Mark MacDonald

Mark MacDonald is a communication pastor, speaker, bestselling author, church branding strategist for BeKnownForSomething.com and Executive Director of Center for Church Communication, influencing and empowering 10,000+ churches to become known for something relevant (a communication thread) throughout their ministries, websites, and social media. His book, Be Known for Something, is available at BeKnownBook.com.

Articles by Mark MacDonald

• 5 communication knowns about 2021, the year of unknowns

  Tuesday, December 08, 2020

  2020 has proven that the only consistency in life is that we should expect change. And our definition of "change" certainly broadened in the last 12 months! Looking to 2021, we know that we don’t know. It’ll be a year of unknowns. After working 30-plus years in communication, here are five things that we do know, though. And if these are understood intrinsically, as God unfurls 2021, we’ll be more prepared than we were during 2020.

• The beginner’s guide to church websites: 4 steps

  Friday, November 06, 2020

  There are many communication channels for your church. You can talk from the stage, in your bulletin, through text or email messaging, on one or all social media channels, and your website. What matters most? That you communicate where most in your congregation have access to — and where your community can discover you. Print can’t do that economically. Your church needs a digital communication hub that’s trusted and known. Everything points there. If your congregation or community wants info, they know they can find it at your web URL address. Here are the initial four steps to creating a successful website.

• The beginner’s guide to church SEO

  Tuesday, October 27, 2020

  Everyone can benefit from a third-party endorsement where someone recommends what you’re offering. Wouldn’t it be great for a trusted friend to recommend your church? The next best solution is when Google (or another search engine) gives results that recommend you! Winner! We tend to trust one of their first results like we heard it from a trusted friend. The ability to be found on that first page requires a lot of work, though. Here’s how you can ensure your church is the "best" Google solution.

• Warning: 3 things you need to know before a church rebrand

  Tuesday, October 13, 2020

  It’s all the rage, and it’s a great trend. In fact, if you haven’t branded or rebranded your church in the last five years, you should budget for it in the next year. Why? Because an effective rebrand will help you evangelize better, increase membership, and strengthen participation. But before you jump into the rebrand process, understand these three things.

• Churches, ‘COMM’centrate on 6 things

  Tuesday, September 29, 2020

  There are many distractions and options when thinking about church communications. Focus is the key, and that “COMM”centration is required for a church to become noticed. Each person in your community and congregation has a lot of competition for thoughts and actions, too. The shotgun approach rarely works. If you’re not concentrating on the right things by limiting what people know about you, you will be ignored. Here are the six things your church needs to COMMcentrate on.

• Stop developing your church website until you do these 3 things

  Tuesday, September 15, 2020

  You're trying to achieve a great online presence. You're looking at other websites and wondering why they're so informative and entertaining. It's not as simple as it looks. Your church needs a website, but it has to be good (or it'll be ignored). From my decades of helping churches develop communication materials and developing many websites for others and myself, here's what I've learned. Put your website hat down until you do these things.

• The church trifecta: Benefits, expectations, consistency

  Tuesday, September 01, 2020

  I love to eat, and I especially enjoy experiencing food from new places. But, as I'm sure you'll agree, it's difficult to choose new restaurants without relying heavily on recommendations. Many things can go wrong at restaurants! Now, think about churches. Two-thirds of most communities don't really know why anyone would attend church regularly. So, we must rely on that other third. And when they visit? We have to get it right. There’s a tipping point of three critical things that every church must nail in order for people to want to come back.

• A checklist of 10 critical church website functions

  Tuesday, August 18, 2020

  Your church website is the critical center of your digital communication hub. An app requires downloads. Social media relies on algorithms to deliver to followers. Emails are only opened by only one-third of recipients. Think stage announcements work better? Most ignore promotions. Ensure your church is found on Google and get people interested in what you're offering by having these 10 critical functions people expect from a church website.

• Channel preference: How most want communication content

  Tuesday, August 04, 2020

  Your congregation and community consume communication content a certain way (a channel). Over time, it’s become their preference even though they devoured it another way previously. Everyone's changing! Our communication role? Ensure we’re delivering content the way "most" prefer. So, how do most prefer to consume information?

• Building a website? Don’t forget this surprising thing

  Tuesday, July 21, 2020

  The one critical thing you need to remember when building a website: it needs to be full of content your audience is pursuing. Sure, the look and the experience are important, but people will overlook those things and put up with issues only if the content is needed and relevant to them. It’s up to you to make sure this happens. Creating the right content will make (or break) your online presence. Here are three ways to get your content right.

• 7 warning signs your church needs branding help now

  Tuesday, July 07, 2020

  "You mean our church logo, right?" No. Your brand is more than a logo. It's the emotional aftertaste of an offered product or service. What you're known for. Something that'll bring a particular audience back. Sure, your logo is a visual representation of that promise but it's not your brand. Does your church have a brand? Or do you need branding help? Here are seven telling moments that say, "our church brand needs help!"

• 3 tips for winning with communication goals

  Tuesday, June 23, 2020

  I confess, I love setting goals. It grounds and focuses me — and lets me know if I'm winning. It's the difference between practicing a golf swing without a ball or without a hole. In church communication today, many churches have no goals. They don't know what they're attempting to achieve, and in their busyness, they're discouraged because they have no idea if they're winning. Want to feel like a winner in communication? Here are three tips for establishing comm goals that are reasonable, achievable, and effective.

• 3 unlikely but essential ways to communicate generosity

  Tuesday, June 09, 2020

  God often puts us in a crazy situation and demands trust. Perhaps you’re like Elijah and God's given you a vision of what He wants to accomplish through seemingly impossible giving. Maybe your audience is like the widow and has nothing but a small reserve. God wants us to trust. I’ve learned people won’t give to a God-sized vision if they’re not aware. Effective communication plays an important role in accomplishing God’s work. Here’s how to do it well.

• 5 ways to avoid category exhaustion at your church

  Tuesday, May 26, 2020

  Jesus said we'd be known for having love one towards another. That's quite a brand! Different communities have different needs and interpret love differently. That's how churches can develop different brands and still feel uniquely different. It always comes down to defining your audience. The biggest issue that occurs on a branded path is boredom. Be careful that your brand doesn't stay in such a narrow lane for an extended period of time or you'll experience category exhaustion. Here are five ways to avoid category exhaustion.

• Reopening church: 5 strategic tips to communicate properly

  Tuesday, May 12, 2020

  First of all: Church never closed. Sure, your building had restrictions but the Church (the Christ-followers in your local fellowship) didn't close down. In fact, the virus only decentralized your Church for a relatively short time. I certainly hope each of your ministries is soberly looking at how people have been affected and how opinions have changed during this time. That's why an effective communication strategy is essential. Instead of a shotgun approach, you need a systematic strategy that pushes to a process of changes. Here are five strategic tips.

• 5 things I wish I knew when I graduated from college

  Tuesday, May 05, 2020

  I was interviewed for a college webinar about church communication. After a lively discussion with the integrated marketing communication professor, he made me pause with his final question: "Many college students are listening to you. What do you wish you knew then that you know now?" Here are the five things that came to mind.

• 5 tips for communicating when tired

  Tuesday, April 21, 2020

  What a year. What a Sunday. What an event. Today, many of you are waking up and wondering what hit you. Adrenalin has a way of masking exhaustion. The excitement of getting things done before a deadline tends to feed us. Then it's over. You're totally tired. Scripture has many characters who struggled after the "big deal." David, Elijah, Jonah, Job, Moses, and Jeremiah all seemed to deal with self-doubt, exhaustion, and feeling down afterwards. They are human just like we are. Here are five tips for dealing with the tired spirit, because the work must go on.

• Will your church be ready when the crisis ends?

  Tuesday, April 07, 2020

  The language of COVID-19 is here and probably won't vanish when the last case ends. Social distancing, elbow-bumping, and cough-cringing are all going to live in our collective psyche for years to come. A few days ago, I approached a neighbor who was washing his car. We awkwardly walked close, half-extended hands in greeting, before laughing and backing away. It's difficult to express Christian love or even friendliness in light of COVID-19. Even after the crisis has ended, we'll be different people. That goes for our houses of worship, too.

