Church communications should be seen as a ministry, not just as a mouthpiece for church announcements, says a former news editor.
As a former editor of a local daily newspaper and then Communications Chairperson overseeing my church’s monthly magazine, I was sometimes asked, “What is the difference between writing for a daily newspaper and writing for a church magazine?”
My reply was, “When I was a journalist, I wrote to build a name and a following for myself. It was about me and my career.”
I accepted Christ during the later part of my career and tried to rely more and more God for wisdom and guidance. But if I am being honest with myself, it was still about my career advancement then.
When I started writing for my church’s magazine, however, I wrote to share about God’s goodness and faithfulness in my life. I wanted to tell stories about the church’s ministries and share the testimonies of fellow brothers- and sisters-in-Christ. I wanted to point readers to God and build a following for Jesus. It was about God and not me or anyone else. In this way, I saw that Christ could “increase” while I “decrease[d]” (John 3:30).
As an editor of a church magazine, I asked myself three questions when editing an article.
- Where is God in the article?
- Does the article point readers to God?
- Will the article encourage readers to follow Jesus?
As an editor of a church magazine, I asked myself three questions when editing an article.
– Where is God in the article?
– Does the article point readers to God?
– Will the article encourage readers to follow Jesus?
Indeed, God must be the sole focus of all that we do for church communications, no matter what platform we use.
Church communications is a ministry
A church’s Communications Committee (or whatever it is called in your church) is probably one of the busiest church committees and ministries. Besides handling the church’s website, communication platforms and publications, it also oversees the publicity of every project initiative launched by church ministries and committees. Not to mention collating the weekly church worship service bulletin. But is the communications committee merely a mouthpiece of the church, publicising church events and drawing members to participate in these activities?
For me, church communications is a ministry in its own right. Besides helping to publicise church programmes and connecting people to the church, the communications team also seeks to point readers to God through articles or testimonies, whether published in print or online. It also helps to proclaim biblical truths and disciple church members and readers through written pieces by pastors and church leaders. With digital platforms and social media, the reach is even wider, going beyond our shores. The digital world is now our parish.
The generational divide: Print versus digital
Over the years, new communication platforms have emerged—Telegram, Instagram, TikTok and podcasts. One issue arising from this is the need the seniors onboard. With an ageing church population, there is thus a need to retain the print medium to cater to seniors who are generally more at ease with these traditional platforms.
At Wesley Methodist Church (WMC), we resolved this issue by retaining the print medium but reducing the number of copies printed, to match the reduced print readership. This is to cut paper waste. At the same time, we started workshops to enable the seniors to go digital. In 2022,
WMC launched Learn Digital@Wesley (LDW), an initiative of Wesley Communications in collaboration with our ministry to the seniors, Glowing Years Ministry (GYM).
The church partnered SG Digital Office (SDO), a government body which engages seniors to teach them digital skills, such as communicating online, accessing digital government services, making e-payments and learning about cybersecurity.
LDW curriculum was customised to include modules specific to WMC. Participants learnt to access WMC’s website and other church platforms such as its Telegram channel for information and to perform online registrations. Besides being aware of cybersecurity issues, they also learnt to connect to WMC’s Wi-Fi while in church. In addition, the participants also familiarised themselves with government mobile apps such as SingPass and Health Buddy, and the use of communications platforms like email, WhatsApp and Telegram.
WMC plans to launch LDW 2025 in the next few months, with an updated curriculum on scam prevention, online safety from malicious software and inappropriate content, and the usage of AI tools.
Through LDW, many of our seniors have become more confident in obtaining information, accessing their personal data on government sites, and communicating digitally with others.
Tips for church communications staff and ministry volunteers
Tip 1
Reduce print, not remove print. Cut waste, not paper.
Tip 2
Don’t just tell seniors to go digital. Show them the way to embrace digital apps and platforms safely.
Tip 3
Know your target readership/viewership for each platform and develop the content accordingly to suit their unique preferences and habits.
Tip 4
Build church communications as a credible and trusted source of information and biblical truths to counter the fake news on social media. If the church doesn’t disciple its members through God’s word, the world will shape their values, beliefs and identity.
Tip 5
Platforms may change, but purpose remains the same: to point readers/viewers to God and to take the next step in following Jesus.
Tip 6
Align the activities and messages of the different ministries and committees into one cohesive church mission and vision.
Tip 7
Run church communications as a ministry. Remember: all that you do is centred on loving God, loving our neighbours and bringing the gospel to the world.
Many platforms, one purpose
Because the church communications team must engage many generations of church members through its various platforms, it needs to understand the audience or readership it is trying to reach out to, and develop the content accordingly to suit their unique preferences and habits. It must also communicate biblical teachings to its readers, especially the younger ones.
The fast-paced development of the digital world requires clear and concise messaging from the church. Consistent messaging is key. The church communications team coordinates information for the church and its many ministries and committees by providing a single source of “truth” (accurate information) on its communications platforms. It helps to develop the church’s identity and what it stands for. This is especially important with the emergence of social media, and with it, fake news. Church platforms must be a credible and trusted source of biblical truth.
As a ministry, the role of church communications is to manage messaging well and transmit it clearly. In this way, it will move beyond the communication channels to the lived lives of the congregants.
Ultimately, communications as a ministry is no different from other ministries. Even as new platforms continue to emerge, the purpose remains the same: to point viewers/ readers to God and take the next step to follow Jesus. It is not just to inform but, more importantly, to transform members to love God and love one another, and to go and make disciples of all nations.