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; Effective Church Communications can help.

Verses on Discipline for Church Communicators

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The field of church communications is challenging in part because there are so many things to do and so many potential distractions in life, in the church office, and online. The following verses, mostly from Proverbs, remind us of the importance of building the character trait of discipline into our lives. As you read through them, think about how you might apply them to your work in church communication.

The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair.(Prov. 1:1-3)

He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray. (Prov. 10:17)

He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.(Prov.15:32)

Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control. (Prov. 25:28) One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys (Prov. 18:9)

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.(Eph. 5:15 -16)

Discipline is an essential skill for church communicators. Consciously work to make it part of your life.

Q&A: How to report church financials in the weekly bulletin

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Church finances
Church finances is a topic that should be communicated consistently and clearly in the church bulletin.

I recently got an excellent question via email about church communications and church finances and wanted to answer it here:

Question:

Do you have any suggestions on how to report church financials in the
weekly bulletin?

My answer:

First of all, let's establish the fact of whether or not to put financial information in the church bulletin at all. After we do that, we'll then look at what to include and then some tips on design and placement.

Why put financial information in the bulletin

There are some churches that don't do this for a variety of reasons, but this is a mistake. Here are some of the reasons why it's important:

  • The staff does not have time to individually discuss the financial situation with each person in the congregation.
  • Churches need money to function; this is not something to be ashamed of, but to be treated honestly.
  • The church is a family and every family needs to know its financial status.
  • If you don't share, the finances can be seen as a staff secret and not a shared responsibility.
  • People need to know where the church is financially so they can give and pray.

What to include in the bulletin about finances

On a weekly basis include:

  • What was given for the past few weeks AND what was budgeted. It's also nice to include the sum over and under (saves people trying to figure it out).
  • The reason both numbers are important is that if you only give what comes in people have no idea if that meets the budget or if it falls short. Numbers without context don't mean anything and don't provide either cause for praise or concern.
  • If you conducted a special offering, also include the results of that.
  • If you have a special offering coming up, let people know and what your goals are for it.
  • Have a link to your website where you have year-to-date totals and other information that might be useful, which I'll explain more below.

Periodically:

Additional information on Biblical giving overall and the specifics of how it is practiced in your church can be shared in shortened form in the bulletin, in longer formats on your website, and in the church newsletter. Here are some suggested topics:

  • Provide church giving information, for example, if you use envelopes, how people can get them. For unchurched visitors this can seem very confusing.
  • Church budgeting process—how the church decides how much money is needed each year.
  • Designated fund giving rules—many churches have rules about what goes into the general fund and what qualifies as designated funds. A several years ago a church I was working with in the same church newsletter had a lengthy plea for people to give more to the church because of a serious budget shortfall. In the same newsletter there was an article about a huge memorial donation given to the music department for organ repair. Needless to say, the church office got a number of very confused and a few angry inquires the following week. They contacted me and asked if they should put out an article explaining the difference between the general fund (which was seriously low) and designated giving (which was the source of the memorial donation). My answer: "YES!  Do it immediately and explain the difference in detail!"
  • Biblical teaching on the commands and benefits of generous giving.
  • Sound financial family resources.

Design of your communication

The key characteristics of church financial communication are that it should be:

  • Clear
  • Understated
  • Tasteful
  • Consistent

A simple chart in the same place every week works well. A simple, clear headline, something like "Church Financial Report" is all that is needed. I've seen many well-done ones in the bottom corner of a page of the bulletin. However, don't make it the last page—you don't want that to be the last thing people see when they are reading information about your church.

One more thing

The church bulletin is not the place to share lengthy pleas for money or to post dramatic appeals.

I will never forget a church bulletin that said in huge letters across the front:

Bridge to the future is taking place!

XXX amount given so far; XXX to go….

Have you made a pledge yet?

I doubt if anyone visiting the church for the first time that Sunday would be highly motivated to return. Something like that confirms a fear many people have about churches that all they want is your money.

Critical giving needs and similar information is better communicated in a letter or emails to committed members of the congregation. Again, remember the church is family and we don't share our entire financial situation with everyone who visits our homes.

As with many things in the church, ask for the Lord's wisdom and share your financial information "decently and in order" so that He will be pleased and your church will be a good witness to the world of financial integrity.

 

Better Verbal Church Communication

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Better verbal communications essential
Better verbal communications are essential in the church office if we want to do our best in serving our Lord.

According to the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association, there were 340,213 cell phone users in the United States in1985; by the start of 2004 there were more than 159 million. Wikipedia reports that as of April 2014 there were over 327 million cell phones in the U.S. If technology made us better communicators, we would all be masters by now. Certainly we talk more, but do we communicate better? We can. Both on the phone and face to face, ministry assistants daily have countless opportunities to demonstrate these characteristics of the excellent verbal communicator.

• Approachable and available
Members like to feel comfortable about calling the church office for all sorts of information. Consider those calls an integral part of your job. Your value to ministry increases as you get to know the members, their personalities, their needs, and the roles they fill. They want to know you too.

Some assistants say that accepting invitations to have lunch with groups meeting at the church is one of the best, and most enjoyable, ways of building rapport with those groups. And it is always easier to communicate with those with whom we have a common bond.

• Informed
No matter how long you have been on your job, there will always be more to learn. Add something to your store of knowledge every day.

Master the art of knowing where to go to find answers—to a person, a book, online, wherever. When asked a question to which you have no answer, you communicate better by saying, “Let me look into that and get back with you,” rather than “I’m sorry; I don’t know.”

