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; Effective Church Communications can help.

What matters most in evaluating software and services for church communications

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Tips to help you make software choices.
It's usually not as clear-cut when you need to make ministry software decisions, this article will help.

In the process of finding Membership Software for the ECC website, I learned valuable lessons, which I'll share below, that I think are of benefit to anyone looking for a new software or service. In addition, I wanted to share how these will affect future training on the ECC site.

An overview of lessons learned as I looked for Membership Software

Please note, this is a totally different kind of software than Membership Software for a church. The kind of software I was looking for is primarily business software that protects and charges for content on a website. It has nothing to do with churches.

Here is my overview of lessons learned:

  • Don't look for perfection in software, look for a good fit.
  • A good fit is what is determined by your needs, situation, budget and ability to use the software.
  • Almost every software or system that I read about had some people who thought it was wonderful and others who hated it.
  • Feature lists mean almost nothing—most are either obvious, bloated, or exaggerated.
  • Good support and explanations are priceless.

Expanded comments on what I learned:
I realized that the differences in how various software and systems were reviewed had little to do with the products themselves and much more to do with who was reviewing them. Unfortunately in the case of most reviews of the membership programs often tech gurus reviewed them. What a tech guru found "easy and intuitive" I often found impossible to understand or carry out.

I also became very weary of so-called "reviews" that were nothing more than a collection of links with content pulled from the sites they were reviewing. There is too much of this on the web. I found almost no "reviews" from people who actually used the materials, unless they were comments on the manufacturer's site or blogs where people hated something. I can understand this because the programs are costly and extremely time-consuming to learn, but it wasn't very helpful to someone trying to figure it all out.

The features in membership software that meant a lot to some people such as "the ability to drip content" and "lock RSS feeds" meant nothing to me. There are many instances where an abundance of features isn't positive, but overly complex and overwhelming when you only want it to do a few simple things. Most membership sites are for people who are selling expensive business services or content, so every bit of content is locked, locked again, put on an access level and sold piece by piece. They don't want people to share, they want to sell it one post, video or article at a time.

In contrast, I simply wanted to set up a membership site so that I wouldn't have to charge people every time I created a new ebook, training video, template or other resource. I wish I could give it all away for free, but since that isn't possible, this seems like the best solution. Church communicators are on a budget and I felt that if you could plan a month to month or year to year, on a consistent cost, or if you got a life-time offer, it would be easier for churches to have the content and training needed.

The conclusion of the above observations is that there is no objectively "perfect" software for any task. Software is perfect for you if it meets your needs, your budget, your level of training, for the tasks you need to carry out at your church. To figure that out, research all you can, but remember to pray for wisdom (James 1:5) remembering that your Lord loves you and the people you serve and wants to help equip you to do the best job possible in your work.

How I am applying them to future training on ECC

Because I learned there is no perfect tool to carry out any church communication task, I will try to present options for different situations in the programs I review or lessons I teach—to enable you to make the right decision for your needs, your budget, your level of training, for the tasks you need to carry out at your church.—which is the most important thing I can help you do.

I came to this conclusion after analyzing my frustrations, when I realized that one particular thing that bothered me was that almost every reviewer or commentator assumed (I'm sure in many cases, they not even aware they were doing this) that all their readers were exactly alike and more than that were exactly like them and had the same likes, dislikes, knowledge level and needs as the person doing the review. Because of that they would make statements such as, "this is the best and so easy to use….." Maybe it was for them, but it certainly wasn't for me.

It was upsetting when I realized that far too often I've unthinkingly done the same thing and I apologize. Let me share a current example of how I plan to change in this:

More options for website training

For some time I've been working on a new series on how to do websites. I had a very specific way I liked to create websites and host them. I was planning to teach everybody MY PLAN and only MY PLAN (because of course I thought that was best—oh how the sin of pride sneaks in where we least expect it), but as I've thought and prayed about it more, I've realized that there are a number of ways to create and host websites that would work out well for churches of various sizes and for people with various skill and budget. In researching and trying different options, I have found a number of systems that work well. In fact, I now have several systems and hosts I'm personally using for various ministries, and like any parent with several children, I no longer have a favorite.

