Having grown up in church for all of my life, one universal I have discovered is that churches seem to enjoy communication overload. From a litany of announcements to bulletins the size of small books, every Sunday I feel inundated with information.
The advent of the internet hasn't helped, as emails, Facebook events and incessant tweets haunt my digital steps, almost like I am being stalked by all the things the church has to offer me.
Now that I work within church communications, and am presumably at least part of the very problem I am trying to avoid with all of my being, there is a chance to evaluate exactly how effective our communication is.
Are we actually communicating to people meaningful ways to engage in the life of the church, or are we simply adding to the static of an already information-overloaded society?
What are good strategies to convey the important events and activities? (and maybe even something about the Gospel if we're lucky)
What are things we do on a normal basis that might detract from that?
I'm going to identify five common communication strategies used within church communications and evaluate them in regards to their overall effectiveness to the amount of effort/cost/time involved. There are obviously more than five, and mileage may vary based on location, size of church, etc. This is meant to be more of broad overview based on my own experiences to stimulate discussion and thought rather than an ironclad roadmap to good church communication.
1. Announcement Slides
Announcement slides should always be viewed as only a supplemental form of communications rather than the announcement.
Once you put up a screen in your sanctuary/meeting space/whatever you call it, it seems only fitting that you put something on that screen. And there are any number of options- artwork, sermon graphics, scripture verses, lyrics, etc. However, those who work within church communications are probably familiar with something far more sinister- the pre-service announcement roll. The very mention of this is enough to send a graphic designer into spasms. Fifteen seconds of information about one event followed by another, followed by another, ad infinitum. Rinse and repeat.
I am obviously being a bit facetious, but this is probably one of the least effective means of communicating anything, and there are a couple of reasons for this.
First, it's simply a matter of placement. If a typical worship service lasts between 45 minutes to an hour, anything communicated at the very beginning is going to be forgotten for the most part by the end. Churches tend to have an especially bad habit of stacking so many of these announcements at the beginning, that the law of diminishing returns rears its ugly head. If you are running 15 announcement slides at the beginning of your service, you are simply wasting your time. (Even 5 is probably too many) No one is going to remember any of them by the time they walk out the door.
Secondly, prior to the start of any worship service there is an almost universal reality that only 65% or so of the people who are eventually going to be attending are actually there at that moment. Having played in worship bands and being to able to observe who is there and who isn't, this 65% or so are the regulars who are always there and already know, for the most part, what is going on in and around the church. They are not paying attention to announcement slides, but are getting coffee and donuts and talking to the other regulars and friends they know. This group is also comprised of families with children who are trying to get them settled and quieted down. Again, not looking at announcements.
The final 35% who are going to be in the seats generally straggle in 5-10 minutes after things have started. These are the people who the announcements might have actually been relevant to, but since they are either new or just generally come in later, the entire effort is generally ineffective.
I'm not here to say that announcement slides are bad per se, but you really want to evaluate how effective they actually are. It takes time to create them, to load them into whatever presentation software you have, and the results are usually not worth the effort. This becomes more pronounced with each additional piece of information you attempt to communicate.
In reality, about the only way in which an announcement slide has any chance of effectiveness is if it is accompanied by a live announcement. This might seem to defeat the purpose, but it at least serves to solidify the graphic with someone who can command the attention of the congregation. Pick one or two really important things you want to communicate; otherwise, it will be just as much noise as the rolling announcements.
2. Bulletins
In evaluating the purpose of a bulletin, it's important to identify what exactly you are wanting to convey. If your church is more liturgical in nature, having the order of worship (with readings, call-and-response, etc.) in a handout makes sense, especially for people who may not be familiar with it. If your church meets in a place that doesn't have screens, having lyric sheets might also be a good use for the bulletin or a handout. These sorts of practical aspects can help you determine if a bulletin is even necessary or not.
However, one of the troubling things I have noticed is that a lot of churches tend to use the bulletin as a catch-all for every ministry handout, sermon notes, upcoming events, support groups, etc. It almost takes on the feel of a small book. From the perspective of someone in church communications, we want to make as much information available in a convenient place, right? Perhaps not.
