I have had dozens of missionaries ask me for advice on how they can use Facebook effectively. I’ve even had members of Mission Presidencies ask me about tips for harnessing the power of social media for missionary work. When Elder S. Gifford Nielsen came to my mission he charged us to become “franchise owners” in our areas. He explained that means to be proactive in learning the best way to share the gospel in our unique areas. He said too many missionaries don’t try new things out.
Facebook provides many ways we can become franchise owners. Yet most missionaries share a quote/Mormon message/article from LDS.org once or twice a week and call it good. This is the beginning of using social media to share the gospel. But, is there a more excellent and effective way? The answer is yes. Here are five ways you can harness the strengths of Facebook to share the gospel.
*NOTE: Every mission has different rules, make sure you always follow those rules. But also have the courage to ask for permission.
1st. Add Everyone In Your Ward/Branch As Friends.
On Facebook, everything is based on your friends. Once someone is your friend it is very unlikely they will unfriend you. Once they are your friends, they will have access to all of your posts and Facebook will integrate your posts into their feeds.
Therefore one of the most important things you can do is to add everyone in your area as friends. There is a smart way of doing this. I recommend a two-step approach. First, add all the active members. They know you and will quickly accept your friend request.
Second, once you are friends with active members add less active members and any investigators you are teaching. The reason for this is simple. Even if less active members don’t know you, once they see you’ve got mutual friends, they’ll often accept your friend request.
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Aleah is a graduate of Southern Virginia University, where she studied English, Creative Writing, and Dance. She now works full time as a marketing and product manager, writer, and editor. She currently hosts the podcast “Single to the Glory” about singlehood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Aleah served a mission in California and loves baking, Lang Leav poetry, Gaynor Minden pointe shoes, and Bollywood movies.