As part of this new way of approaching training, I will do more video reviews and make them as clear as possible with the benefits and challenges for each new topic I'm teaching. For example, on the upcoming series on websites, I'll talk about when and why you may want to use a free WordPress template and modify it for your church; when and why you might want to use a hosted WordPress site and a purchased church-specific template; when and why you might want to use a service to create and host your site. I'm not you, at your church or with your budget, and though I can't give you unlimited options, I will work hard to make the options I do present as clear as possible.

The Lord tells us that "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28). When I started the search for new membership software, I didn't know how difficult and frustrating it would be, but I also didn't know how it would teach me lessons that I believe will ultimately be of great value to the guests and members of the ECC site—and the Lord knew that was the most important part of the process.

Church office professionals–Let’s Get Growing!

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Let's get growing as church office professionals.
Church Office Professionals need to be intentional about opportunities to grow and here are some challenges that will help.

Professional growth doesn’t just happen. Those who achieve expertise and maturity work at it.

One of the most attractive aspects of serving in the church office is that generally you have great freedom to make the job as significant as you want it to be. You can do only what the job demands or you can enhance your work by delivering over and above the norm.

Claim whatever freedom you have in your job. Put it to good use. Examine every day for opportunities to grow in ability, in knowledge, and in purpose. There is no limit to the good you can do.

Avoid pointless controversy

Are you ever amazed at the amount of time, effort, and energy eaten up by dissension in the church? The bad news is that the secretary often feels drawn into these conflicts. The good news is that you can be a positive influence and show your maturity by staying out of the fray.

• Examine your impulses.
What is your natural response to criticism? to a fuss reported to you? to rumors and gossip?

Before letting those reactions go public, ask yourself if they are responses you feel good about. In the past have you been pleased with the results of following those first impulses?

• Choose a wiser path.
To get better results from our actions, we need to choose better actions. Learn from the past. Next time others get tangled up in pettiness—issues having no real importance—you can choose to stay out of it.

• Focus on doing your job well.
While it is not your job to counsel others, you can lead by example. You grow in professionalism by concentrating your time and effort on doing good, productive things.

• Be a calming influence.
As you have opportunity, during the regular course of your work, be a peacemaker. Say and do positive things. Sincerely pray. Continue to love and minister to the people whom it is your job to serve.

Keep skills up to date

Like clothes and hairstyles, skills become dated and old-fashioned. Even the excellent typist doesn’t automatically become proficient at word processing. The prize-winning website of five years ago will take no ribbons today. The best records management of that era is less than adequate now. Staying in top form takes a commitment to change and growth.

• Evaluate your skills level.
Ideally, your church office has a yearly evaluation process in place—a means of measuring each staff member’s technical and interpersonal skills. But, do your own evaluation as well. Take an objective look at your progress over the past year. Pinpoint areas needing additional effort. Identify new skills you will acquire.

• Confer with your supervisor.
You can’t hit the bulls-eye if you’re not sure where it is. You need to know exactly what is expected of you, what skills your executive values. If you perceive it is your computer skills that need sharpening, and the pastor is most concerned about another matter entirely, you need to gain insight from one another and reach an agreement on priorities.

• Act on your assessment.
Once you know where you are, take action to get you where you want to be. Whatever your location, there are training resources within your reach via the Internet. Certainly, financial realities are a factor but every church can provide training opportunities of some sort. Realize, too, that personal funds spent on training are well spent. Pleasure gained by material things is soon past; pleasure gained by knowledge lasts a lifetime.

These are a few areas you can pursue in enhancing your job. You will think of others. Now is a great time to get growing!

A Boss Views Church Administrative Professionals

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The opinion of our Boss is our most important evaluation.
The opinion of our Boss is very important and here are the most valued characteristics.

