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.
  • Home
  • ABOUT
  • BLOG
  • PODCAST
  • FREE PRINT TEMPLATES

Details Matter—Looking Good in Print

10 August, 2014 By grhilligoss@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Details matter in church communications
the little things matter when we want to communicate in a way that honors our Lord.

When it comes to looking good in print, small details make a big difference.

As one ministry assistant pointed out, “Members use word processing at home now, so they pay more attention to our printed materials and notice how we put things  on the page. I really want to feel secure about how the bulletin and our newsletter look.”

One effective way to achieve that security is to develop an office style book. Start by choosing a reference to use as an authority. My personal preference is The Gregg Reference Manual, but there are others equally reliable. As questions regarding usage occur in your writing—newsletters, bulletins, correspondence, reports—look up answers in your reference and mark them for future use or make a list you can refer to easily.

The following brief guidelines from Gregg can get you started. In your own style book you can add examples and expand topics you use most.

• Ages
Express ages in numerals (including 1 through 10) when they are used as significant statistics. Spell out ages in nontechnical references and in formal writing.

• Clock time
Always use figures with a.m or p.m. If you have the option (and you likely do) use the small capitals A.M. and P.M. instead of lowercase letters. No internal spaces are used in either case. Avoid the use of all capital letters.

For time “on the hour,” zeros are not needed to denote minutes unless you want to emphasize the precise hour. In lists, however, when some entries are given in hours and minutes, add a colon and two zeros to exact hours to maintain a uniform appearance. Line up the colons to keep the lists neat and clean.

• Dates
Only when the day precedes the month or stands alone, express it in either ordinal figures (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th) or in ordinal words (the first, the twentieth). The default on some word processing programs superscripts ordinal suffixes (1st). For a more professional look, undo this feature and put ordinals, when you must use them, on the baseline (1st).

In most writing though, the day follows the month. In these cases, use a cardinal figure (1, 2, 3) to express it: on May 6. Do not use the form May 6th or May sixth, even though those versions reflect the way the date would sound when spoken.

• Percentages
In body text express percentages in figures, leave one space, and spell out the word percent: 20 percent. The % symbol may be used in charts and graphs, on business forms, and in statistical material.

• Sermon and hymn titles
Quotation marks are generally used around shorter works: television shows, poems, short stories, sermons, hymns, essays. Longer works are italicized: newspapers, books, magazines, movies, television series.

• Telephone numbers
The use of parentheses to enclose the area code tends to make publications look dated: (717)555-1111. The same can be said for the diagonal: 717/555-1111. An updated style uses periods to separate the elements:717.555.1111. This makes phone numbers consistent with the dot addresses used in website and email addresses.

Using these six guidelines consistently will keep you looking good in print!

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Tweet
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Pocket
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on Tumblr

Filed Under: Basic Church Communications Training, Church Communication Management, Columnist Gayle Hilligoss, Contributors, Editing and Proofing, Proofing, Writing Tagged With: details in church communications, grammar in church communications, style guide for church communications

What I Learned in the Church Office

24 July, 2014 By grhilligoss@gmail.com Leave a Comment

What I learned in the church office
So many pieces of advice here are helpful not only for the church office, but for organizing your life.

Gaining knowledge from the experiences of others is far more time effective, and much less painful, than making every mistake yourself and learning every lesson firsthand.

Likewise, we cannot argue with what others have found to be true. Agree or disagree, here are some things church office professionals say are worth knowing, some things that work for them. And maybe for you too.

• Create a pleasant environment.
“Our offices are where we spend a good part of our lives. Do all you can to make that time as pleasant and productive as possible. Take an objective look at your work space. How could it be better?”

Can you easily locate paper and computer records you need? Is equipment placed conveniently? Are supplies handy? What small irritations slow down your efficiency?

Make a list of these negatives and jot down how they can be corrected. Appropriate background music, a lovely plant, framed art, rearranged furniture, whatever it takes—every day do something to brighten the place where you live so many hours each day.

