"Ten Tips for Better Church Announcements" by Dan Wunderlich
Is there a bigger double-edged sword in the world of church communication than announcements? On the one hand, they are vitally important. Theologically, they tell the story of how your church has, is, and will be living out its call to discipleship through ministry and service. Practically, you need them so that people know when and where and how to do that living out. On the other hand, announcements are just awful. They are often too long and too focused on things that don't inspire interest and/or won't be remembered.
In some churches I have visited, the announcements have run close to 10 minutes. If this is an hour-long service, that is 1/6th of your service time. That's a half to a third of a typical sermon. How much do you really expect people to remember? And as I wrote about the beginning of the worship service, that expectation should go down even further if there is going to be 55 minutes or more of hopefully-engaging worship participation following the announcements.
Here are strategies for improving church announcements:
Use more channels. Someone speaking at some point in your service is not the one and only channel you have for making announcements. Your typical church has at the very least a bulletin and/or newsletter. It is becoming more common to have a website, Facebook page, and/or other social accounts like Twitter or Instagram. Thanks to services like MailChimp, it is even easier (and free in some cases) to utilize email lists. Video announcements are also on the rise, as they add the multimedia/screen attraction and can be uploaded to your various online channels. Check out ProVideo Announcements as an example of a company that can make them for you (or an example for your own team). These other channels are available to your congregation at their convenience during the week.
Make those channels valuable. I once announced an event in the service, the bulletin (including a flier to hang on the fridge), the newsletter, the website, and the Facebook page. No one came, and when I explained all the places it was posted to a church leader, I was told that no one takes the bulletin home, they skim the newsletter at best, and online didn't work at this church. At the end of the day, I had to accept that the other channels weren't being used because they were not of value. No one likes that friend that is always asking you for favors, and that's essentially what church announcements end up being. Find ways to give back value through these channels so that when announcements do come across, it is hitting active readers. Sharing links, images, videos, Scripture, quotes, and devotions can break up the monotony and engage your people.
Focus on the point, the mission, and the vision. People also don't listen, don't read, and don't show up if they don't care. There is no faster way to make people not care than to launch into details, procedures, requirements, and statistics (ok- one or two compelling stats can work). Instead, focus in the key question: how will this affect the people listening to the announcement? The whole point of discipleship, mission, and service is not to make us feel better about ourselves, but if we can't picture ourselves in the announcement, we aren't going to connect or care. This goes for all kinds of announcements on all kinds of channels.
Read more »
Dan Wunderlich: Ten Tips for Better Church Announcements
Is there a bigger double-edged sword in the world of church communication than announcements? On the one hand, they are vitally important. Theologically, they tell the story of how your church has, is, and will be living out its call to discipleship through ministry and service. Practically, you need them so that people know when and where and how to do that living out. On the other hand, announcements are just awful. They are often too long and too focused on things that don’t inspire interest and/or won’t be remembered.
There are some great posts out there already about the struggle with church announcements. Lifeway CEO and church leadership guru Thom Rainer has a blog post and a podcast episode discussing the topic in which the following interesting observations were made:
More churches are dropping announcements from their worship service, especially larger churches (200+ in attendance)
Announcements that are being made are generally only those that will appeal to a large percentage of those in attendance
More churches are utilizing technology to project announcements via slides or video
Rich Birch from Unseminary.com has both a blog post and a free e-book on church announcements. His post highlights these key ideas:
- The effectiveness of each announcement goes down as number of announcements goes up
- Announcements tend to focus too much on the “how” and not enough on the “why”
- Announcements are a perfect time to recognize volunteers and staff for their service and/or celebrate something that went well
You will notice a theme running through these resources: TOO MUCH. In some churches I have visited, the announcements have run close to 10 minutes. If this is an hour-long service, that is 1/6th of your service time. That’s a half to a third of a typical sermon. How much do you really expect people to remember? And as I wrote in a post about the beginning of the worship service, that expectation should go down even further if there is going to be 55 minutes or more of hopefully-engaging worship participation following the announcements.
Here are some thoughts I had about better church announcements:
- Use more channels. Someone speaking at some point in your service is not the one and only channel you have for making announcements. Your typical church has at the very least a bulletin and/or newsletter. It is becoming more common to have a website, Facebook page, and/or other social accounts like Twitter or Instagram. Thanks to services like MailChimp, it is even easier (and free in some cases) to utilize email lists. Video announcements are also on the rise, as they add the multimedia/screen attraction and can be uploaded to your various online channels. Check out ProVideo Announcements as an example of a company that can make them for you (or an example for your own team). These other channels are available to your congregation at their convenience during the week.
- Make those channels valuable. I once announced an event in the service, the bulletin (including a flier to hang on the fridge), the newsletter, the website, and the Facebook page. No one came, and when I explained all the places it was posted to a church leader, I was told that no one takes the bulletin home, they skim the newsletter at best, and online didn’t work at this church. At the end of the day, I had to accept that the other channels weren’t being used because they were not of value. No one likes that friend that is always asking you for favors, and that’s essentially what church announcements end up being. Find ways to give back value through these channels so that when announcements do come across, it is hitting active readers. Sharing links, images, videos, Scripture, quotes, and devotions can break up the monotony and engage your people.
- Focus on the point, the mission, and the vision. People also don’t listen, don’t read, and don’t show up if they don’t care. There is no faster way to make people not care than to launch into details, procedures, requirements, and statistics (ok- one or two compelling stats can work). Instead, focus in the key question: how will this affect the people listening to the announcement? The whole point of discipleship, mission, and service is not to make us feel better about ourselves, but if we can’t picture ourselves in the announcement, we aren’t going to connect or care. This goes for all kinds of announcements on all kinds of channels.
