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.

Why you shouldn’t plan too far ahead in church communications

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Plan ahead in your church communications, but do so cautiously.
Plan ahead in your church communications, but do so with wisdom and prayer.

At the start of the year, it's natural to want to do some planning, but planning can be both a positive and a negative thing. It's always challenging as I was reminded when several churches have asked how to create a communication plan for the next five to seven years. Each of them has mentioned that new technology can be costly and they want to be prepared, in their budgeting and for training. Though I admire their desire to be good stewards, planning ahead for five years in church communications, especially when it involves trying to figure out technology needs, is futile.

Could you have envisioned your communication world today five years ago?

Think about it. Five years ago, could you:

  • Have  imagined or planned for the iPhone and iPad?
  • Known texting would be a major way your youth group would communicate and your youth pastor would need a high-end mobile phone?
  • Have known that skill with Facebook  would be useful, if not essential, when you hire a church secretary?
  • Imagined that Tweeting would be a skill your senior Pastor might want to learn? Even known the meaning of Tweeting or that social media in any form would be able to overturn governments and raise millions for charity? [Read more...]

How to modify templates for A paper sizes

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I created this brief video in answer to a question from Australia about what to do when the Effective Church communication files are in PDF format sized for American paper sizes, but these sizes are not the standard paper sizes for Australia.

This short video shows how to modify the communications in MS Publisher and MS Word to the "A" paper sizes, which is what most of the world uses. Being able to modify the templates is one of the benefits of Effective Church Communication Membership and this video shows how easy it is to do this.

VIDEO: How to ZIP files using WINZIP

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This 5 minute video was created to answer this question from an Effective Church Communication Member:

  "I’m having no luck creating a zip file so that I can e-mail projects-in-progress, such as flyer designs, around to other committee members for their input. I”ve tried the free 30-day trials of Stuff-It and WinZip and am just lost. Any chance you might put together a how-to video that cuts through the jargon on their Help files?"

Her question caused me to remember when I first got WINZIP. As with many programs today, it seems the companies attempt to flood a person with all kinds of options and special features and ways to do things I have no need to do--but all I wanted was to ZIP and send files. After quite a bit of experiementation I found a very simple way to ZIP files and that's all. I made a 5 minute video that shows exactly what I do, in fact, I had a set of files I wanted to ZIP and will be sending this week. I'm sure WINZIP is a fantastic program that can do all kinds of things--but all I care about, and I imagine many church communicators are the same, is that it does the one important thing I need it to do.

NOTE: after I did this, I got another question about file compression--to see that article and to suggestion options, please CLICK HERE.

Check out the video below to see what I do to create ZIP Files:

I use WinZIP almost every week because it is the program I use to create the files that Effective Communication Members can download and that contain a variety of files: editable MS Word & MS Publisher, ready-to-print PDFs, image files, videos any and all kinds of files.

There are many files available for Effective Church Communication Members that will save you many hours of time and provide a starting point and inspiration for many projects.

VIDEO: A GREAT way to publicize Holiday Events

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Print is still one of the most powerful ways to communicate because if you do up a print piece, such as a postcard and it is placed on the refrigerator--you can't help but see it many times!

The US Postal Service reminded us of that in a little video they did, and a clip of that is in the very short video that follows. At the end of the video is a link that will take you to the template page shown.

To see the video full-screen, click on the little square at the lower, right-hand corner. Enjoy!

Setting Goals—The main thing is to keep the main thing the MAIN THING, part one

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Gayle Hilligoss Picture
Article by Gayle Hilligoss

Ed. note: No matter what time of year you read this, you will always be tempted to think that you don't have time to follow the advice in this article on goal-setting. But to make the most of all your days, you need to make the time to do it.

It would take a hundred lifetimes to accomplish all we are capable of—all we would like to do. The reality is there are no dress rehearsals in life. We have only one lifetime to do our best and to be all we can be.

If we had forever, perhaps there would be no need to be concerned with priorities. There would always be tomorrow—for us and for all the others in our life. But, time is the great ruler. Without time there is nothing. The sobering thought is that the clock is always running. Therefore, our choices make a great difference in our lives.

John 10:10 tells us, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” God intends fulfilled, beautiful lives for His children.

Goal setting implies a change in the status quo, an achievement of dreams. Unfortunately, many articles and workshops never result in much change. People may read or attend, have a pleasant time, make some resolutions and then get discouraged when they face the actual task of working toward their dreams.

Resolve now that you will use this information as a starting place to reaching your goals by acting on your knowledge. What you are reading right now is enough to start you toward making some significant positive changes in your life.

It is not for anyone else but you to choose your path in life. God has a unique purpose and plan for your life. You have the responsibility and can have the joy of discovering that plan for yourself. You have many choices. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. Six strategies to keep you on track:

• Know what you want from life. There are always people who want to tell you what you should be doing. When you begin to feel others are making too many decisions about how you are living your life, remind yourself it is your responsibility to make your own choices. For true happiness look for a purpose that will outlive you.

• Recognize the difficulty of choosing priorities and focusing on them. Keeping the main thing the main thing is not easy. Few worthwhile things are. You will be constantly pulled in many directions. The task is ongoing; the rewards make it worthwhile. Every day you are spending time, your most valuable resource. Your goal is to spend your precious time in the most fulfilling way.

The world is full of people who want to succeed; not so many are willing to pay the price. Yet, in the long run it takes just as much time, energy and effort to live an unhappy, aimless life as it does to live a fulfilled one. Often the price for failure is far greater than the cost of success. Parents who take the easy road with children when they are young most certainly pay the price as the children grow up. Couples who do not nurture their marriage pay the price eventually.

• Define specific goals. Goal setting and wishful thinking are not the same thing. You must be specific about what you want to achieve—and you must want to achieve your goals regardless of whether others share your vision.

You may talk over a dream with someone and that person may take your goals lightly or try to discourage what they see as too ambitious. Misery always looks for company. Choose carefully those with whom you share your goals. Avoid people who are likely to rain on your parade, but more important, learn to trust God’s guidance and your own seeking of His direction.

The vast majority of people live by default, not knowing where they want to go and having no need to figure out how to get there. They have no plans to follow, no new adventures to aspire to, no ambitions to achieve. Many would like you to have as little direction as they. It is doubtful you would be reading this article if you fit that description. You do not need to be one of the many who have trouble getting a handle on goals. You can be aware of the pitfalls and chart your course around any obstacles.

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To go to Part Two of this article, CLICK HERE.