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November 2011

Head-in-the-Sand Leadership Fosters Bullying in the ELCA

A random click on the computer opened a link to a news story published December 19, 2009, just as the ELCA was beginning to reel over the vote to ordain active homosexuals.

The story was printed in the Washington Times and quotes an ELCA bishop and ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson, along with several others on both sides of the issue.

The story reported alleged acts of intimidation against dissenting clergy who were contemplating withdrawal. Reading this story two years later is illuminating.

The article reads on the subject of intimidation: “I would deny that completely,” said Bishop Gary Wollersheim of the ELCA’s Northern Illinois Synod. “That’s not happening in northern Illinois. I’m sure that’s not happening anywhere in the country. I have done the exact opposite. I have assured clergy, rostered leaders, that hold different opinions on the decisions that [neither] the synod nor I will discriminate against them in any way. The last thing that I would do as pastor of the synod would [be to] bully somebody or threaten them.”

The story moves on to Presiding Bishop Hanson, the foremost leader in the ELCA. He too denied that intimidation was happening. He went on to question that there was any split in the denomination and deflected responsibility by criticizing the media.

Two years have passed and the split has become obvious. Hundreds of churches have voted to leave the ELCA.

That’s not the only thing Bishop Hanson got wrong!

Bishop Hanson continues to defend the status quo, claiming no authority to deal with parish complaints of misconduct.

Redeemer congregation (sponsors of 2×2) turned to him for help with serious intimidation problems. He responded to our first letter in 2008 by telling us of his high regard for the bishop. He failed to respond to subsequent letters sent monthly over the next ten months. Recently, after a long silence and serious conflict escalation, one of our members wrote again and received the predictable response — the defense of church leadership with no apparent regard for the effects their actions have on laity. 

Perhaps Bishop Hanson and the ELCA bishops do not understand intimidation.

Intimidation is:

  • When a bishop tells a congregation that they must agree to call a recommended pastor or they won’t have a pastor for a very long time. (Redeemer/SEPA 2001)
  • When a bishop insists a congregation vote repeatedly on a call question, hoping the congregation will finally vote the “right” way. (Redeemer/SEPA 2001)
  • When a synod representative visits prospective members and discourages them from joining one congregation in favor of another. (Redeemer/SEPA 1998)
  • When a pastor visits with the bishop’s office and returns to give the congregation 10 days notice by email or never steps foot again in the church. (Redeemer/SEPA 2006 and 2008)
  • When a bishop has a lawyer sitting at her right side (literally) at her first meeting with a congregation. (Redeemer/SEPA 2007)
  • When a bishop calls a meeting without consulting church leaders and arrives with a party of ten others (not announced as coming), including a lawyer and a locksmith positioned out of sight. (Redeemer/SEPA 2008)
  • When a bishop refuses to meet with elected congregational leaders insisting on meeting with the entire congregation. (Redeemer/SEPA, characteristically)
  • When a bishop, with no discussion, has a lawyer inform a congregation by fax that they are officially terminated and have no voice or vote at an upcoming Synod Assembly. (Redeemer/SEPA, 2009)
  • When a bishop goes into court carrying the First Amendment flag of immunity (Separation of Church and State) but proceeds to use the full force of the courts against lay members. (Redeemer/SEPA 2008-present)
  • When a bishop locks faithful members out of the church. (Redeemer/SEPA 2009-present)
  • When a bishop commits the resources of 160 churches to attack lay members of one congregation. (Redeemer/SEPA 2008 to present)
    and furthermore —

When other congregations and pastors share in confidence that they disagree with synod’s actions but no one dares to speak up — they are the bystanders who allow intimidation to reign. 

When a presiding bishop is made aware of such incidents and glibly dismisses them, that’s poor leadership. Most of the items in the above list were shared. 

It is just such apathy that creates the bullying tragedies. We in Pennsylvania are watching the esteemed leaders of our largest state-run school fall because good people failed to pay attention to complaints from the lowly. When will our church get the message? 

It’s time to clean up the Mutual Admiration Society which seems to define the Council of Bishops under Bishop Hanson’s leadership.

Intimidation happens, Bishop Hanson, and it is happening on your watch.

If the ELCA’s recent resolution to fight bullying is to have any teeth, the ELCA must practice what it preaches. 

