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There’s plenty of discussion about stock photography.  Love it or hate it, searching for the right pictures and spending money for them is a part of most designers’ lives.  Whether we’re amateurs or pros in putting together pieces for our communication materials, we need to think about why we’re using stock images. 

This post isn’t about saying “yes” or “no” to using stock photography.  Instead we want to help you think through why you’re using stock stuff and when you might want to avoid...

For many, spring is a time of motivation.  The changing of the seasons get people excited to do new things or clean up old stuff.  So why not give a little seasonal makeover to your church’s website?  Here are three things you could do to spruce up your website to make it more effective.

• Tell more stories.  Personal connections always tell a more powerful story than just words that make up a description.  For example, if you’re talking about what your women’s ministry offers, don’t just...

When you combine people seeking for a church at Easter with the power of your members sharing your church, this time of year can have a great impact for your congregation and God’s Kingdom.  We all know the stats.  Easter is a time of year when people are more receptive to going to church.  And we also know the number one way people find a church is through a personal invite.  So as Easter is quickly approaching, it’s time to make sure you’re equipping your members with ways to share your...

Thanks to everyone who joined in for The Network's Webinar Wednesday where I presented "The Web is Your Church's New Front Door."  Some of you asked for a copy of the presentation so here it is along with the church welcome video we showed.  

If you missed it, we'll be doing this webinar again next Wednesday, February 1.  Or you can watch a recording of this presentation.  To learn more about either option, check out this link.

A new year means many of may be looking to do something new with your church’s website.  If you’re starting from scratch or tweaking what you already have, here are a few things to keep in mind.

• It all starts with vision.  What is the purpose of your website?  Who is it supposed to serve?  How does it fit it with all the other communication things you do? Casting vision is a step that people like to skip mainly because it can lead to difficult decisions.  Yet if you fly past vision, your...

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...

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 want to thank everyone who stopped in for our workshop "The Web is Your Church's New Front Door" at the Leadership Training Event in Grand Rapids.  As promised, here's a copy of the presentation plus a couple of welcome video examples.

Certain events can become a catalyst for change for churches.  At Life Baptist Church in Las Vegas, it was a move to a new building.  It was a chance for the church of nearly 300 people to start with a clean branding slate to better present their message.  It was time to clean up the inconsistent messaging and branding they had in the past.

“I can't overhype the importance of branding. Don't be afraid of it,” says Creative Arts Guy Matt Phillips “The truth is that you are already sending a...

(The Juicys are a way to recognize and reward those churches who’ve worked to improve their church communications in some way during the last year and includes giving them a $1,000 grant to jump start their next project.)

As we started to look for churches doing great things in communications, we also realized there are churches who have good ideas, but something—like money—gets in the way from making it happen.  First CRC of Grand Haven, Michigan, is one of those churches.

The church of...