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.

Video introduction for long-form content and the information design needed to make it readable

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An overview of long-form design
Check out this short video to see the Information Design used to make long-form content readable.

ed. note: An apology first: I messed up on this in the first of the video, I refer to content that is "long-form" with the words, "long-term." Dumb mistake on my part, but I don't have time to redo the video now, so I ask your forgiveness. The basic ideas are so important, please ignore my brain freeze.

Long-form content means you aren't restricted to 140 character tweets or 500 word articles (what many recommend for the web) to share your ministry message or challenge. As a recent blog post discussed many organizations and publications are now putting long-form content on the web. However, for that content to be read easily, you can't just dump thousands of words on a website.

Information design is the tool that makes long-form content readable. Though we'll cover this in upcoming instructional videos and articles, this short video gives you an overview of some of the new long-form publications online and how information design makes them differ from earlier sites that simply contained lots of content.

Beyond tweets and micro blogs—the resurgence of long-form journalism

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Tablets and long-form content
The ease of reading on tablets is only one factor in the growth of long-form journalism.

How often have you heard the claim that "nobody reads long content on the web?" An even more important question is: how often have you followed that advice to make your content short and catchy, no matter how that twisted and tortured the content became in the process?

The ultimate exercise in brevity of course is Twitter, which attempts enable your communication about life, exhortation, and inspiration to be condensed to 140 characters. This isn't a critique of that attempt.  You can say a lot in 140 characters—John 3:16 is only 129.

But people can't live on short, catchy summaries alone and even Twitter often links to longer content. Recognizing this need for more information, one of the founders of Twitter (and Blogger), Ev Williams, has recently become involved in a new long-form journalism project on the web. As part of explaining his reasons for doing this, he said:

We love tweets as much as the next person (probably more), but sometimes we long for something meatier. Now that we’ve made sharing information virtually effortless, how do we increase the depth of understanding, while also creating a level playing field that encourages great ideas coming from anywhere? http://mashable.com/2013/05/28/medium-ev-williams/

Aaron Gell, the new editor of the long-form division for the publication Business Insider, describes his motivation for long-form journalism in this way:

"The Internet has brought us a deluge of information — who, what, when — but if you really want to enhance people's understanding, there's no substitute for a powerful narrative that carries a reader along, teases out the subtleties of a story and hopefully gets at a larger truth." http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/rieder/2013/11/06/business-insider-makes-a-foray-into-long-form-journalism/3453405/

New devices support the need for long-form content

Tablets, iPad, Kindles, and smart phones have drastically changed how we consume content and many attribute the growing popularity of long-form content in part to these devices, as these recent studies suggest:

Data from the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism reinforce the notion that lots of people like to read in-depth journalism on mobile devices. In a study called "Future of Mobile News" last October, Pew found that 73% of tablet owners access long-form content either regularly or sometimes; 19% do so each day. The same overall total was true for phones, with 11% regular consumers

Those readers have healthy appetites. About 60% of the tablet users who access long-form read two to three articles in a sitting, and another 17% read four or more. Often, the report found, they devour articles that they hadn't initially planned to read.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/2013/06/05/rem-rieder-longform/2389995/

There isn't anything inherently magical about the technology of a tablet computer or smart phone that makes people read more long-form content on them. A big part of the appeal it is that the content is simply so much easier to read because the physical size of these devices shortens line length and the ability to make the text larger makes the content more readable.  In addition, these devices are easy to carry around and read enabling otherwise wasted wait time productive.

The implications of this trend for church communications

There are two major areas of important implications for church communicators with this trend towards long-form journalism—content creation and information design. These two areas are intertwined and it's essential to understand both for effective long-form journalism.

Quality content creation is essential because though people might be in a hurry, they still have empty hearts, nagging questions about the faith, and difficulties in application. You can pastor or teach through blogs and online articles that don't have to be constrained to short, snappy lists, catchy descriptions and summaries.  But to do that, you also can't simply dump content into your website with the attitude of "people will read longer material now."

The importance of Information Design

You also have to look at Information Design, which is what makes the content readable. I realized after drafting this blog that it was essential to show you what I'm talking about. As the video link below will show you, what was important in print in the past is important again: line-length, hierarchies of type face, size and style are once again understood as essential for long-form material to be readable. In the past many sites simply dumped in long form content (past writings from church history, etc.) but only the most dedicated teachers would slog through them.

In response, most people ignored this content. What the secular sites show us is that you can take longer, meaningful content and with changes in Information Design, make it accessible.

The process to take difficult to read material and make it more readable is challenging. I will be working on some systems to make it easier for churches offices to implement. There are a number of levels that Information Design can be applied and many of them go back to the basics of typography. I'm excited to explore that because I've always loved teaching about and designing with type in print.

If you haven't signed up for the ECC newsletter, be sure to do that (form is in the right hand side-bar) and you'll be automatically notified of updates on this topic as well as other training information on this site as soon as it is published.

