Communications

LIfeChurch.tv is in a current sermon series called “Better.”  The premise it pretty straight-forward: When you’re faced with choices in the life, the Bible gives you answers of how to make better choices.  This particular sermon was based on Proverbs 22:1 which says, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.”

While the teaching focused on what it means for a person to have a reputable name, the whole time I couldn’t help but think about...

As we jump in to 2012, it can be a time to look ahead at some big picture things we can do during the upcoming calendar year.  And for me there are a few ideas that are really stuck in my head of ways churches can become stronger communicators in 2012. 

Narrow your communication stream and simplify your message.    Too often, church communication is scattered and uncoordinated. Instead of using a medium that makes sense for a congregation, churches try to use everything.  That leads to...

As a post holiday haze floats around the office, I was talking with a friend about his experience at his church this Christmas. While his review of the events was positive (saying the services were a great mix of songs, scripture, tradition and dance) there was one thing he said really stood out.

“If I knew it was going to be this good, I would have invited more people.  It’s just hard to know from year to year what my church will do.”

Word of mouth and personal invites are the greatest...

Jon Acuff had a great post at Stuff Christians Like this month about how we covet the lives people share though social media.  He gives some great conclusions about the effects of doing so.  You can’t love the friends you covet and we often forget that social media gives us only a best-life-possible snapshot of someone.  The post really is a great read. Check it out—if for no other reason than a real, but crazy, story of a crazed Cabbage Patch Kids employee who wouldn’t let a family put a...

There is a lesson for churches in Tebowmania.  You can only be true to who you are and can’t control what other people say or think about you.

As a longtime Denver Broncos fan, I hesitate in even writing about this because there is such passionate love and hate that comes in even mentioning the name Tim Tebow.  But as someone who lives in the Chicago area, and listens to sports talk radio the day after a Bears loss to the Broncos, I realized that even after nine weeks of Tebow as starting...

Here we are in the midst of the Christmas season. For many of you, you’re well on your way through the plans you’ve laid out for Christmas.  After all, Christmas prep starts when the weather’s still warm.  Yet, with just a few weeks left until Christmas, are there still some things you can do to make sure your church has the best impact that it can?  Here are a few things I think are worth considering and can be accomplished relatively easily if you still need to do them.

• Easy invites. ...

One of my wife’s friends posted some funny insights from her grandsons this weekend on Facebook.  The two boys were in a worship service in which two typical traditions were celebrated: baptism and communion.

When one of the boys saw the baptismal being readied during the service, he asked, “Is someone getting sanitized today?” 

Later on in the service, the other boy had his own take on communion.  As the church passed the offering plate after communion, he turned to his mom as said, “You...

Thanks to everyone who came to our workshop about being a welcoming church at the Edmonton Day of Encouragement.  I appreciate your interaction and great questions.  A few of you asked for a copy of the presentation, so here it is.

I’ve been thinking about church stages lately.  It seems the trend—which probably isn’t a surprise to many of you—is to do more with lighting and projection instead of building big elaborate sets as in the past.  The stages at churches I’ve visited have been simple.  There may be some interesting draping with big white curtains, simple wood structures with clean lines or fun shapes to allow for projecting video or special lighting effects.  But on an average weekend, I’ve rarely seen the big...

Today I declare it’s time to end the use of the random, unstable, jerky zooms in videos.  You know what I’m talking about, right?  You’ll be watching someone giving their testimony, or telling their story, when all of the sudden, the camera zooms in.  Then it zooms back out only to be followed a few seconds later by another zoom in.  And all of the zooming is mixed with a camera that can’t stay still as the videographer feels like they must stay in constant motion.  Unless you’re on a boat,...