- Tell a (short) story. Ok, so maybe you’re still feeling like that last one was a little too consumeristic. Announcements should be about more than what we get out of it. You’re absolutely right. A different key question is: how will this event allow the people listening to affect others for the kingdom of God? You see what I did there? It still involved the people listening, and it has to because at the end of the day you are asking them to do something (that’s another key later on). But it is framing it as how they can embody the hands and feet of Christ. So, paint a picture of what will happen as a result of people being involved. This is a great approach for when you have someone giving testimony-style announcements (“I participated in this last spring, and this is what happened/how it changed things”). If you get someone from the congregation to tell a brief story, people can think, “I can do that too!”
- Cut as many details as possible. If you can use the previous two points to make a connection and inspire a response, you don’t need details. If people are interested, they will seek the details out on their own. Have those details available in the bulletin or newsletter, or better yet, give them a contact person and/or email address to reach out to for more info. Worried that people will lose interest when you explain the cost, time, effort, or training needed to participate in your specialized event/ministry? Don’t include it in the announcement! Focus on the mission and the story. Drop the “scary details” that turn people off immediately because they won’t seem so scary later if you inspired passion first.
- Have a call to action. There should always be a clear call to action. What do you want people to do? Do you want them to sign up somewhere, talk to someone, write a check for something, tell other people about a new event? And limit the announcements that start “just be aware that…” Sometimes, there are things we simply need to make people aware of for which there is no practical call to action, like the fellowship hall being rented by an outside group on a day when people normally drop by. But somethings that we think are awareness announcements are actually opportunities for a response. For example, turn “I wanted you all to know that our youth group participated in the Imagine No Malaria 5K” to “Let’s celebrate together that our youth group gave up part of their weekend yesterday to participate in the Imagine No Malaria 5K! Let’s give them a round of applause!”
- Consider the context. Don’t just think about the three sentences you are going to say in worship, but think about what is going on around you in the moment. If your announcements are in the beginning of the service, realize that people may not be engaged yet. So, how can you catch their attention? If they are at the end, be aware if the service ran long and people are getting restless. Consider the mood of the room–if it was a sermon that ended on a reflective note, perhaps don’t start with the tone and energy of a used car salesperson. If there is an event coming up or a ministry of the church that fits with the sermon topic, see if the preacher can highlight the event or ministry in the message as a way to put faith into action. If you have screens, what is going on the screen? It should be something that specifically supports (not doubles!) what you are saying, or it should be nothing. For example, put just the contact email or just a date, time, and location on the screen. A common mistake is to have an auto-rotating slideshow of announcements that continue during the spoken announcements. The movement is distracting, and the slides that pop up having nothing to do with what you are saying can only confuse.
- Target specialized announcements. Similar to using more channels, when you have an announcement that applies to a particular segment of your organization, consider if there is a better way to reach them than the up-front, large group announcement. Sometimes it can be good for people to hear that certain things are going on even if they aren’t involved. But the smaller the target is in relation to the size of the group, the higher likelihood people are checking out–and what are the chances you will get their attention back? Consider emailing groups, using particular online channels that your target frequents, or even ask specific small group or Sunday School leaders to make announcements.
- Create an announcement strategy. If you can have an intentional strategy and supporting policies ahead of time, it will help organize and streamline the whole process. For example, decide what kinds of announcements get presented in church, if any. Decide when they will happen in the service, and have a reason for it–how does it fit in the larger movement of worship? Decide who will do the announcements. Perhaps you have a regular staff member or volunteer do the announcements, and you reserve the “announcements from the pulpit” for strategic use when you need extra emphasis from the pastor. Having policies will also help with issues like someone approaching you two minutes before the service begins. You can say, “I am sorry, but we need all announcements via email or voicemail by Friday afternoon.” A policy that asks non-regular announcement givers to prepare a script (or at least an outline) ahead of time for review will help reign in the improvisers and allow you to help them. Lastly, a strategy of how you will coordinate your online channels can give you and you team direction.
- Consider an announcement worksheet and/or script template. Create a worksheet for people to fill in and submit if they have an announcement. Ask them to provide the logistical details, but also ask them to help provide the vision/mission/story material. Creating a script template can not only provide guiding structure, but it can help craft the most effective version of the announcement.
How well does your church/ministry do announcements? What’s working? What’s not working? What other channels, besides spoken announcements in a worship service or at a group meeting, do you use? What has been most effective and why?
The Rev. Dan Wunderlich is a United Methodist pastor who is passionate about worship, preaching and effective communication. He blogs at Defining Grace, where this post originally appeared.
The Rev. Dan Wunderlich is a United Methodist pastor who is passionate about worship, preaching and effective communication. He blogs at Defining Grace.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Small congregations can have beautiful worship! In From a Mustard Seed: Enlivening Worship and Music in the Small Church, an experienced pastor-professor and an experienced church musician provide a model for faithful and excellent worship in congregations that average 75 or fewer people in weekly worship. While the limitations of small congregations are obvious to their members and leaders, the possibilities for creative music and worship are often greater than we can imagine.
Buy the book »
Congregations using electronic technologies in worship are finding themselves at different places in the quest to understand, acquire, manage, and benefit from the technology boom. In Silver Screen, Sacred Story, Michael Bausch balances concern for practical issues, such as finances and architecture, with attention to maintaining theological integrity. His insights grow out of several years of conversation, personal experimentation, and experiences in one modest-sized, small-town church, as well as the learnings of other churches that are incorporating electronic media into worship.
