Recently BGAV’s marketing team led Digital Proficiency Workshops in two churches—Spring Hill Baptist in Ruckersville on February 28 and FirstBaptist, Woodstock, on February 29. Both workshops included revised, updated content for 2024. Since the first of these workshops was held in spring 2022, this resource has grown in frequency and depth of content.

“The training was great, and just the catalyst we needed to get going,” commented Tom Benson, a participant from Linden Heights Baptist Church in Staunton. “It was very informative with great ideas, and now our heads are swimming,” he continued. “Thank you for a job well done.”

Participants at these workshops often include pastors, other church staff members, and volunteer leaders who work with their churches’ media and communication ministries. All who attend are seeking ways to evaluate and improve their congregations’ online presence in various capacities including their websites, social media, online giving, and more.

“The digital world is not going away anytime soon,”said Skip Wallace, field strategist for BGAV’s Central – Valley region. “This workshop provides very practical advice for churches as they seek to use social media to minister to their congregations and engage their communities.” The February 2024 workshops were promoted and planned in conjunction with Skip and also Jody Faig, field strategist for BGAV’s Northern region. The Central Baptist Association sponsored the Ruckersville event by providing lunch, and the Shenandoah Baptist Association sponsored the Woodstock workshop in the same way.

“In the three workshops I’ve attended,” recalled Skip,”I don’t think any participant has walked away without some idea they could take back to their church and implement simply and immediately. I also like the fact that the leaders of the workshop do not present a one-size fits all model. The presentation is tailored to help each individual church.”

When a person registers for one of the workshops prior to the posted deadline, BGAV provides a “digital snapshot” for his/her church. The snapshot report gives a personalized, external evaluation of each church’s current online presence and reveals areas of excellence or need.

Jody echoed Skip’s observation regarding the customized approach of each workshop. She has heard firsthand from participants that “the personalized digital snapshot that isprovided by BGAV for each church is a practical tool that has great value.”

Amanda Mauck, a participant from Antioch Baptist, agreed. “I was very impressed with both the generic information and the information that was specifically tailored to our church!It pointed out some great strengths and weaknesses,” she concluded.

As a new feature for 2024, workshop registrants also receive a customized demographics report for the specific area around their church, highlighting trends on population, age, race, income, and other data including a map.

Workshop attendees arrive with various levels of tech savvy and online expertise. “The two of us who came from our church are digital dinosaurs,” commented Larry Gray, an attendee from Singers Glen Baptist Church. “We expected to be in way over our heads, but instead, we found the material very understandable. We came away with solid, usable information to share with our church to make a decision that fits our needs.”

Lance Braun, pastor of Mt. Tabor Lutheran Church in Staunton, heard the workshop was coming to his area and asked if he could attend the Woodstock event for a fee, since he leads a non-BGAV-participating church. After attending, he said, “This was the very best continuing education workshop for pastors that I have attended in the past 10 years. I commend the planners and presenters for their diligent work, high quality organization, and helpful attitudes. It was a joy and a privilege to participate.”

All participants who completed evaluations confirmed they found the events helpful and informative in several ways. Following his positive experience at the workshop, Tom Benson from Linden Heights again expressed his appreciation and concluded, “Now I know that there are some very helpful services through the BGAV for outreach. I look forward to future training opportunities.”

Would you like to participate in one of these workshops? Several more are scheduled for 2024, and more will be planned in the future. If you’re interested in hosting one in your church or association, contact Gary Long, chief marketing officer, at gary.long@bgav.org.

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