Professional Documents
Culture Documents
KEVIN MCMILLAN
SENDRECEIVE
A Quick Guide for Maximizing
Your Ministry Communication
OUTREACH EDITION
A short
introduction...
SENDRECEIVE was
Step 1
WHAT IS YOUR
PRIORITY?
Communication is
how we connect
with others.
All of our relationships (whether between your spouse,
congregation, supporters, or customers) are dependant
on communication. The health of these relationships is
heavily dependent upon the quality, form, and frequency of
our communication within them. Think about what would
happen if you ceased (or reduced) your ads, emails, web
services, phone calls, sermons, social media, and other
conversations and interactions? How would this action
hinder or prohibit your ability to talk and listen to your
audience? Would it ultimately cause the relationship to die?
Is it one of your
main priorities?
Most of us would say that communication is important, but
HOW important is it really? Is it a top priority? Consider the
ten questions on the opposite page.
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Step 2
WHAT IS YOUR
MESSAGE?
Communication
is everywhere.
You may not realize it, but you are actively involved in
communication every day (and you cant turn it off).
Everything we do communicates something to those
who see, hear, and experience it. We tend to think of
communication in terms of planned actions, such as
developing a sermon podcast, running a magazine ad, or
displaying banners at an event. However, communication
is wider and deeper than that.
You are continually expressing, even if it is unintentional,
things about yourself to those around you. In turn, these
people will make judgements about your beliefs, intentions,
preferences, or feelings based on clues from even
your smallest actions (or inactions) and decisions. Your
choice of room temperature, style, office hours, paper or
plastic, and logo colors are all communicating messages,
maybe not as directly, but sometimes just as powerfully as
multimillion-dollar television commercials. It is not a choice
of ARE you going to communicate but a question of HOW
and WHAT you will communicate.
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Everything
is an opportunity.
Since communication is everywhere, so are thousands
of opportunities to share a specific message with your
audience. You can pay little attention to minor details OR
strategically look at everything as a new chance to make a
statement. Remember that most things will communicate
something about you whether you want them to or not. So,
why not make sure they are presenting an accurate and
powerful message?
..........................................................
Try this: During the day write down everything you see that
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Your message
is the critical
component.
One of the primary questions to answer and remember in
communication is What is my message? The answer
should originate from (or match) your mission and goals.
Before you even think about the different means and
recipients of your communication, you need to know what
you are trying to say. We all have (or should have) a few
central things we are trying to communicate. What is your
message (i.e., what are you ultimately trying to communicate
to your audience)?
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Clean your
message.
The last time you hired someone, made a business
purchase, responded to someone in your congregation
or ministry, created an advertising piece, picked a color of
paint, or answered the phone, did you ask yourself how (or
will) this action or decision communicate the main message
I want to share?
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Create synergy in
communication.
A great overlap exists between your mission, message,
identity, and actions. You will find that each one effects the
other. For example, your mission can lead to actions that
will communicate a message that forms your identity. At
times, you may focus on one over the other, but make sure
that ALL are continually working in together in harmony.
When they dont, people will feel a sense of incongruence.
Imagine a church whose motto is Help Those in Need, but
the congregation doesnt care for those in their community
(their message and actions are in conflict).
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Imitation is
not an identity.
Copying parts of a successful ministry or church may seem
to save time and effort, but it is dangerous and limiting. I
have seen churches, ministries, and people fail or implode
because they were trying to be like something or someone
else. Yes, learn from others and gleam their wisdom, but
never forget that God has blessed you with unique abilities,
goals, resources, experiences, staff, etc. Seek to harness
these strengths and be the person or ministry GOD has
called you to be (not someone else).
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Determine
your foundation.
What is your mission (what do you want to accomplish)?
What is your message (what do you want to say)?
What is your identity (who do you want to be)?
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Build on
your foundation.
What are you doing to accomplish your mission?
What are you doing to communicate your message?
What are you doing to reinforce your identity?
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Remove the
weakest links.
People tend to remember and talk about their BEST and
WORST experiences. So, being average has little power
to do something amazing. Also, the littlest thing can have
a huge impact. You may be surrounded by a hundred of
the friendliest employees on the planet, but just one bad
receptionist can create a negative impression for your entire
organization. This example brings up another important
point: make sure your first (and second) impressions are
always accurate and powerful (especially when it comes to
your advertising, website, and those who represent you).
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Get feedback.
You may not have an accurate impression of how others see
you unless you ask them. Do they know and understand
your mission?
you? How would they describe who you are? Get some
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Step 3
WHO IS YOUR
AUDIENCE?