• Be prepared: 15 crisis communication tips

  Tuesday, March 17, 2020

  We have been reminded of the value of essential, effective communication. When any crisis happens unexpectedly, we need to communicate quickly to our congregation. This week should also be a reminder that we need online equivalency to all major offline experiences. In our current culture, churches should have the ability to speak to an engaged social media audience, share live video on social media channels, post video updates on your website, and share a service online. This checklist isn't specifically for the COVID-19 crisis; it’s an essential checklist to be used for any crisis communication:

• 3 ways to simplify church content to get it noticed

  Tuesday, March 03, 2020

  Attention spans are incredibly low — and dropping. People stop listening and paying attention a lot sooner than you'd expect! Churches tend to think in long-form content. Think services, sermons, announcements, website content and brochures. Many churches do it the same way today as they did a decade ago, all while attention spans are plummeting. It just doesn't work today. Here are three ways to simplify church content so that people will actually take the time to discover it.

• 3 drastic changes the church must understand now

  Tuesday, February 18, 2020

  In the popular book from a couple of decades ago, "Who Moved My Cheese?" the mice got complacent in their maze since they knew where the cheese was located. Then the cheese started to run out. So, the smart mice set out to discover a new supply of cheese. Similarly, the church finds itself in a crisis of change. Change has happened and every church needs to change in order to keep up. I'm not talking about changing our Biblical message, but what I am saying is that we need to communicate our message differently because of these three drastic changes.

• 7 critical directions for effective church signage

  Tuesday, February 04, 2020

  Not everyone who sets foot on your property is aware of your building's layout. You'd also be surprised how many in your congregation don't know your church as well as you, either. Simply hang around the info desk on a Sunday. People become aware of things they need to know and seek information only when needed. Signage is critical to them. Then, consider the first-time guest who arrives. They probably don't look very different from your congregation, so it’s difficult to identify them as a visitor. Here are seven critical directions to effective church signage.

• 4 personalities that don’t do communication well

  Tuesday, January 21, 2020

  Everyone communicates something; not everyone communicates well. It takes a lot of control and skill to communicate effectively. So, if you’re hiring someone for your church, or you have a volunteer helping you with communication, make sure they have the right skills but really make sure they have the right personality for it. There’s nothing worse than someone in a position where they’re not the right person for the task. If that’s you, you’ll struggle with your personal life, won’t sleep, and won’t feel like you fit your position. Here are four personalities to avoid in the communication role.

• 3 church social media tips to encourage engagement

  Tuesday, January 14, 2020

  Social media is a required communication channel for churches. It's free to set up, which is great — and almost your entire church membership is already on it! You only have two things to do: get your congregation to "like" your account on each of your platforms and then keep them engaged so that your posts enter their feeds, which are all controlled by the platform's algorithm. Easy? Not really. Once you have followers, here are three tips that will encourage engagement to affect the algorithm and allow your audience to see more of your content.

• 5 things your end-of-year letter must communicate

  Tuesday, December 10, 2019

  I get it. You're trying to remind your congregation that it's the end of the year and you would love to be the recipient of their end-of-year donations above and beyond regular tithes. So, you put together a letter or an email and send it. Here are five things you must effectively communicate if you want the right response.

• 5 ways to avoid the TL;DR curse

  Tuesday, November 19, 2019

  On social media, we love to use fun acronyms or abbreviations to state the obvious for the masses. If something is humorous, we use LOL. I could list dozens of these. It's faster to post a few letters and have everyone quickly know the longer meaning. Social media even has one that sums up this thought: TL;DR (too long; didn't read). We often overspeak or overwrite, and people think "sorry, TL;DR." Once that feeling hits them, it’s too late. This isn’t just social media content, either — it’s content during a sermon, in a handout, on a webpage, announcements, and even in emails.

• 5 social content ideas for every sermon

  Tuesday, October 29, 2019

  Church communication is not all about the tools. It’s more about content. Your church needs to regularly build content that engages your congregation and attracts your community when they are considering a local church. How does someone in a church communication role do that? That’s the issue. A sermon is a piece of important content that should be extended as part of your church's social strategy. Here are five ways to repurpose a sermon on your social channels to encourage engagement and attraction.

• 4 reasons every church needs a thread

  Tuesday, October 15, 2019

  In our loud world, we know most are choosing what to listen to and what to ignore. The louder everything gets, the more we block what we perceive as nonessential. The way we decide what’s nonessential is based on how we perceive something. And we know that most people are wanting to make decisions quickly because they’re so busy. The solution? A thread: three to five words that describe what you’d like your perception to be. You need a thread! Here are four reasons why.

• Do you know these 3 things about your community?

  Tuesday, October 01, 2019

  Effective communication rises and falls on how well you know your audience. For the church, you have two audiences: internal and external (i.e., congregation and community). Most of you hopefully understand your congregation because they regularly let you know what they like and dislike. But if you concentrate on an internal audience and don’t have a "pipeline" of growth through the knowledge of your external audience, you’ll almost always decline. Do you know your community? Here are three things you should know.

• A surprising, often-overlooked church communication tool

  Tuesday, September 24, 2019

  There’s nothing worse than discovering a problem that requires a specific, currently unavailable tool. In fact, availability is the essential requirement for all tools! Multifunctional tools are even better — they accomplish so much and take up less room. Almost everyone has a multifunctional church communication tool in their pocket. It’s your mobile phone. How can you use it for church communication? There’s almost an endless list of tasks that can now be completed on that little mobile device. Here are five.

• 5 website issues your congregation finds annoying

  Tuesday, September 17, 2019

  A few weeks ago, I heard a pastor (from the stage) say that I needed to visit their website for some information. I thought, "Yes! A pastor is promoting their website rather than a bulletin!" It was also about something that actually interested me. Before I would forget it, I pulled my phone out to discover the information. And then the frustration began. It reminded me of the five things your congregation probably finds annoying on your website. Please, fix them before they stop wanting to go to your website.

• Signs that your church brand isn’t working

  Tuesday, August 20, 2019

  What exactly is a church brand? It’s more than your logo — although your visual brand is the "outfit" your church brand wears. So, what is it then? It’s the controlled promise (or story) that is consistently spoken so your congregation understands why they attend. It should be compelling, needed, and relevant. Your logo simply reminds someone visually about that beneficial message thread. Here are seven indicators that your church brand isn’t working.

• 7 tips for creating a print handout that works

  Tuesday, August 06, 2019

  The church loves print materials! Historically, church communication revolved around the bulletin. When announcements were made, often a bulletin was referred to. Why? Because it was the only way for families to be reminded of ministry activity. But problems come with print materials. Today, most people prefer to go to the internet and discover the information rather than find where they put the handout. But the problem with websites? Older demographics resist them. So, let’s discuss ways to create effective print handouts.

• 10 do’s and don’ts for church communicators’ sanity

  Tuesday, July 23, 2019

  Summer's winding down and the fall is taking over discussions. In this short lull before the chaos of programs starting back up, it's a good time to decide you'll do certain things and put others on a don't list. The church communicator juggles a ton of responsibilities, and our personalities are different from others we work with. That means we can go crazy if we aren’t careful! Here are do's and don'ts to remain sane in our crazy communication world.

• Every church needs this type of calendar

  Tuesday, July 16, 2019

  When our kids got busy in sports, school, church, and with friends, events would regularly pop up at the last minute. The confusion of having necessary and optional meetings, coupled with our already busy lives, drove us to developing a family calendar that everyone shared on computers and phones. This very simple addition calmed our family’s chaos and created a simple go-to area for planning — plus it gave us the ability to say no to something because of conflicts on the calendar. Your church needs this, too. It's the building block of a communication strategy.

• 6 steps to great church video

  Tuesday, July 02, 2019

  People love video. If your church communication does not contain video, you need to start considering how to add it to your mix. But it’s a difficult thing to do! Many churches now have a few people who understand light, and edit and produce videos. However, great videos always start with a great story that needs to be discovered or written. Start small and work toward more complex videos as required! For a great, basic video that tells a compelling story, here are six steps.

