026: 5 fundamental principles of #churchcomm

026: The 5 fundamental principles of #churchcomm This week’s topic was inspired by @bradyshearer and the #ProChurchTools #podcast. That is to say these principles aren’t original thoughts of mine, but the presentation of them in this way was birthed out of a church communications workshop for a certificate program I was blessed to facilitate in 2018 at my alma mater, @ashlandseminary. The format of the workshop was to present a fictional scenario based on a pressing issue in the local church and then break off into groups to discuss. I was fully prepared to lead the workshop based on this format, but when the professor and director of the program asked me to talk about who I am and the work I do in church communications, I came off the dome with five quick points. It wasn’t until I wrote these points down on the whiteboard that I realized I was simply repeating what Brady and @alexandermills talk about on the podcast all the time. To be able to teach church communications in seminary—my dream—you have to have a theoretical framework to operate off of, a set of principles that will continue to apply even as the communications technology changes. These principles I believe fit that bill. 1️⃣ SEIZE THE 167. Out of the 168 hours of our week, the typical believer only spends one of those hours at a weekly gathering (2-3 hours in most black churches 😂). We’re doing our ministries a disservice to focus so much of our attention, programming, and messaging on Sunday, while allowing every other entity to dominate the attention zeitgeist the rest of the week. 2️⃣ WE’RE TELLING THE GREATEST STORY THAT’S EVER BEEN TOLD. If we truly believe the gospel is indeed the greatest story, then we need to be relentless in researching, testing, and developing creative strategies to tell that story. Our story is too important to be romantic about tools and tactics that we used to love that are no longer relevant or effective. 3️⃣ WE’RE EXPERIENCING THE GREATEST COMMUNICATIONS SHIFT IN 500 YEARS. Much in the same way that the printing press made print available to the masses, not just the elite, the internet has democratized the distribution of media, effectively removing the gatekeepers and allowing anyone with a message to have their message heard. the only thing holding us back today is our willingness to use the communications channels available to us and how creative and effective we are in using them. 4️⃣ THE GREATEST COMMODITY A CHURCH CAN POSSESS IS ATTENTION. Far more than money, facilities, a strong worship team, and dynamic preaching, attention is a ministry’s most vital asset, for it is with that attention that we will have the opening we need to preach the gospel and tell this greatest story ever. We must take the @life.church approach and pursue anything short of sin to get people’s attention and reach them with the gospel. 5️⃣ THE BEST WAY TO GRAB ATTENTION IS THROUGH STORY. Stories grab attention, stories compel, stories spark action. That’s why Jesus used them so frequently to teach heavenly principles. He used parables constantly to communicate what He needed people to understand so they could make different decisions regarding their thinking or lifestyles. Those stories changed lives. And we have the opportunity to do the same. Scripture of the Week: Mark 4:35-41 Tool of the Week: FOMO Fanz Podcast - Brian Fanzo (@isocialfanz on all platforms) Need communications help? Holler at me: http://yourdigitalpastor.co/hire