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.

A solution to giving for churches that are not meeting and it doesn’t involve online giving

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How to collect an offering even though the church isn't meeting
Just because the church building is empty, we can still encourage each other and financially support the church.

How can a church keep going financially when we don't meet and aren't able to take up an offering?

Hi, this is YP and welcome to the Effective Church Communications podcast!

In our current challenging times, many churches are concerned (and justifiably so) with how they will pay the bills when the church is not meeting together regularly. I've got a great solution for you and you don't need to learn any new technology to do it.

Listen to the podcast below or continue reading for the solution.

For many churches, the Sunday morning offering is still the primary way the church gets tithes and offerings from the congregation.

The frequent response to this situation of churches not meeting is to emphasize online giving and though that is a great solution in many churches (and I personally love using it), it isn't a viable solution for many others. Either the church does not have online giving in place, doesn't want to set it up, or a large group of people in the church simply don't want to use it.

Technology isn't the answer to everything and sometimes trusted methods work well in challenging times. [Read more...]

DON’T EVER HOST A MONEY-DIVIDED EVENT!!!!

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Don't let your event pricing hurt children
We don't ever want a child to be embarrassed or left out because of our insensitive pricing at a church summer event.

Ed. note: this is an excerpt from a longer article on summer communication strategy, but I feel the topic is so important, I wanted to post it on it's own.

Yes, that is all caps and I am shouting. I'm going to sound very harsh now, but I feel strongly about this and I think the extensive Biblical support for caring for the "least of these" and being concerned about the poor supports my concern.

Here is the situation I've seen in the PR of some churches (and as is the habit of our ministry, we don't name names of bad examples):

  • The church hosts a summer event but states clearly (or sometimes not at all, which is horrid) that everyone is welcome to free popcorn and punch, but there will be a charge for hotdogs and burgers.
  • Or there will be free chips and salsa, but there is a significant charge for tacos.

How do you think that feels for a family that might have taken a huge step to go to the event they heard that was going on at the church  but they have four kids who would love a hotdog or a taco, but then they find out that there is a charge for food (popcorn and chips do not a meal make) and they simply don't have the money for it. What will they do? [Read more...]

How to correctly use numbers in print

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How to use numbers in print
To communicate clearly with numbers we need to use the correct format.

Think about the documents you produce: newsletters, bulletins, reports, letters, programs—and more. Looking over publications at an associational meeting, I was struck by how many numbers are used in our printed materials. Expressing numbers in print can be tricky.

Even the reliable Gregg Reference Manual concedes, “The rules for expressing numbers would be quite simple if writers would all agree to express numbers entirely in figures or entirely in words.”

Gregg identifies two distinct usage styles. The figure style uses figures for most numbers above 10, while the word style uses figures only for numbers above 100. Since there are exceptions to both styles, be ready to use each style as the situation demands. You may want to formulate a style sheet for your documents.

Some appropriate guidelines based on the most-used figure style:

  • Spell out numbers from 1 through 10; use figures for numbers above

Exception: When numbers need to stand out for quick comprehension—as in the statement of this rule—use figures.

Exception: Some authorities suggest spelling out only single-digit numbers—1 through 9—and using figures starting with 10.

Exception: Use numbers when referring to numbers as numbers (such as, think of a number between 6 and 10).

Exception: Use numbers with U.S. highway designations (State Route 5; I-95), with emphatic references to age (the class for 3-year-olds), with periods of time (a 3-month study), specific measurements (a 4- by 6-foot rug), and page numbers (page 7).

  • Spell out a number above 10 when you intend it to be indefinite:

I have a million things to do today; he has a hundred excuses.

  • Spell out numbers at the beginning of a sentence:

Forty-five assistants attended the session.

  • Spell out fractions:

Remarkably, one-third of the attendees were from our state.

  • Spell out most ordinals:

It was the organization’s thirtieth anniversary.

  • Spell out references to ages that are not given as statistics:

My daughter just turned thirteen.

  • Spell out periods of time:

The pastor called fifteen minutes ago.

  • Spell out measurements that lack technical significance:

The box weighed at least ten pounds.

  • Use the same style to express related numbers. If any are above 10, put them all in

There are 24 pens in the package, but only 3 are red. The old package had 12 black, 6 blue, 6 red.

But: Our six volunteers prepared 104 box lunches, 9 pies, and about 1000 cookies—all in one morning. Figures are used for all the related items of food; six and one are spelled out since they are not related and are not over 10.

  • When numbers run to five or more figures, use commas to separate thousands, etc. The comma may be omitted in four-digit whole numbers except in columns with larger numbers requiring

These guidelines are meant to cover our most commonly used situations. You will find extensive rules in

The Gregg Reference Manual; Tenth Edition.

Q&A: How to report church financials in the weekly bulletin

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Church finances
Church finances is a topic that should be communicated consistently and clearly in the church bulletin.

I recently got an excellent question via email about church communications and church finances and wanted to answer it here:

Question:

Do you have any suggestions on how to report church financials in the
weekly bulletin?

My answer:

First of all, let's establish the fact of whether or not to put financial information in the church bulletin at all. After we do that, we'll then look at what to include and then some tips on design and placement.

