It’s the weekly spot in the worship lineup dreaded by many church staffers (and some attendees!): service announcements. Why? They often go on and on. Try limiting your announcement to three items. Keep each announcement short. Cast vision for why the item is important and why people should care. Know what you’re going to say and be enthusiastic. There’s a lot of pressure to announce all sorts of activities, but limiting the space will help you stay focused on what’s important, and it will help your congregation be better informed, too.
Bulletin
Use fewer words. Add more images or white space. A jam-packed, multiple-page bulletin will never communicate your message as clearly as something simpler and edited. Some churches find success with a “Top 5 Things to Know” each week. Don’t let the bulletin become the information dumping ground.
Weekly Email
Much like the bulletin and announcements, limit the number of items you’re sharing. Try five items. Keep them short. Make the information graphically easy to sift through. (If you need help with that, check out Mailchimp.) Also, limit the number of emails you send. Nothing clutters your message more than sending out overlapping emails, which leads to people unsubscribing.
Website
People don’t want to search through paragraphs of text on the homepage. Stay focused on sharing your vision, welcoming visitors and better connecting with your members. Be more image-driven. Show your church in action. Simplify the navigation to make it easier for people to find the information they’re looking for. Don’t forget to edit the subpages, too.
Other Printed Material
The best question you can ask about any brochure or booklet is “Do I really need it?” Does it fill a specific need or are you doing it because that’s what you’ve always done? If you do need something printed, like an annual report, focus on storytelling. What is the impact in your congregation and community of the work you’re doing? Use more pictures and illustrations. Cut back on the text.
—Jerod Clark, ChurchJuice.com