• Invest in training.
Knowing how is a great time saver. “One of the biggest challenges I face, over and again, is learning how to use the features of our software. Until I found an affordable source of help, I spent hours of trial and error.”

Depending on your software, you may have the option of free or low-cost support. More complex software may require paid support or printed resource manuals. Ministry assistants overwhelmingly say the training is well worth the investment.

“Nothing helps me to do a good job more than regular participation in our church secretaries association. Our meetings keep me updated, aware, and inspired.”

If your denomination has an organization for ministry assistants, find out how you can connect with a local group. If none is available, investigate starting one. One of the absolute best things you can do for yourself professionally is to participate in training events. Then, augment your in-person training with online sessions. A wealth of information is available 24/7 at effectivechurchcommunications.com.

• Never underestimate attitude.
“When I came to the church office I never imagined that keeping a positive attitude would be a challenge. I was totally unprepared for criticism and negativity; I began to doubt I was doing anything right.”

Allowing self-doubt to get the upper hand wastes time, hinders effectiveness, and robs you of the satisfaction of your efforts. What can be done?

•Focus on doing your job well

•Treat others with respect

•Expect to be treated with respect

•Never take criticisms personally; learn from them, then put them behind you

•Commit only to things you can deliver

•Be absolutely honest

•Own up to your mistakes and not to those that are not•Have something good to say

•Be aware that you are a person of worth; you are more than your job

•Know who your “boss” is and don’t even try to please everyone; it cannot be done

•Strive to be assertive, not aggressive•While serving others, be good to you.

• The church is not Big Business, Inc.
And assistants are fine with that. We are more interested in ministry than in upward mobility. We can do tough administrative tasks, but are secure enough not to mind the mundane; making coffee is not an issue. This profession is one that offers each person a place of service perfectly suited to his or her career goals.

• Everything is not digital.
“I still get many good ideas from magazines and newsletters. The trick is keeping them organized and accessible. Old-fashioned file folders are my answer.”

As you browse publications crossing your desk, slice out pages that have information you can use and slip them into labeled folders. Ideas:

• Type—ideas on how type is used; typefaces you like
• Layout—page arrangements; use of color
• Office equipment—consumer reports; price lists
• Storage ideas; furniture arrangements
• Timesavers—tips for working smarter

You can, of course, scan this material but there can be obvious advantages in just using paper. First, it’s faster. And, I like taking a file or two with me to browse at lunch. When I’m done with the paper it is easily pitched.

• For every 100 files, pitch 90.
Researchers say that only 10 percent of files, paper and digital, are ever referred to after six months.

Trim files are a major aid to organization. Make a plan, check with any powers that be, and proceed with care. First, identify and move to appropriate storage any documents or digital files to be preserved for legal or historical purposes.

For paper: assemble storage boxes, trash bags, file folders, and markers. Completely empty and sort one file drawer or box at a time. Start with your oldest files, usually not the ones in your immediate work area. Clear out first the files with the most things to pitch; this frees space for transferring items later. Some paper can be recycled; financial and other confidential files must be shredded.

As you go through retained papers, note a purge date on the top right hand corner of each. Once this big job is done, keep files trim by regularly discarding documents as those dates come around.

Revise this system to attack your digital files. Computers can get just as cluttered as file cabinets. Some would say more so.

• Look, act, and speak like a professional.
“Though there are no guarantees, my experience was that when I got serious about my work and my approach to it, others gave me the respect I felt lacking before.”

These are some lessons learned by ministry assistants. The hope is we can learn from their experiences and then pass our knowledge along to others. Together we grow!

 

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Tweet
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Pocket
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on Tumblr

Filed Under: Church Communication Management, Church Office Skills, Columnist Gayle Hilligoss, Contributors Tagged With: church office creativity, church office productivity, church office skills

Confronting $#@! Language

19 June, 2014 By grhilligoss@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Confronting $#@! Language
Bad language is not appropriate for a Christian communicator.

