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Your Greatest Asset Isnโt What You Think It Is
If thereโs one thing Iโve noticed from growing up around ministry work and those occasional high school English classes, itโs this… a story usually does one of three things:…
Read This...When I Punched a Wall During a Ministry Project (And What I Learned From It)
I donโt usually lead with stories like this, but every now and then, a little vulnerability is worth the awkwardness. So here goes. A few years back, I lost…
Read This...When Conflict Isnโt the Problem (Miscommunication Is)
So many times when we get into conversations with ministries about communication, we end up talking about something else entirely: conflict. Sometimes itโs rooted in misunderstandings. Other times itโs…
Read This...Are We Just Doing Church, or Actually Becoming the Church?
Imagine This With Meโฆ Itโs early Sunday morning, and your alarm is going off.โจ Beep. Beep. BEEEEEEP. โจYou forgot to turn the ringer down last night, and now youโve…
Read This...When Friendly Isnโt Enough: What I Learned Sitting Alone in Church
Have you ever walked into a new place and felt two things at the same time; hopeful and uncomfortable? It happened to me not long ago when I visited…
Read This...โClear as Mudโ: Why We Still Do Creative Work (and How We Missed Saying So)
โI wish you still did creative workโฆโ Someone said this to me recently, and I was honestly caught off guard. Because…we never stopped. That comment revealed something important:ย we hadnโt…
Read This...This is Your Story Too
Weโve been told this before: โItโs not about you.โAnd to be honest, thereโs some truth in that. Ministry is, at its core, about the transformative work of Jesus, the…
Read This...Holy Sarcasm! When (and When NOT) to Get Snarky in Ministry
The other day, I was in a store and saw a T-shirt that said, โI speak fluent sarcasm.โ For a second, I thought about buying it. Then I realized…
Read This...Is Your Ministryโs Brand Telling the Truth?
Wow, thatโs a strong question. But sometimes, strong questions are exactly what we need to ask. As ministry leaders, we are surrounded by messages. Faith-based initiatives tell us things,…
Read This...How Churches Can Overcome Perception Barriers and Improve Communication?
Most churches talk about getting new people to come to church. In fact, many churches set goals for visitor attendance, promote invitation Sundays, and encourage their congregation to invite…
Read This...The Hidden Struggles of Ministry: What Pastors Wish You Knew
Growing up as a pastorโs kid, I remember people often saying, โIt must be amazing growing up in a pastor’s home.โ They would follow it up with comments like,…
Read This...Are You Losing Your Audience? The Danger of Starting the Conversation Midway
Have you ever had someone start a conversation with you as if you were already halfway through it? They jump in with details and references that make no sense…
Read This...The Leadership Communication Link: How Understanding Influence Transforms the Way You Lead and Connect
When I was young in ministry, I had never really gone through any leadership training. We didnโt have any structured development embedded into our church because we were such…
Read This...Seeing What You Canโt See: Leadership Blind Spots
You know that feeling when you’ve been walking around all day with something everyone else can see about you, but you have no idea about it yourself? Like a…
Read This...Navigating Change in Ministry: Why We Must Embrace What is Next
I like change. I like trying new things. I like going places. I like reimagining and reinventing things. Iโm a curious person by nature, and Iโm always wondering โHow…
Read This...The Good Things We Do That Donโt Matter
Successโwhether in life, ministry, or businessโis often measured by things that, in the end, donโt really matter. We chase accomplishments, build systems, and push toward progress, believing that these…
Read This...Why Clarity Always Wins
Clear communication is the cornerstone of effective leadership in ministry. It aligns leadership, vision, and strategy, ensuring everyone is on the same page and moving toward shared goals. But…
Read This...How to Stay Consistent with Church Updates and Keep People Informed
Face itโwe all get a ton of emails, texts, and marketing messagesโฆ ALL THE TIME. The last thing anyone wants is more of that. The same is true for…
Read This...Why Accuracy and Proofreading Matter in Ministry Communication
Back in the days when we were producing more creative collateral items for clients, we had an involved marketing piece we had put together for a ministry. The piece…
Read This...Why Tracking Communication Matters in Ministry
The idea of tracking communication activity can feel intimidating. For some ministries, it even seems intrusive or inappropriate. Tracking web activity, email interactions, or engagement metrics sounds like something…
Read This...How Allocating Time for Communication Improves Your Ministry’s Health
There are many ministries and nonprofit organizations that lack a dedicated staff member responsible for coordinating and managing communication and marketing efforts. In fact, a majority of ministries do…
Read This...Measuring Spiritual Health in Your Church: A Different Approach
One of the most pressing concerns for pastors, church leaders, and board members is how to measure the spiritual health of their congregation. We know itโs important. We know…
Read This...A Free Guide to Conduct a Better Church Survey (With Questions)
Churches often face the challenge of balancing the needs of their congregation with the overarching mission to reach their communities and advance their faith-based mission. When leaders decide to…
Read This...Getting to the Point: How to Make Your Ministry Communication More Effective
Over the years, weโve evaluated hundreds, if not thousands, of ministry communication piecesโflyers, brochures, websites, marketing materials, email campaigns, you name it. Weโve seen brilliantly executed campaigns that were…
Read This...Creating a Ministry Communication Guide: Essential Elements for Consistency
If youโre leading or serving in a smaller ministry or church, youโve likely experienced inconsistent and unstructured communication. Without a clear guide, information gets shared in random, disconnected ways,…
Read This...Cutting Through the Noise: How to Make Ministry Communication Stick
