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 be an effective church communication writer, part one

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How to be an effective church communication writer, part one
It isn't always easy to write effective church communications--these articles will help.

Most church communications begin with words, but the challenge is that writing is not easy for many church communicators. It's easy to forget that just because someone is a good preacher or office administrator or business manager that person is not necessarily a good writer or an expert on what makes for good written communication.

I was recently reminded of the reality in discussing effective church communications with a young pastor and I decided to put together a series of resources for him as well as for all of you. However, as I started this project I realized that I have a lot of advice and resources for writers (I've been a published writer since I was 16-years-old) and getting them updated, edited, and organized takes more than a few days. I also realized that it would be helpful for many of you if I didn't wait until I had them all together to share individual articles.

So here is Part One of How to be an Effective Church Communication Writer: Below is a series of articles on the ECC Website--just click to go to them. I am including the link if you want to share some of these with other church communicators. If you have questions about writing, please email me at yvon@effectivechurchcom.com and I'll answer them as part of this series.

Articles that will help you be a more effective writer:

What should be the length of church communications?
https://www.effectivechurchcom.com/2013/06/what-should-be-the-length-of-church-communications/

Why words are more important than images in church communications

Why words are more important than images in church communications

As you write for different communication channels, don’t change the content or look of your message
https://www.effectivechurchcom.com/2008/09/multichannelcontent/

How to write visually in your church communications
https://www.effectivechurchcom.com/2013/06/how-to-write-visually-in-your-church-communications/

Writing as an act of discipleship
https://www.effectivechurchcom.com/2013/06/writing-as-an-act-of-discipleship/

Why words and images need each other–the feedback loop of meaning
https://www.effectivechurchcom.com/2012/10/why-words-and-images-need-each-other-the-feedback-loop-of-meaning/

Resources for how to create and use video for church and outreach ministry

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Video creation doesn't take a team like this
You don't need a team like this to create church videos--today one person with a computer can do great things!

Though video is a popular tool to promote, advertise and instruct in almost every area of life, many churches and ministries do not use it to its full potential. This week I posted two videos on how I create training videos and the links to them are below.

But there is much more to video training, creation and use. The links following will help you get started. The most important one is the first one as this article gives you not only how to's but great ministry examples and inspiration.

Video creation does not need to cost very much and is not difficult to do--it is merely one more tool that enables us to be "all things to all people that we might win some." [Read more...]

More important than the channels–make sure your church communications have useful content

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Don't waste time, create significant content
Don't waste time, create significant content in your church communications.

Larry Kramer, the new publisher of USA TODAY said that he planned to use technology to "give people what they want, when they want it, where they want it." (http://wapo.st/Jw8EBg) Previously, I've discussed the challenge for churches to create communications in various channels. Though this is important, no matter what channels we use to communicate: print, digital, web, tweet, update or whatever, our content is always more important than the channel we use to deliver it. We have the words of eternal life and though new channels are useful, we must never lose focus on what is most important.

Following are three more quotes from Kramer followed by suggestions about the importance of content in our church communication channels and how to create content that will change lives. [Read more...]

Lessons from YouTube for church communications

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Video in Church Communications
Video is an increasingly popular channel of communication and one that churches are learning, even though it is much harder to learn than it first seems.

We all know video is growing as an increasingly popular communication channel, but when USAToday recently (mid July 2012) used one third of their page that previously was all television scheduling to list recommended web video programs, my initial response was that it was an interesting article.

A few days later I realized that this listing of web video channels, YouTube series, and featured video programs wasn't a one-time article, but a consistent feature. This is a significant shift--including web video with mainstream television--following are some observations and advice for church communicators. We want to learn all channels of communications so that we might communicate clearly the gospel of Jesus. With that in mind, following are some comments and initial suggestions on learning video for church communicators. [Read more...]

Church Communicator’s review of Six Strategies for Effective Church Communications

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Six Strategies BookI try very hard to create materials that are useful to all church communicators. I do pour heart, soul, and many prayers into them and I send them off (typos and all) trusting God that they make sense and are useful.

It is wonderful to get positive feedback from people and following is a review of Six Strategies For Effective Church Communicators. I'm passing it along because I think the author covers many of the major points of the book well.

Please if you have comments, do send them to me and please put them in the comment sections of the books and even more on my books on amazon CLICK HERE to go to that link. Your opinion is what is so important--I don't do these to talk to myself, but to serve all of you as you create communications that will help your churches fully fulfill the Great Commission.

I don't do these to talk to myself, but to serve all of you as youelp your churches fully fulfill the Great Commission.

Email review of Six Strategies of Effective Church Communications

The Six Strategies are written in a concise style and makes for quick
reading... It should be very useful to help "train" those involved with PR
and church communications (the style should make it easier to get those who
don't like to read, to at least skim through the book).

I agree wholeheartedly with all the observations, insights, strategies and
advice you give, and especially relate to, and identify with, your thoughts
that there are too many media channels to leave to one individual to
effectively communicate with, and that there should be a "communications
team" where individuals from the same "Body" work on different areas
according to their areas of familiarity.  Also, that a congregation's
communications should reflect who they are and not try to convey an image
that does not match who they are.

As I am in the printing business, I am "painfully aware" of the enormous and
fast changes happening in communications and the multitude of "channels"
that are appearing and evolving.

[ I also notice you used some expressions from the OIKOS book (great
recommendation as well... I read it, although I don't agree with all the
content, but the basic message matches what I was taught in a "Master's
Plan" bible study from the 1980s.) ]
. . . . .
Again, thank you, thank you, thank you, for what you've assembled and
written in this book.  I give this a big thumbs up!  You put into easy to
follow words, thoughts that I have had for the past few years.  Even the
bible passages caused me to smile, as I just completed working on quite a
number of them in the last few weeks for the liturgical scripture readings
in our PowerPoint for worship.

In my opinion, the only thing needed to complement the strategies of the
book is a bit more explanation of the Five Steps so readers remember them
better as they read references to The Five Steps in the strategies. But I
guess I can look forward to that in the book you will publish soon: "The
Five Steps of Effective Church Communications and Marketing".

from EW, Canada

If you want a copy of  The Six Strategies of Effective Church Communication, CLICK HERE.