• 7 building blocks for church social media success

  Tuesday, June 18, 2019

  It’s difficult to believe we've had social media for almost two decades. We once wondered if it would have staying power — and now we question if we use it too much! It’s become the "normal" way we keep in touch and the best way to build a following outside of our physical world. You do want to stay in touch with your congregation, don’t you? They're on social media platforms. Your posts can help extend ministry-reach throughout the week (not just on Sunday). But I hope your church is also trying to build a relevant and needed brand following, too! Here are seven building blocks for social media success.

• How to transition from a print hub to a digital hub

  Tuesday, June 04, 2019

  The church has notoriously created a bulletin (or worship guide) that is the collection of anything important to the congregation. It may have the order of service, scripture that will be discussed in service, obituaries, offering totals, upcoming events, flyers, stories, sermon notes and many other things. All is well, except most people don’t read it. Every church needs to consider switching from a print hub to a digital hub where all communication revolves around the website. Here are the seven steps to make the switch.

• 5 reasons why social media isn’t easy

  Tuesday, May 14, 2019

  Church is about fellowship, which by definition is social. And social media is simply a (mostly free) communication channel that has millions of potential followers on it. Because of this, it’s an excellent way to extend your ministry reach while being involved in the daily lives of your members. So why do many churches struggle with social media? Check out these five requirements that make social media management incredibly complex.

• Spring clean your church website communication with these 5 tips

  Tuesday, May 07, 2019

  You're busy. You juggle a ton of details and maybe even manage a group of chaotic people. And that's in your personal life! Then, you duplicate that in your ministry life and it doesn’t leave much time for anything else. In fact, in the quest to take it all in and remain sane, most people have to edit, half-listen, or ignore. We listen more to those who say less but still have great content. Our church websites need to take heed and spring clean, or we risk being ignored. Here are five spring cleaning tips.

• How to resurrect a church website

  Tuesday, April 16, 2019

  Easter's here and spring is hopefully taking hold near you. New life is everywhere (especially as we emphasize the Gospel). Now, it's time to resurrect your church's website. Please! If you created your website (and it still looks similar) more than three years ago, it's dying. And if you're not updating your website content weekly, it's certainly feeling dead. Unfortunately, your congregation (and community) don't like visiting the information grave. Here are four ways to resurrect your website, make it new, and something worth celebrating!

• 5 tests for an effective communication thread

  Tuesday, April 02, 2019

  Imagine if your church maintained focus on a solution to its community. Something that instantly got the community's attention and made the church relevant and needed. And then used those content "fences" to make the congregation known for something. That's what I call a communication thread. This is a brand promise or brand story that is maintained and controlled so that it unites ministries and tears down the ministry silos within our local churches. Some people call it a tagline, slogan, or positioning statement. But those concepts sound so temporary. A long-term thread works as long as it's "effective." What are those criteria? Here's a five-question test to prove your thread will work over several years.

• 10 church communicator personalities: Check the mirror for yours

  Tuesday, March 26, 2019

  I've always been fascinated by people. In fact, my college psychology courses established the understanding that we mostly tend to do similar things while being resistant to changing our ways. Accountability meetings declare that understanding and recognition are huge steps towards improvement. From decades of working with comms, here are the personalities I see.

• Church communication must show you care: Here’s how

  Tuesday, March 12, 2019

  I recently spoke to a church about effective church communication. In my talk, I reminded the congregation that Jesus told His disciples that we're to be known for loving those around us. However, when the world is asked about the Church, most of them know what we're against (and not for love and caring). We've become really good at being salt while our "light" skills haven't broken through. Church communication must tackle this since it's the voice of ministries to our communities (and not just an internal reminder voice to our congregations). Here's how to truly care for a group (as God's called us to) using communication.

• Stop abbreviating — and 7 other content no-no’s

  Tuesday, February 26, 2019

  Effective communication relies on the content more than the channels. But many churches want to talk about their social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) or the CMS system for their website (Wordpress, Joomla, Clover, etc.) rather than what their content should be. Let’s concentrate on the important things! Often, if the content is correct, an audience will endure a subpar channel to discover it. Sure, once you have the content honed for an audience, you should eliminate channel barriers and choose delivery tools that enhance the experience of receiving it. But only after the content is right. To get started on great content, here are eight things to STOP doing; and what you should START.

• Stop! 5 things to never do with your church logo

  Tuesday, February 12, 2019

  Your church logo is a visual representation of your church’s brand. It’s not your brand. Your brand is the emotional aftertaste once someone has experienced your church. The story they remember, the benefit of attending, or description of who you actually are down deep. It’s their real answer to the question, "why do you attend your church?" Your church logo should be a simple, professional, representation of your church. When people see it, they should quickly remember everything that’s relevant to them. Your logo is important. Therefore it should be protected, controlled, and promoted properly. Here are five things you should never do with your church logo.

• 3 steps to editing church website content

  Tuesday, January 29, 2019

  People want to discover the information they’re looking for, when they need it, and in the easiest format preference possible. That’s why we’ve all grown attached to websites. We want some information and then quickly pickup our phones to find it online. But there’s nothing worse than getting to a webpage that has too much information when we only want a quick answer. In fact, most people only want a simple answer! Does your church website deliver more than the facts? Here are three steps to making your website content the size and structure that most people will enjoy.

• 3 things to consider before Easter

  Tuesday, January 15, 2019

  I realize that Christmas is still in the rearview mirror. The chaos of special holiday and new year’s services are still fresh on your mind, and now there’s a peace that happens as January unfolds. It’s called the winter months. Or… the lull before the storm. Of Easter. Easter is typically a highly attended service because it’s an easy time to invite people to a service and it’s also the one week in the year that everyone (sort of) decides to attend "the" Easter Sunday service (since many alternate weeks in attendance rather than attending every week, it boosts attendance on that one week).

• 3 ways to pray for your 2019 church communications

  Friday, January 04, 2019

  Prayer allows us to open our minds to God’s plan since He uses prayer to align us with His will. How do we know His will? It’s fairly easy to know: nothing will happen in 2019 that’s out of it since nothing surprises Him or is out of His control. That should bring peace and hope to your perspective of 2019. Your community (the area that’s within your church’s influence) needs that reassurance, hope, and peace. They need Jesus. Let’s pray that God truly uses us to communicate to a world that doesn’t seem to be reaching out to Houses of Worship, the Bible, or the Truth.

• Want to love as a church? Start with a persona.

  Tuesday, December 11, 2018

  We’re called to love. In fact, Jesus told His disciples that we’d be known for love if we’re properly following Him. So, who are we called to love? Everyone (especially our enemies). It’s a crazy goal. Can a local church love everyone? Yes. But maybe it’s more reasonable to say that we should love anyone we come (or could come) into contact with. That way we can get really practical with our love. In church communication, our words, actions, ministries must be felt as love.

• 4 ways to save money on bulletins today

  Tuesday, November 27, 2018

  Churches thrive on information. Each ministry has lots of information to provide and, we hope, our members actually want to discover ministry information to use. The problem? People today are very fragmented in the ways they want to receive information. Some want it by text, some by email, others who want to go to the website themselves, scan social media, or those who still trust the bulletin or newsletter. People seek information from a trusted source so, because our churches have honed our bulletin process to a science, the bulletin tends to be the go-to place for "everything."

• Why what your pastor wears is important to what they say

  Tuesday, October 30, 2018

  We live in a consumeristic world. I realize most pastors and ministry leaders don’t like this reality. So, we have two choices: change the world or adopt the reality (without sinning). I’ve had agents representing me for 30-plus years as I’ve walked fashion runways, acted in movies, appeared in TV ads, and sold products in magazines. Sure, you probably know me more for church communications, though. But the two worlds where I work are complementary. Here are four things I’ve learned from being a model (and why it matters to a ministry leader).

• 4 reasons why most churches are doing social media wrong

  Wednesday, October 17, 2018

  I’m not sure why the church struggles with social media so much. It seems like our leaders, the congregation, and even communication teams have problems when it comes to being social on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The church, of all places, should understand what it means to be social since the definition of "church" is a collective group of believers! Fellowship and community should come naturally, but we all know it doesn’t. If you’re struggling with social media, take a look through your recent posts and I’m guessing you’ll see these four reasons.

