Great Examples of Church Leadership Communications

What does effective communication look like for your church? The answer will depend on the size of your ministry and the channels through which your church is active, but when it comes to envisioning the impact of excellent church leadership communication, you should really think of a centralized ministry.

It’s the responsibility of every church leader to be a great communicator, especially church leaders who directly spread the message within the community. For churches that maintain a digital presence, their digital materials often make the first impression for new visitors. Putting your values front and center is a great way to introduce them to your church’s culture.

Meanwhile, communication should also work to reduce information overload. Effective communication focuses on what’s important for your church and its congregants, and prioritizes the delivery of that information. Effective communication means clear communication, and that may mean clearing the slate for those listening or providing proper context to hold their attention and ensure powerful understanding.

Being able to shape the narrative of everything your church presents is a fundamental element of effective communication. Yet, the way we communicate is changing.

Church Leadership Communication After COVID-19

When COVID-19 hit and churches were forced to shutter their doors, communication took on a whole new meaning. While many churches are back to full operation, church communication will remain forever changed, and for the better.

With modern tools, churches have found that they can deliver God’s word at a global scale, but they’ve also recognized the need to:

• Simplify the message. Translate it so everyone can understand it.
• Remain agile when it comes to how you communicate with your community.
• Understand how to lead others, and make it a priority.

With these things in mind, church communication is not effortless. To follow is a look at the common challenges churches often face, and how to overcome them.

Common Challenges Churches Face

Your church’s communication strategy will not be implemented without overcoming hurdles.

Accelerated Change

One of the biggest challenges impacting churches, especially now, is the accelerating changes that are happening all around the church. Your team is likely spending more time than ever trying to establish and grow its online presence, and you may still be getting a handle on how to best communicate with those who aren’t attending in-person service. The solution is to focus on what’s important for your community to hear. Simplify the message.

Lack of Strategy

Even now, it’s difficult to plan for the long term not knowing what will happen with future mandates and even your community’s preferences and comfort levels. Look at the big picture so that any plan or strategy you do come up with isn’t affected by day-to-day changes in how you can do things.

Slow Adoption

If your church isn’t already adopting new means of communication, like live streaming its sermons, activating online groups, and providing digital worship experiences, now is the time to start. It will take resources to become proficient with these online tools, but it will make a major difference for your church’s growth and success.

Overwhelm and Chaos

Church leaders have faced a tough year. You have a lot on your plate, and finding ways to lead others through these uncertain times is a challenge. You need to remember that God is in control, even amongst chaos. Turn to Him for peace and remember that every opportunity you find to spread His love will strengthen your church and community.

Failing to Scale Down

If your church has experienced stress with funding, fewer volunteers, and other roadblocks, it’s time to communicate with those in your church and talk about scaling back some projects. It’s a challenge, but consider what you can put on hold for now to help strengthen your church’s foundation, prevent burnout, and provide clarity to your current priorities.

Expand Your Church Leadership Communications

Your church may be establishing its online presence for the first time, or revisiting its approach to the digital world after recent restrictions. In any case, your church should see this as an opportunity for growth and taking on a new medium.

Just as the Lord used the printing press to spread the Bible and the radio to broadcast the good news, the new digital mediums we’re seeing today are simply the latest tool that the church can leverage to get God’s word and love out to more people. However, if you approach it without a plan, you’re going to end up creating a disjointed experience for your church’s supporters.

Ideally, a church supporter will have a similar experience if they go to your website as if they were to walk through your doors. Your church has values and a culture, which you may consider to be your church’s brand, and you need to keep that brand consistent across channels. This is known as an “omnichannel” approach, and using it will allow you to engage your audience everywhere they interact with you.

Ending Communication Tensions

Does your church experience tension between leadership and communications? This tension often exists because these responsibilities are viewed separately. However, a focus on church communications will begin to bridge the gap. Leaders play a crucial role in bringing clarity to everyone within the church and showcasing how communications supports the mission, and vice versa.

Effective church leaders possess a number of qualities, including the ability to adapt quickly to change. Your church leaders should rethink their communication, by focusing on the mission at a higher level and being willing to change plans when needed. Looking at the big picture will keep your church on track in the long run.

When it comes to strategizing communications for all of the channels your church is now active on, remember these tips:

• Know who your church is. What’s your culture? What are your values? Align that with a user’s experience across platforms.
• Understand who your audience is. Why do they want to connect with your church? How can you best serve them on each channel?
• Get to know those in your community. Collect data whenever you’re able to and understand what they need. Your church is unique, and so is the community you serve.
• Deliver content to your community that resonates with their lifestyles, concerns, and priorities. Build a ministry around genuine discussion and connections.

Are you interested in learning more about how effective communication can be utilized by your church’s leadership? Reach out to DonorWerx for information about coaching.