God’s work; our hands.  

A suggestion: The ELCA should create an ombudsman system which was used in predecessor bodies. If our leaders are not going to listen and respond, the faithful need a forum less cumbersome, less biased and more capable of carefully investigating issues raised by congregations, individual clergy and lay members. Failure to find a way to respond to complaints may lead to the same sort of plight the Roman Catholic Church is experiencing. Let’s learn from that.

08 Nov 2011

Experiencing Multicultural Ministry: Part 1

2×2’s sponsoring church, Redeemer Lutheran Church, has broad experience in multicultural ministry. As we start a new series of posts, we’d like to share our experience. We doubt it is typical or even if there is any typical methodology to multicultural ministry.

(We invite you to share your experiences. This is a fairly new emphasis within many church bodies. We can probably learn more from each other than from books!)

Multicultural Mission Outreach changed our church enormously for the better. It enriched our worship, our sense of mission, our fellowship, our stewardship, our spiritual life and our individual lives.

We did, however, encounter difficulties we never anticipated and which were severe.

We discovered that the greater church does not understand Multicultural Ministry. Its view seems to be “same old church/different people.” While leaders have identified this as a worthy goal (even a necessity), it does not appear to have a plan to achieve the goal or leadership with training to help implement it. In our experience, lay leadership was pivotal to laying the groundwork.

We encountered something very different, exciting and refreshing!

A Little About Redeemer

Redeemer is a small congregation in a well-established Philadelphia neighborhood. East Falls is home to rich and poor. Up until about a decade ago, it was flanked on either end by government high-rise housing projects. These have been destroyed. New single family subsidized housing has been built where they once stood.  The presence of the “projects” in our neighborhood influenced attitudes toward different cultures for many years.

An outsider passing through would see tree-lined streets with well-kept homes. Some of them are sizable estates. Most are modest rowhouses. There are upscale apartments at opposite ends of town.

Redeemer sits at the economic and cultural crossroads of our community. Across the street is the public library and a K-8 public school. Down the hill is old factory worker housing. Behind Redeemer are middle class rowhomes. Above and across the street are the homes of many of Philadelphia’s movers and shakers, including a former U.S. Senator and Pennsylvania’s former governor.

East Falls is a university neighborhood. Philadelphia University, Drexel and Eastern Universities have campuses within our borders. Temple and LaSalle are also nearby. The local public school has struggled with academic achievement. Quaker and Catholic Schools are neighborhood options. Educational opportunities bring many newcomers to our town.

The buildings are of manageable size. A practical church layout, reflects the practical working class people who built it. In addition to a sanctuary/fellowship hall, our members built a seven-room educational building which proved to be an enormous asset to the congregation even after the loss of members following the turbulent 60s.

Redeemer was in a prime position to become a multicultural church, but it didn’t happen overnight.

A decade of poor leadership in the late 80s and 90s, left the congregation divided. We received little help from our regional body as they were having financial problems and any congregational problem was likely to be seen as opportunity to close a church for its assets. We struggled with our denomination for two years in the late 90s.

Eventually, our lay leaders identified a retired pastor who agreed to help. He came into a congregation that no longer trusted pastors. He spent three years with us, slowly restoring our congregation’s confidence with a weekly message of love. He invited many and a good number joined. He laid the groundwork for acceptance as our new members represented many parts of the world.

One family from Tanzania, began inviting their extended family and friends. Over a period of ten years, we developed a small East African community within our congregation.

In 2006, our congregation decided to concentrate our evangelism efforts on growing this segment of our congregation. We asked our part-time pastor to help us find leadership who could relate to Swahili-speaking East Africans. We talked about this for months. The regular report at council meetings: “There is no one.”

When this pastor resigned suddenly, our members within weeks identified two rostered Lutheran pastors from Tanzania. We started working with them.

Our members put every effort behind this outreach. We began by hosting a separate worship service entirely in Swahili. English-speaking members helped with music, putting together a worship bulletin, hosting fellowship and helping with child care. Leadership discussed that attendance at the English service might have to suffer while people, who normally supported it, helped with the Swahili Outreach.

Within a few months 49 members joined through this effort. At the suggestion of our Swahili-speaking members, we united our worship.

