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.

How to develop management skills, part one

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Managing well in the church office
Harmony in leadership is one of the skills you'll learn from this article.

Management skills enhance every ministry assistant’s professionalism. Whether supervising employees or volunteers, knowing how to develop and motivate excellent workers increases your effectiveness—and your value to the office team.

The best managers strive to work in harmony with others while still fulfilling their leadership role. This is a skill worth working on.

• Identify goals. An important part of the supervisory job is to determine what needs to be done and who will do it. Be specific. If your purpose is to free up your own time, use your calendar to clear your agenda of jobs others can do.

As you outline tasks, be sure the boundaries of authority are clear. Avoid having responsibilities overlap. Take adequate time with this first step; it is the foundation for successful management. [Read more...]

How to overcome procrastination in the church office

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How to overcome procrastination
When we procrastinate, we are our own worst enemy--here's how to overcome it.

Ed. note: going into the fall, it's easy to justify procrastination when we really need to be more disciplined. Gayle has some great tips for how to overcome it.

To procrastinate, says Webster, is to “postpone or delay needlessly.” It is not having too much to do and too little time to do it. Instead, procrastination is the practice of simply putting things off. Nearly always the task is eventually done, usually at the last minute—not a satisfying work style.

What makes us procrastinate and how can we avoid or overcome this troublesome habit? [Read more...]

National Boss Day is Oct. 16 & how Ministry Assistants define the excellent boss

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Celebrate your church office boss
Oct. 16 is National Boss Day and here are some characteristics of great ones.

Ed. note: The article that follows reminds us to thank and celebrate great bosses in our church. If they don't come up to the standards here, the article provides a wonderful list of prayers for them.

National Boss Day is a time for workers to show appreciation to their employers. The day is annually observed in the United States on October 16, or the nearest working day. Over the years I’ve asked scores of ministry assistants to define their ideal boss.

The excellent boss according to Ministry Assistants:

• sets a high standard for attitude and actions
• treats others with respect and courtesy [Read more...]

How to get the most from the job you love–in good and challenging times

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How to make the most of your job
Every job has good and challenging aspects--our job is to make the best of any situation.

Ed. note: one of the things I love about this article is that it challenges all of us to take responsibility in our job satisfaction. Gayle gives us some very practical advice to make the most of every challenge we face to make a great job even better.

You love your job. You know what you do is important. You perform your tasks well. You are a giver and thrive on serving others. Still, you recognize a certain sense of dissatisfaction with your work. Why? [Read more...]

How to prepare for a new Pastor

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Gayle Hilligoss Picture
Article by Gayle Hilligoss

Welcoming a new pastor is an exciting event in the life of a church. Pastoral changes happen for all sorts of reasons, of course—most good, a few not so. Circumstances surrounding the calling of your new pastor are bound to affect how you will respond to these changes, but your main goal is to act from wisdom, not from emotion.

Your preparation can help get things off to a good start; your expertise and administrative experience will provide continuity in the office and assist in a smooth transition. At the same time, the exercise of welcoming a new pastor can be an exceptional time of personal and professional satisfaction for you. [Read more...]