TikTok for Churches: A Strategic Guide to Spreading the Good News in 2023

TikTok, the popular short-form video platform, has taken the world by storm.

While it may not be the first platform that comes to mind for church leaders, it holds tremendous potential for spreading the good news of Jesus Christ to a wider audience. Although TikTok may not directly help in reaching your immediate community, its global reach and engaging content format make it a powerful tool for sharing your message beyond your local congregation.

I’ve talked with a lot of church leaders who see benefit in using Instagram for building their online community but aren’t quite sure TikTok fits with that they are trying to do online. In light of that, I want to explore the best TikTok strategies for churches in 2023, focusing on sharing sermon clips, building engagement, connecting with others, and spreading hope. Hopefully this will help you determine if TikTok should be included in your social media strategy for your church.

1.Share Sermon Clips

One of the most effective ways to use TikTok for your church is by sharing short clips from your sermons. These snippets should be engaging, thought-provoking, and easily digestible. Aim to choose moments that can spark curiosity, inspire reflection, or offer a fresh perspective on faith. To optimize your sermon clips for TikTok:

• Keep them under 60 seconds: TikTok videos can be up to 3 minutes long, but shorter videos tend to perform better on the platform. Aim for 15-60 seconds for maximum impact.

• Add captions: Since many users watch TikTok videos without sound, adding captions will ensure that your message is accessible to a broader audience.

• Use trending sounds and hashtags: Incorporate popular sounds and relevant hashtags to increase your video's discoverability on the platform.

If your church is already making sermon clips for Instagram Reels, then sharing them on TikTok and YouTube shorts is an easy way to help spread the message and fill feeds with hope.

2. Build Engagement

TikTok is an inherently interactive platform, making it essential to build engagement with your audience. To foster a sense of community and encourage users to interact with your content:

• Respond to comments: Take the time to reply to comments on your videos, answering questions and engaging in meaningful conversations.

• Create challenges: Develop faith-based challenges that encourage users to participate and share their own videos using a designated hashtag.

• Utilize duets and stitches: Collaborate with other TikTok users by duetting or stitching their videos, fostering connections and amplifying your message.

  3. Connect with Others

TikTok's algorithm exposes users to content from various creators, making it an ideal platform for connecting with others who share your values and interests. To build meaningful connections:

• Follow and engage with other faith-based creators: Support fellow church leaders and Christian creators by liking, commenting on, and sharing their content.

• Participate in trends: Keep an eye on trending topics and challenges, adapting them to fit your message and values when appropriate.

• Collaborate: Reach out to other creators for cross-promotional opportunities, such as guest appearances, joint challenges, or live sessions.

  4. Spread Hope

In today's world, spreading hope and positivity is more important than ever. TikTok offers a unique opportunity to share uplifting messages and provide encouragement to a diverse audience. To spread hope through TikTok:

• Share testimonies: Encourage church members to share their personal faith stories, highlighting the transformative power of Jesus Christ.

• Offer daily encouragement: Post short, uplifting messages or scripture passages that can provide comfort and inspiration to your followers.

• Create faith-based content: Develop original content that delves into the teachings of Jesus, offering hope and guidance to viewers.

  5. Embracing TikTok Despite Its Limitations

While TikTok may not be the best platform for reaching your immediate community, it offers a valuable opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ with a broader audience. By embracing this social network, your church can expand its digital presence, connect with individuals beyond your local area, and contribute to the global conversation about faith.

Should your church be on TikTok? It really depends. On the one hand, TikTok presents a unique opportunity to reach an incredibly wide audience and engage with believers and non-believers in a very real way. On the other hand, creators that do really well on TikTok are investing at least 1-2 hours daily into TikTok to grow their channel and have that engagement. Church leaders don’t need to budget that time for their accounts, but still, every social media channel does take time each day to really see your account perform well. Does your church have someone that can commit to spending that time each day on another social network?

TikTok presents a unique opportunity for churches to share their message with a diverse and global audience. I’m excited to see more churches joining the network, and would love to follow your church on the platform. If you join, connect with me so I can follow how you use the app!

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