Profanity has moved into society’s mainstream in a big way. Inappropriate and rude expressions lace movies, magazines, literature, social media, television, and conversations. From high-profile celebrities to kids in the classroom, four-letter words are too routinely part of the language. Words that only a few years ago were never heard in polite company, are now so common we seldom even flinch.

What do we do about it?

Perhaps the first impulse of members of the Christian community is to avoid people, events, and publications that present exposure. Nearly impossible! Besides, we can do better than avoid or ignore. We can acknowledge and understand the problem, educate ourselves and our children, and set a consistently good example.

Why has language become so raw? Researchers suggest the cause is linked to the growing lack of respect for authority of all kinds. People swear for any number of reasons—none of them very good ones.

Some think swearing is sophisticated or liberating or “in.” When influential men, women, or young people swear, they send the message that swearing is acceptable. Their examples change customs and put a stamp of approval on what was not tolerable before.

Others swear to add emphasis or to be funny. Some writers seem to believe foul language makes stories realistic. Much swearing is simply due to ignorance or laziness: the speaker or writer just isn’t smart enough or capable enough to express ideas without resorting to obscenities.

Even aside from obvious religious and moral factors, foul language is decidedly negative. Foul mouthed people, as much as they like to think otherwise, give the impression of having less than a firm grip on themselves or on their knowledge of language. They most often appear undisciplined and ignorant.

USA Today, reporting on the prevalence of profanity, quotes James O’Connor, author of Cuss Control: The Complete Book on How to Curb Your Cursing: “Whether it’s a rare, angry outburst or habitual blue patter, cursing imposes a personal penalty on the swearer.” He notes:

Swearing:

• Gives a bad impression

• Makes you unpleasant to be with

• Endangers your relationships

• Reduces the respect people have for you

• Shows that you don’t have control

• Is a sign of a bad attitude

• Is a tool for whiners and complainers

• Discloses a lack of character and moral integrity

• Is immature

• Reflects ignorance

• Sets a bad example

Christians can take a proactive role in reversing the everybody-does-it myth.

The issue can be addressed at home, in the workplace, in classrooms, and in the pulpit. We can influence both children and adults to see that filthy language is just that—filthy. They can learn that many people really don’t ever use these words. That swearing diminishes them and their message. That there is a better way.

“Let the words of my mouth ... be acceptable in Thy sight ...”  —Psalm 19:14

 

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Tweet
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Pocket
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on Tumblr

Filed Under: Church Communication Management, Columnist Gayle Hilligoss, Contributors Tagged With: cursing in church, inappropriate language, profanity in church

Every team has a goal–encouragement in a special way

12 June, 2014 By grhilligoss@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Gayle Hilligoss did up this article for you in a different format−a PDF for you to download. There is a great message here and I know you'll be encouraged and inspired by it−I was! Below is a picture of the PDF, just click on it to download the PDF itself. Every team has a goal

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Tweet
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Pocket
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on Tumblr

Filed Under: Church Communication Management, Church Office Skills, Columnist Gayle Hilligoss, Contributors Tagged With: church communication teams, church office teams, church teams, church teamwork

5 Simple Ways to Work Smarter in the church office and at home

27 May, 2014 By grhilligoss@gmail.com Leave a Comment

 5 ways to work smarker
Working smarter, not just harder is the best way to get church communications work done.

Working smarter is a much better option than working harder. What works for other ministry assistants can work for you.

• Know your pastor’s preferences
Every supervisor has his or her own way of doing things, preferred ways of having jobs done. To work most effectively, discover your boss’ preferences and make them yours. Observe and ask. Find out the best times and best ways to present information. Some like written memos; others prefer verbal reminders. Some are morning people; others function better later in the day. Rather than trying to change the pastor’s work style, tailor your own style to complement it.

• Organize steps in assignments
Make an action list and/or routing slip for every project. Attach it to the folder—paper or digital—containing your working documents. As you work, note any course corrections: this works, this doesn’t work, this is a better way, whatever. For recurring projects, copy the list. It becomes a blueprint for how you, or someone else, can best handle the project next time.

