Social media can be a scary, overwhelming place at times, especially for people in ministry. Often there is so much negativity and anger rippling through our social media feeds that we wonder if there is any way to redeem these tools for kingdom good.

Well there is. Do not be discouraged.

Children’s ministers: the parents of the children in your care are on Facebook, Instagram, and other such platforms. Through social media, you have the ability to minister to them and equip them to minister to their children beyond the doors of your church building.

But you’re busy and there are so many options. I know. Here are a few ways you can get started:

1. Start a Facebook page for your children’s ministry.

Hopefully your church already has a Facebook page, but if you serve a large number of families and it is sometimes difficult to figure out the best way to keep in touch, a Facebook page (combined with a Facebook group, mentioned below) may be the best way to communicate vital information with people.

Starting a Facebook page for your children’s ministry can serve a number of important purposes like giving you a way to communicate with families in your church as well as giving you an opportunity to serve families in your broader community.

2. Start a Facebook group for your children’s ministry.

A Facebook group is different from a Facebook page in a number of ways. Because Facebook groups tend to be more private, you may not want to use a Facebook group to reach families in your community (see Facebook pages for that).

A Facebook group would be helpful for having a way to instantly communicate schedule changes or other important announcements to the families who regularly attend. This is a space where you could share prayer requests and coordinate meals for families in your church.

Facebook pages and Facebook groups are both important, but they do serve different purposes: pages are more public and groups are more private.

3. Share biblical parenting resources that may encourage and equip your parents.

Whether you decide to create a Facebook page or a Facebook group for your children’s ministry, one of the best ways to serve the families in your church is by providing biblical parenting resources that may encourage and equip your parents.

The job of church leaders is to equip the church to do ministry. Through social media outlets, like Facebook, you have the opportunity to share biblical parenting resources like blog posts, videos, or other content that may help the families in your church and your community point their kids to Jesus.

Maybe you’re overwhelmed by all of this. It’s OK. Take a deep breath. If you aren’t sure where to start or you have more questions about how social media can help children’s ministry, I can point you in the right direction.

I help Christian leaders use social media to serve people all the time. It’s my job. In October, LifeWay is launching a service called LifeWay Social to help Christian leaders like you use social media to serve the people in your churches and communities.

The Lord has given you good gifts and he has given us tools like social media to share the good news of the gospel and to equip the saints for ministry. Don’t be overwhelmed to the point of paralysis. Let LifeWay Social help. Learn more at LifeWaySocial.com.

Chris Martin is Co-Creator of LifeWay Social and an Author Development Specialist at LifeWay. He loves helping Christian leaders use social media to serve the Church. You can follow him on Twitter @ChrisMartin17.