Our world is becoming digital. It seems that “if you don’t have a digital presence, you don’t exist.” And: a website is no longer enough as the only presence.
"We want to win people for Jesus. To do this, we need well-thought-out public relations work that is geared to people's needs," says Markus Schweitzer, head of public relations at FeG Kaiserslautern-Nord.
Markus, what does your strategy look like in a few sentences?
We thought about target groups and how close they are to the community, what information needs they have and what media we need for that. Depending on how close they are to the community, there is appropriate information. For example, we have our own community app from Communi for communicating with interested parties and also with our members.
Ultimately, we want to awaken a desire for community and faith in God without overwhelming people.
This means that your Communi app to get people excited about your community?
Absolutely. We have activities for children with lots of participants whose families are otherwise less involved in the community. Communication takes place via an app group. Parents also get an insight into our community life via the bulletin board. For example, they receive notifications about guest services with appealing, real-life topics. From time to time we are able to greet them there in person. We are very pleased about that!
Why do you use different tools instead of just one?
We use several tools, cleverly combined, to achieve a lot but also save time. The community app is essential here. The most important information is always available and everyone can get involved. As an open platform, the hurdle to becoming part of the community is low.
Internally, ChurchTools, for example, helps us with member management, room bookings, etc. For members, it offers protected access to personal data such as telephone numbers or birthdays, which not everyone wants to disclose on an open platform.
How much time do you put into your communications system?
I can't say exactly. The work is spread across many shoulders, for example our editorial team, which writes and publishes articles every month and keeps an eye on upcoming events. The regular work is therefore done in the content area, not in the management of tools. That's a good thing, because good content touches the heart.
We want to use digitalization in a way that serves us and not the other way around in the form of excessive administration. That was important to me from the start.
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What has changed for the people who attend your church as a result of the new strategy?
It has become easier to find connections. There is a group for all offers in the app. This saves new visitors from having to ask around for WhatsApp groups. The app supports the development of new relationships. It starts digitally and continues in personal relationships.
It sounds like your own Communi app is a complete success. Are there any concrete examples of how people benefit from your app?
Sure! Recently, a new visitor has added the group “Computer, Mobile, and Communi App Help”, joined and spontaneously offered to contribute his gifts.
Another user looked for book recommendations on the “Garden Friends” page. He also found an aspiring landscape gardener who offered to help him plan his garden.
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ℹ️ As a freelance media consultant, Markus offers support in the areas of public relations and Communi App. | markus-schweitzer.de
