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.

Updated Resources added: Clickable List of 23 FREE & LEGAL Image Resource Sites

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Free & Legal image sources
We never seem to have enough resources for our church communications. This list will help and it's all FREE & LEGAL.

Update note: Tis the season of needing lots of images and below is a clickable list of FREE Image Resource Sites. I've added several new sites and along with them a short video and preview of the sites.

These are truly, totally free. No attribution required, no copyright infringement, they are all OK to use for commercial purposes (and for churches that means you can sell a t-shirt with an image used and be legal). I've spent many hours reading the fine print so you don't have to.

I did this because it really bothers me when you run across the frequent list of "free" images, but then you read the small print and you can't use them for anything but "personal use" (whatever that means) or that you have to print an attribution. I do understand why that is important to many people, but for many of the church communications we create, it simply isn't practical. Or it would look strange on an invitation card or similar communication.

There are thousands and thousands of images here and I recommend doing searches for what you need ahead of the time you need them. Just save in files under the categories you know you'll be working in (holidays, various ministries, etc.) and you'll have your own store of images when you are on a deadline to produce communications.

Here is the new updated list of video sources

[Read more...]

Why Jesus is the Reason for the Season—based on the Nicene Creed

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Jesus is the reason for the Season postcard
Our world needs to be reminded that Jesus truly is the "Reason for the Season." This piece will help you do that.

I've got dozens of free Christmas Templates available for you for every aspect of Christmas holiday communications.

HERE is the link to all of them: https://www.effectivechurchcom.com/templates/christmas-templates/

I'll be featuring different ones in the coming weeks with tips on how to use them. Today I want to focus on one of my favorites. You can use it as a flyer, postcard, image in newsletters or social media. The ZIP file has jpg images, ready-to-print PDFs and editable MS Publisher files. Click here to download it:  Jesus-postcard

This piece uses the words of the ancient Nicene Creed that distills the essence of who is Jesus. The creed settled the controversy over the identity of Jesus in the early days of the church and it is my prayer it might help to clarify who He is to some today.

Use it freely and pass it on!

That was embarrassing—using copyrighted cartoons to illustrate a sermon about godly character

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How to not make copyright mistakes
We've all made mistakes concerning copyright in the past, but here are some ways to not make the same ones in the future.

We all make mistakes and I'm writing this not to accuse, but to remind us all about what is legal and what is illegal to use when it comes to illustrations for church bulletins, PowerPoint, and other ways we illustrate events and messages in church.

What prompted me to write this was a church bulletin whose entire front was filled with a number of panels of Calvin and Hobbs cartoons. The father in the cartoons repeatedly told Calvin that various things happened to him "to build his character." It was a funny and entertaining way to illustrate a sermon on godly character.

It was also highly illegal.

It is a violation of copyright law to copy and reprint a cartoon without paying for it and the creator of the Calvin and Hobbs cartoons is known for his refusal to allow his characters to be used in any licensing or reprinting of his images in anything other than what he himself created.

Many of us have done similar things without thinking—but here is how to not do it anymore

Most churches know they can't use music or lyrics any time and in any way they want. Most churches have licenses that give them permission to use the songs they use in a church service, but many people forget that you must also ask permission to use other content that you did not create.

Below are some excerpts to articles with clarifications and advice and below them an excellent free PDF resource, all to help you observe copyright laws correctly. Hopefully, these will help build our character correctly in how we use the creations of others.

A Friendly Reminder About Cartoon Copyrights
https://www.glasbergen.com/cartoon-copyrights/

People love to share cartoons on Facebook and Twitter, in newsletters, blogs, presentations at work, in classrooms, on bulletin boards, in business communications and e-mails. I LOVE it when people share my cartoons —- but there is a RIGHT (legal) way to share and a WRONG (illegal) way to share cartoons.

According to an article in Training Magazine, the best way to keep the copyright cops from knocking at your door is “Always assume that any pre-existing work you’d like to use is copyrighted work and that it requires permission from the copyright owner to use or copy.”

If you infringe on someone’s copyright, you may be liable for legal fees and fines up to $50,000 per violation. Stealing a cartoon off of the internet to use in a Powerpoint presentation, website or newsletter without permission is a punishable crime.

