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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What you need, no matter what technology you use, to be a successful church communicator; on the relaunch of Devotions for Church Communicators PODCAST

30 September, 2019 By Yvon Prehn 2 Comments

Devotions for Church Communicators Podcast
Take time each Monday to listen for a few minutes to Devotions for Church Communicators and be encouraged and reminded of the incredible eternal importance of what you do!

I've been doing church communications for a long-time—bear with me for a few minutes for the reason while I tell you my history, there is a reason for it:

My first church communication memory was helping the church office print the bulletin using trays of blue gel. A Hectograph was the technical term for the device, and though it has long since ceased to be a fixture in the church office, Wikipedia now reports that it has become popular in the art world as a way to hand-produce prints. Wikipedia also relates how it was the system Stephen King used to create the first newspaper he and his brother published as kids. Dave's Rag, he called it. Who knew an out-dated church communication system would have such history and modern-day uses?

I remember it was messy.

The church office where I volunteered progressed to the Risograph with the purple ink and you always smelled the paper as it came off the machine. That equipment went through decades of improvement until today the technology creates communications at high speed and in multiple colors.

The next major tech advance in my communication career was when I got my first self-correcting IBM typewriter.  That along with press-on letters enabled me to create church newsletters I was quite proud of.

I thought technology would never get any better.

Of course, it did and when desktop publishing was invented in the early1980's I got one of the first MacPlus computers produced (it was hand-signed inside the case by everyone who worked on it). Along with Aldus PageMaker software and the laser printer that cost so much I had to take out a co-signed loan for it, I started creating and teaching communications for churches and Christian ministries.

Then came the internet and the digital revolution, websites and social media. New ways to communicate, new tools, new technology continue to astound, challenge, and frustrate. I love learning new systems, new ways to communicate the timeless message of God's redemptive love in Jesus using every tool possible, but as I've seen this decades-long march of changing technology, there is one thing that hasn't changed—

The importance of the heart of the church communicator

Jesus told us "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" is how the King James Bible puts it. The Phillips translation puts it this way:

For a man’s words depend on what fills his heart. A good man gives out good—from the goodness stored in his heart; a bad man gives out evil—from his store of evil.

What is inside, what is in our hearts is what will come out, in our words, in our church communications.

The technology we use to create them may change, but it takes a heart grounded in the Word of God, devoted to the service of God, committed to the Great Commission of sharing the good news of Jesus and helping his disciples grow to Christian maturity, to produce communications that accomplish the work God gave us to do.

The distracting challenge of otherwise wonderful technology

The reason I started with the reality of how long I've been in the ministry of church communications is that I trust one of the benefits is that the long view of a particular area of life gives perspective and one of the things that I've seen over the years is the continuing challenge of technology. Not only the challenge of mastering new tools, but even more that it is so easy to focus on and put our hopes in the latest technology, whether it is a piece of equipment or a new app or a new social media channel and to think that equipment, app or social media channel will make all the difference in the success of our work.

Along with the onslaught of these new tools one of the most concerning things I've seen recently is that our measures for success have changed. Changed lives aren't talked about nearly as often as metrics—the number of hits or likes or retweets seem are often seen as measures of success or failure.

That's understandable. Counting likes is much easier than discerning if hearts are changed. But if hearts and lives aren't changed by what we do, why are we doing it?

Please don't read what I've said in any way as bashing technology or the new apps and tools. I pray we welcome and use every tool, system, app that comes along if we feel it is useful to the particular group the Lord has given to us for ministry. But underlying all our work is that I don't want any of us as church communicators to lose sight of why we do what we do, which is to ground our work in the Word of God and to remember that the results that matter in that work are changed lives--people coming to know Jesus as Savior and grow as His disciples.

To help do that I want to encourage you with God's Word and I want to do it with my favorite new tech tool—a podcast.

I'm starting a new podcast, a very short one that will be available on Monday Mornings that will be a podcast of Devotions for Church Communicators. It is based on a book I wrote years ago that has been one of the most popular things I've written and I decided that this new format would be a new way to share the content.