We were not prepared for the reaction of our regional body.

To be continued . . . 

08 Nov 2011

How to Write Powerful Headlines that Draw Readers

Headlines are the most important part of your post. They are the first thing your reader sees. Lackluster headlines will have readers moving on.

People who depend on headlines to improve sales study their effectiveness in the most minute detail. We know that most church workers do not want a degree in headline science. Nevertheless, we can learn from the people who make their living figuring out what works best. 

We’ll condense their advice. If you want to know more, go to the experts. Here’s one.

Your major goals are to:

  • Pique interest
  • Inform readers
  • Help your readers solve a problem
  • Entertain! No one wants to be bored!

We’ve already covered that headlines should contain key words so that search engines find them. Arranging those words is the next challenge.

Some authorities recommend writing your headline first to help you focus your post. Others say write your headline last to be sure it truly reflects your message. Try both! Write a headline to help you focus and then revisit your headline before you post. Make sure you’ve kept the promise you made to your readers.

Headlines should address the question “What does this blog have to offer the reader?”

Let’s say you are planning to write a post to offer ideas on a common problem for many churches — post-holiday drop in attendance. Let’s figure the key words are some combination of “Church Attendance” and perhaps “Holiday” or “Post-Holiday.” If you are publishing at “Christmas” or “Easter” those words might figure as well.

Here are nine approaches to consider:

PROMISE A SOLUTION (HOW TO)
Does your post solve a problem? Use the words “How to” in the headline.
How to Improve Post-holiday Church Attendance

NUMBERS
Will your post give simple, practical advice? Use numbers. The people who study headlines can prove it boosts readership. They’ve even figured out that the number 7 works best!
7 Ways Your Church Can Boost Post-holiday Church Attendance

UNIVERSAL APPEAL
Certain Words Appeal to Readers. (easy, quick, free, more, better, new, grow, improved, guaranteed, fresh, you and your)
7 Easy Ways to Improve Your Post-holiday Church Attendance Quickly

QUESTIONS
Questions can make good headlines.
Does Post-Christmas Church Attendance Give You the Blues?
or
Church Attendance Down? Where Did All the People Go?

TESTIMONIAL
Will your article include real examples?
How Grace Church Brought Members Back after the Holidays  

AUTHORITY
Will your article quote an expert? Say so.
Archbishop Smith Recommends 5 Ways You Can Improve Church Attendance Year-Round

URGENCY
Your headline can take an authoritative tone.
Failure to Boost Church Attendance Year-Round Challenges Mission Budgets 

EXPLORE THE PROBLEM
Help your readers understand why they share a problem.
7 Reasons Why Church Attendance Plummets after Christmas

BE CLEVER!
Headlines can be a place to have fun! Play on words. Use current hot buttons or old writer tricks like puns or alliteration. Shift the key words to the opening paragraph or perhaps a subhead before the opening paragraph.
Done with Church ’til Easter? Santa’s Making a List!
or
Here’s the Church. Here’s the Steeple. Where Are the People?

As you look at the differences in headlines for the same proposed story, you will notice that the tone of the headline will influence the angle of your story. Remember: Write the headline. Write the story. Revisit the headline to make sure the story keeps the promise made to the reader in your opening words — your headline.

That’s the end of our short primer. Just one more bit of advice:

Don’t be boring!

07 Nov 2011

Evangelists Can Learn from Marketers

Have you noticed that the business world has adopted words commonly used in the religious world? Companies once hired spokespeople. Now the job title is “evangelist” (for example, Guy Kawasaki, former evangelist for Apple).

The business world also talks about a successful sale as a “conversion.”

Church evangelists can learn a great deal from modern marketing. Marketing and evangelism share many of the same goals. They can also share the same strategies.

The hottest trend in marketing goes by several names: Inbound Marketing, Relationship Marketing and Content Marketing are just a few. These three emphases fit beautifully into any church’s evangelism program.

INBOUND MARKETING

In a nutshell, Inbound Marketers make lots of helpful information available to everyone for FREE, using blogs and websites, coupled with Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn networking tools. While sharing their expertise, they gain authority. When people are ready to buy, they think of the people who were so helpful to them on the web. This marketing technique is tailor-made for Church Evangelists. Help people and they will come to you.

