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Be prepared: 15 crisis communication tips
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityWe 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:
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Why you need a church event request form (and what should be on it)
Deborah Ike Religious CommunityIf you're responsible for planning events at your church, you've likely run into situations where you didn't have all the information needed to plan effectively. Instead of trying to track down decisions late in the process, asking for key details when an event is initially approved will make planning much easier. An event request form can aid in gathering all the necessary details you’ll need to plan effectively. Here’s what you should include in your church event request form.
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3 ways to simplify church content to get it noticed
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityAttention 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.
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How to prevent financial fraud at your church
Deborah Ike Religious CommunityYou may have seen a recent news article regarding a church financial secretary who embezzled over half a million dollars from the church. Other churches have faced the awful reality that a trusted staff member or volunteer committed fraud and stole from the church. While we'd all prefer to trust those who handle church finances, that's not a risk we can afford to take. Instead, we need to have safeguards in place to protect the church and the reputation of those handling church finances. Here are a few simple ways to protect against fraud.
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3 drastic changes the church must understand now
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityIn 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.
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How to leverage lessons learned
Deborah Ike Religious CommunityOne of the challenges in ministry is that there's always another sermon to prepare, an event to plan, or a project to initiate. When everyone feels the pressure to hurry up and move on to the next significant effort, it’s difficult to get people to gather lessons learned from the last project. Unfortunately, when we don't reflect on what we've learned we tend to repeat the same mistakes. Here a few tips for how to leverage the lessons you learn from each project to make the next one even better.
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ADA amends policy in recognition of religious diversity in dentistry
Tammy Hinojos Oral & Dental HealthcareDiversity and inclusivity are increasingly top of mind for industries and corporations across the globe. Those are good things. American dentistry’s governing body, the American Dental Association (ADA), is no different in that regard. The organization recently made a move to be more inclusive to dental professionals with different religious beliefs and those with no religious affiliation at all. The ADA House of Delegates voted at its meeting last September to rescind the policy used by some state and local dental societies during their meetings.
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7 critical directions for effective church signage
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityNot 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.
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4 tips for managing last-minute ideas
Deborah Ike Religious Community"I have an idea…" This phrase tends to mean an avalanche of work is headed your way. While the idea that's coming may be excellent and worth doing, what a church business administrator dreads is the likely effort to cram too many tasks into a short time frame. As you know, turning vision into reality is a tall order. If you've been hearing those dreaded words a lot lately and feel like your team is in a vicious cycle of last-minute planning, here are four tips to break the cycle.
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4 personalities that don’t do communication well
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityEveryone 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.
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