These weekly podcasts will have one devotion each, with perhaps a few comments and ending with a prayer for you to start you on your day.

****UPDATE NOTE on Sept. 30--which hopefully I can remove in a few days: There seems to be a technical difficulty with the podcast playing on this website. This is a new problem as I have I've been using this podcast system for almost a year now on my websites, so I am concerned. I need to track this down, but until I do it will be a little awkward in that I will link directly to the home page of podcasts instead of having them play from this website. Since the podcast is fairly new, it also is not available through iTunes or a number of additional channels that again my other podcasts have been available on (Bible805 and EffectiveChurchCommunications Podcast). PLEASE go directly to the podcast link HERE to listen to the first 3 podcasts. 

The background of the original book is below and in many ways repeats the reasons why I'm now launching the content through the podcast--the importance of focusing our hearts on God's Word so we can communicate His Messages in a way that is pleasing to Him.

Intro to the original book:

Introduction to Devotions for Church Communicators

Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. (Matt 12:34,35)

With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. (Ps. 119:10,11)

Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life. (Proverbs 4:23 )

Out of the abundance of the heart not only does the mouth speak, but our church communications are created.

The quality of what we produce in print and online never ultimately depends on circumstances outside ourselves. It's easy to blame tight deadlines, inadequate equipment, and the difficult, sometimes unappreciative people we work with for doing less than our best, but ultimately the quality and impact of our church communications reflects our hearts.

We always have choices within circumstances. Tight deadlines can challenge us to streamline our methods, to focus our work. Inadequate equipment can challenge our creativity to see just how much we can get out of outdated machines. Difficult people can drive us to prayer and force us to learn interpersonal skills.

It's in our hearts that we decide whether or not we believe that "God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28)."

If what is inside our heart is the key, how can we make it overflow with what is pleasing to our Lord?

Overflow comes from an abundance of what is already inside. Fill your heart with the things of God. Spend time in his Word; read your Bible daily; listen to Christian talks and music; be with other Christians in church and conversation. Think about God's promises and challenges; write his encouragements and promises on cards to post by your computer.

If you consciously work to fill your mind with the things of God, if his Word and will are your priorities, your heart and work will naturally and joyfully reflect it.

Much easier said than done isn't it?

I wrote the section above in the early 1980s when desktop publishing was still new to many churches and computers were often viewed with fear and loathing. I had already been teaching seminars on writing and church communications for about ten years, but when I began to teach people in churches how to create communications with the computer, many of my seminar attendees were having a very hard time making the transition.

Most of the problems were because of inadequate or nonexistent training. A frequent story I heard went something like this: a computer would arrive unannounced on a church secretary's desk and she'd be told that by next week she was to be creating the bulletin with it. No training supplied. Somehow it got done, but seldom without tears and resentment.

It seemed to me that the lack of training, the change in publications or the arrival of new equipment wasn't nearly as damaging as what happens inside people during transition times. For some, it seemed the arrival of the computer justified any actions needed to get it functioning in the church office.

As we shifted to new ways of creating church communications, as unimaginable opportunities to produce communications that were impossible for churches to produce in the past now became possible, I felt it was important to remind people that though technology might be new, our calling as servants and representatives of Jesus Christ never changes. We are to care for one another with concern and compassion; we are to do our work with a sense of ministry and mission no matter what the tools. When I saw the tools of technology creating as many people problems as they did beautiful publications, I wrote a little booklet: Devotions for Desktop Publishers to remind people that all our work, with the computer or not, is work for the Lord, to be done in his way.

The little booklet immediately became popular with my seminar attendees and the Lord graciously used it to help and encourage many. In the same vein, in my seminars, I reminded people that what they were doing was first and always a ministry to the Lord and that prayer and a focus on God's Word were essential tools in successful church communications. I was constantly surprised (and still am) at how many people would come up to me after the seminar and say something like, "I never looked at this work as a ministry before."

