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.

Digital Evangelism Month #2: Church Communications–FREE How-to Books

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In celebration of Digital Evangelism Month, Effective Church Communication is making the following books free for the month of May.

The first one is a link to our new digital resource on Smashwords. In the coming weeks I'll be doing a detailed analysis and how-to of the site. I'm still testing a number of things on it, (formating is a challenge and they take a long time to get materials posted and other concerns) but my initial analysis is that it can be an incredible resource for churches and individual believers to share their stories and teachings.

Connection Card CoverChurch Connection Cards

This book on Smashwords is a special edition of my best-selling Connection Cards, connect with visitors, grow your church, pastor your people, little cards, big results.

I put this book on Smashwords because you can download it in almost every imaginable ebook format: for Kindle, phones, PDF, HTML, all kinds of e-readers.

This is a book every church needs to read (and it's FREE!) as many have told me it will totally change how you make a significant connection with visitors. If you want to explore my Smashwords site (I will probably have more books on it by the time you view this), just CLICK HERE.

 

 

Books to help you create Effective Church Communications

Following that are some of my ebooks that have proved useful to church communicators--they illustrate a variety of skills and topics. You have permission to make digital copies of any of these materials and pass them on to other church communicators.

Why MS Publisher is recommended for Church Com teams9 Reasons Why MS Publisher is a great programs for churches to use

When I first encountered MS Publisher in the early days of creating communications with the computer, I would have never imaged I’d be recommending it as the program of choice for churches.

But times changes--in  addition, I found the more I worked with it, I realized it was an honestly fun program to use with flexibility to create not only print publications, but graphics and web designs easily. It has also remained very inexpensive (all the non-profits pricing resources are in this book) for churches to buy for an entire team.

In interactions with other church communicators, I’ve found that though many use MS Publisher (more than any other program as my surveys show), at the same time some still primarily use MS Word because they don’t realize how much more Publisher can do and some don’t use Publisher because they think it isn’t “professional” enough. I hope this brief publication will change both views. In addition for anyone who does communications in your church or oversees those who do, I urge you to consider MS Publisher, especially if you haven’t looked at it in some time.

This book is extensively illustrated for each point. CLICK HERE or on the image to download it.

Big is Busted COVERPlanning book: big is busted, try tiny

This Special Edition of our book on Planning is part of our overall materials on planning. So often we tend to think that we have to do big, extravagant things to impress people and to get them to come to our church.

Sometimes big and impressive does work, but quite often it is the little things that really get people to come to your church.

The challenge is—which way of doing communications is the most successful? This book will help you figure that out and then implement successful strategies in your church.

CLICK HERE or on the image to download it.

 

 

If these materials have been useful to you, please consider a membership in Effective Church Communications.

Each week new resources, including articles, ebooks, training webinars, templates for church communications and ready-to-print PDFs for seasonal church events and outreach. This is training for people who do church communications, particularly for small to medium-size churches where the person responsible for communications has little-to-no previous training in design or communication creation. Membership starts at only $9.99 a month or $99 a year for individuals or small churches.

CLICK HERE for more information or you can email yvon@effectivechurchcom.com if you have questions.

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Our communications should build, give vision, provide tools for change

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QUOTE:

Though al-Qaeda could destroy, however, it could not build. In its unwillingness and inability to offer anything resembling a constructive vision for change, al-Qaeda gradually descended back into irrelevance.

from: "Al-Queda losing relevance" by Shadi Hamid, USA Today, Wednesday, May 4, 2011

COMMENTARY:

Destruction has its uses.

It is powerful; it can accomplish powerful goals. As church communicators we need to be aware of its power, but at the same time be very careful how, or if we ever use it.

Fear of destruction accomplished a lot for me. I confess, I was scared into becoming a Christian. My mother read Bible stories to my sister and me every night and I loved them, but what really pushed me over the line was I didn't want to go to hell. Our preacher at church convinced me that hell and eternal destruction was the fate of the unsaved.

When I found out that Jesus made it possible for me to go to heaven when I died and not hell and destruction, I wanted that. I asked Jesus to come into my life. [Read more...]

