Winter 2012 | Volume 110 | Number 662
Building a Community Online
Thrivent members use social media to spark discussions and create connections.
Thrivent member Walt Timm began using the online social media site Facebook as a way to share his photos with others. But it's become much more. "The results of my photography were such a blessing that I wanted to share that gift with others," says Timm, who lives in Jefferson City, Missouri. He's now a regular contributor on the Thrivent Financial Facebook page, sharing his own images with other members in seasonal photo albums.
Visit any of Thrivent Financials online sites:
Timm is just one of the tens of thousands of Thrivent members using online tools to connect with friends, family and fellow Thrivent members on all sorts of topics. They're sharing ideas about how to get spending under control. They're asking for text votes to earn a Lutheran school fundraising money. They're reminiscing over Lutheran camp stories. They're offering prayers for a sick family member.They're celebrating Lutheran holidays.
And Thrivent Financial is right there with them. From Facebook to Twitter, our organization's social media activity has grown dramatically over the past few years. On our Facebook page, daily posts on finance and faith regularly spur discussions. Even the simplest topics ("Are you a saver or a spender?") have sparked lively debate and creative answers from many of the 50,000 users who "like" Thrivent Financial's Facebook page.
But Facebook isn't the only way Thrivent members can interact with each other online. Members have been posting on message boards and in group forums on the Thrivent-sponsored Lutherans Online (Lutheransonline.com) since the 1990s. Today, more than 200,000 people visit the site each month to send eCards, share recipes, research genealogy and discuss news with fellow Lutherans.