From the point of view of anyone else, a bulletin stuffed with all of this information can be downright overwhelming. When someone comes into a worship service, the last thing they want is a bunch of literature to read.
Plus, when exactly are they supposed to be reading this? When they get home? Not going to happen. (You can test this by putting large blue recycle bins outside the doors and see exactly how many make it out.)
Are they going to read this during the worship service, when you want them focusing on something other than the bulletin? Actually, this happens a lot, and the information overload can actually give people an excuse to check out of the service.
I know from my own experience that this is the case: I come into a new church without knowing anyone, and I am handed this overstuffed bulletin. I try to find a seat (I am already a little late) and finally sit down. Am I supposed to be reading this, or paying attention to something else? The band starts playing, and aside from the weirdness of not really knowing the songs and being in a venue where people around me are singing when that doesn't really happen anywhere else in my life, this little book all of a sudden gives me something to alleviate the awkwardness.
What was meant to communicate things to me about this church is now serving to distract me from worship.
As you evaluate your need for a bulletin, ask who it is for. Is this for the regulars who attend week after week? Is this meant for newcomers or people who attend infrequently? The type of information you are going to put in is going to be dependent to some extent on who you are trying to reach with the bulletin. Trying to take a overarching blanket approach is probably going to have more disappointing results.
As is going to be common theme, less is more with a bulletin. If you feel you absolutely need one, (and you may or may not) use it to communicate only the most important things. With every piece of information you place in it, you get diminishing returns. Not to mention that printing bulletins and all the inserts for it is expensive.
If you focus on the most critical things, you can not only save money but perhaps actually engage in effective communication.
3. Direct Mail
This sort of communications strategy has advantages and disadvantages. You can reach a large number of people, but the cost to effectiveness ratio is generally pretty low. I get these types of direct mail pieces from churches all the time, and truth be told, they immediately go into the garbage can. It's not that I'm not interested, (ok, maybe to some extent I'm not…) it's just that 95% of the mail I get is junk mail and another piece from another entity does nothing to stimulate my interest.
Direct mail is going to be slightly more effective with people who you already have on your mailing list and who have indicated an interest in receiving communication from your church. In this regard, direct mail can be good for informing people who are already active within your church of upcoming events. Simple things like postcards for events and the like can be worth the cost when they are done well.
For direct mail in which you go for more of blanket approach to an entire area, (and in which you may have purchased a mailing list) it is important to create a piece that is immediately compelling, professional and that will stand out. Do not overload it with information, but only the most critical aspects of the event. You are already going to be spending a lot of money on this for the list and postage, so you will want to maximize your cost effectiveness. This should only be for your big blow-out events: Christmas Eve, Easter, some summer mega-event, etc.
As a supplementary approach, it will be crucial to use the people within your congregation by way of word-of-mouth. Give your congregants the piece (or two or three or five) to personally give to their friends, family, neighbors, etc. They will have a better chance of actually communicating what is going to be happening, without the piece going directly into the trash.
4. Video
Video can be an incredibly compelling form of communication, but it can also be an incredible waste of resources. Since video is heavy on the time side of production, you will want to ensure that your videos get as much bang for the buck, so to speak. As with every other area, one thing I have noticed is that churches tend to over-use video just for the sake of using video, without really evaluating if it is worth it or not.
My first rule is this: if a video cannot say something 10 times more compellingly than someone live, you should not make a video.
My second rule is this: if a video cannot live beyond a one-time use, you should not make a video. (There are notable exceptions, but they should be extremely notable exceptions.)
My third rule is this: If you are trying to use a video to communicate a lot of information, with multiple times, dates, websites, etc., you should not make a video.
Videos are most effective when they are used to generate interest, hype and excitement. If you try to cram a bunch of info into a video, it's going to be boring, long and no one will want to watch it or remember it. Focus on emotion, excitement, pathos, whatever- anything besides an information dump.
The upside to creating extremely compelling videos is that they have the opportunity to live beyond themselves. Put them on your website, upload them to Vimeo and YouTube, have your congregants share them on Facebook. This, however, can only happen if you are very intentional with what you are creating, which requires a lot of time and forethought.
