Effective Church Communications

The Effective Church Communication ministry from Yvon Prehn provides inspiration, training, and resources to help your church create communications that fully fulfill the Great Commission. It focuses on Bible-based and timeless principles and strategies that work no matter what digital or print channel you use to create your communications. The site has links to many free TEMPLATES and other resources, plus links to free TRAINING VIDEOS, and a RESOURCE LIBRARY for church communicators. 

The Effective Church Communication ministry from Yvon Prehn provides inspiration, training, and resources to help your church create communications that fully fulfill the Great Commission. It focuses on Bible-based and timeless principles and strategies that work no matter what digital or print channel you use to create your communications. The site has links to many free TEMPLATES and other resources, plus links to free TRAINING VIDEOS, and a RESOURCE LIBRARY for church communicators.
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Leaders for effective church communications, essential characteristics and skills needed

28 June, 2020 By Yvon Prehn 1 Comment

Communication Coordinator
Finding an effective church Communication Coordinator is an important and challenging task, this article will show you what to look for.

Previously we talked about how church and ministry leaders can't be expected to do all the all the communications work and how a team is an answer to this challenge.

Once the decision is made to find someone to head up the church communications team, then these questions come up:

  • Should the church or ministry hire a professional designer specifically to do church communications?
  • Should they use a professional volunteer or make communication creation part of a staff position?
  • Or should it be a full-time position?
  • What should a church look for in skills? Attitudes?
  • Should the person do all the work, or should they train a team?

We'll look at some of the issues and answers in this post.

Keep first things first—Spiritual Maturity is the most important characteristic to look for

In the same way that a church would not hire a senior pastor simply based on the person's charismatic appeal as a public speaker without evaluating the spiritual maturity, shepherding skills, and godly character of the candidate, the spiritual and servant qualities of a church communications coordinator are equally important. The job involves far more than putting pretty images and catchy phrases on the print and digital communications of the church. The job is a strategic, core, ministry position. Church communicators are responsible for expressing the message of your church and the words of eternal life. The following list of characteristics are essential and following this list, they will be discussed in detail. You will notice that none of them say anything about technical or design skills-I am assuming those skills as a given or the person would not be applying for the job. What follows are the spiritual essentials. Someone can always be trained if their skills are not what we would like them to be. It is much more difficult to change a heart. That's why the following skills are essential for someone wanting to lead a team to produce effective church communications:

Essential characteristics for a church communication coordinator

  • A church communication coordinator must have a servant's heart.
  • A church communication coordinator must understand the scope of communications needed.
  • A church communication coordinator must understand what he or she can personally create and what to delegate.
  • A church communication coordinator must be totally committed to fully fulfilling the Great Commission.
  • A church communication coordinator must be willing to continuously learn and to train others.

A ministry communicator must have a servant's heart

Any decision on hiring a person for church communications should always be looked at as part of the overall ministry of the church, with a strong emphasis on the word "ministry." To minister means to serve and I've seen churches get into huge problems when they hire someone who may be a good graphic artist or designer, but who does not have a servant's heart and who does not understand the unique challenges of communications work IN the church, as opposed to secular design work. Communications and design work in a church setting is usually a collaboration, often with people who have no design or writing skills or understanding of the time and effort required to create spectacular graphic or Internet design work. A Sunday School teacher who needs a simple flyer, a men's ministry director who wants a brochure for the men's retreat often won't care about font choice, white space, or cutting-edge graphics-they just want their PR done. To help them do it or get one done quickly because they forgot work deadlines-these sorts of challenges will be constant and if not approached with a servant's heart, the communication coordinator's job will be constant frustration and misery. The function of church communication is to make a message clear and to involve people in events, not wow them with great design impact. The design person will rarely if ever be thanked or acknowledged for their creative genius and they will be often attacked for seemingly petty reasons. The way in which a typo, a left-out announcement, or a change in a publication can be raised to the status of personal insult and heretical rebellion is unimaginable if you haven't personally experienced it. A servant's heart, and a very tough, yet tender one, is needed for this job.