Be a better listener, part two: AIM, the three significant aspects of listening

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Gayle Hilligoss Picture
Article by Gayle Hilligoss

Ed. Note: Last week we featured Part One of this series on Listening, where we learned in part, how to be an active listener. This week Gayle provides specific advice that will help you become a better listener. As I read through her words, I thought about what a wonderful world it would be if we all followed this advice.

Professional Secretaries International (now International Association of Administrative Associates) taught seminar attendees a technique using the acronym AIM to create a positive attitude for listening. AIM represents three significant aspects of listening: attention, interest, and motivation.

AIM: attention, interest, motivation

A = Bring yourself to attention. Poor listeners fake paying attention while their minds wander. The active listener consciously works to resist distractions and concentrate on the message.

I = Focus your interest. Poor listeners decide after a few words that the conversation holds no interest for them so they stop any effort to pay attention. The active listener seeks to find useful information regardless of how dull the subject or how unskilled the speaker.

M = Identify your motivation. How well you listen depends on how motivated you are. Here are some good reasons for improving your listening skills.

• Listening allows you to learn. Receiving information is difficult when you do all the talking. When you listen you can learn about the subject being discussed (as well as learn about the speaker).

• Listening allows you to make better decisions. Life doesn’t give us enough time to make every mistake ourselves. Listening allows you to learn from the mistakes and victories of others, and helps develop better judgment.

• Listening helps solve mutual problems and resolves disagreements. You cannot agree or disagree intelligently with the other person until you know his point of view. Once you listen to the problem as he sees it, and he listens to the problem as you see it, you can cooperatively seek some solutions.

• Listening may solve problems for the other person. Giving someone an opportunity to talk may clarify the situation and provide the necessary emotional release.

• Listening can reduce tension. Allowing others to express their viewpoints may help clear the air of tension or hostility. As a result of your conscious aim to listen there will be fewer misunderstandings; grievances can be resolved before they get out of hand.

• Listening leads to cooperation from others. When a person feels you are really interested in her and her opinions, she is likely to respect you and the church you represent. People respond positively and cooperate more often when they know we care about them.

• Listening helps you sell your ideas. You have an idea for rearranging and redecorating your office. How do you sell your idea? Try asking the person you need on your side, “What would it take to make our office more attractive?” Then listen and follow through on the suggestions.

• Listening can save you trouble. If you talk before you really listen, you may make a decision or offer criticism you later regret. You may commit to action you cannot or will not want to carry out. If you feel pressured to give an opinion, listen carefully and evaluate before responding.

• Listening gives you confidence. When you follow the conversation carefully, you can be confident what you say is relevant. When you understand the other person’s point of view you can be confident of stating your rebuttal. You may spot loopholes in the other person’s logic and gain assurance in your own viewpoint. When you gain a reputation as a good listener, others give more weight to your report of a conversation.

• Listening increases your enjoyment of life. As an active listener, you gain more from all you hear. Conversations, meetings, music, entertainment all bring you more enjoyment and understanding. You are more tuned in to your world than ever before.

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Series of the Three Articles on Be a Better Listener by Gayle Hilligoss

Click on any of the links to go to the article:
Be a better listener, part one: Mastering the Most Overlooked Communication Skill by Gayle Hilligoss

Be a better listener, part two: AIM, the three significant aspects of listening by Gayle Hilligoss

Be a better listener, part three: Ten techniques you can start to use now by Gayle Hilligoss

What Church Secretaries wish their pastors knew about church communications

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I created this video not only because I talk to, email and communicate with many church secretaries, administrative assistants, and church office professionals, but also I have done the secretarial and communications work in various amounts,  for many years for my husband who is a bi-vocational pastor. This is a job with tremendous responsibilities and needs if you are going to do it well. However, often the church office is often the last place to get the resources they need.

Please, if you are in a leadership position, take a few minutes and watch this with your church secretary. and pray about all you can do to build up and encourage each other.

One more idea for leaders—take a few minutes to share with your partners in ministry (secretaries and staff) what you wish they knew.

Then take time to pray together  about all you can do to build up and encourage each other.

This video is free, but the handouts are only available to ECC Members. Not only handouts, but many, many templates, ebooks and other resources are available to ECC MEMBERS. To find out more and to join, CLICK HERE.

The video and PDF handouts follow.

Handouts that go with the video above:

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The PDF handouts, these go with the video above, just click on the image to download them.

Church Secretary PDF HANDOUTS for Video