• 6 tips for must-read headlines and sermon titles

  Tuesday, October 02, 2018

  Everything in communication today involves editing. Why? Because our attention spans make us resist spending time reading or listening to something perceived as "long." Our headlines or titles are the ultimate summary of what’s to come in the content. But some research suggests that people don’t read an entire headline any more. Yes, it’s gotten that bad. Others say people often assume the meaning of a headline by seeing three to four of the first words. Can a church create headlines or sermon titles that demand to be read? Here are six tips.

• 4 simple changes to make your foyer more welcoming

  Tuesday, September 18, 2018

  We all want guests to visit and stay at our church. Our well-produced websites, social media, and flyers will lead them to our building (along with an excellent, word-of-mouth invitation), but our foyer (or lobby) is the place that gives a guest one of their first impressions. We must get it right! In the first three minutes inside the door of your church, guests need to feel welcome. Even with a guest services squad of welcomers, they still need these four things. Consider making these changes this week.

• 3 church communication myths

  Tuesday, September 04, 2018

  Church communication is a popular topic in the church world. But the expectations of how to fix communication are often overinflated. They're not a cure-all. In fact, effective communication takes time as the correct messages are produced consistently. Producing the right messages takes talent and skill, especially when consistency is required. Here are three church communication myths that need to be understood.

• Protect your ‘fast’ communication channel (or risk losing it)

  Tuesday, August 21, 2018

  Remember when we wrote letters to communicate? We’d send a letter, wait several days, then hopefully receive a reply in the mail. Then there were fax correspondences. Now it’s email and texting. The channels keep changing (even when most of them are still around). We often choose a channel based on response time. For most, that means we choose between email, texting, and social media direct messaging. Occasionally we’ll still pick up the phone. Which should you use? Here are five tips for protecting your communication channel (especially texting).

• 4 benefits of a centralized church communication process

  Tuesday, August 07, 2018

  Most churches try two process structures to effectively communicate, or a hybrid as a third possibility. The choice is yours! It really doesn’t matter how many people are on your team either. It’s more about the flow of ideas and the production of the communication work. Your three choices? Decentralized, centralized, or the hybrid process. Trying to make a decision which is best? I’ve seen centralized (or hybrid leaning towards centralized) work best. Here are some of the benefits of the centralized process.

• 3 basic (and free) communication necessities for the fall

  Tuesday, July 24, 2018

  How can it be? It’s almost fall, and once again many churches realize they have the same communication system that they had last year, even with all the issues that surfaced and promises made for improvement. Perhaps it was the budget that kept you from accomplishing the improvements you talked about. Perhaps it was just procrastination. Let's discuss three things that need to be accomplished in order to lay the foundation for a great communication strategy.

• 8 signs your church has ministry silos

  Tuesday, July 10, 2018

  As churches grow and pastors are hired to look after various ministries, the healthy-church focus becomes threatened by the inevitable: ministry silos. This is when ministry areas become myopic to the point they rarely look at the entire organization or even at another ministry outside of its narrow walls. It can affect us all. Ministry silos will eventually destroy the farm. Why? Because a ministry must understand the part it plays in the overall church mission, or it will slowly become its own entity.

• 3 principles for creating better church webpages

  Tuesday, June 26, 2018

  Most churches have websites, but sadly, most church websites are created so that many won’t be interested in looking at them. It’s a lot of wasted effort. Everyone arrives at a website, and they want to discover the information they seek as quickly as possible. If they don’t find it fast? They’ll give up quickly, get frustrated with the website, or pick up the phone and call your receptionist for the answer. If this sounds familiar to your church, here are three principles to creating better webpages.

• Good church websites matter

  Tuesday, June 12, 2018

  A website is "the front door to your church." At least that's what many are saying. But is it? Let’s make sure we understand our audiences first. Because they find this front door differently and open it for different reasons, too. Every church has an internal audience (congregation) and an external audience (community). Our role as the church is to reach both audiences. We do it so differently, but with our website!

• 4 ways your church sign lets you down

  Tuesday, May 29, 2018

  Drive around the streets of your town near your church. There are signs everywhere. Seriously, everywhere. If you’re looking, you’ll see them, but for the most part you’ll stop remembering most of them. We live in a loud, marketing-saturated world. Your church needs to have a sign that stands out and is remembered. For the right reasons. Here are four ways that most church signs don’t help the local church.

• Is your church communications ready for summer?

  Tuesday, May 15, 2018

  It seems like spring just started but we’re almost into summer. Yes, time flies — especially when it comes to church communication. Summer brings added complication to your communication team: vacations, less attention from ministries, and your congregation drifts away from a regular schedule. Summer relaxes. Your communication team can’t.

• Why being different is critical to every church

  Tuesday, May 01, 2018

  Have you noticed? Products and services are dropping from existence regularly. Toys R Us is closing its doors entirely, and more than 5,000 individual stores closed across the country as major retailers decide it’s best for their bottom line. What’s happening? Even worse, 4,000 evangelical churches disappeared from the United States. I wonder if many even notice? Why all the closings? Because another organization started to supply the community’s needs in a similar or better way.

• 5 budget-wise communication tips

  Tuesday, April 17, 2018

  Churches need to demonstrate good stewardship — especially if you want people to donate hard-earned money to your ministry. No one wants to give to a nonprofit that looks wasteful. Communication is often seen as a disposable and temporary item. You promote an event for a few weeks, and it's done. But this isn't ultimately the case. Things like website content need to live on in the archive world. Quick tip: Invest in long-term communication and reduce costs for the short term!

• 4 ways to peacefully understand your church communicator

  Tuesday, April 03, 2018

  I hear concerning stories from pastors or church leaders weekly. They often start with something like, "We have a church communicator who just doesn't seem to be working out." Because I lead a large network of church communicators, I focus on what they should be doing better. However, I've found that many church leaders don't know how to guide their person whose job is to "help us communicate better." Can it be only the communicator's fault that the relationship isn't going well? Probably not.

• Churches vanish for this one reason

  Tuesday, March 20, 2018

  ​Research shows that thousands of evangelical churches close their doors annually in America. The reason? Because their congregations have stopped valuing or understanding the benefit of the local church.

• Winning church essential: Speed to benefit

  Tuesday, March 06, 2018

  Everyone knows how to win a running race: Be the fastest while following the rules. But do you know how to win a church communication race? Many don't know what a win even looks like!

• Why Facebook Groups will work for your church

  Tuesday, February 20, 2018

  The news of Facebook algorithm changes abound. From some articles, you'd think that it spells the demise of church Facebook pages. Here's the overview. Research showed Facebook that most users want to return the social media engine to what created its popularity: interacting and caring about friends, followers and family.

• Does your congregation really know what’s going on?

  Tuesday, February 06, 2018

  ​It happens all the time. Someone in your congregation sees you and asks about an upcoming event or a regularly occurring ministry. They have no idea if it's happening. What's scary? It was just announced in the service plus someone crafted a paragraph about it in the bulletin that's tucked in their Bible.

• A short checklist so people will receive your communication

  Tuesday, January 23, 2018

  ​The sad truth: People aren't paying attention to most church communication. In fact, most people are only half-listening or half-reading. An exasperated church communicator recently asked me, "How do you change this trend?"

• 3 email scheduling tips for churches

  Wednesday, January 10, 2018

  Church communication is easy if you can get people to pay attention. Except we live in a world that only half-listens because they have so much noise around them! We're all bombarded with messages, promotions and information in a multilevel, continuous track so that we end up with thousands of communications available to us.

• 3 free ways to improve your church’s website by spring

  Tuesday, December 12, 2017

  ​I've found that winter is a great time for refreshing things. And your website needs your attention. Why do I know this? Because every website needs constant updating and quickly becomes lackluster.

• It’s a month before our event — What should I do?

  Tuesday, November 28, 2017

  In a month or so you have a big event happening or finishing — as I'm sure you're aware. Is it too late to be thinking about effective communication? Yes. In all honesty, you need more prep time to get people interested and excited to attend.

• How your church can be relevant again

  Tuesday, November 14, 2017

  ​I walked by a gentleman selling newspapers on a street corner. It appeared that few people were paying attention to him let alone buying papers. Why? Because people are busy, and the newspaper has lost relevance. It's easier to ignore than to engage.

• No, an annual emphasis isn’t your thread — neither is a vision

  Tuesday, October 31, 2017

  ​Every ministry in your church needs to focus its communication on your community. Well, if you want the people in your community to pay attention.

