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; Effective Church Communications can help.

Add Value to Your Service

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Add Value to Your Service
Add value to your service in the church office by following the tips here.

All administrative assistants are valuable to the ministry of the church. Some, their pastors say, have become indispensable. How have these outstanding assistants risen above the norm? And, how can you use value-added strategies to enhance your own professionalism?

• Learn something new every day.

Once basics are mastered it is easy to become complacent. Make it a priority to add to your work knowledge daily. Listen, read, ask questions, check websites, attend seminars, network.

• Promise a lot; deliver even more. Be so well qualified that you can confidently commit to getting the project done. Then, as often as possible, put a little frosting on the cake: do more than just what is necessary, get jobs done before the target date, keep costs less than budgeted.

• Give tasks appropriate effort. While quality is as important as quantity, realize that all tasks are not of equal value. Routine jobs need to be dispatched quickly. Look for and use shortcuts that don’t adversely affect your results. Special projects may demand a higher level of excellence. Sometimes it is more valuable to do fewer tasks and do each one better.

• Put your personal stamp on what you do. A ministry assistant recounted a story about a member who told her, “As soon as I saw last week’s bulletin and newsletter I knew you were on vacation. They were fine, of course, but just didn’t have that ‘Margie’ touch.” What a nice compliment. It affirmed to one assistant that people do notice her efforts.

• Establish rapport. Use regular meetings with your supervisor to demonstrate your management skills. Summarize projects in progress, review completed assignments, offer suggestions for upcoming events. Anticipate needs; be prepared. Take the initiative in managing your work. When faced with a problem, handle it or bring it to your supervisor along with a possible solution or two. Share information with others; show newcomers the ins and outs of daily routines, computer programs, and office machine quirks. Show by both word and action you are supportive of each team member. When someone needs help, be the one to lend a hand.

• Volunteer for more responsibility. After you are able to handle current responsibilities well, increase your contribution to the office by asking to take on other tasks. These might be ministries you envision or special jobs usually outsourced or handled by other busy staff members. Assistants have done research for ministers, organized pastors’ libraries, created various databases, started food pantries, and volunteered for many other “optional” ministries.

• Keep a personal work record. Documenting your work is an excellent way to chart your progress and to plan goals for future growth. One effective way to do this is with your computer’s calendar program. Note your accomplishments and contributions. List the location of any supporting documents or examples of your work. Track training events you attended; indicate how you use what you learned. Although the primary purpose of the record is for your own planning, you just may find occasion to review with your supervisor as well.

Managing a really big task in the church office

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Big project in the church office
All church offices tackle big projects. Here is how to do them effectively.

In the church office a big task can take many forms: Offices are being relocated; updated computer software is needed; the church is hosting a major event—or a multitude of neglected small jobs finally grows into one big, overwhelming job. Whatever the source, a major task poorly handled can create more than a little turmoil.
Problems dealing with big jobs can often be traced right to the beginning.

Get off to a good start by following these three rules:

• Know the goal.
Big tasks are generally composed of many small tasks. Before starting the journey, know where you are going.
• Be sure stages of progress are clear.
Set a firm start date, a completion date, and intermediate checkpoints along the way. Spread pieces of the job evenly throughout the time allotted.
• Do first things first.
Devise a logical plan of action instead of just jumping in. Time, energy, and resources are always wasted when preliminary steps are neglected.

With rules in place, follow through—

• Stick to your start date.
In the crush of daily responsibilities it becomes easy to rationalize that “now” is not a good time to start on a big job that isn’t due for weeks. Don’t wait for the perfect time or for divine inspiration; neither is likely. A late start inevitably affects the project—target dates are missed and best efforts are blown away as you rush to catch up.

Follow your schedule.

• Pick your times.
We all have times of day when we are most energetic and sharp. Match the most challenging parts of your project to these prime times. Schedule routine parts of the task at other times convenient to your schedule.
• Divide and conquer.
Breaking each phase of the assignment into manageable parts makes it easier to keep the job rolling along and to chart progress. Treat each of these mini-deadlines seriously. A completion date may seem far away, but that is an illusion. The closer a deadline gets, the faster it rushes up to you.
• Involve others.
Enlisting volunteers or coworkers for parts of the project gives them a vested interest in the success of the task and generates added enthusiasm.
• Communicate.
Keep your team and supervisor informed. Make sure those assisting you have a clear vision of what is to be accomplished. They need to know exactly what is expected and when. Allow them to do their jobs as they see fit within the boundaries you have identified. Listen to their questions and suggestions. New ideas and solutions are often generated in the process of working through a project. Be generous with praise but direct it toward results, not simple busy work.
• Promise and give rewards.
Whether you work alone or enlist others in the big task, incentives along the way keep the job interesting and fun. Treats, however small, increase motivation and productivity. Listing the names of those who help with projects is a good practice. Most often, what gets recognized gets done.
• Chart your progress.
Setting deadlines is one thing; meeting them is another—especially when several people are involved. Visibly tracking completed steps is an effective way to make sure every detail is covered. And nothing feels better than checking that last item off the list and receiving congratulations on a job well done.