Buy the book »
Continue Your Learning with The Pastoral Excellence Network
Peer Power: Cultivating Clergy Communities of Practice and Training for Peer Group Facilitators
Techny Towers Conference and Retreat Center
Techny, Illinois
October 21-22, 2015
Why are pastors who are members of peer learning groups more effective leaders? What are the foundational practices and distinctive approaches for designing and sustaining clergy groups as communities of practice? Peer Power will explore these questions through presentations and workshops that draw on a broad mix of perspectives, foundational practices, and direct experiences. The second day of the retreat will focus on facilitator skill development. This workshop is designed for potential facilitators, group members who rotate facilitative roles, and those who train and provide support to facilitators.
Learn more and register »
Ideas that Impact: Congregational Communication
"Just Because You Preach Doesn't Mean You're a Communicator: A Faith & Leadership interview with Maria Dixon Hall"
For an organization in which the word is central, the church does a poor job of communicating, says a Southern Methodist University professor and consultant. She has some advice on how church leaders can do it better.
Read more »
CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, COMMUNICATION
Maria Dixon Hall: Just because you can preach doesn't mean you're a communicator
For an organization in which the word is central, the church does a poor job of communicating, says an SMU professor and consultant. She has some advice on how church leaders can do it better.
Human beings are storytelling creatures, moved and motivated from birth by the power of stories, says communication scholar Maria Dixon Hall.
“One thing we want to know even as a child is, ‘Where do I fit in the story?’” she said.
Yet, with rare exceptions, the church today does a poor job of communicating and telling its story, said Dixon Hall, an associate professor of communication studies at Southern Methodist University.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Small congregations can have beautiful worship! In From a Mustard Seed: Enlivening Worship and Music in the Small Church, an experienced pastor-professor and an experienced church musician provide a model for faithful and excellent worship in congregations that average 75 or fewer people in weekly worship. While the limitations of small congregations are obvious to their members and leaders, the possibilities for creative music and worship are often greater than we can imagine.
Buy the book »
Congregations using electronic technologies in worship are finding themselves at different places in the quest to understand, acquire, manage, and benefit from the technology boom. In Silver Screen, Sacred Story, Michael Bausch balances concern for practical issues, such as finances and architecture, with attention to maintaining theological integrity. His insights grow out of several years of conversation, personal experimentation, and experiences in one modest-sized, small-town church, as well as the learnings of other churches that are incorporating electronic media into worship.
Buy the book »
Continue Your Learning with The Pastoral Excellence Network
Peer Power: Cultivating Clergy Communities of Practice and Training for Peer Group Facilitators
Techny Towers Conference and Retreat Center
Techny, Illinois
October 21-22, 2015
Why are pastors who are members of peer learning groups more effective leaders? What are the foundational practices and distinctive approaches for designing and sustaining clergy groups as communities of practice? Peer Power will explore these questions through presentations and workshops that draw on a broad mix of perspectives, foundational practices, and direct experiences. The second day of the retreat will focus on facilitator skill development. This workshop is designed for potential facilitators, group members who rotate facilitative roles, and those who train and provide support to facilitators.
Learn more and register »
Ideas that Impact: Congregational Communication
"Just Because You Preach Doesn't Mean You're a Communicator: A Faith & Leadership interview with Maria Dixon Hall"
For an organization in which the word is central, the church does a poor job of communicating, says a Southern Methodist University professor and consultant. She has some advice on how church leaders can do it better.
Read more »
CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, COMMUNICATION
Maria Dixon Hall: Just because you can preach doesn't mean you're a communicator
For an organization in which the word is central, the church does a poor job of communicating, says an SMU professor and consultant. She has some advice on how church leaders can do it better.
Human beings are storytelling creatures, moved and motivated from birth by the power of stories, says communication scholar Maria Dixon Hall.
“One thing we want to know even as a child is, ‘Where do I fit in the story?’” she said.
Yet, with rare exceptions, the church today does a poor job of communicating and telling its story, said Dixon Hall, an associate professor of communication studies at Southern Methodist University.
“The church believes that if you can preach you are a communicator,” she said. “So it has been inattentive to other elements of communication, whether that’s conflict and negotiation or the basic tenets of managerial communication.”
With a background in both the church and business, Dixon Hall said the church can learn much from the business world about how to communicate more effectively and create shared meaning within an organization.
At SMU, Dixon Hall focuses her research on organizational strategy and planning, as well as the intersection of power, identity and culture in corporate, nonprofit and religious organizations. She founded an in-house consulting firm composed of top SMU communication students, whose clients include Southwest Airlines, Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Ugandan American Partnership Organization and the United Methodist Church.
She has a B.S. in marketing from the University of Alabama; an M.Div. and a Th.M. in homiletics from Candler School of Theology, Emory University; and a Ph.D. in organizational communication from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Dixon Hall spoke with Faith & Leadership about organizational communication and the church. The following is an edited transcript.
Q: What is organizational communication?
Organizational communication studies how people use signs, symbols and words to accomplish the work of the organization. Not only how they use communication to work with each other but also how they tell people outside the organization about their work.
It’s a simple field in that it really just studies how people come together to accomplish their task in an organizational setting.
I came to it because I wanted to understand the church not from its sermons but from the communication that happens between Sundays.
I wanted to understand how we talk Monday through Saturday. Not just how the congregation talks but the staff meetings and the denominational meetings and the worship meetings and the letters that pastors send.
I wanted to understand those and then see how they translate to how the church is perceived broadly.
Q: How well does the church do organizational communication?
For an organization where the word is central, the church as a whole probably does one of the worst jobs.
Some denominations do it better than others. The Mormon Church does it extremely well. If you talk to a Mormon, they know why they’re Mormon. They know the difference it’s made in their lives, and they are able to tell other people.
If you look at the Catholic Church, particularly under Pope Francis in his short time as pope, they are able to communicate why Catholics should “come home(link is external).” That’s one of the most fabulous campaigns I’ve ever seen. They say, “Here are the things that have been wrong with us, but come home; here’s why we’re still relevant to your faith.”
