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Churches with a clearly defined communication strategy are more effective at fulfilling the Great Commandment and Great Commission than churches that don’t.

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”—Acts 1:8

Jesus told his disciples that they would be his witnesses across the street, across the country, and around the world.  As they proclaimed the gospel to the ancient world, the disciples needed to consider their audience, know their spiritual needs, and know how to reach them in order to be successful in carrying out their task by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Today, we need to know our people, know their needs, and know how to reach them as well.  Technology gives us unprecedented influence in our congregations and our communities, but success with in using those tools rises or falls on the effectiveness of your church communication strategy.

Below are three essential elements for crafting an effective church communication strategy.

1. Know your audience.

Who is your audience?  That is, who is the intended recipient of the messages that you are sending from your church?

Of course your first audience is the people inside of your church.  Your sermons, your events, your social media posts, your blog content…  All of these communicate what your church stands for.

Many churches, however, don’t recognize their second audience: your community.  There are people in your community who are looking at your church from the outside to discover who you are, what you value, and how you represent Jesus to the people around you.

What messages are you sending?  How does your church communication strategy (or lack thereof) impact the people who are receiving them?

Knowing your audience is the first step in creating your church communication strategy.

2. Know how you can serve them.

With your audience in mind, the second step in creating your church communication strategy is to define what they need.  What does each segment of your audience need for spiritual growth?  For equipping?  For discipleship?

An effective church communication strategy will consider which segments of your community your church is uniquely gifted to serve and then serve.  Does your church excel at connecting volunteers with ministries that need help?  Feature service and missions opportunities on your website.  Does your church have an exceptional teaching ministry?  Feature your sermons, articles, and resources.

Not all churches are gifted in the same way, so the content that your church creates and shares may be dramatically different than the content that another church creates and shares.  You cannot be a “jack of all trades.”  What is important is that you consider your strengths and your gifts and use technology to emphasize them.

3. Know how to reach them.

Healthy congregations have a diverse membership: people of different ages, people of different ethnicity, people in different stages of life.  In the body of Christ, there is “neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free.”

Because your body is diverse, you won’t reach everyone with the same medium.  How will you reach the teenage girl and her parents with the latest news from your youth group?  How will you reach the elderly widow who can’t leave the house during the winter months?

An effective communication strategy is designed to maximize reach and communicate your vision with your entire congregation.  Some tools that we consider in a communication strategy include:

1. Your website.  For most churches, your website is your “home base.”  This is the central hub from which your church communications flow.  If you need it, it’s on the website.
2. Church management systems.  Church management systems like Community Church Builder and The City create engagement by making your content shareable and interactive.  Church management systems can be a simple and effective way to add “members only” features to your communications strategy.
3. Social media.  If your church isn’t using Facebook to communicate with your members and your congregation, it’s time to start.  Facebook has virtually universal reach, and communication is quick and effective.  Other social networks include YouTube (video content) and Instagram (photo content).
4. Email newsletters.  Email is a great way to segment and communicate with specific groups of people in your audience.  Many church management systems (above) have email list functionality.  Mailchimp is a free tool for sending emails to lists of up to 2,000 people.

Koinonia is a digital ministry consulting company.

We partner with churches to help them discover their church communication strategy and equip them with the tools and training to help them be successful.

Considering implementing a digital ministry strategy for your church?  Contact us today for a no-risk consultation to explore what options are best for your situation.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_btn title=”START YOUR FREE ASSESSMENT »” style=”modern” shape=”square” color=”danger” size=”lg” align=”center” i_align=”left” i_type=”fontawesome” i_icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-check-circle” i_icon_openiconic=”vc-oi vc-oi-dial” i_icon_typicons=”typcn typcn-adjust-brightness” i_icon_entypo=”entypo-icon entypo-icon-note” i_icon_linecons=”vc_li vc_li-heart” link=”url:%2Fassessment%2F||” button_block=”” add_icon=”true” i_icon_pixelicons=”vc_pixel_icon vc_pixel_icon-alert”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][/vc_column][/vc_row]