Note: The following is a paid guest post.
Every leadership class you have ever been a part of talks about how communication is a key point in being effective. This is the same for the leader of a church. You have multiple messages that you need your members to hear each week, including your mass. To make sure that the rest does not get lost in the hustle and bustle of your congregants’ busy lives, try these tricks to keep them updated:
Be as brief as possible. If you are throwing out information about a variety of different things at one time, half of it will be lost. Whether it be in your bulletin, online, or in an email, say as little as possible and you will better get your point across.
Don’t waste your congregants’ time. If you only need to address a small group of your members communicate with them directly. Those who are not involved will be grateful that you are not holding them while addressing a small group. Instead of bringing up youth group matters at Sunday mass for instance, use a message system that can be customized to only reach out to them. For example, when you have a church notification system in place like DialMyCalls, you can send a voice message or even a text message to specific people in your contact list. This way, only those that the information pertains to get the message, saving the rest of your members’ time.
Get online. This is especially important if you are trying to build better relations with your younger church members. Create a website and create social media pages. Delegate the task of keeping up with these sites to a member of your staff or even a responsible member of your church youth group. It isn’t enough to have an online presence you have to keep it up to date and engaging.
Treat visitors to your web pages the same way you would if they were visiting your church. Make sure that you are encouraging them to sign up, and get involved in your church activities. With interactive web sites, you have the opportunity to connect with new people and build your congregation, as well as effectively pass along vital information to your existing members.
It works both ways. Another lesson learned in leadership classes is that communication is a two way street. In order to be considered an effective speaker, you must first learn how to listen. Actively listen to want your members want or need and than act on those requests. Set aside time each week where individuals may come and sit with you one on one. Church leaders in all parts of the world have learned to have a specific day and time that they are available for private counsels. By being consistent, their members know that they can always rely on their pastor when they are in need of someone to talk to.
There is no such thing as not communicating. If you aren’t saying anything purposeful, you are communicating a message of apathy to your members. Present yourself as a strong and caring leader by bending to your members’ needs and communicating with them regularly.