A ministry communicator must understand the scope of communications needed

The Five Steps of Effective Church Communications and Marketing

Often when a church staff considers hiring a church communications coordinator, they primarily think in terms of the overall bulletin, newsletter, website, possibly social media, and a few other assorted communication pieces for special events. In reality, these pieces represent only a small percentage of the total number of communications necessary for an effective communications ministry in any church. Unless both the church and the person doing the work understand all that is truly needed in communications for a church to function and grow, they will have problems.

PLEASE take time to look at the chart and read the article on The 5 Steps of Effective Church Communications. This will give you an idea of the volume and type of materials you need to produce for a truly effective communication ministry in your church that will get people into the church, involve them in the church, and grow them to Christian maturity. Your communication coordinator must understand this system and be committed to it for your church communication program to be an active tool in helping your church fully fulfill the Great Commission. At the start of the hiring or volunteer recruiting process you need to clearly define all the work that needs to be done and then clearly communicate your expectations for getting it done. When you look at The 5 Steps chart, it is easy to be overwhelmed with the amount of work that needs to be done. That is a correct assessment of the situation. There is an overwhelming amount of work-we are communicating to alter the eternal destinies of people. What is important to understand is that all the work can't be done by just one person. That is why the following characteristic is also vitally important:

A church communication coordinator must understand what he or she can personally create and what to delegate

To get all the communications work done that you need to, it's important to divide your church communication production in the following way and to recruit more people to help in the overall communication ministry. In addition, if you understand these two levels it helps to define the job description for your communication coordinator. These two levels are explained in more detail in the article, The Two Production Levels of Effective Church Communication, but a brief summary/review follows:

1. The PR Communication Level

2. The Ministry Communication Level

It is important to understand these two levels in terms of:

1) the communications produced in each one,

2) who does the communications and

3) the guidelines and standards for each one.

For both of the levels described below, keep in mind the publications can be in either print or digital formats.

The PR Communication Level

  1. Communications produced: overall pieces that represent the church, such as the logo, stationary, business cards, primary bulletin, newsletter, major outreach pieces, primary website and social media, and major ministry brochures.
  2. Communications producer: usually a staff person, often the communication coordinator, whose job may or may not have other responsibilities. The larger the church, the more it is recommended that the church hire someone specifically to create and oversee communications. This could also be done by a volunteer who has the time and commitment to work closely with the church staff.
  3. Communications standards: usually somewhat strict, as these pieces reflect the overall vision and reputation of the church.

Ministry Communication Level

  1. Communications produced: everything else in the church outside the communications listed above, from very simple notices, lessons, flyers and announcements to more complex communication projects.
  2. Communications producers: THIS IS IMPORTANT: here a staff person, such as your communications coordinator, or perhaps a key volunteer may oversee, train, encourage and help, but that person cannot do everything needed for a complete communication ministry in the church, nor should they. Ideally, every ministry in the church (children's, youth, men's, women's, etc.) should have at least one person who can help do the communications needed for that ministry. At this level, the church communications coordinator becomes a coach and encourager.
  3. Communications standards: much more flexible. You do not need the same standards of design or perfection for a one-time postcard that is going to remind the guys of the men's breakfast that you do for the four-color, outreach brochure for the church. If you are too hard on volunteers, they'll quit. People do improve in communication creation skills with time, training and encouragement and the ministry communication person needs to decide what is really important in standards and what is picky personal preference. Train to bring up to important standards and let the personal preference issues slide.

The church communication coordinator must be totally committed to fully fulfilling the Great Commission

Fully fulfilling the Great Commission means to make disciples. The articles on discipleship (please take time to read the article at this link) on this site go into detail on why this is so important, but this core characteristic cannot be overlooked. I have seen so much in the over twenty years I have traveled and taught church communications, but one thing that continuously amazes me is how obvious it is when church communications are created with the glory of God, obedience to the Great Commission, and the fulfillment of God's purposes as the primary goals, how God blesses that church.