Administrative Professionals Week is a time when we celebrate the contributions of Administrative Professionals in the church office. But no matter what the celebration, the wise assistant knows what counts in the long run is not so much what you view as professional behavior, but what the boss sees as admirable.

As you access your skills and abilities, consider these attributes that supervisors consistently list as relevant.

  • dependability
    Some say the best “ability” is dependability. Even the most outstanding skills are diminished unless the assistant is consistently in the office on time and equipped to do the job. The boss wants to know his assistant is where she is supposed to be when she is supposed to be there, that she says what she means and means what she says, that she delivers what she promises.
  • competence
    A reasonable expectation is that the person at the desk can and will field well whatever the day brings. Competence is doing more and doing better than just enough to get by. A supervisor shared, “Our assistant learns something new about the job every day—a software technique, a time saver, a helpful website—and in staff meetings she often passes along tips the rest of us can use. I appreciate that.”
  • confidentiality
    Along with ministers and other church staff, the assistant must be a person who can be trusted to keep the information she handles to herself. Every person has a right to know that the private information coming into the church office is not randomly “shared.” The importance of this essential attribute cannot be overstated. Many would say that loose talk causes more discord in churches than any other behavior. Everyone appreciates those who are above reproach when it comes to confidentiality.
  • time sensibility
    Understanding the value of money, you would never tell a salesperson, “I’ll take that new Mac; I don’t care what it costs.”But sadly, we often do the equivalent with our time. Never spend more time on a project than it is worth! Determine the smart amount of minutes the results are worth to you; then don’t allow yourself to spend more. Keeping priorities straight in the church office is never a one-way street. While it is fair for the boss to expect the assistant to respect what is important to others on the staff, in the most effective offices the pastor and staff likewise respect the assistant’s priorities.
  • accountability
    “In this office, when we do well we all get the credit; when a mistake happens we all share the blame.” That was the often stated philosophy of one wise pastor. Still, his assistant noticed he appreciated when she took personal accountability for her errors. Mistakes happen. Owning up to them is the right thing to do.
  • positive attitude
    Having someone at your side who looks for and appreciates what is right with others adds to the effectiveness of any office. “I expect my assistant to give people the benefit of the doubt, to believe the best of them, to never gossip or bad-mouth, to never hold a grudge, and to look for the bright side in every situation.” You would have to believe a boss with these expectations is a positive person too.
  • calmness under pressure
    Schedules can fly out the church office door in a hurry. The assistant who can keep things in perspective and adapt to whatever crisis arises is a valuable asset to the staff. Not handled well, events quickly get out of hand; often the way an issue is handled is remembered far longer than the problem itself. Keeping one’s composure allows smarter decisions and sensible solutions.
  • testimony
    While a Christian is a witness wherever she works, working in a church office is different from working at a secular job. The excellent assistant sets a high bar for personal standards: thoughtful conversation, nonjudgmental listening, honest actions, gracious deeds, steadfast support, enthusiastic cooperation, conscientious service, respectful interactions. When the assistant sees herself as a Christian professional, when she thinks, acts, and looks like such, others tend to see her as a Christian professional too.An observation: No two pastors are alike. The wise assistant observes, asks questions, and discovers personal likes and dislikes. The insightful supervisor does the same. The result is an extraordinary team.

When the holidays or anytime doesn’t go as expected–tips on how to grow through conflict

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Things don't always go as we want in the church office at Christmas or any other time--here are some tips to help.
Things don't always go as we want in the church office at Christmas or any other time--here are some tips to help.

Ed. note: We all dream of what the holidays should be--everything perfect and peace and love all around. But if we are working at a church, we also know things don't always go as planned. When this happens, Gayle's advice that follows will, as it always does, encourage and equip you to handle the conflict well in your service for the Lord.

Growing involves having experiences—most pleasant, some not. Positive lessons can be learned even by negative encounters. Here is one assistant’s account of how she grew through adversity. [Read more...]