Know
thy audience.
One of my ten commandments of marketing is: Know
thy audience. The better you know who you are trying
to reach (e.g., your congregation and community), the
better you will be at reaching them. Do you know who you
want to connect with? What are they like? What are their
preferences? How do they communicate? Where can you
reach them? Answer these types of questions, and you will
increase the effectiveness of your communication.
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What is your
audience like?
Think through what you know about your audience. You
may want to consider the following characteristics: age,
gender, race, location, economics, education, religion, and
politics.
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Something for
everyone is
something for
no one.
Whenever you try to create something that everyone will
like, you typically have to water it down to the point that
everyone is OK with it but no one LOVES it. In other words,
to get the largest consensus you end up compromising,
which reduces attraction and interest.
This approach
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CHURCH
WEBSITES
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Step 4
WHAT IS YOUR
DIRECTION?
Communication
changes.
The way we communicate continually evolves over time.
Technology, economics, culture, politics, and a thousand
other things influence the way we distribute, receive
and interpret information.
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But, it is not
as simple as
following the
crowd.
Successful communication is NOT the result of merely
following tradition OR doing what is popular. Be cautious
of any action that is solely motivated or supported by the
statements as, This is what everyone else is doing or This
is what weve always done. Evaluate popular methods of
communication and decide which are the best forms for
you and your audience. Because something is working
for others doesnt mean that it will work for you. Trends,
by definition, will come and go. Build on the foundational
principles of communication and remain flexible to present
patterns when they are right for your situation. Also, avoid
the trap of ministry maintenance where you are simply
doing things just because you did them before. Tradition
has a powerful influence on our actions because change
can require more work and may cause friction from peoples
expectations and preferences.
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What is your
communication
motivation?
What are the main forms of your communication (e.g., ads,
website, email, posters, bulletins, social media, postcards),
and WHY you are using this method?
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CHURCH
CAMPAIGNS
Sermon series, promotional collateral, and small group curriculum
to create a cohesive, all church theme that unites members, attracts
and connects visitors and increases your churchs spiritual growth.
Step 5
WHAT IS YOUR
STRATEGY?
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Did I mention
that you need
a plan?
Developing a communication strategy is not a simple
task. It encompasses so many things, but it is essential to
maintaining successful and streamlined communications.
Most of this book is directed toward helping you
establish foundations and fill in the holes of your unique
communications approach.
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Ministry is
marketing.
Many debate whether we should promote Jesus the
same way someone sells shoes or soap. Advertising has
rightfully earned a bad reputation, which is one reason why
we dont like to hear the words marketing or advertising
connected with ministry. However, let us not forget that
ministry is about building relationships, and a key to
dynamic relationships is good communication, and good
communication can be forged by the philosophies and
tools of marketing. So, ministry often involves marketing.
In addition, you are probably involved in some form of
marketing or advertising already. If you mail a weekly
church bulletin, you are actually involved in communication,
marketing, AND advertising, like it or not. Dont be afraid
to think of what you are doing in terms of marketing or
advertising as long as the end result is always honest
ministry and Gods glory. If you want to elevate the level
of your communication, you should discuss the positive
influences of marketing.
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You can
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VIDEO AND
FILMS
Host a church movie night and reach your community. Outreach Films provides
movie licenses that allows you to legally show a movie in your church and to
promote your showing to the public using the title, actors and art from the movie.
Step 6
WHAT IS YOUR
STYLE?
Design matters.
As an artist and graphic designer, I may be a bit biased
here, but design matters a great deal in communication.
Even though we are told not to, people judge books by their
covers, and they will also judge you by your appearance
(e.g., your website, logo, color scheme, print advertising,
and more). Design is often the first impression people will
have of you. A poor design can distort, distract, and bury
your message, mission, and identity. Your use or lack of
imagery, fonts, color, and a hundred other design variables
all have powerful influences on how people feel about and
interpret your communication. If you are serious about how
you communicate, then you need to place a very high value
and focus on design.
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You are
not an artist!
Empower people to do what they do best. When using
outside professionals, respect and rely on their knowledge
and ability because they are skilled, trained, and do it every
day. For example, instead of telling them how YOU would
change a design, ask them how THEY would alleviate the
problem you want to fix (this is what you are paying them
for in the first place).
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There are no
more excuses.
I am continually frustrated by poor design from Christian
ministries, churches, and organizations. It is usually the
result of tight budgets, lack of skill and knowledge, and/or
the use of volunteers. However, it is no longer something we
have to live with. Today, there are thousands of templates
and stock alternatives that are both professional AND
economical (stock means that it was designed to be used
and sold to multiple parties as opposed to a custom design
that you have the sole possession of).
