Effective Church Communications

Effective Church Communications provides Timeless Strategy and Biblical Inspiration to help churches create communications that fully fulfill the Great Commission

Effective Church Communications provides Timeless Strategy and a Biblical Perspective to help churches create communications that fully fulfill the Great Commission. Our tools constantly change; our task doesn’t; we can help.

September 13: International Chocolate Day–an excuse to celebrate!

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Celebrate Chocolate Day
Chocolate can communicate love, fun, appreciation--celebrate it at your church.

How can you not be happy when sharing chocolate? From little kids to adults of any age, it brings a smile to your face and delight to your tummy. And it can be a wonderful time to celebrate in your ministry.

For many years my husband and I were involved in Single Adults Ministry and periodically we would have chocolate celebrations. Many singles don't have a special someone to give them chocolate, so we'd host an event where we'd have a chocolate pot-luck and let them know that God and our group loved them. Sometimes we'd have a dinner first, sometimes we'd do something like show the movie "Chocolat", but the star of the event was always chocolate. It was tremendous fun and singles and their kids always enjoyed it and went home feeling quite loved and celebrated.

September 13, International Chocolate Day gives you an opportunity to celebrate in your church

There are many things that are serious in our faith and rightfully so, but we also need to intentionally remember that our God "richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment" (1 Timothy 6:17). He created chocolate, what a delight it is, and it is OK to enjoy it!

You can use this day to communicate His love and joy by:

  • Creating a special chocolate goodie for break time at church and reminding the staff how much they are loved by God and what a joy it is to work with them in sharing His gospel.
  • Taking home made chocolate treats to a homeless center or pass them out on the street and reminding people how much God loves them.
  • Make up little chocolate goodie packets for home-bound or those in nursing homes and letting them know they are not forgotten.
  • Have a chocolate pot-luck of desserts after a seeker study at your church or any small group gathering to celebrate knowing each other.

Resources for celebration

For an abundance of incredible, wonderful, wish-I-wasn't-at-the-computer-so-I-could-make-some recipes, CLICK HERE for a Pinterest chocolate recipe page.

If you need some reassurance that chocolate also has health benefits—it lowers blood pressure and provides antioxidants—CLICK HERE for a WebMD article.

If the Pinterest recipes are not in your diet plan, CLICK HERE for 5 moderate ways to enjoy chocolate from SHAPE magazine.

If you'd like more about the history and use of chocolate around the world, CLICK HERE for the Wikipedia article on it.

If you have a favorite recipe, way to use chocolate, or how you celebrate with it, please share it in the comment section below—have some chocolate and thank our Lord for the joys, big and little he gives us on our journey.

 

September 28: National Good Neighbor Day–a challenge to churches to be a good neighbor

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Be a better neighbor than a fence
They say "good fences make good neighbors" --here is how our churches can do better!

They say, "good fences make good neighbors" and we certainly hope that doesn't mean our churches. This celebration gives us an opportunity to look at how neighborly we are as a church and as followers of Jesus.

First a little bit about the holiday itself: Becky Mattson from Montana initiated the idea, three presidents (Nixon, Ford, and Carter) issued proclamations, and finally in 2003, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution making Sept. 28 National Good Neighbor Day.

You don't need to be a citizen of the U.S. to celebrate, as the concept of being a good neighbor is an integral part of what it means to be a follower of Jesus, as the following passage reminds us:

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” (Luke 10:25-28, ESV)

To celebrate National Good Neighbor Day, here are two suggestions for communications,  blogs, tweets, ministry actions that will help us grow to be like Jesus:

Be a good church neighbor

Many churches are in neighborhoods and to celebrate National Good Neighbor Day, think of what you might do for your neighbors:

  • Consider a trash pick-up, fixing up a local park or other area, starting a community garden.
  • Take time to evaluate if you have been a good neighbor as a church.
  • Look at the noise, trash, parking issues and other inconveniences the church causes your neighbors.
  • Take time to apologize and do what you can about problems and work with your neighbors and congregation to solve them.

