I produce ChurchJuice.com, a ministry dedicated to helping CRCNA churches communicate better. We provide free resources, training, and articles all around the idea of helping churches through marketing, branding, social and web presence, public relations, graphic design, and other communication-related avenues.
Hi Jan, communication about church member needs can certainly be a tricky topic, especially if there's no communication strategy or plan in place. When things like illness and death arise, often those issues don't get broadcast because there's no real thought or plan on how it should be communicated.
1. There is no "reasonable expectation of privacy" in a public setting like a worship service or other church-related event.
2. If there is a minor onstage or as part of the service, we explicitly seek permission for them to be part of the live stream.
3. When we receive prayer requests, we ask their permission to share with the congregation, "including the possibility that the request will be shared during the worship service to an in-person and online audience."
Hey Arnie, I think you're referring to a Facebook group instead of a page. A page is always going to be forward-facing, anyone can find your page, see your posts, and follow/like your page. A group, on the other hand, has the option of being public or private. The benefits depend on how you're using your group. If the group is meant to be for members of your congregation, where you share more congregation-centric information, like prayer requests, having a private group (but visible) would be what I recommend. If you're hoping to use your group as an outreach tool ("Free stuff" that people can post, or a "Mom's in X city" group), you would definitely want a public group that anyone can join. It all depends on your intention.
Hey Mark, great question. Church Juice is starting to do regular webinars on a monthly basis. Today is going to be our second one yet, so we're still learning and evaluating software, effectiveness, etc. So far, we've used join.me, which is pretty basic, easy-to-use, and cost-effective software.
We have already found that finding the length is important, so that you keep people engaged and don't lose them, but long enough to feel like the webinar is valuable and worth their time investment. For us, the sweet spot seems to be about 40 minutes, including time for questions and answers. Another piece to that is to be as interactive as possible, which helps keep people engaged.
Hey Nicole! Great question. Under CCLI's streaming license, you can record live worship services. The license covers only the music covered by CCLI, so if you do anything other than that (other forms of media or songs not covered) you would need additional licensing. The copyright owner also has the right to restrict the streaming of their content on services like YouTube.
Aside from licensing, I would also encourage you to think through the actual sound quality of the stream. You'll probably want a separate mix for the streaming, as the house mix will often be very different than someone watching/listening from their computer or phone.
If you have any other questions feel free to reach out. You can also check out churchjuice.com for more free resources.
We read He Reads Truth/She Reads Truth, and they've recently added a Kids Read Truth. Same study, often segmented based on the demographic. We've really enjoyed going through these as husband/wife for the last several years. You can do online, but their prints are well-designed, too.
I love that this conversation is happening! I want to quickly add that it's best to know your audience. If your church is much older, typically a bulletin is a great way to communicate (and offer accessibility options). If your church trends a bit younger, bulletins may be less necessary. Add in the context for online/hybrid church, and there can be a lot of ways to effectively communicate the same information!
Sounds like you're being very strategic with your newsletter, which is great! How do you feel like you're nurturing community well by using the newsletter? What can other churches learn from what you're doing?
I think you hit the nail on the head with contact forms. Making it as easy as possible for the website visitor should be the point of the contact area.
We don't agree on the Member's area, and that's okay. Statistics show that the more diluted your target is, the harder it is to reach your intended audience. Trying to simultaneously meet the needs of multiple audiences means you're straining what you can do well. Often, the more we try to say, the less is heard. Thinking about a member-specific area of your website: if half of your website is intended for a potential guest, then the other half of the site is behind a login wall, how does that make the first audience feel, or what do they perceive? It's hard to effectively reach both.
Posted in: 10 Best Church Websites in the CRCNA
Great thought, Dirk! That may be a great option for a future feature post.
Posted in: Getting Communications Buy-In
Hi Jan, communication about church member needs can certainly be a tricky topic, especially if there's no communication strategy or plan in place. When things like illness and death arise, often those issues don't get broadcast because there's no real thought or plan on how it should be communicated.
