The stat haunts me. Half a million people showed up for Easter. Eleven connect cards. That’s not a reach problem. That’s a relationship problem.
Going big doesn’t automatically mean going deep. And if you’re a church planter, a small church pastor, or anyone trying to actually know the people you’re serving online — this episode is your playbook.
The Problem With “Going Big” to Connect
Most churches default to scale. Bigger broadcast. Bigger ad spend. Bigger weekend service numbers. And none of that is inherently wrong — but scale without a strategy for individual connection is just noise.
Here’s the brutal truth: online attendance is passive by design. Someone can watch your entire Easter service, feel genuinely moved, and close the laptop without you ever knowing their name. The connect card model assumes people will take action. Most won’t.
Patrick Holden flips the script entirely. Instead of waiting for people to raise their hand in a crowd of thousands, he goes looking for individuals first.
Meet Patrick: Planting a Church Across State Lines
Patrick is in the middle of planting Nuvo Church in Columbus, Ohio. There’s just one wrinkle — he’s living in Michigan. Different state. Different zip code. COVID-19 shutting down every traditional “shake hands at a coffee shop” strategy a church planter depends on.
Most people would pump the brakes. Patrick hit the gas.
He built a system — completely free, completely relational — to meet real people in Columbus while sitting in Michigan. And what he figured out doesn’t just apply to church planters. Small church, big church, established ministry, new ministry: there’s something here for you.
Facebook as a Front Door (Not a Billboard)
The instinct most churches have on Facebook is to broadcast. Post the sermon clip. Boost the event. Run the Easter ad. That’s fine. But Patrick is using Facebook differently — as a tool for finding and following up with individuals.
Here’s the core shift: Facebook Groups are where community actually lives. Not pages. Not ads. Groups.
Patrick’s approach involves identifying existing Facebook Groups in the Columbus area — neighborhood groups, local interest groups, community boards — and showing up there as a neighbor, not a promoter. He’s not dropping church invites. He’s having conversations. Answering questions. Being genuinely helpful. Building relational equity before he ever mentions Nuvo Church.
When someone in a Columbus neighborhood group posts about a hard week, Patrick doesn’t respond with “come to our service.” He responds like a pastor. Like a human. Like someone who actually cares.
The Mobilization Piece
Meeting people is only half the equation. The other half is mobilizing them — turning interested individuals into invested participants.
Patrick’s process:
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Identify people of peace. These are individuals who are already relationally connected in the community, open to spiritual conversations, and willing to make introductions. Jesus sent the disciples to find them first (Luke 10). Patrick does the same thing on Facebook.
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Move the conversation off the feed. A comment thread is a starting point, not a destination. The goal is always to get to a DM, then a phone call, then a real relationship.
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Give people something to do before the church launches. Nuvo Church didn’t have a building or a weekly service yet — but Patrick was already inviting people into the mission. Prayer. Neighborhood conversations. Small gatherings. The church was forming before the first public service ever happened.
What This Looks Like in Practice
If you want to steal Patrick’s model, start here:
- Search Facebook Groups in your target area. Join three to five that reflect your community’s real conversations.
- Spend two weeks just listening. Notice who’s helpful, who’s trusted, who keeps showing up. Those are your people of peace.
- Engage authentically. Comment on posts. Answer questions. Offer something useful — not a church pitch, just genuine presence.
- Follow up personally. When someone resonates with something you said, send a DM. Not a template. An actual human message.
- Create a low-barrier next step. A prayer group. A virtual coffee. A neighborhood cleanup. Something small and real.
The Deeper Principle
Scalable broadcasting and personal discipleship are not the same thing. You need both — but most churches are so invested in the first that they’ve nearly abandoned the second.
Patrick’s approach is a reminder that the internet doesn’t have to be a stage. It can be a neighborhood. And neighborhoods are where the church has always thrived.
Your Next Step
Listen to the full conversation with Patrick Holden on Episode 064 of The Church Digital Podcast — available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts, and wherever you listen. Then pick one Facebook Group in your community and show up in it this week — not as a marketer, as a neighbor.
That’s where it starts.
