Why did no one show up at that Bible Study? No Communication
Why don’t Catholics know what the Church teaches? Bad Communication
What can we do about increasing our offertory? Communicate Better
What can we do to communicate better?
- Speak the Language your People are listening with: If all of your content is in Spanish and 95% of your congregation speaks English, it’s going to be hard for them to understand what’s happening. For most of our parishes the reverse is true! Know the preferred language of your parishioners and provide communication pieces in those languages.
- Use the Methods People are Family with: Churches have so many different possibilities for communication, but most employ just one – the printed Sunday Bulletin. In a world with an ever increasing dependency on our smartphones, we need to communicate in a way that smartphones listen! Be sure to communicate in the way that people listen. The bulletin will be fine for some, others want to check out your website, some want a phone call, others would prefer a text message, and many want an email with all the information right in one place.
- Social Media Matters: It might be Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or the next new thing. It matters! The Church needs to be present and consistent in the places where her people hang out the most. With almost 80% of Americans on a social platform, our Churches can’t afford not to be there too. Share inspirational messages, news, events and happenings, and more with your followers.
- Don’t Be Afraid of Over Communication: They say it takes someone at least SEVEN times before they remember something. Just repeating ourselves verbatim isn’t the answer, but saying the same thing with different methods of communication over a short time period can be very effective. Think of all the brand slogans you know by heart because you’ve seen the commercial a hundred times. Think of all the songs you know the lyrics to because the radio plays them on repeat. Imagine the joy in someone’s life if the message of the Love of God was on repeat everywhere they looked!!