Effective Church Communications

The Effective Church Communication ministry from Yvon Prehn provides inspiration, training, and resources to help your church create communications that fully fulfill the Great Commission. It focuses on Bible-based and timeless principles and strategies that work no matter what digital or print channel you use to create your communications. The site has links to many free TEMPLATES and other resources, plus links to free TRAINING VIDEOS, and a RESOURCE LIBRARY for church communicators. 

The Effective Church Communication ministry from Yvon Prehn provides inspiration, training, and resources to help your church create communications that fully fulfill the Great Commission. It focuses on Bible-based and timeless principles and strategies that work no matter what digital or print channel you use to create your communications. The site has links to many free TEMPLATES and other resources, plus links to free TRAINING VIDEOS, and a RESOURCE LIBRARY for church communicators.

Canva Training Video: 3 BIG mistakes in creating Bible verse graphics and how to correct them

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In our recent survey of church communicators, one of the biggest requests was that people wanted help in creating materials in Canva.

Following is a video that Lord willing, I plan to be the first of many on Canva.

It is a simple topic, but a challenge I see all the time where people create Bible verses with graphics on them and with the best of intentions I'm sure, they violate the most basic rules of typography in using poor contrast, hard to read typefaces, and incorrect sizing for the type vs. the image. In this short video I'll show you how to correct all the mistakes and make a verse graphic where the Bible verse, the reason for doing it all is clear.

 

To sign up for the newsletter to get updates on additional Canva and other instructional videos, plus resources from Effective Church Communications, click the following link: https://dogged-mover-617.ck.page/8b64649777

The most important communications you create—answers to staff emails and other requests

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Don't ignore people who email you
When we ignore emails people send to the church staff it can hurt hearts, damage relationships, and certainly, make people less open to communications you send to them.

We want people to respond to what we communicate to them, we want them to show up and participate. Yet, again and again, I hear from those who are challenged emotionally and spiritually because people on the church staff do not respond to emails. Here are some recent ones (identifying details are modified so as not to embarrass any individual or church as we can all be guilty of these things):

"I wanted to sponsor some of the youth group going to camp and it was not an insignificant amount of money. I also had some other things I wanted to give the group and as I went over my email I realized it wasn't clear that a lot of money was involved with the various offers and a few questions I had. However, the youth pastor took days and no response. I recopied it and sent it again with a nice "I'm sorry I bothered, and you may have missed this....." I got an extremely short reply, basically rejecting my offer. I don't think he actually read the email. I am NEVER again going to support this person and my money will go elsewhere.

I had a really important question about an issue that came up with our small group. I emailed the pastor who is supposed to be in charge of all this and still no reply. I'm trying hard not to call and yell. We just had a budget approval time and our church pays people really well and I don't understand why they don't answer emails.

I sent in the requested material so the communications person could add our Sunday School topics to the church weekly email newsletter. No acknowledgment it was received. It wasn't put into the newsletter. I don't know what to do.

I could go on and on with comments from many churches, but all of them have the same question, and concern--"Why does the church staff not answer email?"

Let's look at why this is happening and positive ways to improve the situation. [Read more...]

Results of the Church Communications Survey and Commentary on it PODCAST AND TEXT

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Effective Church Communications PodcastHi, I’m Yvon Prehn, and welcome to the Effective Church Communications podcast. A few weeks ago, I did a survey to find out more about what church communicators are using currently and what they need to do their work more effectively.

In today’s podcast, I’ll talk about  the Results of the Church Communications Survey Summary and Commentary on it

Below is the podcast and following that a copy of the notes/transcript of it.

So let’s get started…..

               As I begin, I’d like to ask you, if you feel as I did … [Read more...]

SEND OUT THOSE POSTCARDS!!! National Study on the importance of Direct Mail confirms the effectiveness of postcards

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Postcards are an effective way to communicate
Even though we have many channels of communication, postcards are still one of the most effective, as this current study shows.

The direct mail and marketing companies, Lob and Comperemedia just sent out some highlights from their 2022 State of Direct Mail: Consumer Insights report. I think it's fair to say that where they list "direct mail" we can substitute the word, "postcard."

Here are their findings:

  • 72% of respondents read direct mail immediately after or on the same day they bring it inside their residence
  • Of the 62% of consumers that have taken action on a direct mail piece, 64% were inspired to take action because of an offer or promotion
  • 45% of consumers say receiving direct mail from a brand feels more important than receiving an email from a brand

Though these companies of course want to sell you their direct mailing services, as church communicators we can learn a lot from them.

Based on these statistics, one of the most successful communications churches can create for outreach is a postcard

As I have reminded church communicators for many years, when a person gets a postcard out of the mail, for the brief seconds that they check it out, you have their complete attention. They cannot help but read the message you have on it.

It is one-on-one communication. [Read more...]

When computers break and things go wrong, the story of a Lazarus computer and trusting God for the results of our work

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It's never the computer, but the person that makes great communications
It's never the computer, but the person that makes great communications. Use whatever tech you have to create great things for the kingdom of God.

Finances are often a challenge in church communications as it seems the communications ministry is one of the last in the church to get the updated equipment and software needed.

Working for a church or working at home, the challenges are the same. The financial support of the job I work at to pay for the costs of this site has been significantly nose-dived because of Covid. Since the income from that job has to pay household bills and ministry operational costs, new hardware is not even a remote option.

This isn't a moan and grown about tough times but what I hope will be an encouragement of what I've preached to all of you for years, but have currently been reminded of in a very real way and that is....

Our equipment is never what makes an effective communicator

My current computer was all I could afford when I got it (I was planning on getting a new updated and the super computer I thought I needed and then Covid hit). It is barely adequate, but it has been adequate.  A few months ago, it began to overheat after operating for a few hours (and I work on it many hours a day). A few days ago I was working away, not paying attention. and it got so hot it shut down completely. Dead. Total black screen of death. I prayed over it. I set it aside. Came back to it. Still dead.

I panicked. I do have a backup, a desktop box of a very old computer I can use in an emergency, but it clanks loudly (sounds like a jet engine a friend of mine said) and the screen attached to it is going out and has streaks across images. I hate that thing but have had to use it at times. I can borrow my husband's Chromebook for short periods of time, but he needs it for his work. I wanted to cry.

Suddenly (I am not making this up) it seemed an inner voice from heaven said to me, "put it in the refrigerator." So I did. Overnight. The next morning I pulled out an icy cold and damp computer. I momentarily thought if the overheating hadn't fried it, the moisture from the refrigeration probably did it in. [Read more...]