If youโve ever worked in ministry, you know how overwhelming communication can be. There are events, programs, updates, prayer requests, school announcements, and nonprofit initiativesโall competing for attention. The…
Read This...Measuring What Matters in Ministry
A while back, a friend recommended the book Measure What Matters. At the time, we were deep into creative and tactical work for ministries, trying to develop better metrics…
Read This...Chasing Conformity and Mediocrity
Thereโs a fascinating paradox in Western cultureโthe tension between individualism and conformity. On one hand, marketing and media constantly reinforce the idea that we are unique, special, and deserving…
Read This...How to Communicate Effectively Without Overwhelming Your Audience
I love to go fishing. I have since I was a little kid. My dad taught me to fish, and my brothers and I grew up spending countless hours…
Read This...How Your Ministryโs Imagery and Messaging Might Be Pushing People Away Without You Realizing It
Have you ever been in a situation where someone is excitedly showing you pictures, but you have no idea whatโs going on in them? Maybe itโs a coworker flipping…
Read This...The Power of Predictability: Why Consistency in Ministry Communication Matters
When we evaluate ministries and their communication, one of the key areas we assess is consistency. As much as Iโd like to think of myself as someone who embraces…
Read This...Speaking Plainly: The Key to Trust, Truth, and Transformation in Ministry
The lack of truth-filled communication is one of the biggest relationship killers. Why? Without truth, trust erodes, understanding falters, and vulnerabilityโso essential for connectionโdisappears. This isnโt just an issue…
Read This...How to Choose the Right Communication Tools for Your Ministry
Twenty years ago, churches had a limited selection of communication tools. While websites were emerging, most outreach relied on print ads, newspaper listings, and the Yellow Pages. There were…
Read This...Letโs Talk About Talking: Three Surprising Ways to Fulfill Your Mission More Effectively
Everyone knows communication is important. If you look at your bookshelf right now, Iโd be willing to guess that you have at least three books on communication. You might…
Read This...Get on Target: Three Ways Understanding Your Target Audience Sharpens Your Mission
โWeโre going to reach the world!โ While this ambitious objective sounds great when shouted and can create an enthusiastic response, it actually has little meaning when shaping and leading…
Read This...Do You Know How Your Church is Perceived?
โThat place could burn down, and it wouldnโt matter.โ I remember the moment I heard someone say those words about a church we were consulting for. They werenโt suggesting…
Read This...How Healthy Are Your Church Families?
How do you figure out the true health of your church? This is kind of a danger zone for pastors and leadership teams for two reasons: 1) we are…
Read This...Driving Engagement With Clear Communication in Your Ministry
Great intentions in ministry can fall flat without clear communication. You can have the most inspiring vision, the best events, or the most powerful sermon series, but if your…
Read This...Gossip in the Church: A Communication Problem, Not Just a Sin
Gossip is one of the most commonโand damagingโissues in many churches. While we know biblically that gossip is wrong, many people donโt even realize theyโre engaging in it. Growing…
Read This...Godโs Vision vs. Our Own Aspirations in Ministry
A friend of mine once did mission work in a country where Christianity was a small, struggling presence. His role was to mentor local pastors, and during one conversation,…
Read This...Why Knowing Your Ministryโs Audience Is Key to Effective Communication
Thereโs a reason so much of the content on this site focuses on understanding and optimizing for your ministryโs best audience. Itโs because knowing your audience isnโt just helpfulโitโs…
Read This...The Fine Line Between Informing and Overloading
Before we dive into the topic of this article, Iโd like to highlight a book I read a few years ago about management. The title is Itโs Your Ship:…
Read This...Beyond the Checklist: Communicating in a Way That Actually Connects
In ministry, there are always countless things to juggleโso many spinning plates that it can feel overwhelming to keep everything moving. One of the last things we want to…
Read This...Finding the Quiet Leaders in Your Ministry
Your best leaders are probably hiding in plain sight. How can you spy them? Beginning on a philosophical level, you might be off to a good start by upending…
Read This...The Power of Listening to Your Community
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to sit with a group of church planters. Thereโs something energizing about being in a room with people stepping into new ministry…
Read This...Breaking Free from Comparison in Ministry
Have you ever had one of those days where everything seemed to be going well? You felt confident in the ministry work God has called you to, excited about…
Read This...Making Ministry More Accessible: Learning from Consumer Simplicity
We live in a world where ease of use is a dominant factor in how businesses operate. Products and services are constantly being refined to remove friction and make…
Read This...How to Streamline Communication in Your Ministry With the Right Tools
Whether youโre coordinating a worship team, planning a community outreach event, or keeping your congregation informed, clear and consistent communication ensures everyone stays on the same page. Managing communication…
Read This...Quality Control in Ministry Communication
How often do organizations emphasize quality over quantity? At this point, everyone in America has engaged in this debate at least a thousand times just in the past year.…
Read This...The Importance of Clear Calls to Action in Ministry Messaging
One of my favorite books on leadership, communication, and change is Illuminate: Ignite Change Through Speeches, Stories, Ceremonies, and Symbols by Nancy Duarte and Patti Sanchez. In the foreword,…
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Keenly is a ministry-driven coaching firm. We are all about intentionalityโdoing everything on purpose for a kingdom purpose. Itโs in the way we work, the way we think, and in the way we help ministries reimagine their impact.