It’s as a United Methodist that I’m probably most disappointed. We struggle with having a unity of message. We struggle with having the hard conversations that some other denominations have had.
We have a culture of niceness. We avoid conflict, so we are not able to hash things out. Our leaders are not able to hash out these very complex issues, and so in turn, they’re unable to help the body of Christ and the people who are called Methodists hash them out.
When an organization doesn’t have a way of engaging in conflict, then they have to find a place to do it, and unfortunately, that’s what General Conference has become.
Q: So organizational communication has a role to play in working through conflict?
Yes. The church believes that if you can preach you are a communicator. So it has been inattentive to other elements of communication, whether that’s conflict and negotiation or the basic tenets of managerial communication.
Some of the church’s greatest problems are about managing and talking to each other. District superintendents are unable to understand how to coach a young clergy member or how to discipline an older clergy member. Organizational communication helps an organization deal with that.
Q: What should denominational leaders and leaders of other Christian institutions be doing? What are the keys to effective organizational communication?
First of all, recognize your role. Every new bishop says, “I want to change the culture.”
Well, organizational communication scholars know that it takes seven to 10 years to change a culture. It takes that long for any organization to learn a new language. By understanding that, a leader can then say, “Here are realistic things I can do to begin to change the way we talk.”
The other thing that organizational communication can do is tell you where the breakdowns are. If you look at how people talk to each other or don’t talk to each other, you’ll know the health of an organization.
Church leaders need to be able to read what their people are saying. They need to hear the voices of the pew in a new way, not just as an indicator of stewardship but also of health.
We’ve been taught to measure people’s love for the church through their stewardship. But stewardship is directly tied to how people talk about their relationship with the church.
The more positively I think and speak about the mission, vision and leadership of my church, the more likely I am to invest my time, energy and money, because I now understand where they are going.
Q: Do people know the answers to those questions about mission and vision and where the money goes?
No. We spend a lot of time on glossy handouts that say, “Here’s where your money is going.” We may have a couple of sermons about stewardship.
But we don’t understand that we’ve been having stewardship sermons, Bible studies and newsletters all year. Every document that we send out as a church is a stewardship document.
We don’t tell our own stories well. A good United Methodist told me yesterday, “I think I’d like to be a Catholic. They have their act together. They’re doing great things in the world, and I know what they stand for.”
That’s stewardship. Those things that Pope Francis has been doing are stewardship, and as a result, people are now going to reinvest in the vision of the Catholic Church.
Human beings are storytelling creatures. From the time that we are born, we are moved and motivated by stories. One thing we want to know even as a child is, “Where do I fit in the story?”
United Methodists have become poor storytellers. We no longer can tell our congregation where they fit in the story of Christ. We no longer can communicate the difference that Christ has made in our lives and in the world, and we are unable to tell people why they should be a starring member in this story.
Q: How are church leaders supposed to turn this around? What’s your advice?
First, get comfortable with your own story. If you can’t tell people the story of why Christ has made a difference in your life and tell it succinctly, then it’s unlikely that they will listen.
I’ve been mentored by some great leaders in business and religion, and one thing that I learned from Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines is the importance of story. He tells a story that says, “Here’s why we need Southwest Airlines.”
Theological education doesn’t teach you how to tell a story in a way that allows the church as an organization to live. That story should permeate how we deal with each other in staff meetings and in organizing our work. That story should be relevant when we confront difficult issues.
We are more equipped for talking rather than communicating. Talking is using words in a back-and-forth way. Communicating is creating shared meaning.
We don’t have shared meaning about what it means to be Methodist or a Christian or what it means to be in service.
We are fractured because we don’t know how to create shared meaning. That’s what Christ came to do, to give us an opportunity to bridge the gap and create shared meaning. That meaning comes to me in one of the most powerful means of grace -- coming together as church.
Q: Do corporations do better at creating shared meaning throughout an organization?
Oh my gosh, yes. You see that at Apple. You see that at Southwest Airlines. You see it at key universities.
One of the best leaders I ever worked for is Gerald Turner, the president of Southern Methodist University. I know what we stand for. I know what our goals are. I know how I fit into the story of SMU, and so I am passionate about SMU.
At the beginning of every school year, Dr. Turner stands in front of the faculty and says, “Here’s where we’re going, and here’s how we’re doing so far, and here’s what I need your help in doing. Does anybody have any questions or concerns before we start the car on this semester?”
That creates buy-in. The strategy comes from our board of trustees to our president to our senior administrators to our dean to our chairs and then to the faculty and the students.
The same is true with Southwest Airlines. Southwest Airlines does not view itself as an airline. They say, “We are in the customer service business. We just happen to fly airplanes.”
Everything they do is centered on providing the best customer experience, and their first customers are their employees.
That’s because Herb believed that if the people who work for you are happy, everything else will fall into place. So Southwest set up a system by which they could listen to their people.
The flight attendants, ramp agents and ticket agents know that the leadership of Southwest Airlines has their back, so there’s no fear. There’s no fear of making mistakes. There’s no fear of coming up with new ideas. There’s no fear in taking a risk.
Q: Is fear pervasive in organizations today?
Oh, yes. Particularly in hard economic times, people are afraid of making mistakes. They are afraid to try, because if they fail, they may get fired. So failure becomes bad.
At SMU and Southwest Airlines, failure is more about not trying something new.
You have to develop a culture of risk -- a culture where people say, “I have an idea, and I’d love to try it out.” What SMU and Southwest have done is create entrepreneurs with servants’ hearts.
Messiness is not a problem in those organizations. It is not a problem at SMU or Southwest to have a disagreement or to try something new.
It is a problem when you fall into mediocrity or when you make it someone else’s problem and you are afraid to try.
Q: If there was a “Southwest Church,” who are the employees who are the first customers, the ones whose backs are covered?
