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; we can help.

Cheese Ball Recipe Cards, great follow-up and outreach tools

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Blue Cheese Log or Cheese ball
One of the recipes in the ZIP file that that FREE for ECC Members.

Everybody loves recipes and the taste of homemade Cheese Balls is a sure winner for any holiday event. These recipe cards (or the little booklet of all three) are great give-aways for visitors or as a follow up after church events.

On this page is a picture of one of the Cheese Ball Recipe Cards (there are three of them in the set) and below  are pictures of the covers for a little set I made up with 4 cards per page. You can print the cover, the three recipes and then a little back sheet, staple them up in the top corner and you'd have a very nice gift to give away to guests who visit your church for holiday events. [Read more...]

HUGE Mother’s Day collection of materials

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This is an extraordinary collection of materials for you to use for your communication projects for Mother's Day. It consists of over 50 files of articles, postcards, all kinds of Mother's Day materials in PDF format, MS Publisher editable files, resizable jpgs, and MS Word files of text.

Below is a preview of all the files in this collection, following them is the link to download the files.

The zip and ZIP FILE (which your download to your hard drive, unzip and use) contains:

  • Articles for you to share with your communications team
  • Editable MS Publisher templates for you to modify and PDFs of finished publications for you to print out and use that include:
  • Invitation Postcards
  • Commemorative bookmarks
  • Apple Pie and Apple Crust recipe Cards
  • Come Back cards

NOTE: I realize the images below are really tiny....they are just to whet your appetite for the files. It is an extraordinary set of many useful materials.

ARTICLES STRIP

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur . Utd


INVTATIONS STRIP

BOOKMARK STRIP

RECIPE STRIP

 

Come Back Strip

Download File for ALL the communications above

 

Click here to go to download the ZIP FILE that contains all the files above. (5-10 minutes or more if you have a slower connection--but it is really worth it!) Needless to say it is a LARGE file--66 MB and it will take several minutes to download. Once you download it, save it on to your hard drive, simply click to unzip and the files will be ready to open in the various programs.

Let me know if this was too large of a file for you to download. I put all the files together to make it easier, but if it would be easier to have smaller ZIP files let me know and I will break it apart for you. Email me at yvon@effectivechurchcom.com if you need me to do this. I want to serve you.

Timely Tips for the Holidays

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Gayle Hilligoss Picture
Article by Gayle Hilligoss

Editor’s note: Thanksgiving is this week and then the holiday season starts in earnest. For most of us who are involved in church responsibilities as well as family events, things won’t slow down until January (just in time to start getting ready for Easter). Gayle’s wonderful tips will help bring some joy and peace back into your holiday season.

Timely Tips for the Holidays, by Gayle Hilligoss

Your life is always busy. Then along comes the holidays and make the rest of your year seem like a vacation.

Even for those who cherish the true meaning of the season, for those whose celebrations focus on church, family, and friends, it is easy to get caught up in the rush. Suddenly days become a blur of to-do lists, projects in progress, obligations, and unfulfilled intentions. This year resolve to have truly joyful holidays—days to enjoy now and to save forever as lovely memories. Choose from these tips used by others to keep their holidays unrushed and on track.

• Put plans in writing. Take a few minutes now (even if you think you don’t have time!) and save hours later. Planning helps make holidays what you really want them to be. Make a master list today of all you want to do before the big day. Then make it friendlier with the next tip.

• Create a schedule. Work backward from the holiday filling in your planning calendar with items from your list. The schedule you’ve made is likely packed. You may trim it later, but check out the time savers here first.

• Start early. Purchase and make gifts throughout the year. Take advantage of vacation trips and bring back interesting regional items to tuck away for Christmas. Some make after-holiday shopping the start of gift buying for the next year. Choosing the right gift is more fun without the crunch.

• Use smart shortcuts. Choosing the “easy” way can allow you to do something you might have to abandon altogether otherwise. Kids will remember you made cookies together, not whether they were slices of store-bought cookie dough or your favorite recipe from scratch. Your company will remember your hospitality, not whether the menu originated in your kitchen.

• Stock up. As you prepare meals now, fix an extra for the freezer. Not having to think about what’s for dinner each evening gives you extra time to focus on special events and activities or to treat your friends to a lovely evening in your home and a delicious buffet—all prepared ahead.