Here is the link to the video that : https://www.effectivechurchcom.com/video-introduction-for-long-form-content-and-the-information-design-needed-to-make-it-readable/

It's an exciting time to be a church communicator as we all learn more effective ways to communicate "the whole counsel of God" with the tools of long-form journalism.

What matters most in evaluating software and services for church communications

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Tips to help you make software choices.
It's usually not as clear-cut when you need to make ministry software decisions, this article will help.

In the process of finding Membership Software for the ECC website, I learned valuable lessons, which I'll share below, that I think are of benefit to anyone looking for a new software or service. In addition, I wanted to share how these will affect future training on the ECC site.

An overview of lessons learned as I looked for Membership Software

Please note, this is a totally different kind of software than Membership Software for a church. The kind of software I was looking for is primarily business software that protects and charges for content on a website. It has nothing to do with churches.

Here is my overview of lessons learned:

  • Don't look for perfection in software, look for a good fit.
  • A good fit is what is determined by your needs, situation, budget and ability to use the software.
  • Almost every software or system that I read about had some people who thought it was wonderful and others who hated it.
  • Feature lists mean almost nothing—most are either obvious, bloated, or exaggerated.
  • Good support and explanations are priceless.

Expanded comments on what I learned:
I realized that the differences in how various software and systems were reviewed had little to do with the products themselves and much more to do with who was reviewing them. Unfortunately in the case of most reviews of the membership programs often tech gurus reviewed them. What a tech guru found "easy and intuitive" I often found impossible to understand or carry out.

I also became very weary of so-called "reviews" that were nothing more than a collection of links with content pulled from the sites they were reviewing. There is too much of this on the web. I found almost no "reviews" from people who actually used the materials, unless they were comments on the manufacturer's site or blogs where people hated something. I can understand this because the programs are costly and extremely time-consuming to learn, but it wasn't very helpful to someone trying to figure it all out.

The features in membership software that meant a lot to some people such as "the ability to drip content" and "lock RSS feeds" meant nothing to me. There are many instances where an abundance of features isn't positive, but overly complex and overwhelming when you only want it to do a few simple things. Most membership sites are for people who are selling expensive business services or content, so every bit of content is locked, locked again, put on an access level and sold piece by piece. They don't want people to share, they want to sell it one post, video or article at a time.

In contrast, I simply wanted to set up a membership site so that I wouldn't have to charge people every time I created a new ebook, training video, template or other resource. I wish I could give it all away for free, but since that isn't possible, this seems like the best solution. Church communicators are on a budget and I felt that if you could plan a month to month or year to year, on a consistent cost, or if you got a life-time offer, it would be easier for churches to have the content and training needed.

The conclusion of the above observations is that there is no objectively "perfect" software for any task. Software is perfect for you if it meets your needs, your budget, your level of training, for the tasks you need to carry out at your church. To figure that out, research all you can, but remember to pray for wisdom (James 1:5) remembering that your Lord loves you and the people you serve and wants to help equip you to do the best job possible in your work.

How I am applying them to future training on ECC

Because I learned there is no perfect tool to carry out any church communication task, I will try to present options for different situations in the programs I review or lessons I teach—to enable you to make the right decision for your needs, your budget, your level of training, for the tasks you need to carry out at your church.—which is the most important thing I can help you do.

I came to this conclusion after analyzing my frustrations, when I realized that one particular thing that bothered me was that almost every reviewer or commentator assumed (I'm sure in many cases, they not even aware they were doing this) that all their readers were exactly alike and more than that were exactly like them and had the same likes, dislikes, knowledge level and needs as the person doing the review. Because of that they would make statements such as, "this is the best and so easy to use….." Maybe it was for them, but it certainly wasn't for me.

It was upsetting when I realized that far too often I've unthinkingly done the same thing and I apologize. Let me share a current example of how I plan to change in this:

More options for website training

For some time I've been working on a new series on how to do websites. I had a very specific way I liked to create websites and host them. I was planning to teach everybody MY PLAN and only MY PLAN (because of course I thought that was best—oh how the sin of pride sneaks in where we least expect it), but as I've thought and prayed about it more, I've realized that there are a number of ways to create and host websites that would work out well for churches of various sizes and for people with various skill and budget. In researching and trying different options, I have found a number of systems that work well. In fact, I now have several systems and hosts I'm personally using for various ministries, and like any parent with several children, I no longer have a favorite.

As part of this new way of approaching training, I will do more video reviews and make them as clear as possible with the benefits and challenges for each new topic I'm teaching. For example, on the upcoming series on websites, I'll talk about when and why you may want to use a free WordPress template and modify it for your church; when and why you might want to use a hosted WordPress site and a purchased church-specific template; when and why you might want to use a service to create and host your site. I'm not you, at your church or with your budget, and though I can't give you unlimited options, I will work hard to make the options I do present as clear as possible.

The Lord tells us that "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28). When I started the search for new membership software, I didn't know how difficult and frustrating it would be, but I also didn't know how it would teach me lessons that I believe will ultimately be of great value to the guests and members of the ECC site—and the Lord knew that was the most important part of the process.

