For those of us who work in churches or other faith-based organizations, it often feels like we are working in a silo. Depending on the size of the church we may be the only person running a department and wearing a variety of hats just to get the job done. The employees in charge of communications or marketing can especially feel as though they are alone. They may be the most technologically savvy or graphically gifted person in the office. Their expertise seems foreign to other staff members, sometimes so much so that it is difficult to even hold brainstorming sessions with their co-workers.

Communicating and marketing for faith-based organizations is not unlike working in the private sector, but it does have some unique areas that need to be considered. For instance, knowing when to use “church” language, or how to convey a message using every-day language without watering down its purpose. Faith communicators also need to know to tip-toe the marketing arena so that their message is seen and heard without offending those who may view it. The world perception of anything Christian is often (sometimes deservingly so) seen as being exclusive, judgmental, and biased. The faith communicator needs to know how to jump over these hurdles so that people will observe and partake in what is being offered.

Because we may work in a silo, and have such unique obstacles to overcome, it seems natural that faith communicators would benefit from collaboration. But, how do we do that? In our line of work, there may not be too many of us in any one regional area. The technologies we use for our work are the same resources we need to use for collaboration. You may be limited by the number of people in your area who are doing the same sort of work as you, but the internet and social media tools opens up the whole world to connect with.

I would suggest that you first survey the faith-based organizations around you and try to connect with people in your local area. Choose a topic to discuss (creating affordable, current websites, print newsletters vs. electronic newsletters, etc.) and meet regularly to learn from each other and brainstorm together. You will find that the members will grow professionally and the resources each person brings to the group are invaluable. If you can’t connect with others in your local area, or if the group is small, use social media tools to connect with communicators and marketers in other parts of the country or world. Form a Facebook group, search for others on Twitter, or reach out to others who are in your line of work and invite them to join a regular online conversation.

I am forming a group with people in the greater Seattle area, and in addition, I am working to create an online group for anyone in the field to join. You can participate with me by joining my Facebook group – Faith Communications, and/or sending me your contact information. I will look for areas of interest and begin a discussion with this blog. As the group grows, I will welcome others to write articles for the blog and share responses to the postings.

This is just a beginning, but I believe we are called to work together. Remembering the passage from Matthew 18, when we work together in God’s name, he is with us also. Please join me…

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In Donald Miller’s book, Searching for God Knows What, he talks about the lifeboat dilemma. You know the story… a ship is sinking and there are too many people for the lifeboat to carry. A decision has to be made about who gets to stay in the lifeboat, and who has to go overboard. Essentially, people are both deciding who is most important and at the same time vying for their own position in the boat. Miller points out that the whole story changes when you include Jesus in the lifeboat (and not just because he walked on water). To Jesus the status of the people in the lifeboat is not significant. In His eyes we are all the same, each with different gifts and talents, each with our own weaknesses and frailties. To Jesus sending the murderer overboard is just as tragic as sending the Nobel Peace Prize winner.

When churches spend time and money on marketing and communications, they often put themselves in the lifeboat. Different ministry areas in the church push their agenda, trying to prove why they are most important to the congregation. They vie for their position on the lifeboat and in the process often push less vocal ministries overboard. Sometimes the church as a whole uses their marketing to prove to their congregation, local community and larger church body why they are important and need to be noticed. In the process, they forget about Jesus being in the boat with them and misrepresent who they really are.

When it comes to marketing and communications, first and foremost, churches need to understand who they are as a congregation – not who they want to be, or who they want the world to think they are. They need to remember that in Jesus’ eyes, every congregation is important and each has their own special place and gifts to offer. At times, this can be difficult for smaller and mid-size congregations when a mega-church down the road seems to be attracting people and growing larger every day. It is especially crucial in these situations that the churches know who they really are and realistically represent that in their marketing. By misrepresenting themselves, they may initially attract more people to the congregation, but in the end, they are really hurting themselves, as those people will most likely eventually move on. For example, a church shouldn’t say they have a large, active youth group (hoping that will attract families who will make that statement a reality) and ignore the group who visits the homebound (where their strength really is). They may make themselves look good on the outside, but it won’t take long for people to see the truth, and in reality, they also won’t attract the people with the right gifts to make their congregation grow stronger. If a church wants to grow in a new direction, they can include that in their materials as a vision for the future, but must not confuse that with who they are in the present.

No matter where your strengths are as a congregation, good marketing materials can capitalize on that. Churches need to remember that Jesus doesn’t care about their position in the lifeboat. As a church they should embrace who they really are, who Jesus called them to be, and represent that with confidence in knowing that their position in the lifeboat (community, national church, etc.) is just as important as everyone else’s.

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