These sources
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When do I use a
professional?
If you answer YES to some or most of the questions
below, you may want to employ some professional support:
1. To make something stand out more, do you tend to
make things bigger, bolder, or in starbursts?
2. Do you try to fill in all the white space on an ad?
3. Are you using clip-art and fancy fonts you found
online?
4. Do you believe that simple is boring?
5. Do you think people will read everything you put in a
advertising piece?
6. Are you unaware of color wheels or color psychology?
7. In your marketing, are you trying to make yourself
sound better or more than you actually are?
8. Would you prefer to use something poorly designed
rather than nothing at all?
9. Are you trying to copy what others are doing/using
rather than create something that works best for who
YOU are?
10. Do you have a degree in accounting?
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Step 7
WHERE IS YOUR
SUPPORT?
Even honest
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Pursue excellence.
If we are working for the glory of God, then we should also
be pouring everything into it (100%) and reaching for the
grandest heights. Unfortunately, I have noticed that many
churches and Christian ministries lack this principle of
excellence. I dont mean that they should have the best of
everything, but they arent seeking the highest quality and
return possible for them and their situation. Instead, I think
people dont expect non-profits to be as professional or
excellent as other institutions and businesses (primarily
because they have limited budgets and often require the
service of volunteers). How about you? Are you more
concerned with getting things done than reaching for
excellence?
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Add prayer.
Prayer is better than any celebrity endorsement, talented
staff, or unlimited budget. It involves the Creator of the
universe Who is the grand communicator. Are you trusting
in your own abilities, programs, and communication
mediums more than God? I have personally witnessed
church plants and ministry projects begin with a high focus
on prayer knowing how desperate they were for Gods
intervention. Sadly, as time went on and success came,
prayer began to fade away to the point that they relied on
their own strategies and abilities. Prayer is better than any
promotion. I wonder, what would happen if we took all
the time we spend planning, discussing, designing, and
communicating and replaced it with humble prayer begging
God to pour His Spirit down on our church, ministry, or
congregation?
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GOD
doesnt need you.
It is true. God doesnt need us. Oh, I believe He wants
to use us and therefore created, positioned, and gifted us
in unique ways. But, the sovereign Creator doesnt require
us for anything. Rocks can cry out; donkeys can talk; and
bushes can burn. God can use anything He determines
to communicate His message, and amazingly He would
like to use us. Communication is more than postcards and
email. It is about being a part of the story God wants to tell
the world. Therefore, the BIG question is, Are we on His
communication team?
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Who are
you trusting in?
Are you trusting in God for every aspect of your
communication from simple emails to entire marketing
campaigns? Are you calling upon Him for direction in what
to do? Are you approaching your communication (or any
project or aspect of your ministry/church) as if it was being
done for God? Take some time to reflect on these questions,
and write a new prayer turning your communication over to
God (the great Communicator).
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Step 8
ARE YOU
READY?
Communication
requires action.
As our journey through communications ends, you may
be wondering why I didnt include a section on specific
methods and mediums. The truth is that you have everything
you need to make those evaluations and decisions. Like I
have said before, each of us is in a very unique situation,
and there is no single plan that works for everyone. Take
what you have learned about yourself and the foundations
of communication, GO share your message, connect with
your audience, and develop some dynamic, God-honoring
marketing plans.
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Evaluation:
Write a brief summary of how you see your communications
present condition
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Actions:
Prioritize a list of the changes you want to make in your
communications.
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Obstacles:
What are some hindrances that are restraining you from
accomplishing these new communication goals (and how
can they be overcome)?
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Outreach, inc.
Founded in 1996, Outreach, Inc. has quickly grown to
become the largest provider of church outreach products
and services in the world. With a mission to share Gods love
and empower the Church to share the message of Jesus
Christ, Outreach provides cost-effective, proven methods
and resources in a variety of forms, including books, media
and film, postcard invitations, banners, bulletin covers,
curriculum, church campaign materials, and more. Located
in Colorado Springs, the company has established five
divisions under the umbrella of Outreach, Inc.
Kevin McMillan
Kevin McMillan is a sociologist who has specialized in
communication, marketing, and design for over 15 years.
During his career, he has worked with numerous Christian
ministries and churches including Marannook, Man in the
Mirror, and Outreach, inc. In addition, Kevin has worked in
church planting and served on staff with different churches
as a childrens director, youth minister, and associate pastor.