It’s clergy.
Some people say, “Oh, our clergy are so well taken care of.” No, really they’re not. They’re squeezed in so many different ways that they are dictated to but rarely listened to.
Our district superintendents and our bishops are so overtaxed they don’t get a chance to know the people they’re serving with. There are not mechanisms to get to know folks. It is difficult to go into war with someone that you don’t really trust, and you don’t trust them because you don’t know them.
We’ve created an adversarial relationship between the clergy and the leadership, which turns into an adversarial relationship between the pew and the pulpit. People will say, “Oh, that’s not the case.” But if you take a lot of these leaders and a lot of these clergy off the record, you hear their frustration.
It’s because we’ve not cultivated that shared meaning and shared story. We don’t have a system in which we can truly engage in dialogue.
Q: How does social media change organizational communication? To what extent has it empowered clergy and congregations to start creating this shared meaning?
Social media is the game changer, but not in the way that the church thinks. The church is focused on, “We should get Twitter accounts and Facebook pages.”
No. They shouldn’t be getting the pages; they should be reading the pages.
There you hear the humor, the sarcasm and the views of the people about what’s really going on. Social media is an opportunity for leaders to take their organization’s temperature.
People are no longer afraid to share their views about their organizations and their leaders on Facebook. They’re no longer afraid to hear what people are saying. They want to be in dialogue, and social media provides anonymity, so they don’t have to worry about retribution.
I was in Europe this summer, and I was on a Virgin [Atlantic] train to Wales from London. It was a bad experience, and so I tweeted, “I can’t believe I’m on this train. Virgin Atlantic is terrible.” Within two minutes I had an email from Virgin saying, “How can we make this a better experience for you?”
That is an organization that’s not simply sending out tweets but is monitoring social media and looking for their name and saying, “Here is where the problems are.”
That’s what you do in this era. You can push messages out, but it might be more useful for organizations to put their ears to the ground and listen to what people are saying.
That is such a theologically sound activity. It’s one of the first questions that Jesus asked the disciples: “What are they saying about me?”
"Cleaning Up Bad Communications Habits from Healthy Disclosure: Solving Communication Quandaries in Congregations" by Kibbie Simmons Ruth and Karen A. McClintock
Of the several negative communication patterns congregations practice, three habits are particularly problematic: triangulation, pass-through communication, and anonymous feedback.Read more »
Resources for Church Communications in the Digital Age
Christian leaders today have to grapple with one of the most profoundly disruptive trends in the world: the digital revolution. Faith & Leadership offers a curated list of resources to help with communications -- online, in traditional media, in marketing, and within organizations.
Read more »
TECHNOLOGY, SOCIAL MEDIA, MANAGEMENT, COMMUNICATION
Resources for church communications in the digital age
istock/Henrik Jonsson Graphic Design
Christian leaders today have to grapple with one of the most profoundly disruptive trends in the world: the digital revolution. Faith & Leadership offers resources to help with communications -- online, in traditional media, in marketing, and within organizations.
Christian leaders -- like leaders in all sectors -- have at their disposal one of the most powerful communications tools ever devised. But taking advantage of communications on the Web requires the same theologically wise approach required when engaging with traditional media -- or indeed, in face-to-face communications.
Interested in exploring further?
With a background in both the church and business, Dixon Hall said the church can learn much from the business world about how to communicate more effectively and create shared meaning within an organization.
At SMU, Dixon Hall focuses her research on organizational strategy and planning, as well as the intersection of power, identity and culture in corporate, nonprofit and religious organizations. She founded an in-house consulting firm composed of top SMU communication students, whose clients include Southwest Airlines, Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Ugandan American Partnership Organization and the United Methodist Church.
She has a B.S. in marketing from the University of Alabama; an M.Div. and a Th.M. in homiletics from Candler School of Theology, Emory University; and a Ph.D. in organizational communication from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Dixon Hall spoke with Faith & Leadership about organizational communication and the church. The following is an edited transcript.
Q: What is organizational communication?
Organizational communication studies how people use signs, symbols and words to accomplish the work of the organization. Not only how they use communication to work with each other but also how they tell people outside the organization about their work.
It’s a simple field in that it really just studies how people come together to accomplish their task in an organizational setting.
I came to it because I wanted to understand the church not from its sermons but from the communication that happens between Sundays.
I wanted to understand how we talk Monday through Saturday. Not just how the congregation talks but the staff meetings and the denominational meetings and the worship meetings and the letters that pastors send.
I wanted to understand those and then see how they translate to how the church is perceived broadly.
Q: How well does the church do organizational communication?
For an organization where the word is central, the church as a whole probably does one of the worst jobs.
Some denominations do it better than others. The Mormon Church does it extremely well. If you talk to a Mormon, they know why they’re Mormon. They know the difference it’s made in their lives, and they are able to tell other people.
If you look at the Catholic Church, particularly under Pope Francis in his short time as pope, they are able to communicate why Catholics should “come home(link is external).” That’s one of the most fabulous campaigns I’ve ever seen. They say, “Here are the things that have been wrong with us, but come home; here’s why we’re still relevant to your faith.”
It’s as a United Methodist that I’m probably most disappointed. We struggle with having a unity of message. We struggle with having the hard conversations that some other denominations have had.
We have a culture of niceness. We avoid conflict, so we are not able to hash things out. Our leaders are not able to hash out these very complex issues, and so in turn, they’re unable to help the body of Christ and the people who are called Methodists hash them out.
When an organization doesn’t have a way of engaging in conflict, then they have to find a place to do it, and unfortunately, that’s what General Conference has become.
Q: So organizational communication has a role to play in working through conflict?
Yes. The church believes that if you can preach you are a communicator. So it has been inattentive to other elements of communication, whether that’s conflict and negotiation or the basic tenets of managerial communication.