This marketing specialty grew from the modern challenge salespeople faced. As a people, we once were amenable to the knock on the door, the cold call, or chatting it up with visiting sales reps in the company cafeteria. Today we are security conscience. We ban solicitation, check Caller ID before answering the phone, and we do not allow anyone to enter our work space without passing security.

Marketers looked for new ways to get their message/product before potential customers. They used modern tools and technology to attract interest. It is a breath of fresh air for the business world. They no longer feel like nags. They refer to the old days (just a few years ago) as the days of “Interruption Marketing.” They are glad they are no longer distracting irritants. They know that the people they talk to are already interested in their message.

RELATIONSHIP MARKETING

Companies don’t want to work harder than they have to. Finding new customers is more work than keeping old ones. Businesses look for ways to stay in contact with their customers and continue to serve them long after the initial transaction. This can begin on the web. Some of it will rely on other strategies which we will discuss in later posts. Churches must learn from relationship marketers. It will help them be better Christian witnesses.

CONTENT MARKETING

Content Marketing is related to both Inbound Marketing and Relationship Marketing. Content is the helpful information you provide for FREE that attracts people to your message or product. Churches of any size can do this. It is a redirection of energy, but it is a potentially powerful evangelism tool. Provide helpful advice, meaningful thoughts, valuable information, and show that you care. People will notice and begin to build a relationship with you.

Churches must consider implementing these outreach techniques. It requires work and retooling ministry concepts, but these new methods can be very effective. It is not enough for congregations to be witnesses for Christ. They must be effective witnesses for Christ. That means looking for strategies that will make a difference in people’s lives and in the life of your congregation.

The above chart reveals 2×2’s web site’s pattern of growth. This is a project of a very small congregation. We began using Inbound Marketing techniques in February when we launched this blog. We took a few months to learn the ropes. In mid-summer we began following best marketing practices. We slowly started adding content more regularly (now daily). We monitored the statistics. Weekly, we saw interest growing. Today we expect to welcome our 1000th site visitor (almost all within the last four months!). We are averaging close to 30 new visitors every day. We’re not sure where we are going, but we are following a plan that seems to be appreciated. Thanks to all readers. We encourage you to start your own web ministry. We’ll be glad to help.

06 Nov 2011

Key Words Help Readers Find Your Posts

Key Words are the words people type into search engines when looking for articles on topics which interest them.

Blogging platforms give you a chance to list some key words before you post. Writers should also use identifying key words in their headlines and within their article.

Search engines analyze everything going on everywhere on the web and present lists of what they find relating to those words. Key Words introduce writer and reader.

People wanting to know how to bake bread will type “how to bake bread” into their search engine. Often the science of key words is just that simple.

The problem is that there are probably thousands of people worldwide writing about baking bread. All of them want search engines to notice their web site first. The trick, therefore, is to find the words which make your article stand out. 

There are people who will help you with this for a fee. They will run a “key word search” and give you a list of how many people looked for “how to bake bread” as opposed to “baking bread” or “bread recipes.” Often, the results are unimpressive because they are obvious. Yep, your key words are “how to bake bread.”

Key words were once critical. Search engines concentrated on them. Today search formulas measure other things — like incoming and outgoing links. But don’t worry about all of this. There are strategies you can use that will work without stressing about search engine algorithms. Here are a few:

  • Use the words that are obviously important to your story in the headline and also in the first paragraph or two.
  • Craft your headline using popular formulas. (We’ll have a separate post about this). For now, we’ll share that headlines with numbers draw readers (7 Secrets for Baking the Perfect Loaf of Bread). Also headlines with “How to” are effective (How to Bake the Perfect Loaf of Bread).
  • Use common sense. Write for your readers — not the search engines. For a while some bloggers repeated the “key words” so often that their writing became dull and search engines caught on and adjusted their strategies.
  • Use photographs or video (both of which attract attention) and make sure that you use the key words in the description and alternate text boxes which present themselves when you load the picture.
  • Be authentic. Don’t use words that are popular but have nothing to do with your story. This trick has been used unscrupulously to lure people into finding their web site. It is dishonest. Search engines watch for this. It is one reason they changed their search tactics to measure more than key words. (When we posted this article, WordPress suggested we use “baking bread” as key words, but this article is not about baking bread!)
  • Write about things people want to read about. People will find you faster than you may think!

