Intended audience for this site

There are so many ways to approach church communication training,  I thought it might be helpful to clarify the audience that I have in mind as I create this site. No training can be all things to all people, so allow me to clarify what you’ll find here  in the interests of saving time and avoiding unfulfilled expectations.

Though anyone and everyone associated with church communications is welcome to read and use my resources, when I create materials for my ministry I have three audiences in mind as I write and create materials. The groups that I distinguish in my mind’s eye as I work on this site are

• My primary audience
• A secondary audience
• One group I intentionally avoid

Allow me to clarify each group in more detail:

My primary audience

This group of people are those who know they need training. They can be leaders or the people who actually do church communications including: pastors, church business administrators, church office administrators, assistants, church office professionals, church secretaries, church planters, lay members involved in church communications.

Few people in the church leadership positions have had any formal training in marketing or planning communication programs. Yet if you are in this group, you may be called to make decisions that involve communication issues of great cost or complexity. What you decide in the area of church communications can have a significant impact on the growth of your church.

If you are in this group, I have many articles and resources to help you and one the category on this website: “Strategy,” will take you to many of them.

In addition to those who determine the strategy for church communications, my primary audience also consists of people who are responsible to create church communications and who know they need help in doing that. Though in most churches, the church secretary or administrative assistant, or communications specialist is the one creating church communications, because many people in the church have a computer and home and are willing to use it for church work, many people outside the church office are often involved in creating church communications. Volunteers can be a wonderful resource for church communication creation if they are trained and given guidance. I want to help you help your volunteers become effective members of your church communication team.

In the sections that teach the How-tos, the primary audience I keep in mind consists of church planters, new church secretaries, people without a design background. I try very hard in creating materials for this training website to not make assumptions about prior design or technology knowledge. I realize most people who work for a church did not choose the church work setting so they could sit in front of a computer all day long. Nor do most people who come to work for a ministry come with a design or technology background in place.  I try very hard to share resources, training, and tips that will be helpful to beginners. People whose primary job is ministry and who see communications as a tool to successfully accomplish their ministry are the primary audience I try to equip.

I also keep in mind as I share my materials that people who are working in a church setting and who do not have the time to focus all their time and energy on computers and communication. You do all of these things in the midst of a busy ministry life. I never want to take your focus away from first of all being a faithful servant of Jesus. I will provide time, labor, and money-saving tips wherever possible, while at the same time always keeping in mind that we must always remember to serve Jesus and people first.

Because of the beginner nature of my primary audience and the time and financial constraints involved for all of them, I am a fan of MS Publisher and other inexpensive software and communication creation tools. Though that is not the only software I use and I do comment on and provide resources about other software, MS Publisher is the one used most in churches.

Though MS Publisher is used in many projects I review and share about many software programs that I feel might be useful for you in your work. I’m starting out with a few videos that illustrate how software actually works and will continue to add more and more of them. I’m doing this so you don’t waste time purchasing useless materials.

It is important to note that this site does not take any advertising, nor do I participate in any affiliate programs (where you are paid to say nice things and link to other sites and services). I do provide software reviews and links to products and services I feel would be of benefit to church communicators, but I do not receive one penny from any of them. For how this site is supported in more detail and my philosophy on advertising and affiliate programs, click here.

This subject of software usage leads to a clarification of the group that may find parts of what I do useful but not all of it, that group is:

My secondary audience

Church communicators who work in very large churches, whose job is totally communications, who have formal design training, who primarily use Adobe software: for many in this category, much of my practical advice (e.g. lots of information on MS Publisher) may not be helpful to you personally.

However for this audience, I encourage them to consider using the more basic information on content creation as training for your communication volunteers. No one person, no matter how skilled that person might be can do all that is needed for a successful church communication program that serves the entire church—you need a team.

The material on this website will give your communication team a biblical basis, strategic advice, and I trust, encourage them in their  work. I personally use PageMaker or Adobe CS3 for much of my professional work (I designed the banner for this website in Photoshop, do the layout for my books on www.lulu.com/yvonprehn with PageMaker, etc.), but I don’t teach much on it in my seminars or write much about these programs because perhaps 1-2% at the most of the folks who work in church communication use these tools.

In my seminars this audience often comments to me that though they use for example, Abobe CS3 or Photoshop or InDesign or other high-end graphics software to create their communications, that my seminars and website materials helped them see church communications as a ministry, no matter what software they use. My approach encouraged them to do it as a servant endeavor, to get encouragement for their work from the Bible, and to perhaps enlist the skills of others to expand the communications ministry of their churches with those who may not have extensive formal training.

In spite of knowing the technical skills in CS3 and other high end software, I have found that many people in doing church communications do not know the basics of design, how to use grids, and about excellence in typography that those of us trained in design in the pre-computer days had to learn. There is very little beginner material on these topics for church communicators and this site will continue to add training in basics and  foundational design areas that communication creators at every level of expertise can use as a review or learn from.

