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.

If you’ve got your church communications totally under control this isn’t for you, if not—read on!

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Overwhelmed with Church Communications
Sometimes I feel like I can't ever catch up or measure up as a church communicator--but here is how I've decided to help us all accomplish what God called us to do

I like to keep up on what’s happening in church communications through online groups and email news, but sometimes it discourages me more than helps me.

I got a major dose of that today when I was reading raving reviews and recommendations about Affinity Software (So easy to use! Cheaper than Illustrator!). And then I read about how you had to start streaming your church service and install online giving in your church before Giving Tuesday.

Please do not misunderstand—if you are a designer who thinks Affinity Software is easy to use and want to create advanced designs—go for it! It didn’t look very easy for me to use when I checked it out, but that’s just me and I did have to smile as I remembered the original Serif software the company created years ago. They have certainly changed. I thought it was too simple years ago and now it seems overly complex for practical church communication tasks.

If you’ve got time to set up a streaming service (more ways to share the gospel, what’s not to love about that?) or install online giving (that’s the one thing I hope every church implements at some time—because giving does go up, again), go for it!

But if you are like me, you already feel overwhelmed by the holidays and don't have time for all that

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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

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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...]