Posted in: Livestreaming Worship and Privacy Concerns
We follow a few general rules:
1. There is no "reasonable expectation of privacy" in a public setting like a worship service or other church-related event.
2. If there is a minor onstage or as part of the service, we explicitly seek permission for them to be part of the live stream.
3. When we receive prayer requests, we ask their permission to share with the congregation, "including the possibility that the request will be shared during the worship service to an in-person and online audience."
Posted in: Church Facebook Page Public vs Private?
Hey Arnie, I think you're referring to a Facebook group instead of a page. A page is always going to be forward-facing, anyone can find your page, see your posts, and follow/like your page. A group, on the other hand, has the option of being public or private. The benefits depend on how you're using your group. If the group is meant to be for members of your congregation, where you share more congregation-centric information, like prayer requests, having a private group (but visible) would be what I recommend. If you're hoping to use your group as an outreach tool ("Free stuff" that people can post, or a "Mom's in X city" group), you would definitely want a public group that anyone can join. It all depends on your intention.
Posted in: Advice on Doing a Webinar?
Hey Mark, great question. Church Juice is starting to do regular webinars on a monthly basis. Today is going to be our second one yet, so we're still learning and evaluating software, effectiveness, etc. So far, we've used join.me, which is pretty basic, easy-to-use, and cost-effective software.
We have already found that finding the length is important, so that you keep people engaged and don't lose them, but long enough to feel like the webinar is valuable and worth their time investment. For us, the sweet spot seems to be about 40 minutes, including time for questions and answers. Another piece to that is to be as interactive as possible, which helps keep people engaged.
Posted in: Posting Worship Services Online
Hey Nicole! Great question. Under CCLI's streaming license, you can record live worship services. The license covers only the music covered by CCLI, so if you do anything other than that (other forms of media or songs not covered) you would need additional licensing. The copyright owner also has the right to restrict the streaming of their content on services like YouTube.
Aside from licensing, I would also encourage you to think through the actual sound quality of the stream. You'll probably want a separate mix for the streaming, as the house mix will often be very different than someone watching/listening from their computer or phone.
If you have any other questions feel free to reach out. You can also check out churchjuice.com for more free resources.
Bryan Haley
Posted in: Family Devotional?
We read He Reads Truth/She Reads Truth, and they've recently added a Kids Read Truth. Same study, often segmented based on the demographic. We've really enjoyed going through these as husband/wife for the last several years. You can do online, but their prints are well-designed, too.
Posted in: Should Churches Print Bulletins?
I love that this conversation is happening! I want to quickly add that it's best to know your audience. If your church is much older, typically a bulletin is a great way to communicate (and offer accessibility options). If your church trends a bit younger, bulletins may be less necessary. Add in the context for online/hybrid church, and there can be a lot of ways to effectively communicate the same information!
Posted in: What Goes in Your Church Newsletter?
Thanks for the feedback Rachael! Do you feel like the reformatted bulletin & newsletter help you communicate more effeciently to your congregation?
Posted in: What Goes in Your Church Newsletter?
Sounds like you're being very strategic with your newsletter, which is great! How do you feel like you're nurturing community well by using the newsletter? What can other churches learn from what you're doing?
Posted in: What Makes a Good Church Website?
Hi Keith,
I think you hit the nail on the head with contact forms. Making it as easy as possible for the website visitor should be the point of the contact area.
We don't agree on the Member's area, and that's okay. Statistics show that the more diluted your target is, the harder it is to reach your intended audience. Trying to simultaneously meet the needs of multiple audiences means you're straining what you can do well. Often, the more we try to say, the less is heard. Thinking about a member-specific area of your website: if half of your website is intended for a potential guest, then the other half of the site is behind a login wall, how does that make the first audience feel, or what do they perceive? It's hard to effectively reach both.
Thanks for the comment!
Posted in: How to Achieve Your Church’s Vision With Volunteers
Hey Angela. That webinar recording is not available. We're working to make that available for future webinars though!