• Your staff web page is crucial (how to improve it)

  Tuesday, October 17, 2017

  Your website should be the center of your digital communications. Everything should rely on it to inform your congregation and to engage your community. Most will approach a website for answers.

• How much should your church pay for good communications?

  Tuesday, October 03, 2017

  ​I often hear things like "we're the best-kept secret" and then "if more people understood all the good things we had to offer, we'd be turning people away." That’s a communication problem.

• The first question church communicators always ask

  Tuesday, September 19, 2017

  ​I speak across the country to many church communicators and ministry leaders. In fact, I just finished talking to 100 churches in Atlanta. I'm passionate about what I do — I want our world to hear about Jesus Christ.

• 7 things weeks of church shopping has taught me

  Wednesday, September 06, 2017

  ​We recently moved to a new city and state. I'm regularly a church-attending church consultant and outgoing Christian. It only makes sense that my wife and I want to find a church near our new home.

• Are church emails worth the effort?

  Tuesday, August 22, 2017

  A church recently lamented that they only have a 14 percent open rate for their emails. Plus their click-through rate was extremely low. Their church communicator wondered, "Is it worth the effort?"

• ‘Leave me alone!’ 3 essentials a church must do to communicate

  Tuesday, August 08, 2017

  ​I fly a lot, and I pray before each flight that God would allow me to have an effective conversation with the person next to me. Effective? That means I'll represent the church in a good light and talk about Jesus or faith somehow.

• 3 tips to picking your church communication thread

  Tuesday, July 25, 2017

  ​I've committed my life to helping local churches become known for something so communities will understand that ministries should be included in their busy lives. It's difficult for most of us since we've been active in the church world for years or associated with church culture.

• 3 horrible reasons to get a church app

  Tuesday, July 11, 2017

  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize many in our congregations have a mobile device with hundreds of apps. In fact, if you dim the lights during your service, you can see the glow of screens across the room. This past week, our large screens showed an establishment video shot looking on the main floor crowd from the balcony. It was during the offering, and you could see dozens of people on their smartphones — if only they were all using their devices to give money.

• Is your church communication broken like our dishwasher?

  Wednesday, June 28, 2017

  We just bought a house in Florida. It had been sitting empty for months, and when we walked through it, we were excited about how good everything looked. It was perfect for us. It almost seemed too good to be true. We returned a second time to make an offer after we perused other neighborhoods.

• 2 critical communication errors (and how to overcome them)

  Tuesday, June 13, 2017

  ​There have been many times while working on my house, when I was seriously in the middle of fixing something, that I realized I'd made foundational errors that would not allow me to complete the task. The church has a serious task in front of us: to share the love of Christ to our communities and fellowship opportunities for our congregation.

• 3 social media problems that must be fixed — today

  Tuesday, May 30, 2017

  At conferences, I often have people approach me to ask a question. They awkwardly describe their position and the church where they work. Finally, I ask, "How can I help you?" They say they are in charge of their social media accounts and are struggling with the task.

• 3 summer church communication preparations

  Tuesday, May 16, 2017

  ​How can it be already? It's right around the corner. Summer. Depending on who you talk to, summer may have already started for families with college-aged kids. However, for most school systems, we're starting summer vacation within only a few short weeks.

• 4 must-dos before posting on social media

  Tuesday, May 02, 2017

  I post regularly to social media and train churches on how to create a strong brand presence that engages on social media. It seems like only a few days ago that we were trying to convince churches they needed to be on social media, and now most churches are posting regularly.

• 3 reasons you need communication coaching

  Wednesday, April 19, 2017

  ​Have you wondered why sports teams need coaching? Can't the team members get together and decide what they should do? Anyone who serves on a committee, team or board knows that every group requires a person to be in charge. That’s why there's a person leading communications at your church, right?

• 3 signs your church isn’t connected to your community

  Tuesday, April 04, 2017

  Has someone been talking with you and you start wondering if they realize you're not listening? Perhaps your spouse? A friend? You feel like they're saying things that don't make sense to you or interest you at all. You feel like you could walk away and they wouldn't notice. Perhaps your community thinks that about your church!

• Whoa! Here’s a huge church communication problem

  Tuesday, March 21, 2017

  We say too much. Do you ever catch yourself talking to your child, spouse or friend, trying to get them to understand your perspective? The more you talk, the more they seem to disengage. So when you feel they're not listening, you talk more. And it becomes self-defeating.

• Church vision isn’t enough

  Tuesday, March 07, 2017

  Many churches go through a vision process. This includes hundreds of committee hours researching and praying, and formulating a vision statement and purpose platitudes. What I've discovered is that the church leadership loves the navel-gazing. They lean forward to examine the inner workings of who they are and how they do it. They find nooks and crannies that haven’t been examined for years; what a church should be, and what it should be doing. And they almost always discover exactly what every other house of worship does.

• Scary indicators that you’re not connected to your community

  Tuesday, February 21, 2017

  ​What's the biblical response to shrinking numbers? "Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." Luke 14:23 is quite a command! It's saying, "Connect to the community." Church is like throwing a ministry banquet and, of course, we're expecting our congregation to attend. But like the parable, many have (poor) excuses for nonattendance, and our pews aren't full. Yet, right outside our doors we have thousands of people who have no interest in what we're doing.

• Your church brand can learn from cattle branding

  Tuesday, February 07, 2017

  ​Branding originated with cattle farmers who wanted to make sure people could distinguish their cattle from others when they roamed together in a field. They used a hot iron to mark the animals. Ouch! Church branding is the same, but thankfully different. However, several principles are similar.

• Does your house have foundation issues?

  Tuesday, January 24, 2017

  The wise man builds his house on a good foundation.The complexity with a solid church communication process? Every church has an established process, so as changes are requested and the church tries to improve existing elements, the foundation is neglected. Many times, in our haste, we renovate the top floor before the bottom is finished — or started!

• 5 signs your church needs a new logo

  Wednesday, January 11, 2017

  ​I've been designing logos for three decades. I studied visual branding in college before computers were used. It was a real art form to hand create a symbol that would be combined with a font, and together it would represent an organization. Often hundreds of hours were required.

• 4 questions to consider before hiring a communications person

  Tuesday, December 13, 2016

  ​It used to be so easy. You simply needed someone to produce the bulletin and maybe change the church sign. Now, you need someone who can coordinate and communicate all your ministries, messages and events. Maybe even create video sermon bumpers, posts on social media and church memes, plus assemble and layout the bulletin and update the church sign. This list doesn't even mention the posters, banners and outreach materials.

• The problem with talking to everyone

  Tuesday, November 29, 2016

  ​This article is for people interested in doing effective church communications. If you aren't interested, you won't like this article, and you should stop reading. It sounds strange, right? But most people don't have the time to read something that isn't interesting. So you're doing them a favor. As a church communicator, you need to stop trying to get everyone's attention and trying to communicate to everyone. It won't work.

• Your church needs a communication thread

  Tuesday, November 15, 2016

  Most people love consistency and flee chaos. A busy church tends to have so many messages and activities that even church staff aren't fully aware of the busy calendar. People in the congregation hear the occasional announcement, but even those who regularly attend can't possibly know everything about the church.

• 6 steps to make social media help your brand

  Tuesday, November 01, 2016

  Social media is a communication tool that will make or break your brand. Our marketing-cluttered world is demonstrated on social media. Simply open the global Twitter feed, and you'll see millions of people saying something. In real time, your feed churns so quickly you can't keep up, and little breaks through.

• How social media can help your church brand

  Tuesday, November 01, 2016

  Social media is a communication tool that will make or break your church brand. Our marketing-cluttered world is demonstrated on social media. Simply open the global Twitter feed, and you'll see millions of people saying something. In real time, your feed churns so quickly you can't keep up, and little breaks through.

• Church communicators should listen better

  Tuesday, October 18, 2016

  ​Communicators enjoy talking and pushing information, but effective communicators must listen more than they talk. There should be a constant tension. See, to truly engage with an audience, it has to be a conversation. And there's nothing worse than a one-sided conversation.

• Can you afford good communication?