Take a survey of how many people who are within walking distance of the church and who attend your church or any church. If a large number of them are unchurched, be intentional as the fall holiday season approaches on how you might invite them to church activities. (CLICK HERE for Fall Holiday Outreach ideas).

Help your hurting neighbors

An immediate response to this suggestion is most likely the same one that the lawyer in the story above responded to Jesus, "and who is my neighbor?"

Just as Jesus answered by telling the story we know as the Good Samaritan, it is so easy to forget how repulsive a bleeding and bloody man by the side of the road was to help. The obvious application to us is: Who in our world is the repulsive neighbor we don't want to help?

  • Is it the dirty, homeless person pushing their grocery cart of clothes and cans?
  • Is it the immigrant we wish would go away?
  • Is it the person at church whose sin is obvious and morally offensive to us?

The Samaritan stopped on his journey and got involved at significant personal cost to someone he didn't know, who religious people ignored, and whose race hated him. He had every physical, religious, economic, and racial reason to walk by—but he didn't.

And how would Jesus have us take these challenges as we celebrate Good Neighbor Day? We know his answer:

Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” (Luke 10:37, ESV)

International Friendship Day: an opportunity celebrate and teach about friendship

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Celebrate Frienship Day
Friendship Day is a great time to learn to be closer friends with Jesus

International Friendship Day is celebrated on July 30 or the first Sunday in August. Though the day of celebration has varied over the years, (CLICK HERE for one interesting history of it), no matter what the exact day or the history of it, it is a time to celebrate friendships.

At your church it is a great time to remind your people not only of the joy of human friendship, but the incredible reality that God wants to be our friend and that the death of Jesus makes that possible. You can use it as a time to teach and challenge your people. Below are some quotes, Bible verses, and suggestions for how to make the most of this day to help your people grow into maturity as Jesus' friends.

Quotes on friendship

“FRIEND is one who (F)inds you in a (R)ush of people (I)nspires you to do something in life, catches your (E)motions and (N)ever leaves you until (D)eath….”

Best friends are people you know you don’t need to talk to every single day. You don’t even need to talk to each other for weeks, but when you do, it’s like you never stopped talking.

My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me.

A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.

The only way to have a friend is to be one.

Bible verses on friendship

The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray. Proverbs 12:26 (NLT)

A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. Proverbs 17:17 (NLT)
Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable? Proverbs 20:6 (NLT)

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. Proverbs 27:17 (NLT)

“Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13-15

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:15

Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. 2 Corinthians 7:1

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 2 Peter 3:14

Teaching/blogging/tweeting challenges—ways to make Friendship Day a spiritual growth opportunity

Take one of the verses above and either share in a group or journal what it would look like in practice. For example, what does it mean to "lay down your life for a friend"? We may not have a chance (though one never knows what the future will hold) to give our physical life for a friend, but what about stopping what you are doing if a friend calls and taking time to really listen?

What about when you have a challenge to volunteer, perhaps weekly at a soup kitchen or other service opportunity and you'd rather spend time on your favorite hobby?

  • What about when your spouse or friend wants you to join them for an activity, a walk, fishing, going to a movie, gardening, and it's not something you really want to do?
  • What about when you know you are right about something, (not something moral or biblical, but an opinion) and your friend does not, will not see it your way?

How would your relationship with Jesus be different if you really believed that He considered you His friend?

  • What would you share?
  • How would you spend time together?
  • How would this change the way you introduce other friends of yours to Him?

Take this day beyond platitudes and merely kind wishes (though these are not to be discounted) and use it as a time to help your people grow in discipleship as they learn and practice what it means to develop an ever-growing relationship with Jesus.

Create events that are an “easy ask” for your church members

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how to create "easy-ask" events
Do you make it easy for your church members to ask people to events? This article will show you how.

