Internal Church PR

Good PR (public relations, promotion, word-of-mouth) is vital not just outward to your community but also inward to your congregation.

Why?

• builds congregation morale (if you aren't highlighting all the great stuff happening, stuff that may not be seen by everybody, people will tend to focus on the one or two things they don't like. Overwhelm them with the positive ways that God is working through this church.)
• increases financial giving (people give to a winning cause)
• increases servant/volunteer participation (people serve where a difference is being made)
• exposes people to the mission
• enhances and grows the mission
• develops promoters

It is amazing how many church members miss our promotion and communications. You've got to hit every avenue repeatedly and then do some more. You may be sick of it, but that's because you are involved every moment of every day. Your people aren't. Most of them don't go to bed thinking about the church like you do.


Essentials:

1. Spotlight positive things happening in Printed Bulletin and Newsletter, Electronic Bulletin and Newsletter, Facebook, Website, Bulletin Board
•Roswell UMC– “Celebrations” section in each bulletin and newsletter
•Austell FUMC - “Counting our BLESSings: A Report on How We Blessed Our Community” section in each bulletin and newsletter
•Pictures. Pictures. More Pictures.
•Testimonies, thank you notes printed, newspaper stories

2. During worship
•Pre-service slides with pictures from church activities and mission (let’s people see what they missed and feel good about all that is happening at this church)
•Sharing our Praises during the Offering
•Read thank you notes aloud
•Pastor tells how money is changing lives/making an impact as lead-in to Offertory prayer
•Mission Moment: Austell FUMC – “BLESS Profile” (different mission of the church highlighted each week. Also used to educate congregation about the outside organizations/schools we are involved in)
•Testimonies (live or video)
•Use Holy Communion offering to collect for a different mission each time (great way to do required/suggested UMC offerings)

3. Church financial giving statements
Do them more often and include a celebration letter highlighting how people’s giving is making a huge difference!


WARNING: Think long and hard about how you will communicate negative information.


Action Steps

** Find a consistent way to spotlight positive happenings in your bulletin and newsletter. Call it something that people will look for (i.e. Celebrations)

** For those with video in worship, pre-service slides every week with pictures of church happenings. For those without video, get a TV and put the digital pictures on a running loop in the Narthex or post them on a poster board and easel.

** Weekly Mission Moment in worship. The discipline of doing this weekly will let people know that mission/outreach is who we are, not some fad.

BONUS: All three of these things will stretch the pastor and the church to do more mission/outreach, if for no other reason than you don’t want to repeat the same thing every single week!