 

Relief for church office blahs

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If you're feeling a little blah in your work, Gayle's advice here should get you feeling better in no time!
If you're feeling a little blah in your work, Gayle's advice here should get you feeling better in no time!

Have you ever felt you are losing the joy you once felt from your work? Few things are more difficult than coming to the office each day, going through the motions, but no longer experiencing any real enthusiasm or sense of accomplishment. You may not even be sure why you have the blahs, but you know you have them.

Thoughtfully answering these workplace questions can help you gauge your job enjoyment temperature—and locate the source of any discontent. Each question that follows identifies a possible problem area. You have a better grasp of your specific circumstances than anyone; use this self-knowledge to choose appropriate cures for your office doldrums.

• Do you know what is expected of you?
If not, create a position description or review your current one. Arrange a time to talk with your supervisor about any ambiguities. Ask the hard questions; leave the meeting knowing exactly what your responsibilities are and what they are not.

• Do you have the materials and equipment you need?
If a lack of resources constantly hinders your ability to do what you need to do, let your supervisor know specifically what is needed. Discuss options. In nearly every church there are people willing and able to help—if you ask.

• Do you make time daily top do what you do best?
What you do best is often what gives you the most joy. Sometimes in the crush of getting tasks done favored jobs are ignored or delegated. Rework your schedule as necessary to restore those rewarding assignments.

• Is your good work noticed and acknowledged?
We all like to believe what we do well is observed and appreciated. In some offices, this just does not happen. It should. But it doesn’t. For your own peace of mind, accept that reality—and don’t need the accolades of others to know you are a professional and a person of worth. Reward yourself when you do a difficult task well. Something visible is nice; maybe a flower for your desk?

• Do your opinions count?
Wise supervisors know that job satisfaction always soars when workers are involved in decisions affecting their work situation. Wise secretaries know it pays to do their homework and to offer rational, insightful opinions.

• Do you know what you do is important?
Sincere joy comes from having purpose. In theory, all churches have a clear purpose. In fact, sometimes the focus gets blurred. When assistants know the church is directing its primary time, effort, and funds toward goals with eternal consequences, they know even stuffing bulletins is ministry. Think through your contribution; decide if you are spending your time on tasks of value. This may be something to talk over with your pastor. If you are unclear about the church’s focus, others may be as well. Occasional clarifying is worthwhile for everyone.

• Are staff members committed to quality work?

It is difficult to find joy in doing the mediocre. Aspire to personal excellence; inspire others with frequent words of encouragement and appreciation. Your positive example can set the pace.

• Do you have opportunities for professional growth?
The work of the ministry assistant has never been more challenging. You need the best resources available. Take responsibility for seeking out and taking advantage of every possible avenue of training. If your denomination offers an association for ministry assistants—connect. Sign up for conferences or seminars when you can. And, use the tremendous resources available through Effective Church Communications. Learning and using new skills is a fabulous way to beat the blahs!

 

Just good or the best? In all you do in the church office…..

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Milk and cookies remind us of great church service to others
Is the quality of work you perform as a ministry assistant like bland vanilla wafers or chocolate chip cookies with milk?

With research I’d narrowed my choices to two. The salesman was helpful as we compared features of the pair of vacuum cleaners under consideration. Still I wasn’t sure which one would best do all I needed. “Why not buy both, take them home, use each on your carpets, see which handles better for you, and just bring back the one you like least?” he offered.Knowing that opened cartons and used products are sold at a discount—and thus lower the seller’s profit—I asked, “Your company is okay with a customer doing that? I like shopping here and don’t want to abuse your good service.”

The salesman responded with an interesting illustration. He explained that his company’s goal is to provide “chocolate chip service.” I learned no real cookies are involved, just performance. And that even good service, chocolate chip service, has degrees.

Imagine going into a store and, as you shop, being offered a plate of chocolate chip cookies. How nice! Then you discover the store next door doesn’t want to be outdone, so their cookies are homemade and warm from the oven. Store three takes note and adds walnuts to their freshly made cookies. Store four gets inspired to do even better and serves its shoppers cartons of icy cold milk along with their baked treats.

“Our company tries to anticipate what customers want from a business,” explained my salesman. “We are keenly aware of what other stores are doing. If service can be seen as cookies, we want ours to look like warm, freshly baked chocolate chip chunkies with walnuts—served with a tall glass of milk. The ordinary store-bought variety won’t do.” In this case, that meant encouraging me to test drive two vacuums and then cheerfully extending a refund for the one I returned. I chose my sweeper—and will do more business with this store.

More importantly, since I tend to relate many things in my life to the church office, the experience caused me to reflect on how the chocolate chip principle might be applied by ministry assistants. Think of the services you render, the tasks you do, the questions you answer, the courtesies you extend.

Ready for an experiment? Try seeing the sum of your work product as a cookie. As you do, remember: There are chocolate chip cookies and then there are Chocolate Chip Cookies!

As a professional you recognize the difference between mediocre and extraordinary. You know that even good work can be improved. Establish yourself as someone who consistently delivers the best!