***In addition, if you are in this group of a skilled communicators, one who trains others, please join in to the conversation on this site. Add your comments and tips to articles. If you have a how-to article or video, please send it to me for possible publication on this site and in our training materials. Send to: yvon@effectivechurchcom.com. One of my long-term goals for this site is to make it one of mutual exchange and encouragement.

One group I intentionally avoid

This is difficult to explain and under no circumstances do I mean ill will or want to cause dissension or strife in the body of Christ. Also, though anyone is free to use whatever may be useful from my resources, there is one group of folks that I have encountered both in my seminars and online, who I simply do not choose to interact with, nor will I knowingly link to or endorse their materials.

These folks fall into two categories. First are the folks who already assume they know it all; they feel technology is primary and since they mastered the technology, their goal is to always use the latest and greatest. They make fun of, verbally and in writing, people who use MS Publisher, PCs instead of Macs, or who don’t have the latest tech tool or software or web widget they consider essential or cool.

I have encountered some of these folks in my seminars. They often sit in the back row, obviously forced to attend by a senior pastor and spend the time in text messaging, surfing the web, and chatting. (I always wonder if folks who do that think the speaker is blind past row 6 or deaf to their chattering undercurrent. We aren’t.) Though irritating, I find that if these folks sit and listen long enough or read through some of my biblical blogs, I often get apologies for previous bad behavior when they see that church communications is a ministry and all the demands of Christian character and consideration are part of their job description.

The second group goes a step further in unacceptable behavior. Not only do they think they know it all in design and technology, but they actively attack anyone or anything that in their exalted opinion, stinks. They are dismissive, arrogant, and rude in their comments on the church communications of those who do not fit into their definitions of what works. Their goal is to be shocking and confrontational, with the sometimes stated goal of doing it to help the church. I have been personally verbally attacked, demeaned, and ridiculed by some of these folks in very hurtful ways, as have a number of people I have had in my seminars. I could rant on and on and do not want to dwell on the negatives, but core beliefs for me in dealing with these folks are:

• We serve a holy God
• We are to reflect the holiness of God in our communications
• We are to never mistake irreverence for relevance
• The church is the Bride of Christ,
• In all things and in all situations, we are to have a reverence when we speak of her
• There is never a valid excuse to use gutter language, profanity, or sexually suggestive images and messages in church communications. Never. Parenthetical note to this last comment: If you have not seen examples of this in so-called church communications, consider yourself fortunate—it is out there and celebrated by some.

In addition to disparaging many who attempt to serve the Bride of Christ, I find the assumption that unless one does church marketing their way that it is somehow inferior, extremely upsetting as well as untrue in practice.

I have seen church communications from many small churches, that though perhaps lacking in professional gloss, that were none-the-less used by God to bring people to Him, to comfort hurts, or to grow people in Christian maturity. When some of these incredible saints, who create simple, but effective communications, are made fun of by someone who holds to this arrogant position of “cool” and “with it” superiority, it breaks my heart. I am not talking theory here; I have personally witnessed it far too many times.

Part of my approach I admit is a very personal one. I am a drill-sergeant’s daughter. I grew up, let’s just say, with a somewhat salty vocabulary, a quick wit, and smart, sarcastic mouth. I’m over-educated, have a close-to-photographic memory, and can historically, biblically, and in detail, point out the flaws in any number of topics, publications, doctrines, and assorted behaviors. And I can be loud. My mother used to tell me that with a mouth like mine no nice man would ever want anything to do with me. (I am now married to a pastor; God does have a sense of humor.)

For me growing in Christ-likeness has been a long, intentional struggle, and I trust growth, in controlling my tongue. I don’t believe it takes much skill or insight to point out problems, to use shocking or potty-mouth terms in your blogs, or graphics with swear words on them as illustrations on your website in an attempt to “improve” church communication.

It’s easy to point out the stinky; what is difficult is to encourage healing without hurting. The real challenge is to come alongside, to be gentle, to help people who have few resources or skills; to build people up and encourage them to do all they can for the kingdom of God. I continuously struggle to control my first impulse, a critical spirit, and a sharp, biting tongue. This is one of the many reasons I choose not to interact with an audience that would encourage what I feel are less than edifying (now that is an old-fashioned word that will most likely get a howl of laughter from some) behaviors in me.

Besides, there are many dear, kind, wonderful church communicators who need help and are a joy to work with. I don’t have to be cool and snarky with them—I can simply pour out my heart and skills to help.

The audiences also clarify my approach

I want this site to be one of mutually encouraging peace. I want to teach and share timeless values.

I want anyone to come to this site and to not feel foolish or too old or too technologically challenged.

I want all exchanges and interactions on the site to be civil, respectful, and to be worthy of the Lord whose message we attempt to share.