About ECC: What you will never see on this site

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Effective Church Communications you'll never seeIn an effort to give a complete description of Effective Church Communications and what readers and potential members can expect, it's important to share some negatives as well as positives.

On the negative side, I wanted to share what you will NEVER see on this site:

  • Profanity, mild, moderate, or blatant, whether it is considered socially acceptable or not.
  • Examples of shocking inappropriate communications, no matter what the intended "good" purpose might be.
  • Mocking of any church, church communications, or practices.
  • Snarky, snide, oh-so-superior comments about those who don't do what supposed experts say they ought to.

If you are not familiar with church communication sites that allow this kind of material, consider yourself fortunate. If you are, please know that you won't find similar material on this site.

All the comments that come into this site are screened and any that have inappropriate content or an attitude that is rude are deleted. Honest, respectful disagreement is always welcome, as are corrections of errors on the site (and goodness knows I make enough of them). I want this site to be a safe one for anyone who has a question or comment.

I realize, having said these things, I will be immediately be labeled in various negative ways and the little junior high school person who lives inside me (and I think in all our adult-looking bodies) wants to fit in and not be labeled as a self-righteous scold. But the adult in me, who most of the time over-rules the whiny child, remembers that some day I will stand before Jesus and give account of my life. I would rather take the chance of being overly strict with the content of this website than do anything that would be unworthy of my Lord.

For a longer explanation of my thoughts on this topic, please see the post: Do not confuse irreverence for relevancy in church communications

About ECC: Yvon Prehn and where to find her books

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Effective Church Communications Yvon PrehnYvon Prehn is the founder, director, and primary content creator of the training site for church communicators: https://www.effectivechurchcom.com, a website that provides practical training in print and digital communications to help churches fully fulfill the Great Commission.

Yvon worked in communication ministry for over 25 years. She was a free-lance newspaper reporter and religion writer for the Colorado Springs SUN.  She worked as a communications consultant and trainer for many of the ministries headquartered in
Colorado Springs and was senior editor at Compassion International and Young life International.

She then began writing and teaching seminars on church communications and doing free-lance

communications, marketing, and publication design. When desktop publishing was first invented,Yvon was a top-rated, national trainer in desktop publishing for Padgett/Thompson, the nation’s largest one-day seminar company and she wrote the first book on desktop publishing for the church, The Desktop Publishing Remedy. Though her time at Padgett/Thompson was an invaluable learning experience, Yvon

Yvon and Paul Prehn
Yvon Prehn and her husband Paul, one Sunday morning at church.

wanted to work primarily helping churches communicate more effectively. Once again, she went out on her own, traveled and taught seminars to churches. She then served as an independent trainer in partnership with the Riso Corporation and for fourteen years she traveled full-time all over North America teaching seminars on church communications to thousands of church communicators.

Yvon has written for many of the major Christian magazines. She has written the books:  Connection Cards, connect with visitors, grow your church, pastor your people—little cards, big results, Back to Basics, Writing and Design Skills for Church Communicators, The Six Strategies of Effective Church Communications, Devotions for Church Communicators, Church Business & Invitation Cards, and many others on church communications.

Currently, Yvon is creating articles, books, videos, blogs, podcasts, and other training to educate, equip and inspire church communicators. Yvon and her husband Paul live in Ventura, CA.

Yvon Prehn, Founder of Effective Church Communications
Yvon Prehn is the founder and primary content creator for Effective Church Communications.

Where to find more Yvon Prehn resources

Many of Yvon Prehn's books are available in ebook versions and are free for Effective Church Communications Members, but they are also available in print and Kindle and other reader versions at the links below:

Yvon Prehn’s books in paperback

A growing choice is available at http://www.amazon.com. Just enter “Yvon Prehn” in the search box to go to her list of books, if the previous link doesn't take you directly to it. ****THERE IS a FREE Kindle version of our best-selling, Connection Cards book at this link.

The regular amazon pricing, shipping, free shipping offers apply.

If you would like to buy books in bulk at a reduced price, or are interested commissioning a
Personalized Special Edition for a training event or conference, contact yvon@effectivechurchcom.com.

Digital versions and downloadable e-books are available from:

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/yvonprehn

This site has lots of free special edition ebooks. It also allows you to download books in any ebook format. New ones are continuously added, so check back often. Please pass on this link to church, mission, and other groups for the free downloads.

Yvon’s digital books are also available from these major online and retail sources, just put “Yvon Prehn” into their search function to find the books or click on the links below. These selections are added to often, so check back for new titles.

www.amazon.com: Kindle versions for download to the Kindle reader available here

Itunes online bookstore

Barnes and Noble online bookstore

Contact information for reprint rights and excerpt rights

To request free reprint permission of articles or contributions to websites or books, email: yvon@effectivechurchcom.com

Any Christian group or church can freely reprint excerpts from this website or my ebooks without bothering to contact me as long as you use the link and citation: from Yvon Prehn, www.effectivechurchcom.com.