When It’s Sloppy and Careless, They’re Gone!

The 7 Secrets of Church Communication that Works

When It’s Sloppy and Careless, They’re Gone!

by William Cowles

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.” Luke 16:10-12

New church relationships start with personal appeal and high expectations, build with authentic connections, and gain staying power through shared ideals and behaviors. Everything a church communicates either adds to or subtracts from that process, and church searchers, visitors, and guests are highly tuned in to what they see and hear you say. 

Rest assured, people do notice, and they do vote. More than one church searcher has visited a sloppy Website, read a messy newsletter, stumbled over missing words in the Bulletin, faltered over the wrong lyrics or prayer on the projection screens, and said: “If you don’t care, why should I?” They walk out, never to return. 

Many “stay or go” decisions have turned on such “little things.”

Unfortunately, church signs, bulletins, newsletters, and bulletin board flyers are notorious for their obvious misspellings, embarrassing typos, fractured grammar, misused words, and occasionally even unintended racy innuendo. Such carelessness has made church communication the butt of many a funny story. The not-so-funny result is the number of visitors, volunteers, and potential new disciples who are lost due to carelessness. And you won’t ever know why, because all of your polite friends didn’t want to offend by pointing out the errors.

Here are three quick and easy ways you can be letter perfect every time you write a news article, social media post, e-mail, bulletin board flyer, or blog:

1.     Get a Proofreader – The world’s most famous writers relied on editors. You can’t find your own mistakes. Get someone else to read what you wrote. Someone who has no idea what the topic is. Someone who understands correct grammar, punctuation, and syntax.

2.    Check the Facts – If you “think” an event is starting at 7:00PM, or that “childcare will be provided,” make sure before you publicize it. Verify it three different ways: 

a) With the event coordinator

b) With the master calendar

c) With all of the other places it has been publicized

3.    Listen Aloud – Call an audible. Ask another person to read back what you’ve written. They will find things and so will you. Your ears will pick up what your eyes overlooked.

Clear, correct, and effective communication is not the responsibility of just pastors, staff, and professional communicators. Communication that comes from ministry leaders – the people who create and distribute their own messages and materials – also must be spot on in both content and context. 

If you’re the church’s designated communicator who depends upon others submitting articles on time – lie about your deadlines. Give yourself enough cushion before the real deadline so that you can comfortably proofread, fact-check, and listen to what was written. The spoken word in sermons, announcements, reports, and presentations is less troublesome because it’s fleeting – the error may or may not have been heard, and then it’s gone. The printed word is there for everyone to see – forever.

And, a final appeal to all who are consumers of church communication. Please, please, please – when you spot an error, quietly and discreetly point it out so that it doesn’t happen again. Of course be gracious, non-judgmental, and forgiving – but do it for the good of the Kingdom.