Effective Church Communications
Effective Church Communications provides Timeless Strategy and Biblical Inspiration to help churches create communications that fully fulfill the Great Commission
Typography is one of the most important tools we have to make our church bulletins help people follow and understand what's going on during a church service. Some very small changes that are quick and easy to do can make a tremendous difference in how well people will follow what is going on in your service.
Take less than 5 minutes to watch this video for ideas on how to make your bulletin more effective.
Ed. note: This is the last week of a great series on How to be a Better Office Manager and this week she concludes with some excellent advice:
As an effective manager, you will:
• Learn all you can about the church, the denomination, office administration, management principles—every subject related to the work of the church office. Use online resources, study written materials, and attend seminars. Study communication and human relations skills.
• Communicate with others. Let your team know your standards for good work and periodically tell them how they are doing. Provide the information people need to do their jobs well. Touch base with them often; be available for questions and suggestions. Include them in decisions concerning issues affecting their work, but realize group decisions are seldom good decisions. Listen; then make the decision alone.
• Involve your team. Delegate. Trust your people with responsibilities. Effective managers do not try to do everything themselves. Turning loose of routine tasks allows you to focus your efforts on the parts of the job only you can do.
• Support your team. Show confidence in them; let them know they can have confidence in you. Pray with and for those you minister with as well as for those you minister to.
Encourage people in their efforts. As a manager you want your team to be willing to try new things. They need to know it is acceptable to make mistakes, or even to fail. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Develop mutual trust and respect. People usually live up to the expectations of others. Expect excellence, not perfection, and show appreciation for your team’s efforts. Go to bat for them for equitable pay and benefits. Be the kind of manager you would like to work with.
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For the first two parts of this series:
Being a Better Office Manager, part one
Being a Better Office Manager, part two
At this time of year we are flooded with all kinds of trend analysis articles, what's hot, what's not, what is the latest in social media and gadgets, what's is essential if we want to appear relevant and cutting edge.
After reading a number of these articles and blogs and debating about what to pass on to you, instead of feeling informed and helpful, I've found myself feeling tired and frustrated. I feel like this because even though I'm sure that iPads are incredible devices and Kindles are great ways to read, and that Google Circles are one of the next hot social networking sites, reality is that many churches still can't keep their website updated or afford necessary computer upgrades. I'm behind on the website I do for our Adult Sunday School class (I'm telling myself, later today, for sure after I finish my ECC newsletter I'll get it updated. . . . ). My computer is so old some of the features in Word 2010 don't work on it. I can't afford a Kindle, even though I'm publishing books in that format (CLICK here for my first venture.) I would imagine my technology situation is similar to many in this time of still challenging budgets for communication resource upgrades in most churches. [Read more...]
Ed. note: Last week Gayle introduced the topic of How to be a Better Office Manager and this week she continues with some excellent advice on:
• planning
Planning is the first step in constructively moving from where you are to where you want to be, from the way things are to the way things ought to be. Base your plans on specific measurable goals. In planning the work of the office you must have a clear view of:
• what needs to be done and when;
• the skills and abilities of each worker.
Once the plans are made, take action. The ultimate goal of your planning is not to do work, but to accomplish results.
• staffing
When hiring new people, search for the best available. Look for those with commitment and a sensitive spirit as well as technical skills. Be secure enough to surround yourself with sharp, talented people.
Be familiar with the position description of each person you supervise. Assign tasks to best make use of your people’s talents. Know who can do what best. Give staff members opportunities to grow in their jobs and to use their initiative. As you do these things, you will be making positive strides toward building a team.
• organizing
The manager has five basics with which to work:
• people—both volunteer and paid;
• resources—equipment, property, funds;
• information—facts about needs, opportunities;
• experience—what you know, your abilities;
• time—your most valuable resource.
The effective manager coordinates these basics in organizing the work of the office.
Teamwork is enhanced when each element works smoothly with the others. For instance: a person receiving an assignment has the information and ability to do the job, enough time is scheduled, necessary equipment is available, sufficient information is at hand and backup help is ready if and when it is needed.
• directing
Your communication skills are basic tools in directing your team members. Most direction is verbal. Give clear, concise instructions. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Identify who is to do the job, what specifically is to be done, where will it be done, when will it be started and finished.
Within those guidelines recognize the method of giving direction that will get the best results from each team member. One person may need written support, or every detail explained; another may need only the briefest instruction.
• evaluating
Because even the best planning, staffing, organizing, and directing can be improved, evaluating is essential. Evaluating allows you to look at the course and make corrections.
Analyze each project as it is completed. How do you rate the results? What action steps would you repeat? What would you definitely not repeat? What was not done that should have been? Put tasks under a microscope; you grow in the art of management as you learn from your experiences.
Set up a filing system up to preserve your resources for use next time. What counts is not how hard the team worked or how many hours were put in, but what results were achieved. Accurate evaluation preserves the lessons learned and gives you a better return on time invested when you do the next project.
As you evaluate workers be generous with expressions of appreciation—both privately and publicly.
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To read part one of Being a Better Office Manager, CLICK HERE
To read part three of Being a Better Office Manager, CLICK HERE
Next week, we'll have part three and you'll learn the tasks you need to do as an effective manager