• Computerize Christmas greetings. Start now to assemble a data base of those to whom you’d like to send Christmas greetings. Print transparent mailing labels or address envelopes directly now. If you choose to send cards, sign a few each day in spare moments. Or, spend an evening composing a family letter with each member contributing to the update of your year. For friends and family who enjoy e-mail, send electronic greetings. Utilize Facebook and other social networks to share pictures and news.

• Do the unconventional. Some like to distribute tasks over a wider time frame by sending cards or greetings at Thanksgiving or New Year’s rather than at Christmas. This can provide more time to add personal notes and, in the later case, allows you to include a thank you for any holiday gift.

• Trim your schedule. Give the calendar you’ve made a reality check. Identify the activities that matter the most to you and your family; those are your priorities. Use time savers to ensure these activities remain on your list. All other items can be ranked according to their importance. Scratch altogether those things you are comfortable doing without for this year.

• Appreciate simplicity. Enjoy the pictures, plans, and projects for the spectacular that fill
magazines, television, and the Internet but limit the number of our elaborate undertakings
to what you can reasonably handle with enjoyment. Simple decorations, gifts, and menus can be beautiful.

• Postpone your Thanksgiving meal. Volunteer to serve meals at a shelter or community center on the day; have your own  family dinner on Friday. Or, invite a new family in the community to share your day. Obviously, this works well at Christmas too—or any day!

• Buy or make a savings bank today. Drop in at least some loose change every day plus a self-determined weekly amount from your check. Periodically deposit your funds in an interest bearing bank account (even today’s tiny percentages add up). You’re on your way to financing next year’s holidays.

• Reserve time just for the special people in your life. On your calendar, ink in two or three blocks of time for each of your most significant others: spouse, children, parents, whomever. Plan an evening just to enjoy the tree, to sip hot chocolate and listen to carols, to make cookies, whatever brings you close.

• Live in the real world. People’s personalities and habits don’t change just because it’s Christmas. When making plans and tailoring your holiday activities, you can stretch a bit (maybe your husband will go to see the Nutcracker Suite?) but be realistic.

• Devise a numbering system if you have gift snoopers in your house. Instead of using names on your gift list, use numbers. The master list is in a safe place known only to you. When you come home with gifts, wrap them immediately and put only the number on the gift tag. Even if snoopers find your hiding place, even when gifts are under the tree, they can’t be sure which gifts are theirs—until you break the code.

• Keep a notebook handy to jot down gift ideas starting now. A small notepad with a spiral binding works great. Make a page for each person on your gift list. As you get ideas, jot them down. List several ideas for each person; when you get ready to buy you can choose what you like best. When children ask for ideas for Dad, share ideas from your list. Make a page for yourself too; when someone asks, “What would you like for Christmas?,” you will have some good answers.

• Give gifts from the past. Nostalgia and the holidays so go together. List in hand, visit an antique mall or flea market. Start someone off on a fun collection of vintage games, green handled kitchen utensils, old medicine tins, ornaments, tools—the possibilities are endless.

• Say why. Do more than say, “I love you.” Tell the someone why: I love you because you make me laugh, because you keep the yard so pretty, because you like my cooking…

• Cook a family meal together. Everyone makes a favorite dish. Get out the best china and silver, light candles, enjoy

Some special tips, just for you.

Over-focusing on responsibilities, tasks, chores, and pressures is especially common during the holidays. Often “you” is who gets lost in the process. As a result, all that running, all that concern, has no positive payoff. Instead of the blessed time you hoped for, the holidays become a stressed time of bad tempers and tired tootsies.

Some ideas for a more tranquil season—

• Be your own guest. Deck out your room as you do your guest room: flowers on the nightstand, fresh fruit in a pretty bowl, a stack of interesting books, fragrance on crisp sheets, soft music in the background.

• Get comfy. Take a few minutes for yourself when you get home from work to slip into something soft, cozy, and comfortable. Remove your makeup and smooth on a favorite face cream. Look good; feel good.

• Pretend you are at a spa. Relax at the end of your day with a leisurely soak in a tub of bubbles or bath oil. Light a few candles, wind up a music box, meditate and count your blessings.

• Take shopping breaks. Rather than shopping until you drop, schedule a little break every hour or so. Rest, regroup, and treat yourself to your favorite energy food (say cappuccino and a cookie). A little pampering can be good for us.

• Shop online. It has never been easier to purchase every gift on your list without going within miles of a mall. You might even choose the same category of gift for everyone: book, sweater, slippers, CD, video, cosmetics, candles, foodstuffs. One website and you’re done!

May you enjoy the most blessed of holidays.