What is also often amazing to me is that the person responsible for this kind of work varies tremendously in their formal training or skills. Some have training in writing, design, and advertising; some have no formal training at all. Some are young and new at their job; some have worked in the church office from the days of typing blue stencils. The one thing that unites all these men and women, that comes out clearly as we chat is for each of them, no matter what it takes in time, training, discovering skills, tools, or tips, the primary goal of their communications work is they want people to find Jesus and to grow as his disciple. They are truly the Great Ones. Their churches are growing. Though challenging, there is often joy in the church office and the challenges of their jobs. Sadly, I also meet a smaller number who bring me what on the surface appear as beautiful church communications: often glossy printing, impeccable design, clever writing. However, the person presenting these items is often angry or frustrated because:

  • People at the church don't appreciate them.
  • They can't get all the rest of the church communications to match up to their standards.
  • They had no idea that working in a church would be this hard.
  • They are astounded that people are not responding and want to know who to blame, because the problem is certainly not with their design.

I'm never certain what to say because I usually sense the person asking really doesn't want an answer but an ally to agree with their anger. But I can't. When I suggest perhaps a spiritual solution-time spent in humble prayer to discern the Lord's will and answer and a reminder that God can't bless our work when we are fighting with those with whom we work and serve-sometimes it makes sense. Sometimes tears appear and the person says, "I never realized this was a ministry."  There is hope for that communication ministry.

Sometimes, my suggestions are dismissed with barely concealed contempt and my advice relegated to the, "What does she know about it?" category. In this situation there is also an often unspoken, "what does prayer have to do with people not appreciating me?" Things probably won't get better at that church and often the person finds work in a secular setting where their skills can be used without the spiritual baggage.

Please don't dismiss the necessity for spiritual maturity in a communication coordinator as unrealistic. God does not need anyone, no matter how talented to get out his message, but he can use anyone if their heart is right. The Bible is filled with stories of ordinary people who God used to do extraordinary tasks. People can be trained for any skill if willing, but training a heart to care about the Great Commission is more challenging. Find a person with a good and godly heart who cares passionately that people come to know Jesus-that is what is most important in a church communication coordinator.

A church communication coordinator must be willing to continuously learn

Though a good heart with a proper focus on fully fulfilling the Great Commission is essential, it is irresponsible to not train the person with the good heart in the practical skills they need to be a proficient church communicator. In this area, we ought not lie to ourselves or to our communications coordinator by thinking that skills training in church communications is easy, quick, or once done, taken care of. On the contrary, to be a skilled church communicator you must:

  • Master many complex skills: writing, design, layout, typography, media, marketing
  • Learn new and ever upgrading and changing software and digital skills
  • Master production using the computer and other church office equipment
  • Learn how to integrate and create communications in print, online, and in whatever new channel appears
  • Manage people, pray for wisdom and peace in leading and organizing a team
  • Constantly be open to new ideas, skills, tips, insights
  • Do it all with an impossibly low budget and crushing deadlines

Though the challenges are constant, the church must attempt to provide the time, money, and encouragement for needed training. The church communication coordinator must be open to continuously learning, but the opportunities for it must be available. Don't even think about hiring or designating a church communication coordinator if you do not commit to support, train, pray for, and encourage that person. Effective Church Communications has many resources, links, and recommendations to enable you to do this. Much is free, many excellent resources and the membership subscription cost for our training videos is very little.In addition, a membership in Effective Church Communications is for the entire church, so any of the resources, templates, ebooks, and training videos can be freely shared with other staff members and communication volunteers.