Our experience: About three weeks ago, 2×2 started this series of articles on Social Media Ministry. If you are reading this, you found us! So have 600 others. When we plugged the words “social media ministry” into a popular search engine last week, 2×2 ranked #1. We paid for no analytics. We just used the strategies listed above.

A word of warning to churches: Your key words should be what the people you want to reach are looking for. Use key words that describe your ministry, not just the name of your church. If the name of your church is Trinity, that word will not work as a key word. It has too many meanings and there are many churches named Trinity. Also, you will miss out on traffic that is looking for topics and not just your church. (Trinity Smithtown Feeds Homeless, Trinity Smithtown Youth Walk for MS, Day Care in Smithtown, might be more effective.) You can pay to have someone figure this out, but just get started. Keep your current audience — and most important — your target audience in mind. You’ll do just fine.

05 Nov 2011

How to Prepare Content for Your Church Social Media Blog

How long should your blog posts be?

Social Media experts have differing ideas on this. Most say that content posts should be short and recommend 250 to 500 words. 

This is good advice for many topics. How-to Articles tend to be longer since detailed directions are what your audience is seeking.

The correct answer may be that it depends on what you have to say and the urgency of your need to say it. Do your readers need to know everything now or can you spoon-feed information over a few days without frustrating them?

The best yardstick is to ask yourself, “If I were looking for information about this topic, would I appreciate the content (whether it be 250 or 1000 words)?

2×2 posts tend to be about 800 words on average — too long according to the experts. We violated the rule because we wanted to post thorough content that would be helpful to our audience quickly. This approach has been successful. Our audience has grown steadily.

Nevertheless, as we move forward, we will begin to keep a closer eye on the length of our posts. Here are some ways bloggers can divide content into shorter, more palatable doses.

Journalist’s Formula

Long topics can be divided using the standard journalistic formula. WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY and HOW. One post could then become a six-part series.

Chronological Approach

Other topics might lend themselves to chronolgical subdivision. Detail topics in formative steps. We used this approach in our Social Media Ministry Series, starting with the concept of Social Media Ministry and forming a committee. Later posts covered the work of the committee, etc.

Geographic or Cultural Focus

Some topics might lend themselves to geographic or cultural subdivisions. Many of our topics address small churches in general. We could talk about small urban churches or small rural churches. We might contrast Southern churches with New England churches.

If your posts are longer, look for ways to break up your words or copy so that there are focal points that lead you through the post.

Studies show that web readers scan a page in the shape of the letter F. They read across the top, then skip down. They hit the next topic sentence, and read across and continue down the left side of the page, occasionally drifting to the right as things attract interest.

Tools for breaking up text

There are several tools built into blogging software that you can use to lead your readers’ eyes.

  • Headlines
  • Subheads
  • Bulleted Lists
  • Numbered Lists
  • Photos or Art (with or without captions)
  • Quote Callouts
  • Boldface/Italic Text
  • Indented Text
  • Use of color

Pay attention to your own habits as you read web sites and blog posts to understand how others read your pages.

Thus ends this post of 458 words!

04 Nov 2011

Multicultural Ministry Requires Congregational Confidence

Congregations are not wrong to approach a multicultural outreach program with hesitance. It is honest and human. Humans make good Christians!

Multicultural Ministry means things will change. Change opens the doors to the unknown and that can be unsettling.

Any new ministry initiative must start with the people you have. If they feel loved and respected, they will be equipped to welcome and serve new people. If they feel criticized and worthless, they will become resentful and protective. Your congregation will not have an atmosphere that invites anyone — much less those of other cultures.

Begin your Multicultural Ministry by affirming your congregation. Make sure they are confident and have self-esteem. The one thing every member wants to know (without asking) is that they will still fit in when their congregation begins to change. They want to know that in building a ministry around new people they are not valued less. We all want to be loved for who we are — not what someone else thinks we should be. A confident congregation — no matter how small — can grow.