Editable files for All Will Be Well Encouragement Cards

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This image illustrates the collection of encouragement cards on a FREE ZIP  file with the inspirational message from Dame Julian:

All will be well

All will be well

All manner of things

will be well.

The ZIP file contains: PDF versions of each design, in a ready-to print format, two on a page; editable MS Publisher files, and a jpg of each image if you would like to use it in print, web, or other media.

CLICK HERE to download the ZIP FILE. Save it to your desktop and then click to unzip and open it.

 

The biggest mistakes made by Christian Communicators, part two

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Part one started this listing of mistakes is both a report and my commentary on a presentation at the Outreach Convention in San Diego, November 2010 by Phil Cooke, a writer and commentator on media, faith, and culture.

The first three mistakes (available by clicking here ) were:

Mistake #1:  Thinking that that value of your message means people will pay attention to it

Mistake #2: Bad writing

Mistake #3: Lose the Lingo

These aren’t the only mistakes we make in communication, so let’s continue. . . .

Mistake #4: No recognizing that media has become a 2-way conversation

Phil Cooke talked about the significant difference social media has made especially for the younger generation whose parent’s raised them to believe everything they did was wonderful. They were raised wanting to be heard and believing they were special. They want to have a voice; they love discussion and feedback.

In addition they are the first generation to grow up with computers. Combine those two ideas and it is no surprise that 96% are connected to social networks. An obvious application for church communication is to have places on your website for comments and interaction; to have Facebook, Twitter and other social media interaction opportunities for your church members.

My comments: church leaders of my baby boomer generation are used to making decisions and statements and then expecting people to listen and obey based on their position. Often a question is heard as a challenge to spiritual authority and the person asking is the subject of subtle or severe discipline. This attitude is death to interaction and communication with today’s audience.

All of us in the church who lead and teach, no matter what our age or position, need to provide opportunities for feedback and interaction. We need to look at questions, not as sinful rebellion, but as an opportunity to engage with people who may see things in a different way than we do. This is not easy, but it can provide exciting opportunities to learn from others and help them perhaps grow in coming to know Jesus.

People will react and talk to each other—why not work to make that part of your church?

Mistake #5: Forgetting that Everything communicates

Everything that we do and say, how our building looks and smells, (don’t think about that very often do you?), the state of repair or cleanliness, if we have adequate handicapped parking or access—everything communicates.

Phil Cook reminded us that if your usher is a jerk—he represents your brand. No secular company would intentionally allow rude and cranky people to stand at the front door--a bit of training in hospitality and kindness may be in order.

My comments: I often remind pastors that they may be the greatest communicator in their city and if they preach the gospel clearly, they are sharing the most important message ever. But in most churches people have to walk through an almost literal mine field before they even get to the listening to the sermon. The parking situation, finding child care and bathrooms, where to sit and when to stand, making sense of a bulletin without an order of service (a current trend in some churches and a huge mistake if you want to reach visitors), all of these things must be conquered before the sermon begins.

No matter what your position on staff, pray that the Lord will enable you to walk through the path, meet the people and look at the communications people encounter when they come to your church with eyes that are open to see if all these things represent the gospel message in a way that is honoring to your church and our Lord.

Mistake #6: Forget the power of a niche

Phil Cooke reminded us of how many options people have in how they will choose to spend their time and attention. If we want to capture them, he reminded the audience for their church to focus on what they are really passionate about. He challenged church leaders to ask themselves, “What is the ONE thing you would preach about if you could only preach about ONE thing?”

Once you decide on that one passion, you have an idea what your niche might be.

My comments: others might refer to this as vision, but no matter what label we use, it is incredibly important. I constantly encourage church communicators to be who YOU are, and communicate the particular way of sharing the gospel that the Lord called you to share to the group He called you to share it with.

On a practical note, that is why I think it is so important for churches to create their own communications. I can give you ideas and samples, but always take whatever advice is shared and tailor it for your people. If God expresses his creative joy in making every snowflake, every fingerprint, every person different, do you really think He wants you to preach sermons downloaded from the internet or to buy tacky bulletin covers, when you can create your own of both and be YOU, not a carbon copy of someone else?

Finding your niche isn’t just good marketing, it is about being true to your individual calling.

_______________

IF you’d like to listen to Phil Cooke’s complete presentation (which was fantastic) with so much more content and without my comments, click here to go to the Outreach Download site.  http://www.outreach.com/print/List.asp?rpp=43&N=41+292+4294966036