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.

GIS: Christmas Sample: a Christmas flyer that answers Jesus’s prayer

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Christmas flyer JOY Story side one
Side one of a flyer from a number of churches, that illustrates not only the Christian message of Christmas, but the unity of the Christian churches that sent it.

Just before Jesus went to the cross, part of his prayer was for us. It is astounding to think that just before he faced the horror of the cross, he was praying for how we would represent him. Here is part of what he said:

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—  I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me" John 17:20-23

Think about that—Jesus prayed that the world would see our oneness and from that they would come to know Jesus. [Read more...]

BIG Collection of Christmas Communications PDFs and Templates ready-to-modify and use

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The video preview on this site shows a large  group of FREE Christmas PDF and Template that are ready for ECC Members to download, open and modify for your church. One of the most important benefits of ECC Membership is all this work is done for you and at very little cost. 

On this site are articles for specific Christmas communications, with more commentary about each one, but here is a collection of all the types: invitation cards, motivation flyers, Christmas evangelism, connection cards, bulletin inserts, follow-up materials.

I'm working on some new designs for this year, but many of these from previous years are quite nice and even if you used one of them, there are lots of others if you want to get a start on your church communications. The best thing about them is they are all designs you can print IN YOUR CHURCH OFFICE and that you can MODIFY however you want.

The ZIP files contain ready to print PDFs, editable MS Publisher Templates, and hi-res images. There are over 40 pieces of all kinds of Christmas communications: Bulletin Inserts, evangelism letters and brochures, invitation and business cards, postcards in quarter and half-page size and program covers.

The various kinds of communications are in coordinating designs so that invitations have matching connection cards, etc.

Following is a preview video of the designs and below that, just click on an image to download the ZIP FILE. If you are not an ECC Member. For more information on becoming a member of Effective Church Communications, CLICK HERE.

Preview of the communications that follow

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Jesus, the Reason for the Season postcard, flyer, program cover or bulletin insert

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Jesus is the reason for the Season postcard
Our world needs to be reminded that Jesus truly is the "Reason for the Season." This publication can help you do that.

We know that Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas, we know Jesus is the reason for the season, but many of the people who visit your church or are in the neighborhood around it don't have any idea what that means. This communication piece will help.

Though it is done is a casual, upbeat style, the content is actually taken from the Nicene Creed, one of the most widely accepted creeds in the Christian Church and one that defines the identity and role of Jesus as our Savior. Below are pictures of the file. One is in color and one in grey scale. The grey scale looks good printed on some a rustic-looking or colored paper.

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Fall Harvest Festival Invitations, ready for you to modify and use

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Church Fall Festival Invitation
We've got a variety of styles of Fall Festival Cards for you, check them out!

It's time to be getting out Fall Festival (of many kinds) invitations to your communities and we have a set for you!

The cards are simple enough on one side that you can use them without modification and add your details on the backside. They can be used as both invitations you give out and as postcards, you mail out.

Below is a FREE PDF Card for everyone to download and use. After that is the gallery of invitations that are available in ready-to-print PDF format as well as the editable MS Publisher Files.

Best Postcard idea EVER......

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The most important communications you’ll be doing this busy holiday season

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The most important thing in the balance of church communications
In the midst of balancing many things this holiday season, always keep your eye on what is most important to Jesus.

As we go into the busy fall and winter season of church special events and outreach, it's easy to focus on the visible, tangible aspects of our church communications: the design and graphics we use, a discussion on what should be printed and what should be sent out digitally. All these are important, but they aren't the most important thing.

As we prepare for the huge amount of work ahead, we need to stop and as church communicators and as a church staff commit to what is most important in our upcoming communications. To do that as disciples of Jesus, let's look at what is most important to Jesus.

How do we determine what's most important to Jesus?

We don't have to wonder—the four Gospels paint a clear picture of Jesus' priorities. Clearly, his priority was people. He spent his time with people, teaching, challenging, touching them. One of the most astounding things about his interactions with people was how he seemed to go out of his way to interact with people considered unimportant by the rest of society: lepers, the blind, tax-collectors, women with bad reputations.

Though he preached to crowds, we have many stories of how he focused on individuals. In John 3 we have the record of his conversation with Nicodemus, where one of the most important summaries of his mission and purpose, John 3:16 was shared with one man, not announced to a crowd. In Luke 8 he stops on the way to heal an important man's daughter to talk to a woman with a crippling, life-long disease. Though she was "unclean" to the rest of her world, Jesus took time, spoke to her and healed her.

One of the most important summaries of what is important to Jesus is in Matt: 25:37 through 40, when at the final judgment he summarizes what he considers most worthy of reward:

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

I've often thought how foolish it is for us to argue about the signs of end times and wonder about what will happen, when Jesus has clearly shown us what we wants us to be about before that time comes. If we want it to go well for us in the last judgment, we want to be about what is pleasing to Jesus. With this background of a clear picture of the priorities of our Lord, let's get practical. [Read more...]