The Internet is a vast place. There are literally millions of websites and constant traffic. Social media is no different. Facebook, for example, has 2.23 billion monthly active users, of which 1.47 billion log in daily. There are 100 million daily Twitter users who post 500 million tweets.

So whether it is an outreach event, parish supper or Bible study in a bar, cutting through the noise of the Internet to get the message of your church to a seeker in your specific mission field can seem like a monumental task.

Thankfully there are tools that can help. Meetup.com is one such tool. Meetup.com operates as a website and mobile application that allows its users to schedule events using a common platform. These events are then shared with users who have created profiles and named the topics of interest to themselves. Meetup then filters all the various “meet-ups” to show users the various groups in their area that are of their self-described interest. Users then are able to join the group, your group, and hear directly from you about your next event through an email in their inbox.

The service is relatively inexpensive at $9.99 a month for a group under 50 people, and $14.99 for an unlimited group. And you are able to sign up for the service for one month only for a one-off event, or monthly for recurring events like your church pub theology night.

This simple tool allows you to advertise directly to the people in your mission field who have self-identified as interested in your type of event. This type of micro-targeting allows parishes to cut through all the noise of Facebook and Twitter and get your event directly to seekers and help you share the message of Jesus Christ.