(P.S. Trying to pull together a video the day before is a sure-fire way to not create something compelling or meaningful.)
Instead of trying to communicate information, convey a feeling that makes people interested in who you are and what you are doing. Then they can discover more about your church and what you have to offer.
5. Website
Your website is going to be the most important portal for information about your church, and as such your communications strategy should be focused to a large extent on this. The beauty of a website for people unfamiliar with your church is that it gives them a non-intrusive way to find out more about you, what you have to offer, etc., on their own terms and their own time.
Because of this, within your overall communications strategy you will want all the supplemental material mentioned above to ultimately direct people to the website, since you can be more intentional about the information you convey. Granted, there is still the danger of information overload, but at least the hierarchy of a website can break things down into more manageable chunks.
Since your website will in many ways be the primary means of communication and information, (although social media is making inroads in this area) it really needs to both look good and function intuitively. The first impression that a website gives can determine whether someone stays and browses or leaves immediately. (I fall into this category, I am not ashamed to admit…) Devoting the resources to creating a aesthetically pleasing website is, in the digital world, not really an option any more, but rather a necessity.
As far as intuitive navigation, one trap I have noticed some churches fall into is using churchy language as part of their navigation scheme. For example, if I am new to the faith or haven't been to church in awhile, if I am searching for something for someone my age, grouping Adult Programs under the navigational heading of Ministries doesn't really say anything to me, and is not necessarily an obvious nor intuitive place for me to look. Most people don't use the term 'Ministry' on a day to day basis. Is this the Ministry of Truth? The Ministry of Silly Walks? (I would probably go to a church that had that, actually…)
When you evaluate your navigation and hierarchy, be sure to critically look at how the words and phrases you use might appear to someone outside of church communications. While it may make sense from your perspective, it may be simply confusing or non-sensible to someone on the outside.
That doesn't mean you have to use uber-generic language, but rather look for words and terms that make sense to the non-initiated. A useful exercise might be to see how secular organizations organize their navigation and information.
Conclusion
This is obviously only a somewhat brief and rather broad look at some of the common communication strategies that churches employ. There are many more that would burgeon this post beyond its already bloated length.
Obviously things are different from church to church and what may work in one place really well may utterly flop in another. The main points that I would want to convey are these:
1. Information brings diminishing returns the more of it is disseminated.
2. Because of this law of diminishing returns, communication must be intentional.
3. The last thing people hear is usually the last thing they remember. Thus, the most critical communication must occur here.
4. All of your communication strategies should thus take a less is more approach.
Communications can be tricky business, and is often more of an art than a science. I hope that I have given a bit of food for thought. I don't expect everyone to agree with me, as most of what I have written is based simply on my experience of what works and what doesn't. Your experience will no doubt be different.
So now it's your turn to chime in.
What works in your context?
What doesn't?
What are things you would change if you could?
The advent of the internet hasn't helped, as emails, Facebook events and incessant tweets haunt my digital steps, almost like I am being stalked by all the things the church has to offer me.
Now that I work within church communications, and am presumably at least part of the very problem I am trying to avoid with all of my being, there is a chance to evaluate exactly how effective our communication is.
Are we actually communicating to people meaningful ways to engage in the life of the church, or are we simply adding to the static of an already information-overloaded society?
What are good strategies to convey the important events and activities? (and maybe even something about the Gospel if we're lucky)
What are things we do on a normal basis that might detract from that?
I'm going to identify five common communication strategies used within church communications and evaluate them in regards to their overall effectiveness to the amount of effort/cost/time involved. There are obviously more than five, and mileage may vary based on location, size of church, etc. This is meant to be more of broad overview based on my own experiences to stimulate discussion and thought rather than an ironclad roadmap to good church communication.
1. Announcement Slides
Announcement slides should always be viewed as only a supplemental form of communications rather than the announcement.