In addition to training and tools, the most important training gift you can give to any church communication coordinator is the gift of time. As part of their job description, block out time, several hours each week, where that person is assured of completely uninterrupted time to read articles, take an online class, try things to improve their skills and help equip volunteers. If you do that, your church communications will be more effective and your church will grow.

Finally, it isn't easy to hire a church communication coordinator, but it is worth it

It isn't easy to find a person with all the spiritual and practical skills to do an effective job. Most likely you will have to help train and mold someone into the position. A significant amount of prayer and time is required, but essential because your ministry communicator and their team will be the ones who will literally incarnate the message of your church to your community.

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Filed Under: Church Communication Leadership, Church Communication Management, Church Office Skills, Communication Teams, Leading & Managing, Strategy #4: Divide your communication team into two production levels—save your sanity, expand the ministry, Volunteer Management, YP Foundational Tagged With: church communication leadership, church communication teams, church communicators, training for church communicators

Thank-You Cards for any occasion for Church Volunteers

15 November, 2016 By Yvon Prehn Leave a Comment

Church Volunteer Thank You Card
This is a FREE card for church communicators to download and print out when you want to thank volunteers at your church. CLICK on the card to download the PDF. A larger selection of cards is available for ECC Members.

We always intend to say "Thank You!" to the people who serve in our churches and these postcards will help you do that. These cards take away valid reasons for not getting thank you cards done such as:

  • No appropriate cards that fit your church
  • No time to write long messages
  • Costs too much to buy nice cards

Each of the cards below is 1/4 page size—nice enough and room enough to write a little message on them, but not too much room where you don't feel like you have to write a lot. A quick  "We couldn't have done it without you!" and signed by the Pastor or head of the volunteer worked with will mean so much to any volunteer who receives them. [Read more...]

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Filed Under: Church Communication Leadership, Church Communication Management, Church Office Skills, Volunteer Management Tagged With: church thank you cards, Church Volunteer thank you cards, FREE church thank you card, thank you cards from Pastor

When you need some help for Church Communications: a FREE e-book–Divide your communication team into 2 production levels

15 February, 2016 By Yvon Prehn Leave a Comment

There is never enough time to get all the work done that needs to be done in church communications. One way to solve this problem is to have volunteers do some of the work. However, many church office administrators and church leaders aren't comfortable doing this because they are concerned about the level of quality that volunteers product. Or they worry that they won't really be able to control what volunteers do.

Click on image to download this free ebook.
Click on image to download this free e-book.

This e-book has a solution to this challenge: Divide your communication team into 2 production levels.

When you do this, you can have one level that you have strict control over and one that you can flex with a little more, but that still helps relieve the huge burden of communications that need to be produced. CLICK on the image to the left to download a FREE e-book that will detail this process. It is free for everyone and please pass on the link to others.

When you do this, you can have one level that you have strict control over and one that you can flex with a little more, but that still helps relieve the huge burden of communications that need to be produced. CLICK HERE or on the image to the left to download a FREE e-book that will detail this process. It is free for everyone and please pass on the link to others.

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Filed Under: Church Communication Leadership, Church Communication Management, Church Office Skills, Communication Teams, Leading & Managing, Strategy #4: Divide your communication team into two production levels—save your sanity, expand the ministry Tagged With: Communication Teams, communication volunteers, Communications, effective communications

SEEING OLD THINGS IN NEW WAYS: Selling your ideas

4 March, 2015 By grhilligoss@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Share your idea
Sharing your ideas takes tack and planning--and the advice here will help.

“I have some ideas on how to increase office effectiveness, but am not sure how to get our office manager to consider them.”

