Seven Deadly Sins of Church Communication
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Fishhook, a creative services and marketing communications company that works with congregations throughout the country, unpacks seven common barriers his team has identified that stand in the way of effective church communication and the most common recommendations toward improvement. You'll likely see your church, your issues, your neuroses and your dysfunction...but you'll also see a way out and a way to bring your team and leaders along toward more effective communication and greater impact.
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Seven Deadly Sins of Church Communication
- 1. Twitter: @EvanMcBroom Facebook.com/fishhookhq fishhook.us
- 2. Twitter: @EvanMcBroom Facebook.com/fishhookhq fishhook.us
- 6. UNCERTAINTY decentralized process and people3
- 8. SEPARATION failure to meet generational needs5
- 11. REVIEW 1. AMBIGUITY - blurry or boring vision 2. PARADOX - ineffective leader communication 3. UNCERTAINTY - decentralized people & process 4. BEWILDERMENT - disorganized messaging 5. SEPARATION - failure to meet generational needs 6. CONTRADICTION - bad branding 7. GLUTTONY – over-communicating
- 13. CENTRALIZED COMMUNICATION FUNCTION Job Descriptions: evan@fishhook.us 1
- 15. TIERED COMMUNICATION Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Tier 3 Tier 2 & 3
- 16. RALLY AROUND THE CHURCH’S COMPELLING VISION3
- 19. BRAND IDENTITY
- 21. ONLINE & PRINT
- 22. MOVE FROM GIVING INFORMATION TO COMMUNICATING MESSAGES THAT EVOKE AN EMOTIONAL RESPONSE 6
- 23. EXAMPLES
- 24. REVIEW 1. Centralized communication function 2. Tiered communication 3. Rally around the church’s compelling vision 4. Strengthen the brand identity 5. Bridge generational communications 6. Move from giving information to communicating messages that evoke responses
- 26. Twitter: @EvanMcBroom Facebook.com/fishhookhq fishhook.us
Editor's Notes
- Evan Background I was the unchurched. Came to Christ in late 20’s Actually, grew up as a teenager in Unitarian Church Faith - Career 14 year career in corporate/marketing communications – GM 40 person agency 2002 Restlessness – Call to Ministry Quit my job – Searched Launched FH. Creative Services and Marketing Communications – 95% with churches – Last year 85 individual congregations
- Do you remember the seven deadly sins? Wrath, Greed, Sloth, Pride, Lust, Envy and Gluttony Not make light, but good framework for our discussion Bigger Sins – Lead to Smaller sins Likewise in church – How arrive a the list? Communication Assessment – Schoolhouse rock Look at Stuff, Secret Worship, and Lots of Interviews What we’ve discovered… (Street Sign)
- Similarities Ready… (First Sin)
- Lack of clarity about the church ’s vision/priorities, which leads to competing messages. RECENT QUOTES: “ We have the four L’s but it’s not really talked about a lot. It’s in every bulletin but that’s about it. “ I think we have a mission statement, a vision statement, core values and a purpose statement. And I can’t remember any of them. Some questions to ask: Do church leaders have a vision for where God is leading? Is that vision clear? Can you point to a mission/vision and does it help set priorities? Does it change behavior? w/o good answer to these question your– church may seem like a disjointed bunch of EVENTS – rather than a community doing something/going somewhere together If you ’re gonna be all things to all people, you have to communicate everything to everyone.
- Leaders rely too much on disseminating information through single delivery methods (or don’t communicate at all) as opposed to communicating a clear, compelling message through multiple reinforcements (verbal, written, e-mail, repetition, etc.) RECENT QUOTES: “ Pastor sends out an email when something is REALLY important. But that’s not a consistent place to find out info.” "Large decision meetings are not being communicated down to the staff meetings. There are a lot of decisions made there (in evening meetings), that we don't hear about until Sunday morning." “ Our leaders think we communicate well, but the people say ‘we didn’t hear anything about this or that.” Lots of things going on in the church: Staff changes? Endless new priorities Building project or no building project? Sunday schools or small groups? Planting? Multisite?
