definitely use as I develop my online ministry. And I can see how it would be beneficial for a mega-church, but the target audience is small compared to the majority of followers of Jesus who might come across this book.

This book is absolutely extraordinary and I could not recommend it enough! The tools and the information in this book are priceless and I believe that it is absolutely essential for anyone in ministry. I have even purchased copies of it to pass on to the leadership in my church and we are working intentionally to implement Nona's framework and tools.

From Social Media to Social Ministry
A Guide to Digital Discipleship
by Nona Jones
Zondervan Reflective
Zondervan
Christian
Pub Date 04 Aug 2020   



I am reviewing a copy of From Social Media to Social Ministry through Zondervan and Netgalley:




Nona Jones began writing this book in the Summer of 2018, long before the outbreak of Covid 19, but she reminds us that having Church online is no longer an option it’s an imperative.




This book highlights the importance of Social Ministry, using technology to help the Church build God’s Kingdom. We are reminded too of the importance of making connections and having conversations. We are reminded too that it doesn’t matter how many followers you have if those followers aren’t following Christ.





The author points out too that discipleship begins when we understand that Church isn’t about what happens in a building because the Church isn’t a place.





The author goes on to remind us that the effectiveness of a Church needs to be measured more by how far the Church reaches out, then on how full an auditorium is.





We are reminded too that teaching is more than sharing content it’s fostering understanding.



It is pointed out too that we can use Social technology to reach those we would not otherwise be able to reach. We are reminded too that the Church is to be called the light of the world.



I give From Social Media to Social Ministry five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

Now that most church services are held online due to the pandemic, this book comes in a very timely manner. The author shows how to build an online church community and discipleship using Facebook.

She starts out by showing why churches should go beyond using social media as a digital billboard and why Facebook is the best choice.

The rest of the book contains very detailed practical information on how to set up and maintain such a ministry, down to launching timelines and job specifications.

Every church, large or small, should at least look into this!

Nona Jones is head of Faith-Based Partnerships at Facebook. An expert in expanding the influence of the Gospel through the Internet, she works with churches and ministries to help them fulfill the Great Commission.

When I got this book for review I thought it would be for individuals on how to use social media as social ministry, but apparently it’s more in the church setting context.

Thank you NetGalley and Zondervan for the digital review copy. This is my honest opinion.

This is the perfect resource in this COVID time. My husband and I are leading a small church in a rural town that had little to no social media presence prior to covid. Having only been here for a year, we had a lot to change and try to learn. This has been a great starting point for us to approach our online ministry and helping those who haven’t used anything online before see the value in it now that they are scared for getting the virus.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

This book is fantastic for anyone in ministry already - but maybe not as great for a believer looking to share their faith online. When I started this book, I was thinking that it would be more to show anyone how to share your faith on social media, it turns out it was more geared towards those that are already working in bigger churches.

The author made this book very easy to read. There are a lot of really interesting facts about Christianity, how churches are seeing less people entering them, and a lot about digital discipleship. It mostly only covers how to use Facebook with your church but she shares enough about that to make this worth reading.

I recommend for anyone looking to broaden their knowledge on online leadership, whether you work with a church or not.