By Laura Stephens Reed
“I didn’t know about that [congregational event or decision].” This sentence is a dagger to the heart of anyone who has ever spent a long time writing a church newsletter article, made an announcement in worship, or posted meticulously crafted graphics about that very thing on social media. And yet, this statement is often uttered, even by very faithful church members.
That’s because communication within congregations has become much more complicated. Attendance one or two Sundays per month is now considered “regular,” meaning a lot of people miss the updates shared then. There are many different ways that people consume information, making it hard to know which means of distribution are most effective. And there’s so much distraction and noise crowding out the messages that churches are trying to get across.
Communication, though, is absolutely essential. On a day-to-day level, ministry depends on people knowing what is going on and how to get involved. Leaders can develop amazing classes, events and opportunities to serve, but if no one is aware of their existence, these offerings will not make much of an impact. On a bigger picture level, good communication deepens congregants’ investment in the church’s vocation. People understand how church events and decisions contribute to what everyone is trying to do as a collective and how they can be part of this overall vision.
If there are big gaps in communication, by contrast, human tendency is fill in those openings with inferences about what is and isn’t going on. Those assumptions can spread and take root, making them hard to correct. Many church conflicts begin with the failure to inform people fully.
What, then, can ministry leaders do to impart information well? Here are some questions to guide planning for communication:
What is the purpose of this bit of news? Is it to inform, inspire and/or invite a response or participation? Answering this will help you develop the right tone and length as well as the details you will need to include in order to make your message as clear and compelling as possible.
How does this news relate to the congregation’s core values and vision? Each announcement is an opening to remind people of why you come together as church. That opportunity provides an extra layer of incentive to communicate well, and the connection to values and vision motivates people to engage with your message.
Who is this word primarily for? Is it for church members or those in the surrounding area? On what segment(s) of those larger groups are you focusing? What ideas and language will connect with your intended audience? What accessibility needs are factors? Regarding this last question, it’s important to keep in mind people with visual and auditory impairments as well as those whose senses become quickly overloaded with a lot of concepts, sounds or sights.
Who is this message secondarily for? Who might be encouraged by knowing your information, even if it doesn’t impact them directly? For example, someone might make a worship announcement for youth and their parents about a mission outing but do so knowing that older adults will hear and be delighted that the youth ministry is active and involved in the community, in turn increasing those older adults’ excitement about the congregation.
What means of spreading the news will work best? Responses to the queries above will inform this piece of the communication plan. If we want to invite younger adults to a ministry event, for instance, the most effective way to extend that hospitality will not be the newsletter, even an emailed version. It will likely be texting or using a social media platform. Even as you consider possible outlets, though, never overlook the power of personal connections. People will more actively receive and positively act on information shared in one-on-one conversations or in small groups.
When will this communication be most effective? Timing is important. Sundays with low attendance and weeks with holidays or big community events are probably not the prime time for major announcements. When, then, would a message begin to reach the biggest segment of the hoped-for audience(s)?
How often does this information need to be transmitted? Spoiler alert: The answer is never “just once,” with the possible exception of news communicated one-on-one. What are the attendance patterns in your particular congregation? What are the different venues (e.g., meetings, classes, group texts, social media platforms the church uses) that exist for pushing out news? Most messages need to be repeated up to seven times to be retained and acted upon. To be even more effective, vary the approach each time so that recipients won’t tune it out as something they’ve already heard. This is a way that some churches are making good use of AI: Feed in the information, and AI will re-word your communication so that each iteration catches hearers/readers anew.
Communication is about so much more than simply relaying data. It sustains ministries. It shows care for individuals and intentionality about the overall direction of the congregation. That’s why it is so important to plan for communication. That doesn’t mean that ways of informing the congregation must utilize every platform available or to be super high tech. Instead, I hope that the questions above can focus your efforts so that they have their intended reach, bringing people together through information so that they can then connect on an even deeper level.