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How to conduct a church systems check
Deborah Ike Religious CommunityHave you ever been driving down the road when suddenly the check engine light comes on? That's obviously an indication you need to have your vehicle's system checked out. While we don't receive warning lights within our churches, there are ways to tell when it's time to check on the systems in place that are "how we do what we do."
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3 critical ways to cut costs in church communications
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityWhen 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?
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8 tips to prepare for a successful back‑to‑school season
Deborah Ike Religious CommunityUnless you're in the VBS or youth event trenches, you likely have a somewhat less hectic schedule than usual during the summer months. If that's the case, after you've taken some time off, this is a great time to start planning ahead.
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A surprising use of church social media
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityYour 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.
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How systems support ministry
Deborah Ike Religious CommunitySystems are simply a set of procedures or processes established for achieving a specific result. An easy example is the system you develop for processing invoices or adding new members to the church database. You likely have a standard set of tasks someone on the team repeats week after week to result in bills paid or members added.
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You can’t do communications alone
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityOf 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.
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5 signs of a healthy church staff environment
Deborah Ike Religious CommunityServing on a church staff is a different kind of job. It not only involves your time, talent, and work ethic, it also involves your faith and seeing people at their best – and worst. While we’d like to think all churches are a great place to work, some can be quite toxic. Instead of focusing on the negative, I’d like to share the following signs of a healthy environment.
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4 troublesome indicators of ministry silos
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityEach 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.
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Does your church team know what you expect?
Deborah Ike Religious CommunityHave you ever wondered why a team member did something completely wrong? Have you assigned someone a task and the final product was not quite what you needed? While it's certainly possible your team member made a mistake, perhaps he simply didn't understand what you'd requested. Whether you have a group of staff members or volunteers, ensuring they know what you expect is a key step in developing an effective team.
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5 quick tips to polish your email communication
Jason Dailey Religious CommunityMost of us have to interact with other people in the workplace whether it's co-workers, customers, or both. And that means we have to communicate — we can't escape it. The most popular form of written communication in most workplaces is email. Email has been around for a long time, and it isn't going away anytime soon. We've all used it for years, so it's easy to treat it lightly. I'm here to discourage you from treating it too lightly.
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