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.

Writing as an act of discipleship

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As church communicators, the power and impact of our writing on the lives of those in our church will be a reflection of where our heart is with our Lord. Whether you plan it or not, who you are always comes out in your writing. Below is a challenge from Dallas Willard on discipleship and then one on writing from C.S. Lewis. Below them is a resource that will encourage your heart as a church communicator.

The challenge:

The greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heartbreaking needs, is whether those who, by profession or culture, are identified as ‘Christians’ will become disciples – students, apprentices, practitioners – of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to live the life of the Kingdom of the Heavens into every corner of human existence.”
― Dallas Willard, The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus's Essential Teachings on Discipleship

Some advice on how a writer might meet the challenge:

If I have read the New Testament aright, it leaves no room for 'creativeness' even in a modified or metaphorical sense. Our whole destiny seems to lie in the opposite direction, in being as little as possible ourselves, in acquiring a fragrance that is not our own, but borrowed, in becoming clean mirrors willed with image of a face that is not our. . . .An author should never conceive himself as bringing into existence beauty or wisdom which did not exist before, but simply and solely as trying to embody in terms of his own art some reflection of eternal Beauty and Wisdom. . . And always, of every idea and of every method the Christian will not ask, 'Is it mine?' but 'Is it good?'

C. S. Lewis, Christianity and Literature

A resource to strengthen your heart as you write

Devotions for Church Communicators
This devotion will remind you of the immense and eternal importance of the work you do.

This book, Devotions for Church Communicators was previously titled The heart of church communications. I may go back to that title when I reprint it. Regardless, it will help you tremendously to approach your communication work as a disciple of Jesus. It is free for Effective Church Communication Members and can be bought for immediate download or as a paperback or Kindle from the links below.

ECC Member download

Buy for immediate download or links to Kindle or print purchase

Excell in customer service as you serve your church

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Customer service is important in the church
Customer service is important in the church as we are to be servants of Jesus.

Editors note: When Gayle sent me this wonderful article I was reminded of how we ought to serve one another and this article has some very practical advice on how to do that well.

Excel in customer service
Perhaps you have never thought of churches having customers, but the terminology is not such a stretch. The people you serve have chosen your church; they expect certain goods and services; they support the church financially.

Nothing demonstrates your true professionalism more than exceptional customer relations skills. Anyone can learn the fundamental rules of courtesy and thoughtfulness. The irony is that few do.  Exercising these basics puts you ahead of the crowd.

• Give full attention to the task at hand.
When a visitor is in your office or on the phone, focus on that person. Avoid chitchat with anyone else. Stick to business.

• Be sensitive to the other person’s needs.
The ability to put yourself in another’s shoes is invaluable. How would like to be treated in a similar situation? What actions would you appreciate? Do what you would like done.

• Use the magic words.
Please and thank you seem to be heard less and less, but their use still identifies the knowledgeable business person, as well as the thoughtful Christian. Keep the basic courtesies as an integral part of how you operate. Set the pace by being unfailingly polite.

Correct communication challenges
When church staff members are asked to identify hindrances to office effectiveness, a lack of communication is always at the top of every list.

The best communicators:

  • keep others informed
  • share vital information
  • reply to communications received
  • say what they need and when they need it
  • confront problems as they arise
  • respect others’ need for information
  • keep messages clear and simple

Exercise your communication skills daily.
Establish yourself as the communication hub of the office. Be interested and informed. If someone doesn’t provide the information you need, ask. Maintain your objectivity; never let emotions muddy the waters.

Communicating is more than giving messages; it is receiving them as well. Being a good listener is essential to your goal of being an excellent communicator and providing excellent customer service in any business or church.

Why and how to create a digital church bulletin

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Church Bulletin SAMPLE
Your church bulletin is the key to essential information about your church--be sure to have it in both print and digital formats.

Many churches forget that Sunday is no longer a sacred day and many people either have to work or have sports events that involve their children on Sunday morning. These same people might be very interested in activities during the week: small groups, activities for children, service opportunities, training and prayer times.How can we keep them cared for and informed?

Though social media is being used by many churches, it is seldom updated consistently or complete in the information it has. Church websites look better than ever, but again, most churches don't keep them as updated on essential details that connect people to events. Realistically, the church bulletin is still  the primary communication tool about these activities in many churches and if you don't get the bulletin, you miss out.

Make certain that doesn't happen by having a PDF bulletin on your website that anyone can access even if they have to miss on Sunday morning.

One of the easiest ways to create a digital bulletin is to simply make a PDF of the print bulletin you produce and upload it to your website. The purpose of this PDF on your website isn't to replace the print version, but to add to the communication reach of the content in it. You only have to create the content once, but creating a PDF gives you another way to distribute the information that will help people connect with the church and grow as disciples.

A PDF bulletin can be downloaded, printed, and read like the regular bulletin. This is a wonderful ministry for shut-ins or people who cannot attend Sunday morning regularly.

Don't think either the PDF Bulletin or any form of social media is the only one necessary—you need both.

Remind people your digital bulletin is available through emails, Facebook, Twitter or other social media you use. Social media are effective for instant, brief communication, but your Bulletin can contain much more information and it can be saved and put on the refrigerator as a reminder.Social media is also an ever-flowing stream and it's hard to look up the time to an event or directions or why you should come if you didn't get it (or most likely weren't told it) in a tweet.  In addition, the Bulletin can refer to the website for even more details about an event or ministry. In the PDF version of a digital bulletin you can link directly to more information, detailed schedules, sign-up forms.

This is not a time of either/or in our communication methods if we honestly want to involve everyone in the activities of our church that can change lives; it's a time of both/and. This means doing all we can do through every communication channel possible to help people come to know Jesus as Savior and grow to mature disciples. This means creating both print and digital bulletins.

