Digital Discipleship — Using Google and the Gospel to Reach and Disciple in a Digital Age

This section emphasizes that discipleship extends beyond the church walls into the digital space where people are actively searching for spiritual guidance. The speaker advocates for a missionally engaged digital presence that supports and enhances traditional discipleship, not replaces it. Recognizing that many people search for faith-related topics online, churches are encouraged to leverage digital tools to meet seekers where they are, using solutions like Google Ads and optimizing their websites for better visibility and engagement.

This part discusses practical strategies for churches to attract and connect with the community online. Key themes include the use of Google Ad Grants to create demand and respond to searches related to prayer, spiritual questions, and church searches, as well as the importance of websites and social media in guiding people toward deeper involvement in the church. The speaker highlights the necessity of intentional digital framing, converting web traffic into visitors and disciples, and using tools like Google Analytics to inform strategies. They mention the importance of email and text messaging as owned communication channels and emphasize local SEO practices like Google Business profiles to increase visibility.

The speaker identifies three main challenges: the waiting game (slow conversion after online discovery), calendar competition (people's busy schedules conflicting with church activities), and the misconception that most neighbors will naturally walk into the church without targeted outreach. To address these, the speaker advocates for rapid follow-up and digital engagement, emphasizing the need for churches to be proactive in their digital presence. They use data-driven insights to underscore the potential growth and the importance of measuring digital efforts. Additionally, Trabecular processes like Google’s free tools and targeted advertising efforts can significantly improve outreach results.

The discussion closes with an invitation for churches to develop a customized digital strategy through a 'Digital Roadmap' service. The process involves a few strategic Zoom sessions to assess, plan, and implement digital outreach efforts like website improvements, SEO, and Google Ads, tailored to each church’s context and goals. The speaker offers a discount code to incentivize immediate enrollment, emphasizing that a deliberate, data-supported approach can dramatically increase a church’s reach and impact.