  Tuesday, October 11, 2016

  ​Autumn is upon us, and many start thinking about Christmas shopping. I just heard a statistic that a million Americans are done with their shopping already. That sounds ridiculous! Or maybe you're one of them? When it comes to any shopping, you must consider three things: What do I need? Can I afford it? Will they like it?

• 1 quick thing to do today to help your website

  Tuesday, September 20, 2016

  ​When people show up at the door of your church and they've never attended before, you should have a protocol for guests. But pretend you're the only one nearby when they carefully open the door with that "Am I at the right place?" look on their face. You greet them, "Hi! I'm glad you're here. Can I help you find something?"

• Does your church need a style guide?

  Tuesday, September 13, 2016

  As we enter a new season, clothing stores are hyping change. Trying to convince everyone they need different clothes for the next season. Different patterns, colors, textures and styles. Changing things about your look seems to be fine with the change of the calendar. We get bored with what we've been wearing, so we like to leap into something different.

• Pastors, stop saying you have stories

  Tuesday, August 23, 2016

  We've been there. Standing on the platform, we want to encourage the congregation. To motivate them to continue doing something we've been asking them to do. We have a "feeling" it's happening. They must be doing what we've been asking. In fact, you've probably heard some third-party anecdotes. So-and-so told you about someone she knows who is doing something. You can't even remember their names or details.

• Too soon to think about Christmas communications?

  Tuesday, August 09, 2016

  Everyone groans when we see the first back-to-school commercial of the year. Almost as much as seeing the first Christmas ad that asks "Started your holiday shopping yet?" We're never fully ready to be reminded of huge events on our calendar — even if they're close.

• Tell your members what to say (but be careful)

  Tuesday, July 26, 2016

  The power of good communications is the ability to get people to understand the "main" benefit of something so they’ll share it. It’s what you want to be known for. Want people to come to your church? Tell your members what to say. Plant into their minds the key benefit of attending your church, and something that’s compelling enough to get someone else to try your house of worship. If you don't say it for them first, each will be tempted to say different things.

• 3 ways administrators are skeptical about church communications

  Tuesday, July 12, 2016

  ​We recently finished a successful The Church Network conference in Dallas, where hundreds of church administrators gathered together for learning and fellowship. I spoke at the communications Fast Track, conducted live on-the-spot web and brand analyses, met with dozens of people who stopped by our expo booth, and finished the week with a session about church communication.

• 3 critical ways to cut costs in church communications

  Tuesday, June 28, 2016

  When buying an older house, the money pit concern nags at us. Are we getting into something that will cost far too much to operate? Are there underlying issues that will continue to cause problems? Are we spending more money on things that should be replaced rather than fixed?

• A surprising use of church social media

  Tuesday, June 14, 2016

  ​Your Pastor stands up in front of the congregation each week and shares what's on his heart. They listen intently. They go home and tune into a TV show that entertains them. They enjoy it intently. Later, they pick up a book and read what interests them. They read intently.

• You can’t do communications alone

  Tuesday, May 31, 2016

  Of all the leaders in a church, business administrators understand that more is accomplished when a team of experts can lead you through the many twists of ministry. Church communications is one of those complex paths. Don’t try to do it alone. Oh sure, you can try, but you’ll end up wasting money on employees who don’t fit your ministry, a website that doesn’t function properly, or a team of unfocused people that wants to change everything for the sake of "new and different." Here are five surprising ways that "outsiders" help achieve effective church communications.

• 4 troublesome indicators of ministry silos

  Wednesday, May 18, 2016

  ​Each time ministry silos are talked about, I think about the huge farms I grew up around. Their silos were predominant as someone approached. They towered over the barns, equipment, people and fields. They seemed self-important; except the farm, in its entirety, was much more critical in order to make sure the silo remained full.

• 4 surprising revelations from church focus groups

  Wednesday, May 04, 2016

  I travel around the U.S. talking to demographic church groups to better understand what's happening in a specific local church — successes, failures and themes to help the church communicate more effectively to reach deeper into their community.

• 3 essential branding tips for church growth

  Thursday, April 21, 2016

  ​People who follow after Christ are far from a majority in this world. We find ourselves struggling in a community that has little concept of who we are as a church. Most think it's a closed group of unintelligent "sheep" who are overwhelmed with rules that have no benefit other than satisfying a fictitious, controlling deity.

• Church communications on a tight budget

  Wednesday, April 06, 2016

  You're headed into late spring and summer, which often reduces church attendance — and therefore, offerings. Meanwhile every church is talking about doing church communications better to engage their congregations and invite their community. But how do you improve everything on the small budget you've been given?

• Get your community’s attention

  Tuesday, March 22, 2016

  I travel a lot for my job helping churches communicate better. Walking through airport terminals, I'm struck by the amount of busy people. All of them with places to go — they're on a mission! People moving in various directions almost colliding into each other. Stores and kiosks with glittery things encompass the hustle trying to get people to engage with them. Dozens of messages (retail, informative and security) drone constantly as everyone walks from gate to gate.

• 4 tricks to conquering church social media

  Wednesday, March 09, 2016

  Social media is here to stay. ​According to Neoteric UK, 45 percent of users feel "worried or uncomfortable" when email or Facebook aren't accessible. We like scrolling through our feeds, with many of us getting our news from it. With Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Snapchat capturing most of the people in your church, why shouldn't you show up for the regular meetings? Or do you know this and you're struggling to make social media work in your church?

• 3 ways your lobby is a barrier to potential new members

  Wednesday, February 24, 2016

  For years I've been conducting church mystery visits. Some call it a secret shopper, but ultimately I'm walking into churches across the country with church culture knowledge coupled with the community's demographic research. This formula produces definitive steps to helping churches become relevant while removing barriers to those entering for the first time.

• Is your church known by love?

  Thursday, February 11, 2016

  Church is a group of Christ-followers, and Christ asked us to love like He does. When each of us follow His example, we will be known for love. Being known for something requires consistency and strategic intention. It's not easy.

• Every sentence needs editing — Here’s how

  Wednesday, January 27, 2016

  Barriers are obstacles that keep people from gaining access to something. With churches, for example, that can be receiving information. Our ministries are rich with information that needs to connect with our congregations and communities. Therefore, we need to eliminate all barriers that obstruct important information.

• Find a simple way to say something complex

  Wednesday, January 13, 2016

  ​I was talking with someone recently, and it felt like I needed to draw a flow chart in order to understand his conversation. He gave me so much detail that I got lost in it. We run into those people; they can answer a simple question with a complex discussion. I feel like interrupting by asking if they can bottom-line it please! If I'm in a hurry, I quickly realize I shouldn't have asked the question to that person at all.

• Is your church merry about Christmas?

  Wednesday, December 16, 2015

  ​Culturally, Christmas is getting a bad rap (or is that wrap?). Companies are trying to secularize the holy day by promoting materialism and jolliness instead of any religious affiliation. It seems the only time the church is mentioned in news stories is to talk about how we're complaining that the world is making this a "holiday" rather than our special "Christmas."

• 4 sermon tips to help pastors communicate better

  Wednesday, December 02, 2015

  I'm not a minister or a pastor. However, I am a communications person. All communicators aren't pastors, and sadly, all pastors aren't effective communicators. I'm not talking about your church, of course. I'm talking about the leader in charge of the church down the road.

• 7 crucial church communication New Year preparation tips

  Wednesday, November 18, 2015

  Weeks? We're down to a few days. The New Year is around the corner and, unfortunately, Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Christmas distract us. After the flurry of work, or even during it, you need to focus on 2016. It's going to be your best church communication year ever!

• When your website says no, but you say go

  Wednesday, November 04, 2015

  ​I was driving down a city street in a school zone, and a police officer was directing traffic. He had eight lanes of traffic to work with, and his arms were swinging with various gestures in various directions. I thought he was telling the lane next to me to stop and for me to go. I was wrong. Fortunately, the police officer "allowed" me to proceed, and no one was hurt.

• 4 tips to make church greeters more effective

  Wednesday, October 21, 2015

  Every week you have families arriving to go to church. They walk through the main doors of your building and follow their same path that they usually take to "their" seat. I regularly do church mystery visits in order to get an impartial feeling for a congregation. I attend each Sunday service, and I'm surprised about my compulsion to sit in the same seat for different service times. We love routine.