Additional tips if you create a PDF Bulletin

  • Be sure the bulletin is available for download on your website by Sunday morning – again, keeping in mind someone who may not be able to attend the church in the morning, but may need information about an event in the afternoon. As soon as you print the bulletin, put it on the website.
  • Make the bulletin easy to find on your website. Have a tab or advertisement or box or whatever works on your website to let people know that the church bulletin can be accessed and have the location clearly labeled once a person gets to that section so they know what they are downloading.
  • When you save the bulletin as a PDF, you can then save the PDF as a graphic jpg image. You can place a small thumbnail of that image on your website along with the date of the service. Make the image a link to the PDF so a visitor can download the bulletin PDF by clicking the image. You could load up the image to your church Pinterest account if you have one.
  • To make your bulletin especially useful to someone who downloads it, insert hyperlinks in your text so that people can find out more about ministries. For example, you could have a link on the title "Children's Ministry" that would take people to the Children's Ministry section on your website. This tip assumes that your website is complete and up-to-date.

A Biblical precedent for making your Bulletin accessible in a variety of formats

We admire the Apostle Paul who said he was "all things to all people that he might win some."  Paul adapted himself to the needs of his audience because he knew all of them needed Jesus. He used a variety of communication methods and messages to reach as many people as he could.

We follow his example when we take the time to create print materials, turn them into PDFs, post them online, tell people through social media they are available and create relevant links for people who need more information. If we want people to come to know Jesus in our secular, busy world we need to meet people where they are and use every communication tool possible to link them to our church and to the ministries that will help them come to know Jesus as Savior and grow to mature disciples.

 

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!

Q & A What is best way to use music in PowerPoints or Videos?

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Music in PowerPoint Presentations
Music should enhance, not distract from the message of our presentations. The challenge is to find the right music that does that.

When I recently posted the video for Father's Day, I got this very interesting question/response from Barb, an ECC Member:

Here is something that I have noticed when there are certain presentations at our church on PPT: I am not able to concentrate on the written words on the screen when there is vocal music playing as background.

Some sort of classical music, or any instrumental music that does not evoke thoughts of lyrics, would be OK. I don't know if I'm alone in this problem or not. I've never heard of anyone doing any sort of study on it, either.

Summary answer

After research and thinking about it, my conclusion on music with PowerPoint (whether or not you turn it into a video) is to select it as you would a man's tie. A great tie on a man is one that you don't really notice, but that finishes his look perfectly without drawing undue attention to it. The result is that you see a professional man, not a loud tie.

It's the same with music for PowerPoint, if you choose to use it (and not every presentation needs it any more than every occasion requires that a man wear a tie), select music that does not overwhelm your presentation, but that enhances the overall experience. The content, the message of the presentation is what is most important.

I think that is useful advice, but here is the challenge: what enhances and what does not? Especially for Christian music—the vocals can be extremely powerful and we find ourselves listening to them more than reading the words. Even if we have an instrumental of a well-known song ("Amazing Grace", for example) we will hear the words. In some instances, and this was my purpose with choosing the song I did for the Father's Day video was to add an extra layer of challenge to Dads. But honestly, I also really liked the song "Be Thou My Vision" and have gotten distracted just listening to it.

Following are other comments from the web, how to insert music clips and a free music resource.

Please add your thoughts, ideas, comments, below.

Answers from around the web:

Music should draw your audience in, not jolt them.

PowerPoint presentations often use music to enhance slides or transition from one to the next. Yet when the music starts or stops suddenly, it jars the audience, distracting them from your message. You can edit your audio clips using an external application to prevent this, but you can also use PowerPoint's own audio editing tools. These tools will fade clips in and out, blending them more naturally into your presentation. They may also fade one piece into another, if a slide contains multiple audio clips.

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/fade-music-powerpoint-39688.html

 

If you plan to narrate over the slide show, it is important to search for some ambient PowerPoint music that will not distract the audience from listening to whatever it is that you are saying. The main objective of the presentation if for the audience to listen to your presentation, and not to the music! The music is just an added benefit, to help the audience relax, and enjoy the presentation better. Music is very relaxing, and a smooth, relaxing tune running throughout the presentation helps the audience to relax, and thereby enjoy your presentation better!

However, if you plan to do an automatic slide show that loops continuously, without you narrating during the show, then it is better to use some energetic music, which will in fact do the talking in the presentation! The energy in the music is sure to rid the audience of any fatigue, and may also prevent anyone from sleeping through the PowerPoint presentation! Adding music to your website is a sure means of making your site stand apart from the rest of the sites and to communicate a message in the universal language of music. In fact, there are some professional creators who adamantly agree that no amount whatsoever of eye-popping graphics or animation can convey as much emotional core of the PowerPoint presentation as a well-chosen piece of music can.

From: http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/Adding-Music-to-your-PowerPoint-Presentation-does-make-a-difference/64154

How to put music into PowerPoint

Office PowerPoint allows you insert various kinds of media in your slide shows, such as videos, photos and even songs. Playing a song throughout your PowerPoint presentation can give the slide show some flare, provided your choice of music does not distract from the content and fits the presentation's theme. Use PowerPoint's insertion options to add a song to the slide show and so it plays through your presentation.  Read more: How to Play a Song During a PowerPoint | eHow http://www.ehow.com/how_8226194_play-song-during-powerpoint.html#ixzz2TrIAE593

http://www.ehow.com/how_8226194_play-song-during-powerpoint.html

Resources of Free music for Power Point

http://www.brainybetty.com/soundsforpowerpoint.htm

Please let me know your thoughts or resources in the comments section below--thanks!