Alrighty, here’s the fourth and final post in a series of posts inspired by REWORK.
If you haven’t been convinced to get a copy by now, you are just plan ignorant.
So since I’m a ‘church communications guy’ I thought I’d devote my last post some thoughts on REWORK-ing Church Communications.
Stop Being a Communicator, Start Being a Curator
What makes a museum great is the stuff that’s not on the walls. Someone says no. A curator is involved, making conscious decisions about what should stay and what should go. It’s an editing process. There’s a lot more stuff off the walls than on the walls. It’s the stuff you leave out that matters. So constantly look for things to remove, simplify, and streamline. Be a curator. Stick to what’s truly essential. Pare things down until you’re left with only the most important stuff. Then do it again.
This pretty much echoes my hero Kem Meyer’s mantra “Less Clutter, Less Noise.” If you haven’t picked up you copy of her book, get it when you order REWORK. It should be required reading for any church communications person. PS, have you noticed the similarities between the cover of her book and REWORK? Great minds think alike.
Stop Sounding So Profeshional.
Sound like you. Language is often your first impression – why start it off with a lie? Don’t be afraid to be you. That applies to language you use everywhere – talk to customers the way you’d talk to friends.
We’re a church for Pete’s sake! While we should have proper grammar and sound somewhat intelligent, we shouldn’t come across as being polished and sterile. Your church has a distinct personality and a unique style… let that come across in all of your communications. Toss your copy of the AP Stylebook and discover your own voice. [I intentionally misspelled professional.]
Marketing isn’t a line in your budget.
“Marketing isn’t just a few individual events. It’s the sum total of everything you do.”
Marketing isn’t what we do to get people to come to our Easter and Christmas services. Marketing is everything we do… from print, web, email, social media to individual encounters people have with our churches. It’s not something you control but it’s something you can influence. What is what you’re doing saying about you? What needs to change?
Forget writing Press Releases.
“If you want to get someone’s attention, it’s silly to do exactly the same thing as everyone else. Do something meaningful. Be remarkable. Stand out. Be unforgettable. That’s how you’ll get the best coverage.”
Last year we put on the Cultivate Conference. Over 400 people came from around the country for a day to talk about the web, social media, and communications and how they impact the Church. The event got coverage in the Chicago Tribune and NBC Chicago. And you know what? We didn’t send a single press release.
Say No by Default
“Use the power of no to get your priorities straight. You rarely regret saying no. But you often wind up regretting saying yes. People avoid saying no because confrontation makes them uncomfortable. But the alternative is even worse. You drag things out, make things complicated, and work on ideas you don’t believe in.”
We get asked to do a lot. Too much in fact, because “it’s all for the Lord.” Some of you may not have the freedom to say no as much as you want to, but as someone who is guilty of saying yes too frequently, I’ll testify that the consequences of saying no far outweigh committing to something you didn’t want to do in the first place. I think one work around to saying no is by offering options. Don’t tell people what you can’t do, but put the ball back in their court by telling them what you can do instead. [That's a nicer way of saying, "your idea is stupid."]
Good Enough is Fine
“When good enough gets the job done, go for it. It’s way better than wasting resources or, even worse, doing nothing because you can’t afford the complex solution. And remember, you can usually turn good enough into great later.
My friend Shawn Wood has written a lot about “good enough” and is wrestling with excellence and what that means in the church space.
We’ll never be perfect so stop straining to get everything just right. Good enough is fine. I think half of the things we obsess over are things no one would even notice. That’s not an excuse to get lazy but it’s freedom from worrying about being perfect. In the grand scheme of things a font or a Pantone color isn’t going to mean life or death, so stop killing yourself trying to get it just right. Most of the time our desire to be perfect comes out of selfish ambition or pride anyway. Yes God is a God of excellence… but He’s God, we’re not.
Don’t Commit the Sin of Copy + Paste
The problem [with copying] is it skips understanding – and understanding is how you grow. You just repurpose the last layer instead of understanding the all the layers underneath. So much of the work an original creator puts into something is invisible. Be influenced, but don’t steal.
The cardinal sin of church communications is our use of copy + paste. I’m not going to do the original vs recycled argument, but will say this much: STOP IT! Churches are notorious for copying. For some reason we feel we have permission and entitlement to copy, steal or imitate what’s not ours. Open source is great, learning from others is invaluable, but every church has a unique audience and importing what worked somewhere else might not translate in your context. You learn the most by doing things yourself. And, God is the author of creativity [Genesis 1:1], maybe if we spend some time with Him some if it can rub off on us.
Closing Thought…
Communicating for the church is a big deal, especially in today’s hyper-connected world. We have the greatest message that’s out there, and all too often we do a pretty poor job of communicating it. I hope we can REWORK the way we work and communicate so the greatest message that’s out there can be heard with clarity… that people might get connected to our church communities and ultimately, to Christ.
“God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:14-16, The Message
This post was inspired by reading REWORK by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson of 37signals. It’s an important book that I think should be required reading for any next generation church leader.
I’m giving away one more signed copy…? Here’s how to win…
- Tweet This: I just entered to win a signed copy of REWORK! Comment here and RT to enter: http://bit.ly/detxNp.
- Comment Below: With your Twitter handle [so I can verify you did step 1] and share something you’ve been challenged to REWORK in your church communications.
- Check back at 5 PM CST Friday: I’ll randomly choose someone to win!
Congrats to @TonjaC… you snagged the last copy of REWORK!