  • Pick one idea. Try looking at the situation from the office manager’s side of the desk. Anticipate as many possible reservations and concerns as you can. Formulate reasonable answers. If you hit some uncertainty you may want to run the idea by an appropriate person, someone with expertise on the subject. Seek to understand the big picture before you ask to be heard.
  • If you still think the idea has merit, practice how you will present the issue to the office manager. Rehearse being concise. Resolve to stick to the issue and not get diverted.
  • Ask for a time to discuss it with the office manager. How you ask is important. Try something like, “I’d like to see what you think about an idea. When will it work for you to get together for 30 minutes?” If you are prepared, it won’t matter if the meeting takes place immediately (you are ready) or at a later time.
  • When you meet, present your idea in a brief, clear, positive way. Ask the manager’s opinion. Some of your questions to the manager might be: What do you think? Do you see ways we can use this? Are there modifications that would make the idea even better? What can we do to get this in the works? If your pitch is successful, the manager may be ready to try a version of the idea.
  • Even if the manager is not sold on the idea, listen for points of agreement and build on those as you can. He or she may be willing to try the new idea for a limited time—ask. In the event the idea is turned down completely, take it like the pro you are. Thank the manager for meeting with you. Try another time with another idea. Tenacity often pays!

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Filed Under: Church Communication Management, Church Office Skills, Columnist Gayle Hilligoss, Contributors Tagged With: church office sharing, church office strategy, Ideas for church communication

SEEING OLD THINGS IN NEW WAYS: Getting your desk organized

18 February, 2015 By grhilligoss@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Organize your desk
Organize your desk to work more efficiently.

“One look at my desk tells me I need to get the office organized, but there is always too much to do to take on the major overhaul I need.”

You are looking at the process of getting organized as a big, difficult job that will take time you don’t have to spare. Replace that mindset by seeing organization as a way of doing things that will save you time. And effort. Being organized really is a way of working “smarter rather than harder,” cliche as it is.

Not to make too fine a point, but outer disorganization is often symptomatic of inner chaos. See your goal not as attacking clutter but as creating order inside and out. Recognize how much time you waste paper shuffling, looking for things, and redoing work done to hastily. Imagine how competent you will feel in your new, orderly environment.

There will never be a perfect time to begin the process. Start now. Just as the forester must make time to sharpen his ax, so you must make time to prepare the tools of your trade. Make time every day to take at least one step toward organization; this is best done by eliminating lesser priorities from your agenda.

  • Start with that desk that’s bothering you. Create a simple standing file for any paper files you must still handle. As often as we’ve heard that computers create paperless offices, a lot still crosses many desks. If you have enough paper to warrant it, sort it into colored file folders clearly labeled: Today, Youth, Newsletter, whatever. As papers come to you, immediately put them into the appropriate folder. Yes, this technique has been around awhile—because it works when used.
  • Many church offices become depositories for all sorts of stuff that others seem not to know what to do with. See if storage space can be designated someplace away from the office. Enlist volunteers to organize the materials there. Put a notice in the newsletter or on the website periodically, letting people know when the room will be cleared; give them opportunity to claim any material there or to tag it to have it saved. When people bring things to the office, direct them to the storage room.
  • More is not better. Pitch what you don’t need. The fewer things you have around you, the easier it is to organize and use what you have. Establish a permanent parking place for all your supplies and equipment. Even in this tech time of 2015, having scissors, stapler, and tape go missing can still be an issue. If these things have a tendency to disappear from your office, borrow a trick from the post office and use small chains to anchor them in the appropriate places. Never loan your personal equipment; keep a separate set as loaners. You may want to label each piece: Thanks for returning me to the office.
  • Pare down your activities too. Disorganized people are more likely to load their days with low-priority tasks and not investing their time in jobs that move them toward their goals. Assistants who always try to do everything for everybody, regardless of how mundane the task, simply are not being as effective in their jobs as they might be. Far better to do less and achieve more.

___________________________________

Note: while you are cleaning out your desk, please think about sending some samples to us to share with other church communicators in the Great Idea Swap. Click here to find out more! We all can learn from what we share!

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Filed Under: Church Communication Management, Church Office Skills, Columnist Gayle Hilligoss, Contributors Tagged With: church communication management, church office organization, organize your church office

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