I'm not sure why this has happened, but the computer tempted even some church workers to think that communications produced by high tech means aren't as spiritual or godly as an old-fashioned type-written bulletin might have been. The typewriter is gone and with it, some seem to assume that digitally produced church publications and the office environment that produces them don't fall under the same commands of scripture for holiness, grace, and peace that other church work does. I realized that though difficult challenges in technology will continue, in all of this, we must always walk worthy of our calling as disciples of Jesus in all we do in our church communications ministry.

It seemed time to revisit the little devotions booklet and to update it for church communications work today. That little booklet is the core of the updated book available at the end of this post (and as the content of the PODCAST: Devotions for Church Communicators). The devotions have been revised and updated; additional ones have been added that previously appeared as editorials or commentary written for past blogs, articles, or newsletters. Some are new.

Technology changes, our minds and hearts shouldn't

Our technology-driven, secular culture, while it can be invigorating and exciting, will most likely not inspire you to think in a Christ-like way in your work. The characteristics of servanthood, sacrifice, humility, love, and relying on God to help us create communications of eternal value, do not come naturally.

The concept of "referent others" is useful here. This term means that we will tend to order our lives, often unconsciously, by values or a group of people we have chosen as a standard. What is important in this context is that we must be intentional about filling our minds and hearts with God's Word and doing our work with biblical standards, not the changing challenges of technology if we want to do work pleasing to the Lord. The Bible is the only life and work reference that is appropriate for those of us doing church communications.

In this book and now podcast, I've tried to make this conviction practical. I take situations in church communications and suggest ways to bring your focus back to the Bible in how you should react to them. In looking back over the entries, written over the course of almost twenty years, I've found I repeat a number of themes. My three most important ones could be summarized as follows:

#1 We serve a holy and sovereign God. Our lives and our work should reflect who we belong to and our reverence of him.

#2 Ours is a job of unimaginable grace—the Creator of all things has honored us with the job to create communications for him to share the good news of salvation in Jesus and to help people grow in their Christian faith.

#3 Ours is a job of unimaginable future glory—the eternal destinies of people are changed and heaven will be different because of the work we are doing today in church communications.

These themes are approached using different situations and examples, with some repetition in ideas and examples, but always with the goal of bringing your heart to focus on the words of God before you attempt to communicate his message to your world.

There are 52 entries, one for each week of the year. You can read through them sequentially or jump around. You can use them in your devotional times, share them with a church communicator's group, read through one when your work needs a spiritual boost. After most of them, there is space for you to journal your thoughts and prayers.

As I close this introduction, I can see your faces. I remember you from my seminars, from discussions at breaks, from emails and letters. I remember the samples you shared and the times I cried when I looked at a sample, though sometimes simple and unpretentious on the surface, that touched my heart because of the obvious love, care, and time put into it. I remember your questions and frustrations, your successes and stories.

As I remember, I'm praying for those of you church communicators I can see in my mind's eye and for those of you I haven't yet met, that the Lord will give you peace, joy, and strength today. I'm praying your heart would be pure, holy, and focused on Jesus and that out of a heart overflowing with love for Jesus and his church, you will create communications pleasing to him and that will change lives for eternity.

Blessings, joy, and peace to you as you serve our Lord in church communications today,

Yvon Prehn

Note of clarification: I am no longer traveling to teach seminars, but am home in Ventura, CA creating resources and teaching online webinars and training through this website, www.effectivechurchcom.com. Much of my writing was created while traveling and doing seminars, and it would be awkward to change those references. At the same time I wanted to clarify that the majority of my teaching is online currently, hence this little note.

 

*******
From:
Devotions for Church Communicators by Yvon Prehn

Devotions for Church Communicators by Yvon Prehn

The link above will take you to amazon where you can get a copy of the book in print and Kindle formats. If you would be interested in a discount, bulk purchase of the book for church communicators or other groups contact yvon@effectivechurchcom.com.