Approach change as additive. You are adding new people, new music, new traditions. You are not replacing or criticizing the people who have worked and sacrificed for your congregation for decades. Your members should not have to change the things that are very special to them. They can sing the same hymns, have similar observances. New hymns and customs should be added to the old. Visitors don’t expect a church to drop everything and do things their way. They will notice that your congregation respects your elders and traditions. In fact, most foreign cultures respect this more than we do!

Take it easy. This is probably the most difficult concept for leadership to grasp. Leadership tends to be eager for quick transformation. Leaders have incentive to look for success in statistics. They have at stake their professional career image and desire for personal achievement. Congregations, on the other hand, have their entire social order at stake. They have their history, their family relationships and friendships, their way of life/culture and traditions. This must not be run over roughshod. It will destroy Christian community. Measurable successes will be fleeting.

Don’t put a timetable on change. Your congregation will know when to mothball old customs. It doesn’t have to be forced.

Celebrate your people. Members need to know that they are “chosen” for this ministry because they are a good community with ministry skills. Stress the qualities that make your congregation welcoming to other cultures. Build on them.

  • Are your people naturally welcoming? Let them know that this skill is now more important than ever.
  • Have your people travelled? Are they knowledgeable about some other culture? Give them a leadership role. Have them talk about their experiences in other countries.
  • Does your church have families that can mentor new families? Multicultural Ministry may mean that you will be inviting immigrant families or families new to your neighborhood. Prepare your families to show them the ropes. Let them know this is valuable service to their church. Train them. Help them find ways to connect with newcomers.
  • Holidays can be a particular challenge to immigrants. Try explaining Halloween to someone who has never experienced it! Yet children will be expected to take part in Halloween fun at school. Your church families can advise parents, answer questions, or even help them put a costume together. Similarly Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are ingrained in our society. They can be puzzling to newcomers.
  • Are there people with special skills in your congregation that could be helpful to newcomers? Members with experience in real estate, banking, business and legal issues could be helpful in reaching out to people looking for housing, financing, jobs and citizenship. Their special skills can play a big role in Multicultural Outreach.
  • Do you have members who can help teach English?

When your current members know that they are important to your congregation’s new ministry, change becomes exciting. The threat is gone.

In later posts, we’ll give you real examples of how some of these points played out in our multicultural ministry.

03 Nov 2011

Using Video on Your Social Media Website

Here’s a link to an article that gives you tips on how to use an iphone to add audio/video to your web site.

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/5-tips-for-creating-video-and-audio-content-with-your-iphone/

02 Nov 2011

Exploring Multicultural Ministry

“Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every nation.”

Multiculturalism is a mandate of Christianity.

Many church consultants have postulated that if the Church is to grow it must become multicultural.

This is indeed desirable but difficult for parishes to undertake. There are many things standing in the way of congregations entering into intentional multicultural ministry.

  1. People looking for a church home tend to be attracted to groups that are like them.
  2. People inviting tend to relate most easily to people who are like them.
  3. Leadership is often uncomfortable with spearheading multicultural programs. It is outside their training.
  4. Resources for developing multicultural ministry are few and developing resources for such a broad topic is difficult.

2×2 grew from Redeemer Lutheran Church which had a thriving multicultural ministry. It did not grow from any master plan skillfully implemented by strong, well-trained leadership.

In Redeemer’s experience, multicultural ministry grew from accepting who we were and adapting as the neighborhood changed. Slowly, year by year, member by member, the faces in our congregation changed, our worship changed, and our fellowship changed. Within a decade, our small congregation with century-old ethnic roots in German and Scottish-English traditions had become predominantly East African with members from many countries and speaking many languages. This was managed without major upheaval from within the congregation. We are, however, experiencing difficulty with our denomination, who viewed the changes as one group dying — giving them rights (in their view) to move in and control assets and reassign new members to another location.

Multicultural ministry can be very tough for the whole church to accept.

While we have experience in multicultural ministry, we cannot claim expertise. Surely, there are other congregations with as much or more experience than ours, although they are not easy to find. Redeemer has visited 33 congregations in our synod. We have encountered only two or three that concentrate on multicultural ministry. Among them, one or two are diverse without being noticeably multicultural. In fact, defining multicultural might be a helpful exercise.

Many years ago, in a discussion of an upcoming mixed-race marriage, someone among the gossipers commented, “Hey, when you come right down to it, aren’t ALL marriages mixed? Isn’t that what marriage is all about?”

