Following Jesus' Example: Why Churches Need to Prioritise Quality Communications
Karen Thatcher
Why should churches invest in quality comms? It’s a simple question with a simple answer- Because Jesus did.
The thing I love so much about Jesus is how He modelled behaviours and attitudes for us. He literally showed us how to do everything. And that includes comms. (If you’re not entirely sure what “comms” even is, have a read here, and then pop back to continue!)
Through almost every account of Jesus’ life, we see how He not only creatively communicated for specific purpose, but how He tailored the WAY He communicated for the people He wanted to reach. Jesus knew that the beauty of humanity (who He created in this way, perfectly and by design) is that we are all individuals with differing personalities, and so also different ways that we absorb information and learn.
“And as they were eating, He took bread, and after blessing it, broke it and gave it to them and said “Take; this is my body.” And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them and they all drank of it. And He said to them “This is my blood...poured out for many.” ”
For the visual learners, he didn’t just SAY “bread represents my body, broken for you… as you break the bread, remember me…” he HELD UP the bread- broke it and handed it to them, held up the wine- drank it and handed it to them, as a visual representations of the call to action he was placing.
For the tactile learners, the ones who learn best by doing, He essentially said “here, let me show you how it’s done… now go and try it yourself.” He was the original “See one, do one, teach one.” He raised up his disciples by taking them along with Him, to physically show them how to do it- every day, He taught, He trained, He showed them, and then He sent them out to carry on what they’d seen him do.
“This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”
For the auditory learners, the ones who learn through stories and words, He created parables that draw people in to the deeper meaning and create impact. He recounted and celebrated the real stories of people He’d met and things He’d seen. Storytelling in all forms, spoken out to teach, encourage and uplift.
And for the readers… He planned that one way in advance, and set about penning the most epic “guide-book for dummies”, ever written, collaborating with writers throughout time. The Old Testament was His starting block, and His life was documented along the way, to reach the people who needed to read to learn. The history of where they came from, paralleled with their present and their future. The visual ways He taught, documented. The stories He told, documented. The instructions for how to live, documented. Even some data, some stats, and some examples to look back to for the data nerds amongst us. Everything possible for the reading people.
“Jesus, was quite simply, the most epic Head of Comms anyone has ever seen.”
Sometimes He even combined several learning styles in one sitting. He had such a deep rooted knowledge of WHO He was communicating to, WHY he was communicating and then carefully chose the very best way to reach them. Jesus, was quite simply, the most epic Head of Comms anyone has ever seen. He cared about people not only hearing what He had to say, but hearing it in the way that grabbed their heart as individuals. So much so that he was willing to go to the effort of finding and implementing different ways for each person to have access.
If Jesus cared that much about the necessity of tailored, quality comms (all fundamentally to bring people closer to The Father), so should we.
“...regardless of whether you THINK you have a comms plan yet or not, you DO have one, it just may not be intentional, crafted or prioritised. It needs to be all three... ”
If you are a church leader, regardless of whether you THINK you have a comms plan yet or not, you DO have one, it just may not be intentional, crafted or prioritised. It needs to be all three of those.
Why bother? Because Jesus did. It’s as simple as that. If you’re not investing time and resources into this area of your church life, you need to be- branding, planning, training and implementing are all important elements to get your church (both internally and externally) communicating effectively and with excellence- to love, support and uplift your current church community, AND the people who have not yet walked through your doors.
Head on over to my blog post “Comms 101…” where you’ll find some questions you can ask about where your comms are at now, to help you to work out the changes you may need to make. A mini comms audit, if you like!
It doesn’t have to be hard, but it does take a bit of time to learn. There is loads of training and resources out there, to help you DIY a comms plan. (Including a great book called “So Everyone Can Hear” by Mark Crosby- which I highly recommend, I dip into it regularly. Mark was one of the reasons I became so passionate about helping churches create sustainable comms, specific to who they are and who they’re reaching!)
If you don’t want to go it alone, I’d love to help you find the best way you can put some simple steps in place to start to shape your Church Comms, which honours and accentuates the vision and values of who you are as a Church.
Let’s chat about how I can help you take a step towards crafting intentional and sustainable Communications in your Church! what you need & how we can work together. Whether you’re just putting out feelers or are ready to get going on a project, there are no strings attached when you reach out to chat! Download my services guide here to see what I offer, and then either drop me an email to hello@thatchcreativeuk.com or just go ahead & book a call with me here!
This is me, Karen, the Thatch behind the Creative. I’m passionate about helping and equipping people to communicate the voice of their organisation in a creative and sustainable way, tailored to their specific resources and abilities. From design to comms strategy, I offer a wide variety of services. Get in touch today to talk about how we can work together!