Some of the church’s greatest problems are about managing and talking to each other. District superintendents are unable to understand how to coach a young clergy member or how to discipline an older clergy member. Organizational communication helps an organization deal with that.
Q: What should denominational leaders and leaders of other Christian institutions be doing? What are the keys to effective organizational communication?
First of all, recognize your role. Every new bishop says, “I want to change the culture.”
Well, organizational communication scholars know that it takes seven to 10 years to change a culture. It takes that long for any organization to learn a new language. By understanding that, a leader can then say, “Here are realistic things I can do to begin to change the way we talk.”
The other thing that organizational communication can do is tell you where the breakdowns are. If you look at how people talk to each other or don’t talk to each other, you’ll know the health of an organization.
Church leaders need to be able to read what their people are saying. They need to hear the voices of the pew in a new way, not just as an indicator of stewardship but also of health.
We’ve been taught to measure people’s love for the church through their stewardship. But stewardship is directly tied to how people talk about their relationship with the church.
The more positively I think and speak about the mission, vision and leadership of my church, the more likely I am to invest my time, energy and money, because I now understand where they are going.
Q: Do people know the answers to those questions about mission and vision and where the money goes?
No. We spend a lot of time on glossy handouts that say, “Here’s where your money is going.” We may have a couple of sermons about stewardship.
But we don’t understand that we’ve been having stewardship sermons, Bible studies and newsletters all year. Every document that we send out as a church is a stewardship document.
We don’t tell our own stories well. A good United Methodist told me yesterday, “I think I’d like to be a Catholic. They have their act together. They’re doing great things in the world, and I know what they stand for.”
That’s stewardship. Those things that Pope Francis has been doing are stewardship, and as a result, people are now going to reinvest in the vision of the Catholic Church.
Human beings are storytelling creatures. From the time that we are born, we are moved and motivated by stories. One thing we want to know even as a child is, “Where do I fit in the story?”
United Methodists have become poor storytellers. We no longer can tell our congregation where they fit in the story of Christ. We no longer can communicate the difference that Christ has made in our lives and in the world, and we are unable to tell people why they should be a starring member in this story.
Q: How are church leaders supposed to turn this around? What’s your advice?
First, get comfortable with your own story. If you can’t tell people the story of why Christ has made a difference in your life and tell it succinctly, then it’s unlikely that they will listen.
I’ve been mentored by some great leaders in business and religion, and one thing that I learned from Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines is the importance of story. He tells a story that says, “Here’s why we need Southwest Airlines.”
Theological education doesn’t teach you how to tell a story in a way that allows the church as an organization to live. That story should permeate how we deal with each other in staff meetings and in organizing our work. That story should be relevant when we confront difficult issues.
We are more equipped for talking rather than communicating. Talking is using words in a back-and-forth way. Communicating is creating shared meaning.
We don’t have shared meaning about what it means to be Methodist or a Christian or what it means to be in service.
We are fractured because we don’t know how to create shared meaning. That’s what Christ came to do, to give us an opportunity to bridge the gap and create shared meaning. That meaning comes to me in one of the most powerful means of grace -- coming together as church.
Q: Do corporations do better at creating shared meaning throughout an organization?
Oh my gosh, yes. You see that at Apple. You see that at Southwest Airlines. You see it at key universities.
One of the best leaders I ever worked for is Gerald Turner, the president of Southern Methodist University. I know what we stand for. I know what our goals are. I know how I fit into the story of SMU, and so I am passionate about SMU.
At the beginning of every school year, Dr. Turner stands in front of the faculty and says, “Here’s where we’re going, and here’s how we’re doing so far, and here’s what I need your help in doing. Does anybody have any questions or concerns before we start the car on this semester?”
That creates buy-in. The strategy comes from our board of trustees to our president to our senior administrators to our dean to our chairs and then to the faculty and the students.
The same is true with Southwest Airlines. Southwest Airlines does not view itself as an airline. They say, “We are in the customer service business. We just happen to fly airplanes.”
Everything they do is centered on providing the best customer experience, and their first customers are their employees.
That’s because Herb believed that if the people who work for you are happy, everything else will fall into place. So Southwest set up a system by which they could listen to their people.
The flight attendants, ramp agents and ticket agents know that the leadership of Southwest Airlines has their back, so there’s no fear. There’s no fear of making mistakes. There’s no fear of coming up with new ideas. There’s no fear in taking a risk.
Q: Is fear pervasive in organizations today?
Oh, yes. Particularly in hard economic times, people are afraid of making mistakes. They are afraid to try, because if they fail, they may get fired. So failure becomes bad.
At SMU and Southwest Airlines, failure is more about not trying something new.
You have to develop a culture of risk -- a culture where people say, “I have an idea, and I’d love to try it out.” What SMU and Southwest have done is create entrepreneurs with servants’ hearts.
Messiness is not a problem in those organizations. It is not a problem at SMU or Southwest to have a disagreement or to try something new.
It is a problem when you fall into mediocrity or when you make it someone else’s problem and you are afraid to try.
Q: If there was a “Southwest Church,” who are the employees who are the first customers, the ones whose backs are covered?
It’s clergy.
Some people say, “Oh, our clergy are so well taken care of.” No, really they’re not. They’re squeezed in so many different ways that they are dictated to but rarely listened to.
Our district superintendents and our bishops are so overtaxed they don’t get a chance to know the people they’re serving with. There are not mechanisms to get to know folks. It is difficult to go into war with someone that you don’t really trust, and you don’t trust them because you don’t know them.
We’ve created an adversarial relationship between the clergy and the leadership, which turns into an adversarial relationship between the pew and the pulpit. People will say, “Oh, that’s not the case.” But if you take a lot of these leaders and a lot of these clergy off the record, you hear their frustration.