Question: which is easier for you to invite your unchurched friends and neighbors to? Also which one do you think they are more likely to respond to?

The Sunday morning church service.

or

Summer free movies in the park with free popcorn, lemonade, and frozen yogurt, bounce house and face-painting?

The fairly obvious answer is the second one and that answer is more than hypothetical to me as our church just finished sponsoring the second one of three Fun Free Friday Movie nights this summer.  A professional I do business with attended with his daughter. Though we'd talked about church, he was someone who previously was not interested in attending any church events. But not only did he attend this one, he went out of his way to too thank me and tell me what a great time they had.

As I was sharing his response with one of the leaders at our church, she responded by telling me that one of the reasons they did this is because events like this are such an "easy ask." I'd never heard that term before (probably most of the rest of the world has), but I loved it and wanted to share it with you, along with some related ideas on how your church communication ministry can apply them.

What makes an "easy ask" for a church event?

Here are some characteristics:

  • This is an event that you aren't embarrassed to invite an unchurched friend to attend.
  • There is no cost, no obligation to attend.
  • It is sponsored by your church, but not an obviously churchy event.
  • You have something tangible to remind them of the event. We had postcards/invitation cards with the time, date, location and website link on them. For additional information on how to create invitation cards and how you can use them effectively: https://www.effectivechurchcom.com/2012/10/church-invitation-cards-why-they-work-so-well-how-to-use-them/
  • The reason this last detail is so important is that it isn't easy to ask someone to something if they don't know how to get there, if there is a cost or not, what is involved. Communications are one of the most important details and one many times forgotten--but remember you can have the greatest event in the world, but if you don't have something tangible (postcard, business card, invitation of any kind) to remind people of the details when they remember it at the last minute, they are not likely to attend.

Why schedule easy-ask events?

In our post-Christian world where few people have a felt need to go to church on Sunday morning, easy-ask events are a wonderful bridge to involvement with your church. You can create these events around any special event (free movies, any fun things for kids and families) or around any holiday or seasonal celebration.

To contact people for further interaction and invitations to your church you can capture names and contact information with sign-ups for free drawings (at our summer events, we have a variety of local business gift cards with the big prize give-away of a $200 Target gift card). There is a lot of additional information on follow-up after special events on this website and one of the most useful articles is: Follow-up after a church holiday outreach event: speed dating or relationship building?

Now it's your turn

You can use any holiday, a fun celebration, or any special event in your community as an "easy-ask" event for your church members.

Please share any ideas or events your church has done in the past in the comment section below--let's make it easy for everyone to invite everyone they know to church!

Shop til you drop for Backpack Ministries and Christmas Shoe Boxes!

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Shop the summer sales to get great supplies for Backpack ministries
Shop the summer sales to get great supplies for Backpack ministries and to save for Christmas Shoe Boxes--here are links to free Bulletin Inserts to encourage your church to be involved.

If you are the kind of person, male or female who considers shopping one of your favorite recreational activities, this time of year is perfect for you to combine your love of shopping with significant ministry.You can do that by shopping for school supplies at the greatly discounted prices this time of year and using them for Backpack Ministries and saving them ahead for Christmas Shoe boxes. To encourage and inspire the people in your church to take part, Effective Church Communications has links at the end of this article to entries that have church bulletin inserts in a variety of illustration formats. Some are free PDFs that you can personalize on the back. There are more designs available in editable MS Publisher format that you can download and modify if you are an ECC Member. The first two links are for Backpack Ministry Inserts, the third one encourages people to shop for your Christmas Shoe boxes when the fall sales are on, and finally a personal article on why this ministry is so important to me.

Click on any title to go to the articles:

Back-to-School Backpack Ministry--an opportunity to bring joy to needy kids A new set of designs with templates for Effective Church Communications My personal reasons why backpack ministry is so important to me Bulletin Inserts: Shop for Your Christmas Child Boxes in August--Samaritan's Purse shopping Tips!