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.

SEEING OLD THINGS IN NEW WAYS: Selling your ideas

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Share your idea
Sharing your ideas takes tack and planning--and the advice here will help.

“I have some ideas on how to increase office effectiveness, but am not sure how to get our office manager to consider them.”

  • Pick one idea. Try looking at the situation from the office manager’s side of the desk. Anticipate as many possible reservations and concerns as you can. Formulate reasonable answers. If you hit some uncertainty you may want to run the idea by an appropriate person, someone with expertise on the subject. Seek to understand the big picture before you ask to be heard.
  • If you still think the idea has merit, practice how you will present the issue to the office manager. Rehearse being concise. Resolve to stick to the issue and not get diverted.
  • Ask for a time to discuss it with the office manager. How you ask is important. Try something like, “I’d like to see what you think about an idea. When will it work for you to get together for 30 minutes?” If you are prepared, it won’t matter if the meeting takes place immediately (you are ready) or at a later time.
  • When you meet, present your idea in a brief, clear, positive way. Ask the manager’s opinion. Some of your questions to the manager might be: What do you think? Do you see ways we can use this? Are there modifications that would make the idea even better? What can we do to get this in the works? If your pitch is successful, the manager may be ready to try a version of the idea.
  • Even if the manager is not sold on the idea, listen for points of agreement and build on those as you can. He or she may be willing to try the new idea for a limited time—ask. In the event the idea is turned down completely, take it like the pro you are. Thank the manager for meeting with you. Try another time with another idea. Tenacity often pays!

SEEING OLD THINGS IN NEW WAYS: Getting your desk organized

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Organize your desk
Organize your desk to work more efficiently.

“One look at my desk tells me I need to get the office organized, but there is always too much to do to take on the major overhaul I need.”

You are looking at the process of getting organized as a big, difficult job that will take time you don’t have to spare. Replace that mindset by seeing organization as a way of doing things that will save you time. And effort. Being organized really is a way of working “smarter rather than harder,” cliche as it is.

Not to make too fine a point, but outer disorganization is often symptomatic of inner chaos. See your goal not as attacking clutter but as creating order inside and out. Recognize how much time you waste paper shuffling, looking for things, and redoing work done to hastily. Imagine how competent you will feel in your new, orderly environment.

There will never be a perfect time to begin the process. Start now. Just as the forester must make time to sharpen his ax, so you must make time to prepare the tools of your trade. Make time every day to take at least one step toward organization; this is best done by eliminating lesser priorities from your agenda.

  • Start with that desk that’s bothering you. Create a simple standing file for any paper files you must still handle. As often as we’ve heard that computers create paperless offices, a lot still crosses many desks. If you have enough paper to warrant it, sort it into colored file folders clearly labeled: Today, Youth, Newsletter, whatever. As papers come to you, immediately put them into the appropriate folder. Yes, this technique has been around awhile—because it works when used.
  • Many church offices become depositories for all sorts of stuff that others seem not to know what to do with. See if storage space can be designated someplace away from the office. Enlist volunteers to organize the materials there. Put a notice in the newsletter or on the website periodically, letting people know when the room will be cleared; give them opportunity to claim any material there or to tag it to have it saved. When people bring things to the office, direct them to the storage room.
  • More is not better. Pitch what you don’t need. The fewer things you have around you, the easier it is to organize and use what you have. Establish a permanent parking place for all your supplies and equipment. Even in this tech time of 2015, having scissors, stapler, and tape go missing can still be an issue. If these things have a tendency to disappear from your office, borrow a trick from the post office and use small chains to anchor them in the appropriate places. Never loan your personal equipment; keep a separate set as loaners. You may want to label each piece: Thanks for returning me to the office.
  • Pare down your activities too. Disorganized people are more likely to load their days with low-priority tasks and not investing their time in jobs that move them toward their goals. Assistants who always try to do everything for everybody, regardless of how mundane the task, simply are not being as effective in their jobs as they might be. Far better to do less and achieve more.

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Note: while you are cleaning out your desk, please think about sending some samples to us to share with other church communicators in the Great Idea Swap. Click here to find out more! We all can learn from what we share!

SEEING OLD THINGS IN NEW WAYS: The staff meeting dilemma

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new perspective on your staff meetings
Take a new perspective on your staff meetings and accomplish more.