How to Make Money and Save Your Soul
https://opedcartoons.com/2012/07/17/copyright-cartoons/

Q & A on Fair Use
What about if I use it on Facebook? Link to it or Like it! It will still show up as a thumbnail on your Timeline. Otherwise, buy the cartoon. There’s no freebie for Facebook.
But I left the cartoonist’s signature in there! So what? How does that pay her bills that month? How does he know where it’s been used? If it’s showing up everywhere, she just lost a sale and do you really want the cartoonist to spend hours tracking you down and telling everyone what you did?
I got the cartoon from someone else. On Facebook. Don’t be a doobie. The other person is either ignorant or a thief, but you don’t have to be!
I found the cartoon on Google images. Other people must be using it. No, that just means the artist or cartoonist was generous enough to post it on his or her website for you to enjoy, and Google scanned it. Google doesn’t own any cartoons!!! Every cartoon belongs only to the cartoonist. No cartoon that you find on Google is free. Let me repeat that: NO CARTOON ON GOOGLE IS FREE.

On Bill Watterson’s Refusal To License Calvin And Hobbes
https://www.thelegalartist.com/blog/on-bill-wattersons-refusal-to-license-calvin-and-hobbes

 

To help you sort out what you can and can't use, here is a link to an excellent, free and free to share PDF booklet on church copyright: LR_Copyright_Guidelines_010711

For Successful Fall & Winter Outreach Publications: Clarify and Coordinate for greater lasting impact

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welcoming people
If you are planning a fall or winter outreach event at your church, these tips will help you have lasting success from it.

Fall and winter are two prime times for churches to plan outreach events for their communities. Large amounts of time and money are spent on these events and often the church gets a great community response to the free Harvest Festival or Family Thanksgiving Dinner or Community Caroling and Hot Chocolate Party. But seldom do these activities generate the kind of continuing church involvement a church hopes for. I'd like to offer some suggestions on how to CLARIFY and COORDINATE your message for greater lasting impact.

If you don't want to waste your time and money the following tips are essential!

To help you understand how important this is and to give you a sense of how futile it is to hold events without good communication to clarify and coordinate your message, primarily for the ladies reading this, think about when you buy cosmetics at the department store or online and you are given some free samples. (The gentleman reading this may or may not have some sort of similar situation, regardless the example will make sense.)  The company that makes the cosmetics don't have the samples in the middle of the mall set up on a pretty display that says, "FREE FOR ALL." No, you go to the specific cosmetic counter and you know without a doubt who is giving them to you. [Read more...]

PLEASE let people know ahead of time about regular special offerings

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Don't surprise people with special offerings!
If you surprise people with special offerings, you may not get the response you'd like--take time and remind them ahead of time!

Many churches have special offerings that they take up regularly. Though the staff in the church office can tell you all about them in their sleep, they often come as a surprise to church members and because of that, the church does not get the response they hoped for. Below is a note I got from a frustrated church member that I wanted to share with you.

Identifying details in the short message that follows and in all the true church stories I share are hidden so as not to ever embarrass any specific church.

They did it again! Every month my church takes up an offering for special needs in the city. I really want to donate to this, but I can't keep track of when they are going to do it. Also, though I do all my regular giving online, for this offering they expect you to put real money or a check in an envelope that they enclose in the church bulletin. They always make a big deal out of it in the church service, but I imagine I'm not the only one who has to plan ahead to bring cash or a check. It always puts me in a bad mood for the rest of the service. Why can't they send out a message in the weekly church email that they send out every week letting me know this was happening? How can I nicely let them know?

I told the person that a nice email or note sent and kindly and letting them know how much you wanted to give, but needed to plan ahead and if they could put a short note in the weekly email newsletter that would probably work.

For the church office

Whether you get a note like this or not, please remember that what is sometimes a special, continuing project or ministry for the church staff is often not something that your congregation remembers. Please be helpful and send out a reminder in your weekly email newsletter, Facebook, social media or however else you contact your congregation.

In addition, remember to give short updates about what the money is going for because people might not have any idea what "City Service Outreach" is all about. They may not know that it goes towards job retraining programs and special fun times, such as children's birthday parties for people living in homeless shelters.

A short story and a reminder when you will be taking up the offering will no doubt greatly increase your response. The help to people and ministries will who need it is more than worth the time it takes to write and communicate a reminder.