Congregational Communication

Congregational Communication is a challenge in many churches. Congregational communication is not rocket science but every congregation is a bit different. For a book on congregational communication, click here. The challenge is to find communication tools that work for your members. If some members of your congregation do not have email yet, your church cannot depend on email alone to get the word out efficiently.

On the other hand, mail slots do not work for all members. One church administrative assistant I knew assumed that if she put information in church mailboxes that everyone would get the word in a timely fashion. How she could believe that in the face of boxes stuffed to bursting was beyond me. Multiple communication channels are key. These include the now standard electronic means (email) but may include texting and alerts, as well. Forgotten by many churches today are “old fashioned” methods such as neighborhood groups and phone calling trees. Few churches can communicate so well that nothing needs improvement.

One of the most cost effective way us to improve communication is to update mailing lists. Unfortunately, mailing lists don’t generally update themselves. Sometimes people let the church know if they move or drop their landline. Most times, however, it takes someone to update the mailing list of every member so that the church can stay in touch.

Having problems reaching members? Congregations change and so does communication. Over time, communication may become difficult and messages and announcements get garbled. Don’t depend on word-of-mouth to get important information out! Rev. Glen Bickford can help your congregation untangle its lines of communication. For an hourly fee, Glen will analyze your congregations and recommend changes to improve communication efficiency and speed using  both old and new technologies and proven methods. The larger the church, the bigger the problem of communication is.