Try this group exercise at your next church staff meeting: Have everyone move to a different part of the room and exchange seats. Ask for their impressions. Many will express amazement at how much their viewpoints change by simply seeing things from a different angle.

The writer of Ecclesiastes observed:

That which has been is that which will be,

And that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun.

Some might read these profound words and see them as an accurate description of the way things are done at their church. The philosophy can be discouraging—unless we give ourselves the gift of a new perspective, the gift of seeing old things in new ways.

You can apply the technique to all sorts of circumstances at work and at home. Let’s explore how seeing things in new ways applies to this challenge shared by a ministry assistant.

  • Our staff meetings are a disaster. People drift in late; as each arrives, the pastor recaps what has gone on before. He grouses about the tardiness, but doesn’t really do anything about it. Is there something I can do?

Well, maybe. That depends entirely on the pastor. It is his meeting and his responsibility. He absolutely can get the meetings on track. But, does he want to? And will he allow you to show him how? If he is not willing to look at this old problem in a new way, if he is fine with letting others show such a lack of respect for his leadership (for that is what it is) your hands are pretty much tied.

Techniques for getting meetings started on time—

  • Distribute a written agenda before the meeting and indicate an end time. This reinforces the leader’s concept that time is valuable and is to be used wisely. Of course, once the meeting is under way, time must be used wisely. Nothing causes conscientious people to lose enthusiasm for meetings as much as having their time wasted.
  • Place items having the most importance to the most people at the top of the agenda. Discuss those first. Some staff meetings excuse members after their areas of ministry are discussed. These usually conclude with just the remaining two or three ministerial staff members. Though there may be pros about this style, the big negative may be a fragmenting of the team: I’m interested in my area of ministry, not much interested in yours.
  • Close the door of the meeting room at the announced starting time. A note on the door can announce the meeting is in session. Start the meeting precisely on time. Move immediately to the scheduled agenda. If someone arrives late, acknowledge the arrival with a nod without comment; some people actually come late for the attention factor. Do not recap to fill the tardy person in on what has been missed. If he asks, he should be told to touch base after the meeting with the person taking the minutes. No need to be rude, but be firm.

Will looking at this old problem in a new way—and doing something about it—take some effort? For sure. But it may be the only way to make believers of those who seem to think their time is more valuable than everyone else’s. You decide.

When a church communicator gets sick, are you committed or just contagious?

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Commitment doesn't mean contagious
Don't mistake being committed when you are simply contagious--go home and recover.

It's Monday. Always a busy day in the church office. Staff meeting is at 10. Letters to new members and visitors need to be in the afternoon mail. Last week was a whirlwind; you’re behind where you want to be on a project due in just two weeks. But your head feels like a basketball, you have a fever, your nose is running, and sneezes are nearly nonstop.

• What do you do? Stay in bed and sip chicken soup? Or trudge to the office and go through the motions? Is it somehow “not Christian” to choose to snuggle up under your blanket in misery? Or is there some special virtue in trudging to work regardless of how sick you are?

Evidently a lot of people do think dragging their germs to work with them is a sign of commitment because many do just that. (Do I sound like someone who does not support a “bring your germs to work” day?)

Okay. Maybe they only want to share. And they do. Big time. Just one cough or sneeze disperses a gas cloud of up to a million microorganisms that, according to 2014 research, can travel 200 times further than previously believed. Attaining speeds, some say, of as high as 100 miles per hour these germs not only have amazing range, they hang in the air long after the sneezer has departed. For some fascinating facts on why we need to take coughs and sneezes seriously, try Googling “germs in a sneeze.”

Ideally, coughs and sneezes are caught in the sneezer’s sleeve or tissue and not sprayed in the air or in her hand. Hands are a poor choice because every time they touch a surface, thousands of viral particles are left behind—on desks, computers, phones, whatever.

• Bugs don’t stay put. They hop on any hand that touches an infected surface. Careless sneezers and coughers are walking germ dispensers; it takes only a few of the millions of particles dispensed in a sneeze to transfer an illness. Research confirms that the average office desk has more germs on it per square inch than a household toilet seat. Even if this conclusion is onlyclose, there’s ample reason to swipe your desk, phone, keyboard, and other surfaces with a disinfectant wipe every morning.

