Ministry Communication

Most churches and ministries communicate poorly or haphazardly. The result is a hodge-podge of efforts, competing for attention amid the endless noise of modern media. How do you rise above the clutter? Here are five things you can do to immediately improve communications within your church:

Center on Scripture. Nothing you write will be stronger than God's Word. God promises that His Word will not return void--scripture is a powerful tool to use in ministry. Throughout your promotional material, applicable scripture will enhance the message and speak with an authority that only God's own words can. Study the Word, align your ministry with scripture, and apply and theme your promotion to the Word.

Choose just one thing. Take each month of the year and make one thing and only one thing the central focus of your promotional effort for that period. Simplify. Don't try to have three or four major events or ministry initiatives simulaneously, which will compete for attention. Chose one and let it stand alone on the summit of promotion. The biggest mistake most churches make with respect to promoting their ministries is having too many things to promote at the highest level. Everything can't be of equal importance.

Involve your people in communication. The best communications resource a church has is its people. The temptation is to throw money at mass media advertising and marketing for a big event. Instead, consider how you can use your manpower asset--have members distribute materials on a Saturday. Go door to door, make phone calls, send faxes, get an email list going, hand our flyers or cards. Don't spend big bucks on ads--put your people to work promoting their church and they will surprise you with the ingenuity, enthusiasm and personal attention.

Don't underplan. It's difficult to communicate what you haven't planned. People don't like lose ends or question marks when it comes to ministry. Think it through all the way. Plan, over plan and then plan again. Ask all the questions and promote all the answers. You can also put "TBA" on your media for so long before people simply ignore it. Details must be forthcoming. Good planning is the backbone of good communication.