• Go after elephants
When it comes to time management, observed writer Peter Turla, we go hunting for elephants and end up stomping ants. In other words, we establish priorities and then ignore them to chase after the easier prey, the little stuff that diverts our attention from the primary target.

Elephants are the few tasks among many—those that give the best return for time invested, that the pastor notices as work well done, that move you toward your goals.

Ants, the busy work tasks, are always more plentiful on any to-do list. The problem with wiping them out is that while the list is shortened, we achieve little of significance. The elephants remain to grow stronger and more difficult to ignore or to bring down.

Become a better big game hunter by asking yourself the classic question, “Is this the best use of my time now?” If the answer is no, hunt an elephant.

• Take your organizational skills home
Working smart isn’t just for church. “Trying to clear off the kitchen table for a place to pay bills, I realized that as organized as I was at work, I was a mess at home. That’s when I got serious about home office space.”

Managing bills and important home documents can be so much easier with workspace and files modeled after an effective office system. Purchase a small file cabinet or use a portable one that can be tucked away. If you have a desk with file drawers, all the better. Supply your space with stamps, envelopes, pens, tape, everything you need to manage well.

• Enlist help when you need it
Even the most efficient assistant can use a helping hand now and then. Delegating lesser tasks allows you to focus on responsibilities only you can handle.

“When I recruit a volunteer for our office,” writes one successful office manager, “I call a carefully chosen person and ask her if she could serve as ‘assistant to our assistant’ one day a week for the next month.”

Matching the person to the task is vital; assistants are more likely to be there when you need them if what you ask them to do makes good use of their abilities. Once you have given clear instructions on what is to be done, how and when, let the assistant do the job; be available for questions. Your helper may not perform the task as well as you or the same as you.

Guide a little if you must, but don’t take over. You have other jobs to do. You are working smarter!

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Tweet
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Pocket
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on Tumblr

Filed Under: Church Communication Management, Church Office Skills, Columnist Gayle Hilligoss Tagged With: church office management tips, effective church office procedures, work smarter in the church office

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • …
  • 22
  • Next Page »
Link to Easter Templates of all sorts

Seasonal Templates

  • OVERVIEW of TEMPLATES for Church Communicators, please read first
  • Valentine’s Day Templates
  • Lenten Templates
  • Easter Templates
  • Mother’s Day Templates
  • Father’s Day and Men’s Ministry Templates
  • Graduation Templates
  • Summer-related Templates
  • 4th of July, Canada Day, and GRACE for All Nations
  • See You At the Pole
  • Harvest Festival and Halloween Templates
  • Christmas Templates

Recent Posts

  • Social media images for Easter with challenging messages
  • From our vault: Everything you need for Easter: Templates, strategy, inspiration and encouragement for all your Easter communications
  • Why just “Come to Easter at Our Church” isn’t enough–FREE invitations with short, but powerful messages
  • ESSENTIAL Christmas Communication advice and free tools to implement it
  • A Free Template of the Christmas Story and short gospel presentation based on “Hark the Herald Angels Sing!”

Most read posts

  • Father's Day Power Point Slides and Videos of inspiring quotes and verses
  • A Prayer for Graduates, Free flyer, bulletin insert
  • The MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do this year—read through the Bible in Chronological order—and I'd like to help you do it
  • Q&A: How to report church financials in the weekly bulletin
  • Bulletin inserts or social media content for Father's Day; poetry, challenges, encouragements
  • Six Steps to Simple filing
  • Church Connection Cards

Misc. Church Communications Templates

  • Church Connection Cards
  • Business/Invitation Card Templates
  • Back to Church for Kids in the Fall Templates
  • Church Bulletin Template
  • Volunteer and Encouragement Templates
  • 2-page Senior Adult Print Newsletter Template
  • Misc. Church Templates
FREE Bible Verses and Sayings in both print and social media format at Bible805Images.com
FREE Bible Verses and Sayings in both print and social media format at Bible805Images.com
  • Home
  • ABOUT
  • BLOG
  • PODCAST
  • FREE PRINT TEMPLATES

Copyright © 2025 · Enterprise Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in