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Filed Under: Devotions & Challenges for Church Communicators Tagged With: church communication devotions, devotions for church communications, importance of Bible for church communicators, Yvon Prehn Devotions for church communicators

Devotion #3: Real 24/7 support

29 September, 2019 By Yvon Prehn Leave a Comment

Devotions for Church Communicators Podcast
Take time each Monday to listen for a few minutes to Devotions for Church Communicators and be encouraged!

Do you ever wish you could call a helpline when you are doing church communications?

So often we have no idea what to do or where to go for help when we are in the middle of a project—but I want you to know you aren’t alone!

In our podcast today I want to remind us all of a source that is always there to help!

Below the podcast is a copy of the devotion.

Devotion #3: Real 24/7 support

“Call to me and I will answer you.” (Jer. 33:3)

Church Communicators Devotion quote #2Many computer and software companies promise support 24/7. It sounds good, but that “support” is often an endless series of automatic messages, referrals to canned answers, or a suggestion to go to the web site and there try to figure out the answer yourself. In response you can either keep pushing buttons in frustration or give up knowing it is almost impossible to talk to a real human being.

In contrast, God’s promise of support is personal, immediate, and unconditional. If we call, he answers.

We can call out to him for wisdom. When our work in church communications seems overwhelming and we don’t know what to do next, we need wisdom. James 1:5 promises when we ask for wisdom, he will give it to us. Often, we have the skills to do the tasks we need to do, we just can’t figure out the order or the process. God can give us that wisdom to put the process in place to successfully complete our projects. [Read more...]

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Devotion # 2: Reality of our situation—challenging spiritual warfare

17 September, 2019 By Yvon Prehn Leave a Comment

Devotions for Church Communicators Podcast
Take time each Monday to listen for a few minutes to Devotions for Church Communicators and be encouraged and reminded of the incredible eternal importance of what you do!

Do you ever feel like you are fighting a battle when you sit down to do your church communications?

If so, that is a realistic view of your situation because you really are fighting for the kingdom of God!

In this very short podcast I want to help you focus on God’s Word, the incredible calling you have to share God’s message of salvation, and to strengthen and encourage you.

This podcast is from me, Yvon Prehn and my ministry Effective Church Communications.

In our podcast today I want remind us all that we are involved in spiritual warfare in the work we do.

Our podcast today is entitled:

Reality of our situation—challenging spiritual warfare

And our key verse for it is: 

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Eph. 6:12-13)

Devotion #1 for Church CommunicatorsWorking for the Lord in church communications is hard.

The bottom-line reality is that we are in a war. And in any war, one of the first things the enemy tries to knock out the communications equipment of their opponent. You aren't just "doing the bulletin" or some other isolated project. You are the communication center for spiritual warfare for your church. When you got into communications work for your church or ministry you entered one of the most intense areas of spiritual warfare raging today. Satan wants to knock you out.

Troubles with hardware, software, and co-workers are to be expected. Especially people problems should be no surprise because Satan is "the accuser of our brothers" (Rev. 12:10) and one of the easiest ways to cripple you in the battle is to get you fighting with your fellow soldiers. Don't let him win; don't take on his job. [Read more...]

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Intro Devotion: #1 You are the Great Ones and far more than important than you may realize

17 September, 2019 By Yvon Prehn 2 Comments

Devotions for Church Communicators Podcast
Take time each Monday to listen for a few minutes to Devotions for Church Communicators and be encouraged and reminded of the incredible eternal importance of what you do!

How important do you think is the communication work you do for the church? A little, a lot? You aren't sure?

Hi, I’m Yvon Prehn and Welcome to Devotions for Church Communicators!

In this very short podcast I want to help you focus on God’s Word, the incredible calling you have to share His message of salvation to your world, and to strengthen and encourage you.

This podcast is from me, Yvon Prehn and my ministry Effective Church Communications.

In our podcast today I want to tell you a little story that I hope will help you understand the incredible importance of what you do. Below the podcast is a copy of the devotion I shared.

You are the Great Ones and far more than important than you may realize

Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. (Dan. 12:3)

Church Communicators are the Great Ones in the Kingdom of GodOften when I ask someone who has come to one of my church communication seminars what they do in the church, they often respond by saying something like: "Oh, I'm just the church secretary" or "Oh, I just help work on the church newsletter" and similar self-deprecating statements.