It’s because we’ve not cultivated that shared meaning and shared story. We don’t have a system in which we can truly engage in dialogue.
Q: How does social media change organizational communication? To what extent has it empowered clergy and congregations to start creating this shared meaning?
Social media is the game changer, but not in the way that the church thinks. The church is focused on, “We should get Twitter accounts and Facebook pages.”
No. They shouldn’t be getting the pages; they should be reading the pages.
There you hear the humor, the sarcasm and the views of the people about what’s really going on. Social media is an opportunity for leaders to take their organization’s temperature.
People are no longer afraid to share their views about their organizations and their leaders on Facebook. They’re no longer afraid to hear what people are saying. They want to be in dialogue, and social media provides anonymity, so they don’t have to worry about retribution.
I was in Europe this summer, and I was on a Virgin [Atlantic] train to Wales from London. It was a bad experience, and so I tweeted, “I can’t believe I’m on this train. Virgin Atlantic is terrible.” Within two minutes I had an email from Virgin saying, “How can we make this a better experience for you?”
That is an organization that’s not simply sending out tweets but is monitoring social media and looking for their name and saying, “Here is where the problems are.”
That’s what you do in this era. You can push messages out, but it might be more useful for organizations to put their ears to the ground and listen to what people are saying.
That is such a theologically sound activity. It’s one of the first questions that Jesus asked the disciples: “What are they saying about me?”
"Cleaning Up Bad Communications Habits from Healthy Disclosure: Solving Communication Quandaries in Congregations" by Kibbie Simmons Ruth and Karen A. McClintock
Of the several negative communication patterns congregations practice, three habits are particularly problematic: triangulation, pass-through communication, and anonymous feedback.Read more »
Resources for Church Communications in the Digital Age
Christian leaders today have to grapple with one of the most profoundly disruptive trends in the world: the digital revolution. Faith & Leadership offers a curated list of resources to help with communications -- online, in traditional media, in marketing, and within organizations.
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TECHNOLOGY, SOCIAL MEDIA, MANAGEMENT, COMMUNICATION
Resources for church communications in the digital age
istock/Henrik Jonsson Graphic Design
Christian leaders today have to grapple with one of the most profoundly disruptive trends in the world: the digital revolution. Faith & Leadership offers resources to help with communications -- online, in traditional media, in marketing, and within organizations.
Christian leaders -- like leaders in all sectors -- have at their disposal one of the most powerful communications tools ever devised. But taking advantage of communications on the Web requires the same theologically wise approach required when engaging with traditional media -- or indeed, in face-to-face communications.
Interested in exploring further?
Read about technology and the church.
Our resources include interviews with noted theologians and church leaders, advice from experts and practitioners, and suggestions on how to deal with some common communications challenges.
Theology and digital communications
Verity Jones: Thinking theologically about using social media
The New Media Project wants to help faith leaders become more theologically savvy about social media, which is rapidly changing the landscape of Christian life.
Our resources include interviews with noted theologians and church leaders, advice from experts and practitioners, and suggestions on how to deal with some common communications challenges.
Theology and digital communications
Verity Jones: Thinking theologically about using social media
The New Media Project wants to help faith leaders become more theologically savvy about social media, which is rapidly changing the landscape of Christian life.
Keith Anderson: Digital ministry and bearing witness to the holy
Social media gives pastors a new ability to point out the presence of God in the day-to-day of people’s lives, says a Lutheran pastor and co-author of a book on digital ministry.
Heidi Campbell: The Internet challenges and empowers religious institutions
The digital culture isn’t changing religion as much as it is reflecting offline shifts in Christian life, says a scholar of religion and media at Texas A&M University.
Tips on digital and media communications
How to enter the digital age
Experts on technology and the church offer advice on how to establish -- or expand -- your organization’s technological presence.
Social media gives pastors a new ability to point out the presence of God in the day-to-day of people’s lives, says a Lutheran pastor and co-author of a book on digital ministry.
Heidi Campbell: The Internet challenges and empowers religious institutions
The digital culture isn’t changing religion as much as it is reflecting offline shifts in Christian life, says a scholar of religion and media at Texas A&M University.
Tips on digital and media communications
How to enter the digital age
Experts on technology and the church offer advice on how to establish -- or expand -- your organization’s technological presence.
Elizabeth Drescher: Digital ministry, made for the mainline
Networked, relational and incarnational, digital ministry is a good fit for the mainline, a chance to make the privatized practice of faith public and visible in the world again, says the author and scholar.
Nonprofits credit social media for success
Moms Rising and charity: water have accomplished much in a short time. Here are some tips on how they did it, with the effective use of social media.
Joshua Benton: Putting the social in social media
Finding the right tool isn’t the answer to communicating online. Social media has to have the tenor of human conversation to be effective, says the director of the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University.
Telling the good news, in the media
It isn’t easy for a church or other Christian organization to get media coverage (unless something has gone wrong). But it is possible, with these 10 tips from two church communications consultants.
Personal essays by Christian social media users
Networked, relational and incarnational, digital ministry is a good fit for the mainline, a chance to make the privatized practice of faith public and visible in the world again, says the author and scholar.
Nonprofits credit social media for success
Moms Rising and charity: water have accomplished much in a short time. Here are some tips on how they did it, with the effective use of social media.
Joshua Benton: Putting the social in social media
Finding the right tool isn’t the answer to communicating online. Social media has to have the tenor of human conversation to be effective, says the director of the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University.
Telling the good news, in the media
It isn’t easy for a church or other Christian organization to get media coverage (unless something has gone wrong). But it is possible, with these 10 tips from two church communications consultants.