That’s a good starting point. Take a close look at the cultures that are already present within your congregation. You might be more diverse than you think!

Please share your experiences as we share ours in a series of posts. Perhaps together we can encourage multicultural outreach. We invite posts from anyone with thoughts to share on multicultural ministry.

Despite the fact that this is an original mandate of Christianity, we need to break new ground.

Send us a comment and we will get back to you.

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02 Nov 2011

Blogging with Parishwide Mission Outreach in Mind

Your blog is up and running and you have ideas for content. Great! That was a big first step.

Now it’s time to start looking outside your committee. Make your blog a parishwide outreach adventure.

One approach is to look at the mission of your church and how the various committees of your church reflect that mission. Present issues important to them, but with a twist. Always find a way to address topics on your members’ minds from the viewpoint of non-members. Think about the hundreds of people you can reach — not the people who are already on board.

Begin by looking outside the Social Media Ministry Committee. What are their challenges and concerns of other church committees? Overlook no one.

Keep in mind that your committee has probably been working at this for a while and are now accustomed to the concept. It is likely to be alien territory to others. All can play a role in your congregation’s Social Media outreach, but your committee must lead and teach.

Be forewarned. This effort is probably going to involve talking to members one on one. Meet with committees to explain the concept. Give it time to sink in. It’s new. They will need help in finding ways to follow through. Hold their hands!

Here are some ideas to share which illustrate the thinking that goes into a blog.

Property Committees might be concerned with making the church grounds handicapped accessible and may have freshly studied this topic. Run some articles on what any organization should consider when planning for assessibility. (2×2 ran a post on accessibility beginning with proximity.) You can use your experience for examples of both challenges and solutions. If you have disabled members videotape them talking about their challenges. Remember your content should benefit other people. Another property issue might be “going green” or saving money on utilities. Address the issues in a way nonmembers would read.

A Fellowship or Hospitality Committee might have advice to give on how to welcome visitors, encourage future participation and learn to invite. (Here’s a 2×2 example). Many organizations face the same challenges. Write for them. Other topics for potential fellowship outreach might include comforting the grieving, welcoming people who speak different languages, or bonding groups of youth from different schools and parts of town.

Education Committees should have no end of material. Parents are always looking for ways to teach their children. Teens are always looking for projects and ways to contribute. Adults are life-long seekers. They can use experiences as illustrations or anecdotes, but look outward.

Finance and Stewardship Committee will want to explain the “anatomy of a modern church budget” and explore giving. Do not write about your congregation’s problems. Focus on the challenges faced by all organizations like yours.

Social Outreach Committees can publicize the needs of the community at various times of the year and suggest answers. It might include housing the homeless in winter, stocking food pantries, helping the jobless, advising those in broken relationships, helping the grieving. Interview the people who work with these problems. This committee can play a pivotal role in building your congregation’s neighborhood network. Prominent newsworthy issues are also worthy of comment. Videotape members on their personal responses to disasters like Katrina, earthquakes or tsunamis.

Worship Committees can talk about the celebrations of the seasons and present histories of traditions and suggest ideas for modern celebration. What makes a handbell choir fun? How do you get boys to sing? Is prayer good for your health? (2×2 example).

Include youth in your blogging project. This is an area where they can shine. Social media is in their blood. They can write and video and teach the adults a thing or two!

Do not talk about your problems or challenges. Your goal is to attract new people to your church. The first thing they want to see is not your stewardship goals or your plea for more choir members. Focus on the other guy.

Invite members of other committees to write for the church blog, but make sure they understand the outreach goal. Go over topic ideas with them, so they understand viewpoint. Remember, this is a new way of thinking. You will have to work with them for a while.

Videos are great additions to blogs. Keep a camera on hand and use it. One blogger, who writes about her community, carries a small video camera with her and invites people she meets to comment on something of current interest in her town. If she visits a carnival, she may grab parents waiting for a child to get off a ride and ask for their impressions on the local fair. If there is a convention going on, she’ll find an attendee to talk about the town. A church could video a supply pastor about what he/she sees from church to church. An interview with a returning member could talk about how things have changed. You’ll soon find plenty of ideas.

Just remember. Focus on the people who are not in church. What might interest them?

01 Nov 2011