My heart is broken when I hear that because the person who says it (and you may have thought similar things about yourself) has no idea of their true worth. Let me explain what I mean by sharing a story from a scene in C. S. Lewis' book, The Great Divorce. In this scene, the main character is being escorted around heaven. He sees a woman coming toward him magnificently clothed and attended to by a great procession. The book goes on:

"Is it?...is it?" I whispered to my guide.

"Not at all," said he, "It's someone ye'll never have heard of. Her name on earth was Sarah Smith and she lived at Golders Green."

"She seems to be . . . well, a person of particular importance?"

"Aye. She is one of the great ones. Ye have heard that fame in this country and fame on Earth are two quite different things."

I often think of this passage as I teach my seminars and meet many of you who work day after day, week after week getting out the bulletin, preparing the flyers for the youth programs, putting together the newsletter one more time, updating the website.

Those of you doing church communications are the great ones of the kingdom of God. This book (Devotions for Church Communicators) is dedicated to you and the work of eternal glory you do each day. [Read more...]

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Encouragement for Church Communicators

26 April, 2018 By Yvon Prehn 2 Comments

Be encouraged and run your race well! The goal is worth it!

Some days it seems that discouragement is easy and being tired is our default position, but if you are like me and know you have "miles to go before we sleep" as all church communicators do, I wanted to share with you a kind of stream of consciousness of some quotes I read this week that encouraged and energized me.

It started with David Guzik, in his commentary on 2 Peter (I was reading it while preparing to teach a Bible Study) who quoted F.B. Meyer. Meyers was a contemporary and friend of D. L. Moody, a Baptist pastor and evangelist. Read these quotes and then I'll comment on their application for church communicators:

F.B. Meyer said, "There are two ways of entering a port. A ship may come in, waterlogged and crazy, just keep afloat by continual working at the pumps; or it may enter with every sail set, her pennon floating at the mast-head. The latter is what the apostle desires for himself and those who addresses. He desired that an entrance abundant should be ministered unto them. . . . . the idea of an "abundant entrance" was really a choral entrance. The idea was of a Roman conqueror coming into his city, welcomed by singers and musicians who would join him in a glorious, happy procession into the city.

.....

"Will your entrance into heaven be like that? Will you enter it, save so as by fire, or to receive a reward? Will you come unrecognized and unknown, or be welcomed by scores and hundreds to whom you have been the means of blessing, and who will wait you?" (Meyer)

All of you who are working so hard in church communications—what a wonderful welcome you can look forward to!

Eternities are changed by the work you do each week. People come to church who are lonely and afraid; they find Jesus, forgiveness and salvation; they are encouraged to struggle one more day with pain or depression, family challenges and financial trials.

YOUR words, your communications change lives now and forever.

And when you feel you aren't equal to the task, another encouraging quote from F.B. Meyers:

“Ah, afflicted one, your disabilities were meant to unite with God's enablings, your weakness to mate His power. God's grace is at hand -sufficent— and at its best when human weakness is most profound. Appropriate it and learn that those who wait on God are stronger in their weakness than the sons of men in their stoutest health and vigor.”
― F.B. Meyer

One more thing

Many of us have been at this a long time haven't we? When that is the case it is easy to think that we owe ourselves the opportunity to slow down, to not force ourselves to learn one more social media program or make one more change to appeal to whatever audience needs whatever they need.

Truth be told, some days we just want to go to sleep.

On a day like that I was listening to a radio report about Jane Goodall, primatologist and anthropologist whose work with great apes made her well-known.

The interviewer said to her, "You are 84 years old now, isn't it time for you to slow down?"

Jane answered her, "Yes, I'm 84. Slow down? NO! It's time for me to run faster!"

I needed that.

And then I was reminded of two more things

Paul's challenge to us:

1 Cor 9: 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Put that with Neil Young's lyrics and. . . . .

Long may you run!

 

 

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