Once you put up a screen in your sanctuary/meeting space/whatever you call it, it seems only fitting that you put something on that screen. And there are any number of options- artwork, sermon graphics, scripture verses, lyrics, etc. However, those who work within church communications are probably familiar with something far more sinister- the pre-service announcement roll. The very mention of this is enough to send a graphic designer into spasms. Fifteen seconds of information about one event followed by another, followed by another, ad infinitum. Rinse and repeat.
I am obviously being a bit facetious, but this is probably one of the least effective means of communicating anything, and there are a couple of reasons for this.
First, it's simply a matter of placement. If a typical worship service lasts between 45 minutes to an hour, anything communicated at the very beginning is going to be forgotten for the most part by the end. Churches tend to have an especially bad habit of stacking so many of these announcements at the beginning, that the law of diminishing returns rears its ugly head. If you are running 15 announcement slides at the beginning of your service, you are simply wasting your time. (Even 5 is probably too many) No one is going to remember any of them by the time they walk out the door.
Secondly, prior to the start of any worship service there is an almost universal reality that only 65% or so of the people who are eventually going to be attending are actually there at that moment. Having played in worship bands and being to able to observe who is there and who isn't, this 65% or so are the regulars who are always there and already know, for the most part, what is going on in and around the church. They are not paying attention to announcement slides, but are getting coffee and donuts and talking to the other regulars and friends they know. This group is also comprised of families with children who are trying to get them settled and quieted down. Again, not looking at announcements.
The final 35% who are going to be in the seats generally straggle in 5-10 minutes after things have started. These are the people who the announcements might have actually been relevant to, but since they are either new or just generally come in later, the entire effort is generally ineffective.
I'm not here to say that announcement slides are bad per se, but you really want to evaluate how effective they actually are. It takes time to create them, to load them into whatever presentation software you have, and the results are usually not worth the effort. This becomes more pronounced with each additional piece of information you attempt to communicate.
In reality, about the only way in which an announcement slide has any chance of effectiveness is if it is accompanied by a live announcement. This might seem to defeat the purpose, but it at least serves to solidify the graphic with someone who can command the attention of the congregation. Pick one or two really important things you want to communicate; otherwise, it will be just as much noise as the rolling announcements.
2. Bulletins
In evaluating the purpose of a bulletin, it's important to identify what exactly you are wanting to convey. If your church is more liturgical in nature, having the order of worship (with readings, call-and-response, etc.) in a handout makes sense, especially for people who may not be familiar with it. If your church meets in a place that doesn't have screens, having lyric sheets might also be a good use for the bulletin or a handout. These sorts of practical aspects can help you determine if a bulletin is even necessary or not.
However, one of the troubling things I have noticed is that a lot of churches tend to use the bulletin as a catch-all for every ministry handout, sermon notes, upcoming events, support groups, etc. It almost takes on the feel of a small book. From the perspective of someone in church communications, we want to make as much information available in a convenient place, right? Perhaps not.
From the point of view of anyone else, a bulletin stuffed with all of this information can be downright overwhelming. When someone comes into a worship service, the last thing they want is a bunch of literature to read.
Plus, when exactly are they supposed to be reading this? When they get home? Not going to happen. (You can test this by putting large blue recycle bins outside the doors and see exactly how many make it out.)
Are they going to read this during the worship service, when you want them focusing on something other than the bulletin? Actually, this happens a lot, and the information overload can actually give people an excuse to check out of the service.
I know from my own experience that this is the case: I come into a new church without knowing anyone, and I am handed this overstuffed bulletin. I try to find a seat (I am already a little late) and finally sit down. Am I supposed to be reading this, or paying attention to something else? The band starts playing, and aside from the weirdness of not really knowing the songs and being in a venue where people around me are singing when that doesn't really happen anywhere else in my life, this little book all of a sudden gives me something to alleviate the awkwardness.
What was meant to communicate things to me about this church is now serving to distract me from worship.
As you evaluate your need for a bulletin, ask who it is for. Is this for the regulars who attend week after week? Is this meant for newcomers or people who attend infrequently? The type of information you are going to put in is going to be dependent to some extent on who you are trying to reach with the bulletin. Trying to take a overarching blanket approach is probably going to have more disappointing results.