Winter is a challenging time to stay well. We are inside more, around people who may have colds or flu, touching things they have touched, breathing recirculated air. Schools, day cares, malls, theaters, and even churches can be perilous places. It’s not a good idea to panic or become obsessive; it is a good idea to be cautious and alert.

• The best defense is a good offense. In a perfect world everyone would be conscientious about not spreading germs. Unfortunately, despite major strides in educating the public, many still are careless or thoughtless. We all need to be proactive in defending ourselves against colds and flu.

Some important steps—

•  Wash your hands often with soap and hot water

•  Eat a healthy diet; consider vitamins

•  Exercise—at least in moderation

•  Get sufficient rest

•  Consider flu vaccine

Many people who haven’t had colds in years swear by the practice of inhaling steaming herbs. One way this can be done: fill the bathroom sink with steaming water, add two teaspoons chopped fresh ginger. Drape a towel over your head and lean over the steam breathing deeply. Adding a few drops of oil of eucalyptus can open up bronchial tubes to ease congestion.

Encourage discussion about health in the workplace at a staff meeting. Reaching a consensus about how team members will help prevent the spread of colds and flu lets everyone breathe easier.

• If you do get sick. Listen to your body. A cold may creep up on you gradually: a sneeze, scratchy throat, runny nose—you know the drill. Flu usually hits you like a truck. In any case, you are contagious; talk with your doctor. Treatments for colds and flu differ, though both involve plenty of rest, lots of fluids, and appropriate medicines.

When you are sick, you set a good example by keeping your sneezes and sniffles at home. Your coworkers would rather catch some of your workload than any of your cold. Now is the time to be committed to getting well.

 

Holiday time management

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Holiday Time Management
You might feel like you are living in a snow globe at this time of swirling demands, but here are some tips to help you take control.

The analogy of living in a snow globe hit home with several ministry assistants enjoying a fall luncheon. “During the holidays I feel like I’m trapped in a blizzard of to-do lists,” remarked a longtime office professional. Her tablemates nodded. Each one knew well the sensation of having scores of demands swirling around her.

Conversation turned to ways they might weather the storm better this year. All agreed trimming tasks would be a challenge, but could be done. Some said they had already made strides toward maintaining saner holiday schedules and were anxious to explore even more ideas.

“To me, attitude is the key,” offered a pastor’s assistant who shared her positive experiences over the past few years. “We need to get over the notion that holidays should be all hurry-scurry. The real blessings of the season are missed when every minute is packed with activities, even if they are good activities.”

Another reformed overachiever noted, “The best thing I did was to take control of my personal agenda. When I quite trying to bake every cookie, make every decoration, and start every family tradition that sounded good to me, I found the time and energy to actually focus on the true meaning of the season.”

  • Make two lists of goals, one for work and one for home. It may seem a paradox, but making these two important lists now prevents the need to make a dozen trivial lists later. Decide what you want to achieve during the vital weeks between your two major holidays (say Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day). About each task, ask yourself, “Is there an easier way to do this?” Be selective; list only those activities and achievements that are truly important to you. Fun is important; schedule some.
  • Trim your calendar. Ditch all but what really counts. Save optional jobs and appointments for another time. Avoid taking on projects and plans that steer you away from your stated holiday goals. Don’t waste any of this special time doing things that can be done later—or not at all.
  • Protect your personal time. All year round, and especially during the holidays, give yourself daily or at least weekly private time to relax and refresh. Do what you like: walk, exercise, read, take a class, enjoy a hobby. Or do nothing at all. But keep this appointment with yourself.
  • Give up on perfectionism. Nothing paralyzes accomplishment, saps joy from achievement, and undermines good intentions like the irrational drive to be perfect. It is vital to know when to say, “This is good. Time to move on.”
  • Be realistic in your expectations. Memories, not to mention a plethora of magazines and websites, can create an unreasonable scenario of how the holidays should play out. No time of the year has more to live up to than Christmas (perhaps especially in the United States). Stay grounded. Kids will still be kids. Some people will still be inconsiderate. Problems won’t magically solve themselves. You will still get weary. Some recipes will just not be good. Life is life. Nevertheless, expect blessings. They are there to be claimed!