- The current structure does not create avenues that support and reinforce the central priorities of the church. RECENT QUOTES: “ Communication from the church is diffused, distracting and inconsistent.” “ We are too big now to continue with the loose structure we’ve been operating under.” “ No central communication – each ministry is responsible for getting information out. Some hit the mark, some miss it.” Story – Church A 1 st Assembly Fort Wayne (jump through funnel – Fire hose approach – every man for himself) Story –Church B Vineyard Urbana (backpacks central function – design doer – odd priorities-Pet Project syndrome ) Story – Church C Grace (department not releasing leaders ’ message – Misalignment issue)
- The church has a lot of great opportunities it's communicating. The way those opportunities are being communicated is cluttered and confusing. RECENT QUOTES: “ The announcements are filled with information, which is overwhelming and not organized. People aren't signing up for things via the announcements so it's obviously not moving them to do something. “ “ Our communication needs to be more simple and clean. It’s too busy.” “ Streamline! I cannot manage all of the email I get from church and school on top of my work email. I've almost gotten conditioned to ignore the emails.” Examples: We see these bulletins… We see these websites… We hear these announcements… We see these lobby displays… We see the bathroom posters… We see hallway bulletin boards… Church that organized their information based on who turned it in first St. Timothy - “Don’t mess with that ministry” organization – Senior Women’s Mt. Washington – Chronological – Youth issues
- The church has not adapted its communications delivery methods to reach the younger generations and/or the church can’t figure out how to meet the needs of print people and e-people. RECENT QUOTES: “ It’s January 2012 and our website home page reads, ‘The Story: A new sermon series beginning September 2011.’ “ “ Our website isn’t a place to go to get current info. No one goes there unless they don’t know the service times.” “ We need to develop ways to make sure things are getting out there. We do okay with the bulletin. We don’t do great at Facebook or website or anything else.” Survey: 8/10 people said they “rarely” or “never” use your bulletin boards as a source of information. 8/10 said they “rarely” or “sometimes” use the information tables and we put a lot of time into both. “ We don’t know what we should do for our older people who still want print. It’s so time consuming and I’m not sure most people are even reading it. Print/e-struggles – started in 2005 with a great rallying cry “We’re doing away with our newsletter” Having to meet the needs WELL of two distinct audiences – Print and On-line
- The church does not have a clear, compelling identity that makes communication tools stand out or be remembered. RECENT QUOTES: “ [We need] better ways of informing and reaching out to the public about what’s happening here and help equipping members to be the speaking arm of the church.” “ Great stuff is being kept secret! We’re good at telling each other what’s happening here but not outsiders.” “ I think we need a more consistent theme that would be the "look" of our church so that when you see a printed piece, ad, etc. it is known it's us. This is about internal/external audiences Berean Bible Church – embarrassing name “ Exalting Jesus” “Intimate” “Redemption” – not helpful for reaching unchurhced – difference between external tag and internal mission – Outback steakhouse Reach-Teach-Share – don ’t do that to me Invisible branding tactics – embarrassing mark, antique mark, denominational mark – mark that makes your congregation happy
- Providing information, but not strategically and proactively crafting communication messages and stories to evoke a response. RECENT QUOTES: "We have too many emails and no guidelines. One day last week, I counted six different emails in my inbox from our church. Four of them were prayer requests. Why can't we streamline?" “ Communication from the church is diffused, distracting and inconsistent.” “ The weekend bulletin can often feel pretty substantial and I can only imagine we could save money by streamlining the criteria for what we include there.” “ There’s too much clutter!” [in response to the bulletin boards and info tables] Hispanic Service Overseas Mission Food Pantry Trunk or Treat Chili Cook-off Financial Peace Meeting of Model Train Ministry Christmas program
- Do you see these in your own congregation?
- Strategy – -Highly relational communication director or department (size?) -Coach, Creative Problem Solver, Leader/Understand Leadership, Planner, Communicator (verbal, written) Visionary, Shepherd -Centralized or at least coordinated Communication Budget -Centralized Communication Planning aligned toward main things -A “Listening Seat” at the leadership table – even better – “Advising Seat” -PROACTIVELY Works alongside and serves ministries, while… -LOVINGLY Elevating the main messages in line with leaders vision/mission/priorities– vision, hierarchy, plans, tools -PASSIONATLY release message of leadership - not their own message
- Tiered Communication: we believe that you should have a structure to your communications - that there are A, B & C level messages and they are selected based on the strategy. Different size spotlights. Connection between -mission/vision -church strategy -communications strategy -communication tactics Bring structure – Easiest example: Web – main rotator, second level below the fold, ministry pages Match delivery to audience – 10 guys in model train ministry or all church call out Lovingly/strategically work with ministries to find their voice Spotlight analogy Tier 1: One to three major church-wide events or messages that reflect the church ’s vision/priorities are communicated at a time. They are emphasized in all top-level communications. Events/priorities examples Church-wide Vision Effort Significant story of life change Guest info/how to take a next step Communications tools Service, verbal announcement with visual or video Website homepage – main rotator eNews – main feature Bulletin – main feature Tier 2: Categorize key ministry areas by purpose or priority, and then communicate the one or two key messages within each purpose or priority. We recommend you consider audience as well. Included in all print and electronic communication pieces but designed to have secondary emphasis that is clearly distinguishable from Tier 1 by being broken down into sub-categories; some emphasis through complementary artwork and bold headings, but nothing as strong as Tier 1. Events/priorities examples Adults: Everyone to join a small group Kids: Summer VBS registrations Communications tools Service, verbal announcement with visual or video Website homepage – main rotator eNews – main feature Bulletin – secondary feature Tier 3: Limited audience-specific messages and everything else. Communicated in subtle, less public ways. Events/priorities examples Parking lot ministry team training Nursery worker ’s schedule Communications tools Directed, personal email Word-of-mouth Small quantities of flyers
- What are ways you ’re doing these things?
- Step 1: have a vision – journey of discovery and prayer – unique call on your church Step 2: mission/vision drive ministry decisions Step 3: Communication Plan – just for Vision Step 4: Part of Plan – Vision Metaphor – Len Sweet Step 5: Preach vision for the long haul – can ’t be a “vision Sunday” Vision must be the meat of many sermons and the seasoning of most.
- What are ways you ’re doing these things?
- Branding process: Discovery – Design – Plan (congregational launch and community launch) – Implement – Long Term Single greatest opportunity to enlist people in everyday evangelism – radiant – fans Consistent, clear, memorable, crowded culture Must compete favorably – car dealer ads – look around at branding – how do you compare?
- What are ways you ’re doing these things?
- Information is like water Glass – print Magic drinking fountain – e Most churches must Significantly BOTH well – this is a BOTH/AND Move to an e-culture – must help get people there- So many e-tools – Print is fixed through very fundamental communications disciplines that a strong communication director can solve
- What are ways you ’re doing these things?
- Existing audiences – yes, info is OK New audiences or new next steps - story Missions insert – verses storytelling. Video – contemplate questions Door hangers – extend the conversation – make the response discussion TELL STORIES – Don ’t give facts. Facts bore. Stories move. “ That’s my story”
- What are ways you ’re doing these things?
- What are ways you ’re doing these things?
- What are ways you ’re doing these things?