Why put financial information in the bulletin

There are some churches that don't do this for a variety of reasons, but this is a mistake. Here are some of the reasons why it's important:

  • The staff does not have time to individually discuss the financial situation with each person in the congregation.
  • Churches need money to function; this is not something to be ashamed of, but to be treated honestly.
  • The church is a family and every family needs to know its financial status.
  • If you don't share, the finances can be seen as a staff secret and not a shared responsibility.
  • People need to know where the church is financially so they can give and pray.

What to include in the bulletin about finances

On a weekly basis include:

  • What was given for the past few weeks AND what was budgeted. It's also nice to include the sum over and under (saves people trying to figure it out).
  • The reason both numbers are important is that if you only give what comes in people have no idea if that meets the budget or if it falls short. Numbers without context don't mean anything and don't provide either cause for praise or concern.
  • If you conducted a special offering, also include the results of that.
  • If you have a special offering coming up, let people know and what your goals are for it.
  • Have a link to your website where you have year-to-date totals and other information that might be useful, which I'll explain more below.

Periodically:

Additional information on Biblical giving overall and the specifics of how it is practiced in your church can be shared in shortened form in the bulletin, in longer formats on your website, and in the church newsletter. Here are some suggested topics:

  • Provide church giving information, for example, if you use envelopes, how people can get them. For unchurched visitors this can seem very confusing.
  • Church budgeting process—how the church decides how much money is needed each year.
  • Designated fund giving rules—many churches have rules about what goes into the general fund and what qualifies as designated funds. A several years ago a church I was working with in the same church newsletter had a lengthy plea for people to give more to the church because of a serious budget shortfall. In the same newsletter there was an article about a huge memorial donation given to the music department for organ repair. Needless to say, the church office got a number of very confused and a few angry inquires the following week. They contacted me and asked if they should put out an article explaining the difference between the general fund (which was seriously low) and designated giving (which was the source of the memorial donation). My answer: "YES!  Do it immediately and explain the difference in detail!"
  • Biblical teaching on the commands and benefits of generous giving.
  • Sound financial family resources.

Design of your communication

The key characteristics of church financial communication are that it should be:

  • Clear
  • Understated
  • Tasteful
  • Consistent

A simple chart in the same place every week works well. A simple, clear headline, something like "Church Financial Report" is all that is needed. I've seen many well-done ones in the bottom corner of a page of the bulletin. However, don't make it the last page—you don't want that to be the last thing people see when they are reading information about your church.

One more thing

The church bulletin is not the place to share lengthy pleas for money or to post dramatic appeals.

I will never forget a church bulletin that said in huge letters across the front:

Bridge to the future is taking place!

XXX amount given so far; XXX to go….

Have you made a pledge yet?

I doubt if anyone visiting the church for the first time that Sunday would be highly motivated to return. Something like that confirms a fear many people have about churches that all they want is your money.

Critical giving needs and similar information is better communicated in a letter or emails to committed members of the congregation. Again, remember the church is family and we don't share our entire financial situation with everyone who visits our homes.

As with many things in the church, ask for the Lord's wisdom and share your financial information "decently and in order" so that He will be pleased and your church will be a good witness to the world of financial integrity.

 

Year-end giving– links to donor resources–and a suggestion for your communication ministry

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Before the year closes out many people want to make the most of their charitable giving contributions, below is a link to the IRS site that explains charitable giving guidelines and might be useful if people call or email the church office with questions.

Here is the IRS LINK overall for charitable giving:
http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc506.html

For Canadian charitable giving information: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/chrts-gvng/dnrs/menu-eng.html

Ask for what you need

In addition to this link, think about asking people to consider a designated donation to the communications ministry at the church. Good, complete, on-going communication is a vital part of every effective church. However, it is a ministry that needs resources to function at its best.

Here is a list of some of the things that designated gifts could be used for:

Updated computer--for producing communications in the church office, the prices of really powerful computers have dropped greatly in price. For less than $500 you can get a computer today that would have cost thousands just a few years ago and that can greatly improve your productivity.

Why MS Publisher is recommended for Church Com teams
This ebook is free for ECC Members and an inexpensive download for those who aren't. Take time to look it over and learn how Publisher can accomplish more than you ever imagined for your church and at a very low cost.

Updated software--if you don't have MS Publisher, a fantastic gift would be the software and a months worth of training for only $25  at http://www.lynda.com. CLICK HERE to go to an ebook that illustrates all the benefits of MS Publisher and gives you two great resources of where to get it at an amazingly low nonprofit price.

Updated production equipment--if you haven't looked at some of the current copier machines and digital duplicators, you'll be amazed at the updates in technology and how you can print high quality materials at a very low price. Ask for money to put into a fund and then schedule some time with your local, trusted dealer to show you options. Don't get things printed by outside companies until you've explored the options for your church.

Updated training--if you aren't a member of Effective Church Communications, check out the resources HERE to get an overview of the training videos, free ebooks, downloadable templates and ready-to-print MS Publisher files all available for only $9.99 a month or $99 a year. There is NO other place that provides this kind of basic and useful training for churches.  CLICK HERE to go to the membership page for more information and to sign up.

If you didn't get a chance to ask before the year's end

Effective Church Communications supports the ministry of every other part of the church--it needs to be supported as aggressively as missions or children's or music or any other area, because if it is done well--church communications will make every other ministry area more effective.

If you didn't give an opportunity for people in your church to give to the communication ministry before the end of the year, consider a special offering at the start of the year and assure all your ministries that they will have a more effective New Year!