Personal essays by Christian social media users
Cathleen Falsani: Where two or more are gathered ...on Facebook
Much to her surprise, a journalist finds community -- real, authentic, deeply connected, deeply faithful community -- online.
Amey Victoria Adkins: Learning to speak
The heart of Christian community is connecting, confessing and witnessing together the work of God. It doesn’t matter whether you do it live or on Twitter, says a freelance writer and pastor.
John P. Jackman: Facebook and faith
When a middle-aged pastor joined Facebook, he didn’t know what to expect. But he quickly discovered that this new medium offers a powerful way for the church to be present in the world.
Communicating in a crisis
Anne Curley: Do the right thing
In the midst of church scandal or other crisis, leaders need to remember: People expect the truth, says communication expert Anne Curley.
Roger Parrott: BP’s other toxic spill
Whether you’re the fourth-largest company in the world or a ministry leader in a crisis, trust cannot be bought with public relations campaigns, writes a Mississippi college president reacting to the 2010 oil spill.
Marketing and communications
Gavan Fitzsimons: Are consumer brands replacing religion?
The marketing of brands has become so sophisticated that they can replace religious institutions by giving people a sense of community, identity and self-expression, says a consumer psychologist. This is a cautionary tale for Christian leaders seeking to grow the church.
Much to her surprise, a journalist finds community -- real, authentic, deeply connected, deeply faithful community -- online.
Amey Victoria Adkins: Learning to speak
The heart of Christian community is connecting, confessing and witnessing together the work of God. It doesn’t matter whether you do it live or on Twitter, says a freelance writer and pastor.
John P. Jackman: Facebook and faith
When a middle-aged pastor joined Facebook, he didn’t know what to expect. But he quickly discovered that this new medium offers a powerful way for the church to be present in the world.
Communicating in a crisis
Anne Curley: Do the right thing
In the midst of church scandal or other crisis, leaders need to remember: People expect the truth, says communication expert Anne Curley.
Roger Parrott: BP’s other toxic spill
Whether you’re the fourth-largest company in the world or a ministry leader in a crisis, trust cannot be bought with public relations campaigns, writes a Mississippi college president reacting to the 2010 oil spill.
Marketing and communications
Gavan Fitzsimons: Are consumer brands replacing religion?
The marketing of brands has become so sophisticated that they can replace religious institutions by giving people a sense of community, identity and self-expression, says a consumer psychologist. This is a cautionary tale for Christian leaders seeking to grow the church.
Clayton Christensen: Focusing on a job to be done
The Harvard business professor and author of “How Will You Measure Your Life?” says that leaders should focus on their institution’s mission in order to foresee and compete against disruptive innovations.
Melissa Wiginton: Church marketing
Is public speech too corrupt to serve as a valuable medium for the institution of the church?
James Howell: Holy marketing
Church marketing runs the risk of slipping into spin. So how do we market? By striving for two objectives that matter -- clarity and holy excellence.
Internal communications
The Harvard business professor and author of “How Will You Measure Your Life?” says that leaders should focus on their institution’s mission in order to foresee and compete against disruptive innovations.
Melissa Wiginton: Church marketing
Is public speech too corrupt to serve as a valuable medium for the institution of the church?
James Howell: Holy marketing
Church marketing runs the risk of slipping into spin. So how do we market? By striving for two objectives that matter -- clarity and holy excellence.
Internal communications
Maria Dixon Hall: Just because you can preach doesn’t mean you’re a communicator
For an organization in which the word is central, the church does a poor job of communicating, says an SMU professor and consultant. She has some advice on how church leaders can do it better.
Diane M. Millis: Silence and the art of conversation
Some of the most essential practices for genuine conversation include not only the words we speak but also the silence that surrounds them. A leadership coach and facilitator offers tips on the practice of pausing.
Gretchen E. Ziegenhals: The Parable of the Abilene Paradox
Few Christian leaders would say that they enjoy conflict, or even handle it well. But how about our inability to cope with agreement?
How to have difficult conversations
Jared Bleak: Dangerous conversations
An executive director of Duke Corporate Education offers a four-step strategy for leaders facing conversations that are difficult, tense or even dangerous.
Nathan Kirkpatrick: Making crucial conversations a priority
Despite knowing that “crucial conversations” are vital for an institution, leaders often fail to have them. So what might we as institutional leaders do to help ourselves?
Communicating about leadership transitions
For an organization in which the word is central, the church does a poor job of communicating, says an SMU professor and consultant. She has some advice on how church leaders can do it better.
Diane M. Millis: Silence and the art of conversation
Some of the most essential practices for genuine conversation include not only the words we speak but also the silence that surrounds them. A leadership coach and facilitator offers tips on the practice of pausing.
Gretchen E. Ziegenhals: The Parable of the Abilene Paradox
Few Christian leaders would say that they enjoy conflict, or even handle it well. But how about our inability to cope with agreement?
How to have difficult conversations
Jared Bleak: Dangerous conversations
An executive director of Duke Corporate Education offers a four-step strategy for leaders facing conversations that are difficult, tense or even dangerous.
Nathan Kirkpatrick: Making crucial conversations a priority
Despite knowing that “crucial conversations” are vital for an institution, leaders often fail to have them. So what might we as institutional leaders do to help ourselves?
Communicating about leadership transitions
Lance Wallace: What to say when you don't know what's next
The former director of communications and marketing for the Atlanta-based Cooperative Baptist Fellowship reflects on the 2012 transition in leadership in his organization.
Lance Wallace: Getting goodbye right
How do we celebrate a departing leader's tenure with integrity?
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Alban
The former director of communications and marketing for the Atlanta-based Cooperative Baptist Fellowship reflects on the 2012 transition in leadership in his organization.
Lance Wallace: Getting goodbye right
How do we celebrate a departing leader's tenure with integrity?
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