Every church has information it is trying to communicate. So, you have a bulletin, a website, weekly announcements, facebook, twitter, signs, newsletters, banners, etc… all to get the message across. While these are great tools for communicating with your congregation and making sure they are informed about what is going on in the church and community, do they know where to look? Jon Rogers reminds us that, “Your church may have stellar events, programs and even great communication strategies, but the best laid plans can get derailed by the simple lack of clearly and concisely communicating how you communicate.”
He gives some simple tips on how to keep people connected in his article, “Communicate How You Communicate”. Firstly, having different channels (avenues for communication, like social networking, print, and verbal announcements) is useful for making it more likely that someone gets the information they need, but the main channel (generally the website) should communicate everything and always be current. Utilize the various channels to let people know about other communication options. “For example, a Facebook post can encourage people to sign up for an email newsletter.” Make certain your leaders are aware of what you are communicating, in what fashion, and why, so they can be better equipped to direct people to the information they need, and be sure to give the congregation a means for communicating back to the leadership. In order to keep the congregation adequately informed about these channels, Rogers suggests, “Plan to communicate your channels once a month from the platform. Promote your main channel every week from the platform and in your program/bulletin.”
The goal is to make sure everyone has access regularly so they can connect effectively with others and the mission of the church, and utilize the efforts you have made to put useful information in their hands. “There is no better way to complement the work you’ve done in crafting a focused, strategic communications plan for your church than to pair it with a plan to regularly communicate to the congregation where to access information.”
Source: Church Marketing Sucks: Communicate How You Communicate
