Your Digital Pastor - Dr. Marcus Cylar

We’re in the middle of a global pandemic, and everything we do now has the word “virtual” attached to it. I’m sick of it. Give me these 8 minutes and I will compel you to never use the word again! Need communications help? Holler at me: http://yourdigitalpastor.co #YourDigitalPastor

I talked previously about “content opportunities”. I want to put some flesh on that with some insights to help ministries preach the gospel more effectively. Taking advantage of content opportunities simply means looking at everything you do as content. Need communications help? Holler at me: http://yourdigitalpastor.co #YourDigitalPastor

You wouldn’t believe how much content I’ve produced that I’ve never published. As a #digitalministry specialist, stewarding the greatest story that’s ever been told, I need to stop doing that. Shortening the distance between idea and execution puts your ministry in the frame of mind necessary to behave like a media company. Such a mindset is vital to success in this #digitalministry landscape in 2020 and beyond. When you begin thinking like a media company, you start finding content opportunities everywhere, in everything. And when you’ve set your heart and mind on identifying those opportunities as often as possible, you become a better storyteller. That’s why tools like voice tweets are so important. These allow us to get out our ideas much quicker and flesh things out so, again, our minds are freed up to produce great, kingdom-impacting work. This episode is brought to you courtesy of Twitter voice! 💪🏾 Need communications help? Holler at me: http://yourdigitalpastor.co #YourDigitalPastor

Communication is as much what you do, don’t do, and don’t say as much as it is what you say. Presence is as much a heart posture as it is a physical location. Progress: What have you dragged your feet on in the past? What have you been slow to understand? Stay woke. But let’s do so with the mind of Christ. Especially in this season. Need communications help? Holler at me: http://yourdigitalpastor.co #YourDigitalPastor

#BlackOutTuesday was supposed to be about amplification. We do the opposite of that, though, when we needlessly evaluate people’s personal lives as the basis for discrediting their contributions. Let’s stop that. Need communications help? Holler at me: http://yourdigitalpastor.co #YourDigitalPastor

I promise this is not what you think it is. Give it a listen. Either you’re with us or you’re not; there’s no gray area anymore. The love of Christ dictates as such. Need communications help? Holler at me: http://yourdigitalpastor.co #YourDigitalPastor

Just a few thoughts — The successful ministry in this new paradigm is not the one who will have the most powerful Sunday experience, but will be the one who will create engaging, God-glorifying content on a daily basis. Churches in this season will best show up online as their own networks.

1 - Morning prayer and devotion (at least five days a week) 2 - Podcast (perspective from the pastor on a relevant topic) 3 - Mass text of encouragement (can be six days/week) 4 - 30-60 minutes of live Q&A on FB/IG Live (or you could teach first and then “hang out” for a while) 5 - Robocall (alternate day of the week and time so it’s always unexpected) 6 - Blog post (some do a “From the Pastor’s Pen” bulletin style, but honestly, it’s sometimes mailed in; actually take it seriously and do it on a different day of the week) Let’s talk about this! Holler at me and let me know your thoughts. Which of these will you implement in your church’s content strategy? Digital is going to be our new norm for a while, so I want to take the lead on how we need to be thinking about and executing on digital so we can reach more people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Need communications help? Holler at me: http://marcusacylar.com [You can actually DM me as well for the time being...all my websites got hacked and therefore I’m in the middle of transition. 😩]

Digital is uniquely: 1 - Personal (can create 1 to 1 impact out of 1 to many encounters) 2 - Ubiquitous (can experience the event anywhere) 3 - Shareable (can send a link and allow others to tap in) 4 - Asynchronous (can consume in your own time) 5 - Passive (can engage even while doing other things) 6 - Collaborative (can see the thoughts of others you ordinarily may not know in person) Let’s talk about this! Holler at me and let me know your thoughts. Because of #COVID_19, digital only is going to be our new norm for a while, so I want to take the lead on how we need to be thinking about digital so we can reach more people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. [I’ll be adding to these show notes with links to the aforementioned content from Brian Fanzo when I get a chance to circle back to it.] Need communications help? Holler at me: http://yourdigitalpastor.co/hire [actually, DM me for the time being...all my websites got hacked 😩]