• Engaged and interested
As the one at the hub of the church communication wheel, the assistant needs to be an interested listener as well as a giver of information. This is not to say you are to spend endless amounts of time. To the contrary. You will use your communication skills to pleasantly find out what your callers need, to meet those needs efficiently, and to conclude conversations with all concerned feeling good about the church and about you.

• Observant
More than words go into verbal messages. Listen for tone of voice, speed of the speech, and the emotion displayed. Be aware, too, of what is not being said. One-on-one, notice facial expressions and body language.

New members in particular may be hesitant during visits to the office. Your awareness helps you anticipate their needs. They want to fit in, but are not familiar enough with the church to know what to ask for. Can you offer a pictorial directory, program information, a quick tour of the building?

• Impartial
Some people are more pleasant to talk with, more gracious, more appreciative. The best communicators don’t play favorites. Bias, past negative experiences, or personal prejudices cannot be allowed to hinder clear conversation.

• Thorough
One of the weakest links in the communication chain is that of follow-up.

Someone says, “Call me if you need help with that big mailing.” Call her. Even if it’s for a different task; she is offering willing hands. Someone sends a gift. Send a prompt thank you. You meet with a group of volunteers and discuss plans. Follow up with a written memo of the conclusions reached. In a discussion with a member you say you will do such and such. Be certain to do in a timely manner whatever you promised. Then, let the member know you’ve done the task.

Being thorough, tying up all those loose ends, is a sure mark of professionalism.

Incorporate these essentials into your verbal communication. They will make a positive difference!

 

How to really love visitors and the members of your congregation with church communications

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Love with your actions not just words
To love with your actions not just words, you've got to communicate clearly and completely.

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18

Imagine a person looking for a new church. They are new in town, lonely and want to connect. After an online search for local churches, perhaps they google the church website and then visit. They want to find out more.

The church proclaims "We love people!" and the person is certainly in need of tangible love.

The person would like to find out more about the church and at the service, someone briefly mentioned that small groups were starting and that it was a great way to connect. It sounded interesting, but many other things were mentioned quickly in the same announcement time.

Wanting to learn more, the searching person looks at the bulletin, the online newsletter, and the website, looking for more information for the details on how to make a connection.

The bulletin had a very fancy graphic that said "Be sure to join our small groups!"

The website had a new landing page under "Small Group Ministries" that had testimonies of people who loved their small groups.

The social media links said pretty much the same things—encouragements to be part of groups, but no connecting details.

The person received a generic note from the pastor telling the person how happy he was that they visited and various other friendly sentiments.

Why none of these communications was loving

Not one of them communicated anything SPECIFIC about how to connect with a small group. They all gave tantalizing bits of information about the small group ministry at the church, but the underlying message was that if you were already part of the group and knew how to connect the small groups were great.

If you didn't know—you could call the church office—but chances are you wouldn't get a real person to talk to and you many not want to leave a message and your contact information with strangers.

You might try emailing the church—but many churches don't answer their emails promptly, if at all.

Why this happens

No one at any church intends to be unloving in their church communications. But it is so easy without thinking to assume that "everybody knows……" about small groups or any other ministry of the church that has gone on for years.

But visitors don't know and if you don't give clear information and detailed information in every channel and/or links to that information every time you mention an event, people will not know what is going on. No one can read your mind; no one knows the good intentions you have to involve people in any ministry if you don't clearly communicate it.

Specific advice on how to create loving communications about small groups or other ministries

Be sure you know all the details. Sometimes church communicators don't have all the information they need to communicate about an event to visitors and regular members. Be sure you get and then pass on the following information:

Time and dates of the events: as well as starting time, be sure you always include duration. Does the event last 1 hour? 2 hours? Whatever it is, be clear.

Location: "At the Johnson's house" or a similar description doesn't count—who are these people, is a question newcomers will ask. Always give a specific address and if the host has a specific role in the church clarify that. For example, at Pastor David's house, who is pastor of Single Adults.

Target audience if that is important: if an event or group is for singles, seniors, married couples or any other specific group, be sure you state it. If it is open to all adults, be clear.

Clarify child care situations: If you charge, what about a single mom who may not be able to afford your fee? If you charge by the child (one church charged $5 a child) that might be great for the host who had one child, but that effectively made the small group cost-prohibitive for the blended family with 4 kids. Consider making child care free and paying for it out of your Missions or Outreach budget—this could be one of the kindest things you might do for a family who really needs to be part of a small group, but who couldn't afford $20 a night for small group child care or a single mom who couldn't come if there was any fee. (Both of these true situations—one turned out well, the other did not.)

Anything else that might be important: do people need a workbook? To they have to pay for it? Is homework expected? Think through and ask yourself if there is anything that would cause someone embarrassment or awkwardness if they first found out about it at the group.

Benefits of attending: sometimes we forget to list the great benefits of church events and ministries because we think they are self-evident—but they aren't or more people would probably attend. Will people learn more of God's Word, our only true guide for life and eternity? Will they meet people who will be fellow travelers in their journey of faith? Will they find people they can pray for and with; encourage and build up? We sometimes become complacent about the tremendous privilege and joy we have of being able to take part in church activities without fear—remind your audience of that.

Clearly communicate where to go or who to contact for more information: In all print communications, have your website and the specific place on it listed for more information. Social media are almost useless here because it is an ever-flowing stream, not something that has specific facts, schedules, and locations. In print, social media and web communications be sure to have contact information—phone, text, email, social media interaction links and most important of all—be sure someone constantly monitors them and responds immediately.

Loving in "action and truth"

As the Apostle John reminded us—it is so easy to say we love people, but to truly love them, we must combine our sentiments with "action and truth."

To do that in your church communications requires detailed, often tedious work as the sections above illustrate—but it is important to do it for our communications to reflect the patient love of our Lord Jesus.