• 3 church communication failures

  Wednesday, October 14, 2015

  No one wants to fail at something. A company doesn't set out with a product and hope it fails. A politician doesn't want to lose. Yet many fail. The church, with its critical message of hope, grace and life, can't afford to fail. Nor does it try to fall flat in communications. But sadly, it does — especially in three areas. You don't try to fail; it just comes naturally (or so it seems).

• Why every church needs a communications director

  Wednesday, September 23, 2015

  When we started our church communications company 15 years ago, few churches had full-time communication directors. We talked mainly to pastors, worship leaders, secretaries and volunteers. Now, many churches have a full-time dedicated person who is committed to the communications of their local church. Finally! It's not just the large churches either. We see medium-sized and even small churches with directors of communication.

• 5 ways to advocate for your audience

  Wednesday, September 09, 2015

  I recently wanted to buy something at a local department store (FYI: it's like Amazon, except in a building). I had received their promotional email about a small appliance sale. When I looked at their shelves, there was a demo model, but no new appliance for sale.

• Your new church communication economy

  Thursday, August 27, 2015

  We put up with a lot in life. I just got back from the gym where I lifted heavy weights until every muscle in my upper body was crying out in pain. A few days ago, I spent a couple of hours out in the heat mowing my grass, trimming and edging.

• Church communication fears and tiers

  Wednesday, August 12, 2015

  ​A crowd gathers in a large room. Everyone quiets down waiting for something to happen. They all have a lot going on in their heads. They're all prepared to inform the group. Then, someone figures no one's in charge, so she takes the lead. She clears her voice and starts telling what she came for. Another person then realizes if he's going to get his message out, he must say his information, too.

• 4 limitations every church communicator must understand

  Wednesday, July 29, 2015

  ​In life there are few truly unlimited things. There's God. But even He's limited to His nature (He can't sin, for example). Often, "unlimited" things come with fine print that controls the expectations. Think about unlimited data for phone services or cloud storage.

• Stop preaching to an empty room

  Wednesday, July 15, 2015

  Imagine your pastor standing behind the pulpit. All the lights are on, the microphone is working nicely, and the doors are unlocked so people can freely come in. He's worked for hours on a great sermon to which he knows many people will respond. He clears his throat and delivers an eloquent message.

• What your church website screams about you

  Wednesday, July 01, 2015

  ​Everyone uses the Internet. Well, almost everyone. According to ​Internet Live Stats, 86.75 percent of Americans use the Web. Most of us visit the Internet quickly to discover new things, remind us of information, be entertained and/or buy things.

• 3 critical church website errors

  Wednesday, June 17, 2015

  When the world started building websites, people were amazed. I remember my first conference in the mid 1990s that talked about their power. Most of us got caught up in the technical programming complexities and how the tool was actually created. I left wondering if anyone would want the hard work of creating them.

• 3 church social media mistakes

  Wednesday, June 03, 2015

  ​We all have limited minutes to accomplish all the demands on our time. Clearly, we need to be strategic while questioning what we're doing during our busy schedules. It comes down to our return on investment. Not necessarily monetary investment, but our time too. Social media is important, but if it's not successful, why continue?

• Why church is like ‘American Idol’

  Wednesday, May 20, 2015

  The news seems to be everywhere. After 15 seasons, "American Idol" is ending. Remember in the early 2000s when American Idol dominated the TV schedule? It was talked about in business, entertainment and even on the news. By the time Justin Guarini and Kelly Clarkson battled it out in the first season's finals, almost 23 million people tuned in. "A Moment Like This," the song Clarkson sang that evening, pushed The Beatles out of their spot for the biggest leap to number one song on the Billboard Hot 100.

• Oh yeah, it’s Mother’s Day!

  Wednesday, May 06, 2015

  Church communications is not an easy task. Many people think it's as simple as telling everyone what's going on in your church — which isn't always simple — but it's more than that. Effective church communicators are leaders who intently love, know and understand the people who come to your church. But it doesn't stop there.

• Make your church known for love

  Wednesday, April 22, 2015

  ​Jesus called his disciples together in John 13 and washed their feet just before His evil betrayal. In the chaos over the discussion of who it was that would betray Him, Jesus says to his disciples, "Love one another. Just like I love you; love one another."

• Spring cleaning for effective church communications

  Wednesday, April 08, 2015

  ​Spring. It's finally here! For most of the country, the winter seemed to linger. But now that warmer temperatures have started to blow in, spring fever starts to bite. After the winter, everything seems to need cleaning, doesn't it? I know my truck is in need of a polish. But how about your church communications?

• Your last-minute Easter communication checklist

  Wednesday, March 25, 2015

  ​Tick. Tick. Tick. The days are passing quickly as we approach one of the largest days on the Christian calendar. Many of you are prepared for Easter, while other church communicators are scrambling to make sure people will attend church next week.

• The difference between likable and sharable social media posts

  Wednesday, March 11, 2015

  Social media allows us to read/watch/see something and then 1) scroll past 2) like it or 3) share it. As a church, which is the best? The answer is obviously the last.

• 3 reasons you need a spring break

  Wednesday, February 25, 2015

  ​It's difficult to take a break when running full speed on a treadmill. That's the thought I had at the gym this morning. We've convinced ourselves that we can't possibly rest when we're in a fast-paced ministry world. It's a lie.

• Your church’s elusive magic bullet for communication

  Wednesday, February 11, 2015

  A friend recently texted to request help with a computer issue. I knew how to do it, so I gladly offered to sit and show him. There was a pause, and he asked, "Can you just give quick instructions now?" He obviously wanted me to text back a single tweet that would educate him to do a difficult task. Can 140-character count actually do that?

• 3 time-savers for church communications

  Wednesday, January 28, 2015

  ​As I visit churches across the country, I realize that ministries have so much to communicate. Events, promotions, services, requests and stories. Sadly, the more I research behaviors of church staff, I see we're doing more and more while having less time to get it all done.

• Church goals? It’s all about the baseline

  Wednesday, January 14, 2015

  I love dreaming up goals for myself personally, for ministry and for business. Have you done it yet? January tends to be the time to set goals and start thinking about fresh ideas. I'm not talking about resolutions that will be forgotten in a few weeks. I'm talking about committing time to focus on things that need changing and then creating a path to conquering the goals.

• 2 ways to stretch your church communications budget in 2015

  Wednesday, December 17, 2014

  ​It's that time of year. A lot of churches have already established their budgets for 2015, and most want to do more with the limited funds that are budgeted. When it comes to church communications, there are usually two goals for your church.

• 3 broken church website issues

  Thursday, December 04, 2014

  A lot of churches are using broken online communication vehicles every day. Some are investing countless hours and dollars to sustain their bad website. Anyone that clicks on their website sees that it's all wrong for them. It's crazy.

• Are you practicing Thanksgiving authentically?

  Wednesday, November 19, 2014

  We're just days away. Thanksgiving really does come before Christmas, although you wouldn't know from the jingly commercials on TV. Thanksgiving has sadly become little more than the official start of the holiday season, and that's a shame.

• You can’t afford to update your church’s website? Really?

  Wednesday, November 05, 2014

  We spend lots of time and money creating print materials for people who come to our services while the one thing used primarily for external communications — the website — is left lacking. More than 85 percent of your first-time guests go to your website to "discover you" first.

• Should a pastor be a brand?

  Thursday, October 23, 2014

  Everyone wants to have followers and a clear influence in their world. Personal brand recognition is the easiest way to do that. As spiritual tutors and mentors, pastors need branding to reach their world for Christ.

• Pastors, make your logo smaller

  Wednesday, October 08, 2014

  Have you noticed things are changing with communications? Probably not. You have so much going on that church communication issues probably don't register. So, allow me to call your attention to a change that speaks loudly to the church: Make your logo smaller.

• 2 symptoms of deep communication issues

  Wednesday, September 24, 2014

  As you tend to your church, do you notice things that seem wrong? Perhaps you've even heard people talking about things they don't like, but no one connects the symptoms to the underlying causes. If you continue to ignore the issues, you risk losing the organization.

• Seriously, there’s no secret to good church websites

  Wednesday, September 10, 2014

  The Internet is just a click away, and we rely on it constantly. So why do we think it's a secret about why websites are good? What websites do you go to regularly? What makes them a good website? There's really no secret. You know the answer.