Some churches were on the forefront of the digital ministry trend, others were later adopters, and yet many more have come to #onlinechurch kicking and screaming over the past few weeks. Those are the churches I want to help in this season. It pains me to no end that in this ever treacherous season, in these most perilous times, when the global pandemic of COVID-19 has brought us to our knees and relegated us to our own homes, I am not on the #churchcommunications front lines. At the hour when my gifts and passions are needed most, I am not currently a daily church communicator. It hurts. Badly. But even though my current occupation is different from what I prepared for, I know I still have gifts and talents within me that I can use to help churches, especially well-meaning but inexperienced ones, navigate this ever-changing digital ministry landscape. And I plan to do just that. Even if I must do it for free. I have resolved to start sharing simple church communications tips, in video form, every single day (prayerfully) for the time being so I can help ministries show up best online and preach the gospel at this hour when the world needs the good news of Jesus Christ most. That’s what this episode is about. It was designed to be an IGTV post, but it’s not letting me post it the way I want to, so I turned it into a well-overdue podcast episode. If you want to skip the backstory and go straight to the actionable content, feel free to fast forward through the first nine minutes. God bless! Need communications help? Holler at me: http://yourdigitalpastor.co/hire #YourDigitalPastor

Because of what I’ve been through in my own life, I am fascinated with redemption and reinvention stories. The 2020 reiteration of the XFL is such a story, and I’m here for it. I promise if you give this a full listen, the value is there. Need communications help? Holler at me: http://yourdigitalpastor.co/hire #YourDigitalPastor

On this episode, I talk with one of my very best friends, Chris Preston (http://twitter.com/cp_6), host of the podcast “Where Did I Park?” (http://linktr.ee/wdipshow) about a truly innovative idea utilizing a QR code in a way you’ve probably never heard of to market his podcast. Trust me, you’ll want to listen to this one! Scripture: Luke 9:49-50

A continuation of the throwback clips I shared previously as background, I reflect on what was happening at the time of those recordings and connect them to the concept of being able to add value on social media when you’re going through personal matters and it would be much easier just to shut it down. There are five key ways we can still have a social media presence when it seems we really don’t have much to say. We do so by becoming a: 1 - Master engager: leaving comments on other people’s stuff, whether you’re saying something of value that others can learn from or you’re encouraging either the content creator or someone else in those comments 2 - Master cheerleader: even if nothing you feel is noteworthy is going on in you’re life, you can still bless people by the way you’re able to celebrate the great things others are doing 3 - Master curator: sharing articles, gems from podcast episodes; I’ve added podcasts and blogs to my repertoire because of the recommendations of others 4 - Master resource person: tools, account to follow 5 - Master learner/reporter: What books are you reading? What courses are you taking? Do you have something useful to say about those? Need communications help? Holler at me: http://yourdigitalpastor.co/hire #YourDigitalPastor

Scripture: 1 Peter 5: 6-11 Tool: Speechify app https://getspeechify.com Before getting into the points, I wanted to take a look back to two pieces of content I made—both of which have shown up on past episodes of the pod—about things I went through while I was in the middle of a multi-year storm that wrapped up (thankfully) in 2019 and what I learned in the process. I’m using these throwbacks to set the conceptual stage for what we’ll discuss in the next episode, coming very shortly. The holiday season is rough for some of us for a number of reasons, and I want to meet those of you for whom this applies right where you are and give you a late Christmas gift to empower you and take you into 2020 victoriously. Need communications help? Holler at me: http://yourdigitalpastor.co/hire #YourDigitalPastor

1 - People don’t have to be compelled to spend, but they do need to be compelled to give 2 - We are compelled by stories and It takes time for us to connect to the stories of others 3 - You didn’t take advantage of extra time to bring more exposure to your ministry, organization 4 - You squandered an opportunity to distinguish yourself from others 5 - You missed an easy chance to create regular content Scripture: Philippians 4:8 Tool: Tweet thread analyzing the controversial Pelaton commercial from a copyrighting standpoint: https://cylar.me/2YtCXl5 Need communications help? Holler at me: http://yourdigitalpastor.co/hire #YourDigitalPastor

TL;DR (DL): People won’t care about what you do until they connect with who you are. I connect a few ideas and resources together to arrive at this key takeaway for business, #churchcomm, ministry as a whole, and interpersonal relationships. Links mentioned: Web Smith on Twitter: http://twitter.com/web 2PM: http://2pml.com Gary Vaynerchuk: http://twitter.com/garyvee Need communications help? Holler at me: http://yourdigitalpastor.co/hire #YourDigitalPastor

Types of video seminaries should be creating 1️⃣ Testimonial videos 2️⃣ Live event video (chapel, commencement, conferences, presentations, convocations, work not on campus but in the community) 3️⃣ A recorded webinar for prospective students (one specific to each academic program offered) 4️⃣ Classroom moments 5️⃣ Daily 1-min devotional videos or live morning meditation (preferably from the President or spread it around between President, VP(s), faculty, staff, sometimes students) Scripture: Luke 17:7-10 MSG Tool: AudioMaster app - $4.99/quarter Need communications help? Holler at me: http://yourdigitalpastor.co/hire

