I’ve been a part of the local church all over the world in my life, whether it’s been attending & serving, being on staff, or now contracting. One of the most consistent weak points I’ve encountered is communication strategy. Most churches have Sunday morning announcements, a calendar on their website, a Facebook page where they will share events, and maybe even an Instagram. But none of these are a communcation strategy. These are all methods of communication. Without a solid strategy, they aren’t very helpful.
Church Communications you can Count on
Let’s start with talking about WHY a communcation stratgey is so vital to the growth of your church. Imagine a friend who always invites you to events at the last minute. You want to attend, and you like this friend, but you’re just never able to move around your schedule last-minute. Now, imagine a coworker you’ve been getting to know invites you to a party, but they forget to give you an address or phone number to contact them. Again, you really want to depper this friendship, but your hands are tied.
When these things happen once in while, it’s understandable. But if scenarios like this continue, it becomes hard to trust this person. Frustration creeps in, and you end up wishing they would just stop inviting you to things altogether.
How many of us do this exact same thing with our congregations? We announce events at the last minute or without communicating the necessary details. And then we’re surprised at lack of buy-in or participation… Unclear, rushed or inconcistent communcation breaks down trust between you and your church members. It also makes it hard for people to attend the events they’d like to or fully engage.
Building a Church Communications Strategy
So where do you start with a communications strategy? Over the years, I’ve devolped a few rules of thumb that have worked great for my clients.
- For smaller events or special Sundays, announce and post on social 3 weeks out
- For events that need volunteers, like a community serving day, announce and post on social 6 weeks out
- For big events like conferences that require registration and/or payment, announce and post on social 3 months out
These are just a starting point. There are other factors to think about, like keeping your social feed from becoming a virtual bullletin board.
Here are some other things to think about when developing your strategy:
- How often/how many times you announce a given event
- What information is included for small, medium and large events
- What additional methods of communication are used (social & search ads, radio announcements, invite cards, flyers, etc.)
- How do people sign up to volunteer and register for events (website, app, station w/ tablets, etc.)
- What category does each event fall into
Church Communications Made Simple
The great news is once you have this strategy in place, it’s so easy to implement because it’s the same every time. No more thinking through and planning out communications for every single event! I’d suggest using your strategy for a full year, then look at the results and make adjustments where needed. The changes this will cause in your church culture may not be visible overnight, but they will come!
Need help developing or even implementing your church’s communication strategy? We’re here to walk with you every step of the way, from building your strategy, to creating communication pieces to sending them out for you. We love empowering the local church to engage with their community and disciple their congregation well!
Just click the button below and let us know you’re interested in a Communication Strategy and we’ll send over a quote.