As is going to be common theme, less is more with a bulletin. If you feel you absolutely need one, (and you may or may not) use it to communicate only the most important things. With every piece of information you place in it, you get diminishing returns. Not to mention that printing bulletins and all the inserts for it is expensive.
If you focus on the most critical things, you can not only save money but perhaps actually engage in effective communication.
3. Direct Mail
This sort of communications strategy has advantages and disadvantages. You can reach a large number of people, but the cost to effectiveness ratio is generally pretty low. I get these types of direct mail pieces from churches all the time, and truth be told, they immediately go into the garbage can. It's not that I'm not interested, (ok, maybe to some extent I'm not…) it's just that 95% of the mail I get is junk mail and another piece from another entity does nothing to stimulate my interest.
Direct mail is going to be slightly more effective with people who you already have on your mailing list and who have indicated an interest in receiving communication from your church. In this regard, direct mail can be good for informing people who are already active within your church of upcoming events. Simple things like postcards for events and the like can be worth the cost when they are done well.
For direct mail in which you go for more of blanket approach to an entire area, (and in which you may have purchased a mailing list) it is important to create a piece that is immediately compelling, professional and that will stand out. Do not overload it with information, but only the most critical aspects of the event. You are already going to be spending a lot of money on this for the list and postage, so you will want to maximize your cost effectiveness. This should only be for your big blow-out events: Christmas Eve, Easter, some summer mega-event, etc.
As a supplementary approach, it will be crucial to use the people within your congregation by way of word-of-mouth. Give your congregants the piece (or two or three or five) to personally give to their friends, family, neighbors, etc. They will have a better chance of actually communicating what is going to be happening, without the piece going directly into the trash.
4. Video
Video can be an incredibly compelling form of communication, but it can also be an incredible waste of resources. Since video is heavy on the time side of production, you will want to ensure that your videos get as much bang for the buck, so to speak. As with every other area, one thing I have noticed is that churches tend to over-use video just for the sake of using video, without really evaluating if it is worth it or not.
My first rule is this: if a video cannot say something 10 times more compellingly than someone live, you should not make a video.
My second rule is this: if a video cannot live beyond a one-time use, you should not make a video. (There are notable exceptions, but they should be extremely notable exceptions.)
My third rule is this: If you are trying to use a video to communicate a lot of information, with multiple times, dates, websites, etc., you should not make a video.
Videos are most effective when they are used to generate interest, hype and excitement. If you try to cram a bunch of info into a video, it's going to be boring, long and no one will want to watch it or remember it. Focus on emotion, excitement, pathos, whatever- anything besides an information dump.
The upside to creating extremely compelling videos is that they have the opportunity to live beyond themselves. Put them on your website, upload them to Vimeo and YouTube, have your congregants share them on Facebook. This, however, can only happen if you are very intentional with what you are creating, which requires a lot of time and forethought.
(P.S. Trying to pull together a video the day before is a sure-fire way to not create something compelling or meaningful.)
Instead of trying to communicate information, convey a feeling that makes people interested in who you are and what you are doing. Then they can discover more about your church and what you have to offer.
5. Website
Your website is going to be the most important portal for information about your church, and as such your communications strategy should be focused to a large extent on this. The beauty of a website for people unfamiliar with your church is that it gives them a non-intrusive way to find out more about you, what you have to offer, etc., on their own terms and their own time.
Because of this, within your overall communications strategy you will want all the supplemental material mentioned above to ultimately direct people to the website, since you can be more intentional about the information you convey. Granted, there is still the danger of information overload, but at least the hierarchy of a website can break things down into more manageable chunks.
Since your website will in many ways be the primary means of communication and information, (although social media is making inroads in this area) it really needs to both look good and function intuitively. The first impression that a website gives can determine whether someone stays and browses or leaves immediately. (I fall into this category, I am not ashamed to admit…) Devoting the resources to creating a aesthetically pleasing website is, in the digital world, not really an option any more, but rather a necessity.
