Four Foundations of a Church Communications Ministry

The church communicator’s role has grown from a secretarial task list of weekly newsletters and Sunday bulletins to encompass a wider ministry role of electronic, print, video and social media. Multiple disciplines, including creative, copywriting, graphic arts, video production and editing and campaign management are today’s norm. Effective church communications can help the whole body of Christ become more engaged in the church’s mission and ministries, and give a clear picture of the congregation to the unchurched community. Here are four foundations I believe are essential for a church communications leader.

Love information. The communications minister is a steward of information. This includes the ability to effectively gather information and to communicate it through various media and means in a timely and clear fashion. Both the staff and lay leaders need a path to submit ministry information, but the communications leaders need to also be willing to build relationships throughout the church in order to gather and capture information on an ongoing basis. The desire to know what is going on at all times in all areas is essential to reflecting the total ministry of the church in all communication areas. I believe this is both a skill and a giftedness. Many ministry leaders simply don’t possess the desire or knowledge to effectively promote their ministry, activities or events. They need someone who wants to know what they are doing, who they are serving, how it is impacting, and share that information with the whole church body.

Be a cheerleader. Communications ministry can become a speed bump for the church if its leaders play favorites, or lack enthusiasm for the church and her mission. A communications ministry is the head cheerleader for all of the church’s ministry activities. There must be a desire to see every area to which the church is called and led in ministry to be enthusiastically supported with good communication. Sometimes a church’s communications area is a subset of the worship, or discipleship, or administrative ministry. This naturally leads to a bias on which area(s) are promoted more fully, or creatively. Instead, strive to make interaction with the communications ministry a positive for everyone, so that they know you are giving your very best to communicate their ministry endeavors.

Use your people resources. The average church’s promotional budget isn’t enough to impact a media saturated culture, even on the local level. Advertising dollars won’t penetrate, and even the most clever of designs and campaigns will often lack the resources to see it broadcast on an effective scale. Every church does have a powerful communications resource though… her people. Create communications campaigns that maximize the use of your congregation to get the word out. Make sure they are informed. This takes skill and planning—giving them enough information in a clear way so they can inform others. At the same time, avoid overloading them with a Thanksgiving plate of information they can’t possibly digest.

Keep the focus spiritual. In an increasingly agnostic, post-Christian culture, it’s a great temptation to focus on the cultural versus the spiritual. Simply put, the church’s goal is not to be cool, hip or whatever with respect to the current trends. Often communicators attempt to make the church relevant. Instead, let me suggest that spiritually, the church exists in a permanent state of relevance. God is always relevant. The communicator need merely point people looking for a solution for whatever today’s ailment happens to be back to God. Cool names, logos, video hooks, these will all pass in time. Focus on what will remain, which is the spiritual food of God’s Word, and His mission for His church. This has the further benefit of keeping the church from being cheesy. The unchurched see right through the sermon series named after the current TV hit show, or a play on words from some big ad campaign, or the latest blockbuster movie. These tactics only cheapen a message that, when left in its pure form, is not only rich in meaning, but will draw people to itself. Remember, a communicator in the church is working in and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Your creativity is not isolated from the work of God—it must be in tune with it.