1️⃣ COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT - In every seminary community, which comprises, at minimum, current students, faculty, staff, and alumni, there is a treasure chest of stories to be shared, either of what those seminary family members are doing presently or of the difference the seminary has made in their lives. An institution’s social media team should collect as many of these stories as possible and post them frequently. 2️⃣ BEHIND THE SCENES: IN THE CLASSROOM - What is it like to actually take a course at your school? I remember having some fascinating and oftentimes spirited conversations in my classes during my seminary years, and I can only imagine what kind of online discussion could have been sparked had clips on any of those discussions been posted on social media. Instant engagement right here! 3️⃣ PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE - Among the many hats a seminary president should wear is that of content producer. He or she should have a blog, vlog, podcast, or at least a bi-monthly newsletter where he/she shares perspectives and advances thought leadership on issues of relevance to the Christian community, thereby raising the profile and prophetic witness of the seminary as a whole. 4️⃣ CAMPUS LIFE/IN THE COMMUNITY - Prospective students should not only get a taste what it’s like to take a class at their potential school, but they should also get a glimpse of what being a student on that campus looks like. If the seminary is a commuter school, the focus with this type of content would be less on campus life and more on the programs or projects the seminary taking place in its surrounding community. 5️⃣ CURRENT SCHOLARSHIP - One really good and collaborative way to advance the thought leadership of the seminary would be to discuss the current research of its students and faculty. Prospective students and potential donors could be attracted to the difference-making academic work taking place in the seminary community and want to be a part of it. With these types of content and others I’ll be discussing over time, a seminary should never struggle to find engaging content to share. Scripture: Isaiah 61; Luke 4:16-21 Tool: Prayer of Examen app from Fuller Studio - https://fullerstudio.fuller.edu/prayer-of-examen/ Need communications help? Holler at me: http://yourdigitalpastor.co/hire #YourDigitalPastor

I had some thoughts this evening about the effect of social media on the public sentiment toward Kanye West’s initial gospel offering. #YourDigitalPastor Need communications help? Holler at me: http://yourdigitalpastor.co/hire

026: The 5 fundamental principles of #churchcomm This week’s topic was inspired by @bradyshearer and the #ProChurchTools #podcast. That is to say these principles aren’t original thoughts of mine, but the presentation of them in this way was birthed out of a church communications workshop for a certificate program I was blessed to facilitate in 2018 at my alma mater, @ashlandseminary. The format of the workshop was to present a fictional scenario based on a pressing issue in the local church and then break off into groups to discuss. I was fully prepared to lead the workshop based on this format, but when the professor and director of the program asked me to talk about who I am and the work I do in church communications, I came off the dome with five quick points. It wasn’t until I wrote these points down on the whiteboard that I realized I was simply repeating what Brady and @alexandermills talk about on the podcast all the time. To be able to teach church communications in seminary—my dream—you have to have a theoretical framework to operate off of, a set of principles that will continue to apply even as the communications technology changes. These principles I believe fit that bill. 1️⃣ SEIZE THE 167. Out of the 168 hours of our week, the typical believer only spends one of those hours at a weekly gathering (2-3 hours in most black churches 😂). We’re doing our ministries a disservice to focus so much of our attention, programming, and messaging on Sunday, while allowing every other entity to dominate the attention zeitgeist the rest of the week. 2️⃣ WE’RE TELLING THE GREATEST STORY THAT’S EVER BEEN TOLD. If we truly believe the gospel is indeed the greatest story, then we need to be relentless in researching, testing, and developing creative strategies to tell that story. Our story is too important to be romantic about tools and tactics that we used to love that are no longer relevant or effective. 3️⃣ WE’RE EXPERIENCING THE GREATEST COMMUNICATIONS SHIFT IN 500 YEARS. Much in the same way that the printing press made print available to the masses, not just the elite, the internet has democratized the distribution of media, effectively removing the gatekeepers and allowing anyone with a message to have their message heard. the only thing holding us back today is our willingness to use the communications channels available to us and how creative and effective we are in using them. 4️⃣ THE GREATEST COMMODITY A CHURCH CAN POSSESS IS ATTENTION. Far more than money, facilities, a strong worship team, and dynamic preaching, attention is a ministry’s most vital asset, for it is with that attention that we will have the opening we need to preach the gospel and tell this greatest story ever. We must take the @life.church approach and pursue anything short of sin to get people’s attention and reach them with the gospel. 5️⃣ THE BEST WAY TO GRAB ATTENTION IS THROUGH STORY. Stories grab attention, stories compel, stories spark action. That’s why Jesus used them so frequently to teach heavenly principles. He used parables constantly to communicate what He needed people to understand so they could make different decisions regarding their thinking or lifestyles. Those stories changed lives. And we have the opportunity to do the same. Scripture of the Week: Mark 4:35-41 Tool of the Week: FOMO Fanz Podcast - Brian Fanzo (@isocialfanz on all platforms) Need communications help? Holler at me: http://yourdigitalpastor.co/hire