As far as intuitive navigation, one trap I have noticed some churches fall into is using churchy language as part of their navigation scheme. For example, if I am new to the faith or haven't been to church in awhile, if I am searching for something for someone my age, grouping Adult Programs under the navigational heading of Ministries doesn't really say anything to me, and is not necessarily an obvious nor intuitive place for me to look. Most people don't use the term 'Ministry' on a day to day basis. Is this the Ministry of Truth? The Ministry of Silly Walks? (I would probably go to a church that had that, actually…)
When you evaluate your navigation and hierarchy, be sure to critically look at how the words and phrases you use might appear to someone outside of church communications. While it may make sense from your perspective, it may be simply confusing or non-sensible to someone on the outside.
That doesn't mean you have to use uber-generic language, but rather look for words and terms that make sense to the non-initiated. A useful exercise might be to see how secular organizations organize their navigation and information.
Conclusion
This is obviously only a somewhat brief and rather broad look at some of the common communication strategies that churches employ. There are many more that would burgeon this post beyond its already bloated length.
Obviously things are different from church to church and what may work in one place really well may utterly flop in another. The main points that I would want to convey are these:
1. Information brings diminishing returns the more of it is disseminated.
2. Because of this law of diminishing returns, communication must be intentional.
3. The last thing people hear is usually the last thing they remember. Thus, the most critical communication must occur here.
4. All of your communication strategies should thus take a less is more approach.
Communications can be tricky business, and is often more of an art than a science. I hope that I have given a bit of food for thought. I don't expect everyone to agree with me, as most of what I have written is based simply on my experience of what works and what doesn't. Your experience will no doubt be different.
So now it's your turn to chime in.
What works in your context?
What doesn't?
What are things you would change if you could?
Something I always think is amazing is people's apparent belief that putting something in the bulletin or on the screen instantly means everyone will know about it and come running with excitement to give or volunteer.
I just had a conversation with our associate pastor that the best means for communication in our church is always verbal. You can give vision, invoke emotion, and gather support better than a video or printed material.
But in the end I think they are all doors to the same house. We can't expect one way to communicate to all people. I think to effectively communicate detailed information you might have to use all the areas you mentioned above.
I think you make a very salient point re: the assumption that putting information out there somehow guarantees that its message is received or retained.
Sometimes I think we end up doing things just for the sake of doing them or because we've always done it that way, without really evaluating its effectiveness.
I agree about taking a multi-faceted approach to communication. I think your metaphor of them all being 'doors to the same house' gives a good way of thinking of how different ways of communicating can work together towards a specific and intentional goal.
Great thoughts! Thanks again.
on some of the thoughts I'd had and communicated with the media
department of my church.
I think the lack of forethought along
with not being intentional about church communications is largely
responsible for "the Noise". The multi-faceted approach will not doubt
help crystallize the intention.
Thanks for this article, I will share it with my team.
regards
I agree with your assessment about intentionality- it is such an important aspect of communication, and the failure to communicate with intentionality often leads to it being ineffectual at best, and sometimes counter-productive at worst.
And yet somehow, we are still tasked with Announcement slides. When I posed the question, citing my experiment, of why we have them, the answer was "because we have to have something up there!"
I worry often about the subject of information overload, even in our teaching. Our Sunday School message is on one subject. Worship might be built around some other theme. Communion Meditation presents more food for thought. The sermon topic is on its own tangent, and then we also hit the people with a flurry of announcements. And that's just most of the bits of information on Sunday Morning itself.
Jimmy's comment mentioned all these communication methods being doors to the same house, but when all these communication methods are being used to communicate different things, it's actually a case of doors to different houses, and no wonder people wind up missing the main points being communicated!
I think your comments about all the elements of the worship service communicating different things is very insightful. I've often pondered the same sorts of things, and I think you are spot on. There can often be a dramatic disconnect between all these things, and it ends up creating a bunch of noise.
At my church I do appreciate that they do attempt (most of the time) to bring all the elements together coherently, although it can be challenging. We still tend to go with information overload most of the time unfortunately, but hopefully less than if everyone was doing their own thing.
Again, excellent comments and insight. Thanks!