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We think about ministry... a lot.
Our team regularly creates insightful articles, resources, and tools grounded in our observations and hands-on consulting experience.
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 didn’t have any structured development embedded into our church because we were such…
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Seeing What You Can’t 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…
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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. I’m a curious person by nature, and I’m always wondering “How…
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The Good Things We Do That Don’t Matter
Success—whether in life, ministry, or business—is often measured by things that, in the end, don’t really matter. We chase accomplishments, build systems, and push toward progress, believing that these…
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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…
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How to Stay Consistent with Church Updates and Keep People Informed
Face it—we all get a ton of emails, texts, and marketing messages… ALL THE TIME. The last thing anyone wants is more of that. The same is true for…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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 it’s important. We know…
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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, we’ve evaluated hundreds, if not thousands, of ministry communication pieces—flyers, brochures, websites, marketing materials, email campaigns, you name it. We’ve seen brilliantly executed campaigns that were…
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Creating a Ministry Communication Guide: Essential Elements for Consistency
If you’re leading or serving in a smaller ministry or church, you’ve likely experienced inconsistent and unstructured communication. Without a clear guide, information gets shared in random, disconnected ways,…
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Cutting Through the Noise: How to Make Ministry Communication Stick
If you’ve ever worked in ministry, you know how overwhelming communication can be. There are events, programs, updates, prayer requests, school announcements, and nonprofit initiatives—all competing for attention. The…
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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…
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Chasing Conformity and Mediocrity
There’s a fascinating paradox in Western culture—the tension between individualism and conformity. On one hand, marketing and media constantly reinforce the idea that we are unique, special, and deserving…
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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…
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How Your Ministry’s 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 what’s going on in them? Maybe it’s a coworker flipping…
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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 I’d like to think of myself as someone who embraces…
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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 vulnerability—so essential for connection—disappears. This isn’t just an issue…
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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…
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Let’s 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, I’d be willing to guess that you have at least three books on communication. You might…
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Get on Target: Three Ways Understanding Your Target Audience Sharpens Your Mission
“We’re going to reach the world!” While this ambitious objective sounds great when shouted and can create an enthusiastic response, it actually has little meaning when shaping and leading…
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Do You Know How Your Church is Perceived?
“That place could burn down, and it wouldn’t matter.” I remember the moment I heard someone say those words about a church we were consulting for. They weren’t suggesting…
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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…
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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…
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Gossip in the Church: A Communication Problem, Not Just a Sin
Gossip is one of the most common—and damaging—issues in many churches. While we know biblically that gossip is wrong, many people don’t even realize they’re engaging in it. Growing…
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God’s 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,…
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Why Knowing Your Ministry’s Audience Is Key to Effective Communication
There’s a reason so much of the content on this site focuses on understanding and optimizing for your ministry’s best audience. It’s because knowing your audience isn’t just helpful—it’s…
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The Fine Line Between Informing and Overloading
Before we dive into the topic of this article, I’d like to highlight a book I read a few years ago about management. The title is It’s Your Ship:…
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Beyond the Checklist: Communicating in a Way That Actually Connects
In ministry, there are always countless things to juggle—so many spinning plates that it can feel overwhelming to keep everything moving. One of the last things we want to…
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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…
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The Power of Listening to Your Community
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to sit with a group of church planters. There’s something energizing about being in a room with people stepping into new ministry…
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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…
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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…
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How to Streamline Communication in Your Ministry With the Right Tools
Whether you’re 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…
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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.…
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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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The Best Tools for Reaching Your Ministry’s Audience
In today’s world, effective communication is essential for ministry. Gone are the days when pastors and church leaders only relied on announcements during services and notes in bulletins to…
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How to Communicate Without Using Insider Language
In college, I worked for an engineering company that tested construction foundations and materials. I tested materials like soils, concrete, and asphalt. I spent years in the field collecting…
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Tracking Engagement in Ministry Communication Efforts
In today’s digital world, it’s crucial for churches to track how their congregation is engaging with their communication efforts. Whether through email open rates, social media interactions, or event…
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Mission Drift: How Nonprofits Lose Focus and How to Prevent It
The concept of mission drift is something that many nonprofit leaders become aware of, but often only after it’s too late. So, how does an organization that begins with…
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Why You Should Track the Impact of Your Church’s Communication
Effective communication is essential for any church community as it keeps members connected, strengthens relationships, and spreads the church’s message. One aspect that many churches overlook is tracking how…
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Why You Should Make Time for Communication in Staff Meetings
I will die on the hill of clear communication. All churches desperately need to improve their communication. I have never worked at a church with a staff that thinks…
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Embracing Innovation: Rethinking Ministry for a Changing World
In conversations with ministries around the globe, I’m often struck by how differently they operate—and how powerfully God works through diverse approaches. Innovative ministries that adapt traditional methods to…
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Every Message Needs a Call to Action
In my current studies, I encountered a remarkable statement by Jared C. Wilson in his book, The Gospel-Driven Church: “The preaching event is the centerpiece of the worship gathering…
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How to Identify and Connect with Your Ministry’s Core Group
Every ministry that is worth its salt depends on a core group of people who are the engine for a healthy ministry. In this article, I will use “core…
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Why Clear and Concise Subject Lines Make a Difference in Church Emails
There are people with much more expertise in the area of emails and their power to move people to action than I have. But what I do bring to…
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The Importance of Correct Spelling and Grammar in Ministry Communication
Can I make a confession? Okay, here goes… I am a fanatical proponent of the Oxford Comma. It truly irritates me if I see printed material that contains lists,…
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2021-2023 Study: How Churches Can Strengthen Their Message and Reach
Breaking the Communication Barrier In our two decades of working alongside ministries, one challenge has consistently risen to the surface: communication. Many churches struggle with reaching new people, sustaining…
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