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.

Q & A: Is it OK to freely use music from iTunes or Amazon in my church videos if I give them credit?

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Loving a song doesn't give you permission to legally use it.
Loving a song doesn't give you permission to legally use it--here are the rules and resources for legal ones.

QUESTION:

I am wondering about getting permission to use music. I understand the copyright law to mean that as long as we properly cite copyrighted material, we can use it. Is that not right? I always buy the song for 99 cents on Amazon.com and then cite it at the end.

ANSWER:

Though my specific answer here will involve music, this question of the proper use of copyrighted materials has caused confusion for decades for church communicators and the confusion has only gotten worse because the internet makes it possible for us to easily download and use anything that is online. I usually find a few good Christian music on https://musiccritic.com. After I find something that my ears love, I download them somewhere else. But we often forget the legalities of such actions as we only use them personally.

In addition to ease of use, another confusion enters in with the idea that, as the person above mentioned, that it is OK to use something as long as you cite the source. Here's a synopsis of how I'll answer these questions:

Is it OK to freely use music you download so long as you cite the source?   

The short answer is "no." I'll explain why and why there is confusion about it. [Read more...]

Timely Fundamentals, part two

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Gayle Hilligoss Picture
Article by Gayle Hilligoss

Ed. notes: last week we shared the first of Gayle's great tips for using our time wisely.  Here is the second part of these very practical little nuggets of wisdom on a topic that we can always learn more about and apply better. 

For the first part of this series, CLICK HERE.

Timely Fundamentals, part two

Looking for a novel technique, an insider secret, a magic solution to create more time? Try these basics for personal effectiveness instead. They are not new, but they do work. You may have heard them before, but do you use them?

  • set priorities
  • stick to your priorities
  • delegate when possible
  • vary routines occasionally
  • arrive on time; leave on time
  • respect and appreciate others
  • respect and appreciate yourself
  • ask for help when needed
  • be willing to help
  • create shortcuts
  • eliminate  what you can
  • unclutter your space
  • see all time as God’s gift

for Part One, CLICK HERE

Timely Fundamentals, part one

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Gayle Hilligoss Picture
Article by Gayle Hilligoss

Ed. comments: After reading this list of tips, I thought they are like little chocolates. . . . . real treasures to savor bit by bit. Take time and think about each one--I guarantee they'll make a difference and you won't gain an ounce!

Timely Fundamentals, part one

Looking for a novel technique, an insider secret, a magic solution to create more time? Try these basics for personal effectiveness instead. They are not new, but they do work.

You may have heard them before, but do you use them?

  • eat healthy
  • exercise appropriately
  • get sufficient sleep
  • set realistic goals
  • plan before doing
  • organize your space
  • alternate kinds of work
  • avoid distractions
  • take breaks
  • avoid excess chit chat
  • stay out of office politics
  • communicate intelligently
  • use assertive behaviors
  • don’t try to do everything
  • slim down files
  • forget about pleasing everyone

What customer service confusion can teach us about communicating the gospel

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Customer service can teach us to listen I just finished a customer service interaction after several days of frustration, phone calls, incomplete information and finally a satisfying answer. At the end of this process, I realized that my interactions with the customer service representatives had some valuable lessons for church communicators as we share the gospel. We may not like to think of ourselves as customer service reps for Jesus, but consider. . . .

What happened and how it applies to us

The typical customer service phone call goes something like this:

  1. We call "customer service" because we don't understand something.
  2. The person we call totally understands the issue—they were trained in all aspects of it —they probably had to pass a test on their knowledge of the product before they were allowed to answer the phone.
  3. When we ask our question, it isn't new to them. It is issue #3 on the list, or however they categorize it, and they know the answer, even before we are finished asking.
  4. The customer service person rattles off the answer.
  5. We have no idea what they are talking about—we haven't been involved with the product for years and it makes no sense to us—that's why we are calling.

At this point, one of two things can happen:

  1. We ask for clarification and the customer service person is kind, listens, and takes the time to explain what we don't understand and makes sure our question is answered in a way that makes sense to us.
  2. The customer service person lets us know subtly or blatantly that if we don't understand, that's our problem. Sometimes, they act insulted that we don't understand.

For my recent customer service interaction, fortunately my call ended with option #1--the person realized I had no idea why they couldn't do what I needed their company to do. She courteously explained what was going on, the options, and finally, though I wasn't happy with the answer, why what I wanted was not possible.

In this instance, I was calling because my charge card processing company couldn't process PayPal for someone who wanted to buy a membership in my church communication training site. I had been trying to get an answer on this for two days. I talked to fairly nice people who told me it should be possible. They said someone else would check it out. They said they would work on it. They said they would get back to me. None of this happened.

The final person I talked to listened, explained, and though her answer was finally that what I wanted wouldn't work, I now knew what I had to do next.

Why this is like communicating the gospel

[Read more...]

Are We a Team?

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Gayle Hilligoss Picture
Article by Gayle Hilligoss

All church staffs are not teams.

Teamwork is easy to recognize where it exists, but hard to define where it doesn’t. Ministry assistants are often the first to recognize when teamwork is only a phrase tossed about in staff meetings.

While building teamwork is primarily the responsibility of the executive, an assistant can do much toward promoting a more excellent church office team.

Know what teamwork is.
An appropriate definition is: two or more people moving along a path of interaction toward a common goal.

One is not a team, regardless of how effective that one is. There is no team if there is no forward motion or communication. A staff is not a team if the staff members do not have a shared vision. When even one of these three elements is missing, whatever the group is, it is not a true team.

So, if two or more are working on a project—but not communicating—there is no teamwork. If they are communicating—but not focusing on a common goal—there is no teamwork. Knowing this important principle helps you carry your weight on the team.

Understand team dynamics.
When a church staff works as a team, the sum is more than the parts. My results are not simply added yours but the results of both of us are multiplied.

Operating as a team of two, a pastor and assistant will actually accomplish more than they could by operating independently. Each still focuses on his or her own responsibilities but they share a strong dedication to the work of the church. They demonstrate mutual respect for one another, engage in open and honest communication, have common ministry goals, and actively work toward professional growth.

• Know the staff’s strengths.
In excellent teams, each person has opportunity to use what he or she does best. More time is spent on using strengths than is spent on bemoaning weaknesses. Know what your team members (including volunteers) have to offer in ideas and skills. Give opportunity for them to contribute so the end result is the best it can be.

• Aim for results.
Not many church staff members have a hard time staying busy. Even on the least effective staffs, people put in hours. Energy is exerted—sometimes a great deal—but too often little of value is actually accomplished. It is easy for staffs to fall into the trap of majoring on personal priorities or of having no priorities at all. Results suffer.

• Recognize and use your skills.
What do you bring to the team? So much! You contribute personal qualities, people skills, technical competence, and a vast amount of work-related knowledge.

Think beyond your own responsibilities and tasks. Consider how your efforts fit in with the efforts of other staff members. Use what you know—not only to be a good team member, but to be a team builder as well.

You want the answer to, “Are we a team?” to be an absolute “Yes!”