Tag Archive: media

Church members: They want just a little bit of info

How do those who come to your church feel about your church’s communication?

During a recent vacation, I saw a variety of good and poor communication from leadership. It reminded me what it might feel like to be a church member (not in a staff or leadership position) and to not be well-informed regarding church issues.

I had a airplane pilot who communicated well. Although he couldn’t control the weather, our diversion to another city, or sitting on a tarmac for almost two hours, he communicated clearly and often with us about our status and next steps.

I also had my family pulled from a theme park because of a fire alarm. No fire trucks responded, and no one communicated to patrons how long we’d be standing in the sun with our kids pleading to go back in.

When I arrived home, I saw a church communicating the removal of their founding and senior pastor for “unfortunate choices.” I won’t weigh in on whether it was good or bad communication because I don’t have enough information to earn that right, but I’ll say this: I know they were faced with communicating a really difficult message.

All these experiences reminded me of the need for church-leaders to be really great communicators.

When churches don’t communicate, or do so slowly or ambiguously, one of these usually happen:

You frustrate committed members who’ve earned the right to know information
You leave a gaping hole about what’s going on, and people begin their own narrative to fill the void
You create an atmosphere of mistrust, or at least a feeling that there’s a lack of transparency
You lose credibility when you need to communicate something important

Many times, releasing small amounts of meaningful information will satisfy church members. But communicating even small amounts of meaningful information can be difficult because it’s complicated (confidentiality concerns, trust, managing the message, timing, and the possibility of it being live tweeted or captured via video).

So, how can church leaders communicate well, considering the many factors that impact information sharing?

Anticipate FAQs. Consider your audience, determine what they want to know, and get ahead of it. Be succinct. When possible, say the last 2% first. As I wrote recently, three-fourths of an answer is better than an answer and a half.

Stick to the facts. Church leaders have a tendency to add more information than necessary, and that can lead to missteps. See previous remark.

Be prepared. You lose credibility if you’re unable to speak to key information. (Some of the content I wrote about being prepared for the media will relate here too.)

Manage, but don’t spin. In my interpretation, spinning is misleading or communicating with an ulterior motive – whereas managing speaks to providing limited amounts of information and having an intentional way of releasing it.

Be sincere. This is particularly relevant if it’s a difficult message (like the one relating to the removal of a pastor, mentioned earlier in the post). The only thing worse than a lack of communication is insincere communication.

Have a go-to forum. Whether it’s a town hall meeting, business meeting, bulletin, or remarks at the conclusion of the service, have a solid forum at a specific place and time for communicating important information.

Be considerate. Just because you don’t think changing the bulletin or replacing the pews with chairs is a big deal, it can be to the person who uses the bulletin as their only way to get their church information, or to the person who accepted Christ kneeling at one of those pews. I’ve seen a tendency in my generation (including me) and the one after me to be a little cavalier when it comes to interpreting which things should matter to others.

Not every church member wants fodder for gossip, and there are people who are invested in your church who’ll likely want to know things occurring there. So when confidentiality or governance guidelines don’t prohibit it, share meaningful information as often as needed.

6 posts with "practical takeaways" for church leaders

I’ve now been blogging for six months. While I hope most of my posts provide “practical takeaways for church leaders,” some are more conducive to action than others. I’ve also learned from readers what posts have allowed for immediate application in church leadership.

In no particular order here are six posts with practical takeaways:

Church Crisis and The Media http://bbapt.us/1k5XI9K
Staff Succession Planning (interview with Josh Patterson of The Village Church) http://bbapt.us/1dqJa2P
How to Visit Churches to Worship and Not Compare http://bbapt.us/Hy3SDf
Meetings: Being Prepared But Saying The Least http://bbapt.us/1cJyAUV
Effectively Encouraging Those Around You http://bbapt.us/1c6kZ9r
Dealing With Employees Who Are Late to Work and Meetings http://bbapt.us/19BR5fV

Church Crisis And The Media

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto®

I’ve been involved in many training sessions, but one of the most valuable was a one-day learning experience I had with a communications consulting firm. Our topic: dealing with the media.

I’d seen enough churches make mistakes in the media that reflected poorly on their church and on God, and often made matters worse. This made me think that developing my skills in this area would be a wise use of my time.

Here are a few practical takeaways from my training that should your church finds itself in a difficult situation (accusation of wrong doing, tragedy involving a child, protesters, etc.), will help you to communicate and represent your church well in the media.

Dealing with media during crisis:

Assume you’re always being recorded (even if told otherwise)
Many prominent public figures have embarrassed themselves and others by making comments they thought were “off the record.”
Provide the headline (or they will)
Your comments need to start with a concise message that incorporates positive words. A headline is what you want the listener to remember and pass along to others. It can be followed by stats, an anecdotal example, or a quote from someone meaningful to the target audience. (Examples of headlines are later in the post.)
Don’t use negative expressions
Negative expressions crowd out positive expressions. Begin with key words you wish to be identified with as a church. Words such as “caring, opportunity, community-minded, Biblical, etc.” In an interview, the interviewer will often use negative words that will solicit a response. Resist the urge to repeat their negative word.
Bad example
Q: “Aren’t you misleading your church’s members?”
A: “No, we are not misleading members.”
Good example
Q: “Aren’t you misleading your church’s members?”
A: “Absolutely not. We work diligently to communicate often and openly to our members about…”
Don’t say “no comment”
You need to acknowledge the question. Many times “no comment” equates to guilt in the public eye. Instead, keep it short, truthful, and in a way that conveys you heard their question. Here are some phrases you can use to respond to questions you can’t or shouldn’t answer: “not necessarily“, “actually, I disagree”, “there are pros and cons”, or “it would not be fair or appropriate to discuss at this time”.
Don’t say what you don’t know
Speculation will go a long way in the media, so don’t contribute. Less information is better than questionable information.
Have a point-person for the media and a spokesperson for the church (they can be different people, but if possible, have only 1-2 church spokespeople)
This person(s) should make themselves available to media by providing easy access and ways in which to be reached.
Speak in short, concise sentences, making your point quickly
Specifically on camera, long, drawn-out responses will likely not be used or will risk being edited into something that’s not your complete or intended thought. Also, the longer you take to make your point the less informed and authoritative you will appear to be.
Don’t treat the media as the enemy
Despite their reputation for twisting the facts, generally speaking, members of the local media are people of integrity who are not out to get the church. Sure, they’re looking for a “juicy” story, but if you approach them with a defensive attitude, you’ll more likely get negative treatment. Speaking to the media is an opportunity to be a witness for Christ.

Here are some examples of headline statements that are both memorable and authentic, yet mitigate negativism. These examples involve the scenario of a bus tragedy involving your church’s children:

“Our primary concern as a church is for those impacted by the accident.”
“While we are still being provided information from first responders, we are already mobilizing our resources for those affected. This will include both spiritual and physical resources.”
“We’re being diligent to communicate what we know to the family members of those affected.”
“Our church is committed to safety. We rent busses often, but vetting is in place for each rental company that includes performing background checks, safety certificate checks, standard compliance…”
“We’re organizing digital and phone communication, prayer groups, and local counselors to help those involved, and their families.”
“As we know more information that we can pass along, we’ll do so promptly. Our church believes in prayer, and we ask for you to join us in praying for those involved.”

I’m thankful to Spaeth Communications for their training and also expertise from @brentwoodbc Communications Minister, @SteveSmith1969.