Church Communication that fully fulfills the Great Commission
The Great Commission consists of the last words of Jesus to his followers:
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matt: 28: 18-20).
The way I summarize the Great Commission and apply it to church communications is to define effective church communications as communication that accomplishes two purposes:
- To help people come to know Jesus as Savior.
- To help people become mature disciples of Jesus.
Another way to say it, is that our communication is effective if:
- It is enabling people to get closer to Jesus.
- It is enabling people to become like Jesus.
Because fully fulfilling the Great Commission is how I define effective church communications, though other aspects of church communication are important, they are not primary. It then follows that effective church communication may not necessarily be:
- Cutting edge in technology
- Perfect in design and execution
Please don't misunderstand me. I love technology and am fascinated by what it can do. I greatly admire and strive for good design and execution. Rather than ignoring them, what is important is that these goals remain secondary to the vision of the Great Commission which strives to change the destinies of eternal souls.
Recognize the unique standards of church communications
What makes church communications effective can be very different than what makes secular communications effective. For example, what might seem from purely secular design standards, poorly designed and executed communications created on outdated technology, can be used by God's grace to help people come to know Jesus, to heal hurting hearts, and help people grow in Christian maturity. God also uses beautifully designed and carefully crafted communications to accomplish the same tasks, but great looks alone are not the requirement for spiritual success.
We must always do the best we can with the gifts that have been given us and I think it is pleasing to the Lord to grow in the wise use and skill of them. But no matter where we are on the road of communication excellence, it is always the Lord's grace and favor that allows our work to accomplish anything of eternal value.
God brought people to himself and grew them to Christian maturity long before the computer and web were created. Though we have extraordinary tools today and they should be used as best we can with thanks for them, these tools and their mastery are not the most essential requirement for effective communication. What is most essential for Christian communicators who want to share the words of eternal life is a close walk with Jesus and a commitment to obey him in fully fulling the Great Commission.
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To have a close walk with Jesus, first you have to know him personally. To find our more what that means, click here.