• Stop your church from singing this way

  Wednesday, August 27, 2014

  I was walking in a park and heard musical tones from the other side of a treed area. A brass instrument and drums, I think. I thought I heard some singing, too. There was really no way to make out the song. Nothing sounded like it was mixed properly. Our churches do the same thing.

• Our church needs communication help — Now what?

  Wednesday, August 13, 2014

  I'm often told at conferences, "Our church needs to fix our communication systems." Then they ask, "But how do we get started?" In a short article, it's difficult to explain all the hard work, but here are four steps to get started.

• A new brand is born — Now what?

  Wednesday, July 30, 2014

  The National Association of Church Administration (NACBA) is now The Church Network. Whistles, confetti, fireworks and such. A new brand has been born! We're so blessed to be part of this rebranding. I'm honored and humbled to be involved. But now what?

• Is social media working for your church?

  Wednesday, July 16, 2014

  ​There are many who are blessed to stand in a crowd, but they have little worthwhile to say. And there are those with important messages to say, but they don't find themselves in a crowd that they can influence. Both situations are a shame.

• Why 20 percent do 80 percent — and how to fix it

  Wednesday, July 09, 2014

  I was having breakfast recently with a good friend. He's an active participant in ministry, and we were lamenting the ​Pareto principle. For those unfamiliar, it's that "law of the vital few" where 20 percent of a congregation seems to do 80 percent of the work.

• Please read these 297 words

  Wednesday, June 18, 2014

  More people would read more books if they were shorter. Wouldn't you? More would pick up a 20-page book than a 500-page book, no? The majority of people agree. So, it makes sense that your website and communication materials need to be short. Why?

• 3 ways to deal with church quitters

  Wednesday, June 04, 2014

  Are you a quitter? Most would say no, but there are lots of ways we quit. Some statistics say as many as 95 percent of dieters fail. With 45 million Americans dieting each year, there's some quitting going on. What about your church?

• Does your pastor need an optometrist?

  Wednesday, May 21, 2014

  I realize now, more than ever, that I need a good balance between near- and farsightedness. Our church communications need this balance, too.

• Church attendance: Fat ones, fit ones, new ones

  Wednesday, May 07, 2014

  The church is like the gym. Like physical change at the gym, people realize they need something different in their spiritual lives. You have a solution to offer. People start attending and want benefits.

• Your welcome card needs updating

  Wednesday, April 23, 2014

  Why do we expect visitors to fill out our visitor or welcome forms? I'm not saying to stop with welcome cards, but please be careful with them. Recently, I was at a church that had a welcome tab with 19 form requests including name, address, cellphone number, email, and birthdate. No one will offer all that — especially a visitor.

• Your church needs an alarm clock

  Wednesday, April 09, 2014

  I often listen to iHeartRadio and one of its many stations. I'm not even sure what I'm listening to most of the time. It's just music. When I get tired of one of the stations, I move on. Sounds like church, doesn't it?

• 2 McChurch lessons to stop the decline

  Wednesday, March 26, 2014

  Fast food gets a bad rap in the media (from poor wages to high fat content). This means the average person has a bad perception of fast food, while the economy is forcing different purchasing decisions. Similarly, churches aren't getting much positive news coverage either.

• An open letter to church communications directors

  Wednesday, March 12, 2014

  Have you noticed that in our field you never get comfortable? Ideas, clients, production, suppliers, methods and software are changing continuously. You think you've mastered something and bam!, it changes. Here are three things I wish someone shared with me earlier on.

• ‘My business’s website is my favorite,’ said no one ever

  Wednesday, February 26, 2014

  What is your favorite website? What site do you go to over and over again? It's probably not your business's — even if you designed and produced it. And the sobering truth is; that your customers and clients will never say your website is their favorite place to go online either. It will never happen.

• ‘My church’s website is my favorite,’ said no one ever

  Wednesday, February 26, 2014

  What is your favorite website? What site do you go to over and over again? It's probably not your church's — even if you designed and produced it. And the sobering truth is; that your congregation will never say your church website is their favorite place to go online either. It will never happen.

• Church storytelling tips: Social media edition

  Wednesday, February 12, 2014

  ​We've all been there. You're in a church service listening to the teaching. Your mind wanders to the game that'll happen in the afternoon or where you'll eat after the service. Then the pastor pauses and starts, "The funniest thing happened to me yesterday at the grocery store" and almost audibly you hear everyone's attention directed to the stage. We all love a good story.

• Seriously! Stop using Facebook this way

  Wednesday, January 29, 2014

  Social media has changed our lives. This month we say happy 10th birthday to Facebook. Time flies. Since Facebook has 1.2 billion active users, it assures that almost everyone is on it. It makes sense that a lot of businesses have a page that communicates to their customers. But why do people follow you? If we understand that, we'll understand how to get more followers and what content to develop.

• Seriously, churches! Stop using Facebook this way

  Wednesday, January 29, 2014

  This month we say happy 10th birthday to Facebook. Since Facebook has 1.2 billion active users, it assures that almost everyone is on it. It makes sense that a lot of churches have a page that communicates to their congregation. But why do people follow you? If we understand that, we'll understand how to get more followers and what content to develop.

• Is your church jumping the shark?

  Wednesday, January 15, 2014

  ​Every service or product has a life cycle. It's rare that a successful product starts out with an instant "win" and maintains it. There's a natural bell curve that occurs throughout a life cycle. And it all takes a lot of hard work. Sometimes gimmicks work to attract a big crowd. Until you "jump the shark." How about your church?

• Why your church website isn’t being read

  Wednesday, December 11, 2013

  ​Communication budgets are being wasted by churches. Almost every ministry has a website now, and sadly the investment may not be wise. The mentality I hear all the time is, "It's not very good, but it's better than not having one." I disagree. People are fleeing (quickly) from church websites, but it can be different.

• 3 sanity checks when caught in the middle

  Thursday, November 21, 2013

  My wife is a middle child. She tells stories about how she felt left out and sometimes caught in the middle. You may even feel like you're always the middle person on the team. Not the best, not the worst. And even now, the awkward couple of weeks in the middle of Thanksgiving and Christmas is coming. The middle gets a bad rap. The middle is a strange time or position. So what do you do when you're after a large event and before another. The church often has these times.

• 3 simple reasons for simple

  Thursday, November 14, 2013

  ​I love recipes that contain three or four simple ingredients. Last night we had a taco soup that was easy to make, yet it tasted amazing. Just a few cans of this, spice, some ground beef, and voila. It's like a chef created it. Often the amazing results make us think it's much more than it actually was. The same is true for the best communication strategies. Simple is almost always better. I think we know that; but why don't we do it more?

• What’s your business wearing?

  Wednesday, October 30, 2013

  What people wear — or the style they regularly wear — starts to become recognizable. In fact, we tend to wear similar things regularly. A brand is essentially that consistency we've become known for. And those things that are consistently used/worn become the visual identity of your brand. What's your business been wearing? Textures, styles and "cut" work into the equation, but color is the most recognized component of a brand suite.

• What’s your church wearing?

  Wednesday, October 30, 2013

  I have a few friends who seem to only wear black. And then there are pastors I know who always seem to be wearing a sweater vest. Or khakis and an oxford shirt. In fact, you’re probably known for wearing a certain style. What people wear — or the style they regularly wear — starts to become recognizable. What’s your church been wearing?

• 1 Web trend churches should do well

  Wednesday, October 16, 2013

  Website design paradigms are constantly changing. Thanks in part to coding abilities and analytics (the ability to know what a person is looking for online). Since we realize what people are looking for, Web designers and content developers (that's you!) are trying to create "user-centric" design.

• 3 questions to avert church ‘shutdown’

  Wednesday, October 02, 2013

  For the first time in 17 years, the U.S. government has shut down. Many thought it would never happen; some thought it was inevitable. All because people can’t agree to move forward in certain ways. And sadly, it could happen to your church.

• 3 marketing lessons from Jesus

  Thursday, September 19, 2013

  ​I get pushback regularly from church leaders when it comes to marketing. And I understand why. Often marketing feels like "compromising our message" or "manipulating an audience" for monetary profit. And each of these is absolutely wrong for the church. We deserve better.