Communication was difficult before everything shut down and no one left their homes. But now that everyone is online, how can we communicate effectively when no one is coming into the building? You’re doing your best to keep up with the changes, but staying flexible all the time is exhausting work.
We’ve identified three key areas to focus on in order to strategically communicate with your people.
1. Adopt a Digital First Mindset
When everyone came to Sunday services, it was easy to focus on the key announcement to get the word out and let email or social media do the rest. However, of the 168 hours in a week, you’re only telling someone that information once. Shifting your mindset from Sunday-first to Digital-first will help you communicate your big announcement regularly across those other 167 hours to make sure your people know what’s going on.
2. Optimize Your Sermon Videos for Online Viewing
We all know that online is not the same as in-person. Don’t fall into the trap of recording a live sermon or live-streaming a service and thinking that’s going to be good enough for your online audience. From small things (like adding captions) to big things like real-time chat room hosts, you need to be thinking critically about how you do church online.
3. Don’t Neglect Pastoral Care
Pastoral care was typically reserved for members of your congregation who would notify the church office that someone was sick in the hospital and would like a visit from the pastor. That model has shifted. Pastoral care can and should happen online, in your digital spaces, out in the world for everyone to see. “Jesus had compassion on them” is a mission-oriented mindset. Pastoral care and evangelism go hand-in-hand.