A dedicated communications ministry within a church organization serves as the congregation's primary promotional arm for ministry events and programs. A communications ministry is unique in that it touches nearly every ministry area of the church. It is positioned to support and enhance the efforts of others.

The goal is to assist ministry leaders and volunteers in all forms of communication--print, verbal, video, online, display and other media. This important support role is best suited to individuals with specific qualities.

Enthusiasm. The communications ministry team are the head cheerleaders for church activities. They are called to be enthusiastic supporters of every ministry event and program. Sometimes it's a challenge to get excited about an area of ministry for which there is no personal interest. God has gifted each person differently, and a team must not only appreciate that, but be willing to work with every individual no matter how different their views or experience may be.

Enthusiasm must be across the board. Playing favorites with respect to the energy put into any one project versus another is dangerous. It can lead to division and resentment if people perceive they are not getting a wholehearted effort. Simply stated, enthusiasm is 100% effort for every project, every time.

Initiative. A communications ministry team must respond quickly and effectively as needs arise. They can't wait for others to "have it all together" before beginning a project--that seldom occurs. Often they must take the initiative to assist others in developing their ideas through the creative process. To communicate effectively they must first understand as fully as possible the goals and scope of a project. Sometimes these are still being defined as they begin processing. Initiative is a willingness to keep moving forward and fill in the blanks along the way.

Inquisitive. As the team works on materials and media to communicate a ministry, the questions they ask and information they request help to complete the ministry idea. Questions also help to reveal areas where planning is not completed. Dates, deadlines, costs, times, arrangements--all must be taken into account and shared in an organized manner. Being inquisitive helps to fully understand the scope, goals and place of communications within a given mininstry initiative.

Servant-minded. In communications ministry, servanthood is most often expressed by a desire to be doers versus delegaters. Servant-minded people aren't afraid to get a little dirt under their fingernails. A communications ministry team I believe best serves the church as a turnkey ministry, helping in all areas from concept to completion. The same people who assist with strategic vision and creative ideas are those who must follow through on a mailout or a display or a website update.

Servant-minded individuals derive satisfaction not from the birth of an idea, but from seeing the idea mature into a fully-realized ministry. The enthusiasm that a team generates for a project carries through in the form of determination to complete the task at hand.

Vision-catchers. Ministry leaders are often gifted with the ability to cast or create a vision for ministry--a direction that God is leading them personally or leading the church as a whole. A communications ministry team is tasked as the vision-catchers. They must be good listeners, able to hear and understand what a ministry is called to accomplish. They must have their understanding confirmed--that means asking, "Is this where you are headed?" And once they are on the same page with the ministry leaders, they must be able to use communiations tools to lead others God is calling to participate.

Thoroughness. It's risky to attempt to promote a ministry with incomplete information. Effective communications begins with trust--people have to be able to trust that the information coming from their church is true, correct and well thought-out. Constant changes, retractions and alterations speak to a church that is not thorough in its thinking. Tempering initiative is the trait of thoroughness--a desire to plan through all areas of a ministry or project in order to prevent important details from "slipping through the cracks."

A thorough communications team fills in all the needed details--and then some. Their responsibilities include checklists, schedules, calendars and summaries. They are the ones to ask who, what, where, when, why and how--because they will be the ones to clearly communicate this information to others.

Team-oriented. An effective communications ministry relies on teamwork. A person with artistic gifts often prefers to work alone, but this attitude and practice simply does not work in the highly collaborative and cooperative environment of ministry. Team members must realize that God has not only called then to fulfill a purpose in ministry, but as leaders they must coach and build opportunities for others who God has blessed with talents, gifts and abilities. They cannot be effective in ministry if their work deprives others of the opportunity to serve.

  For Further Reading On This Topic...

The Volunteer Revolution: Unleashing the Power of Everybody

Tally Ho The Fox! (The Foundation for Building World-Visionary, World-Impacting, Reproducing Disciples)

The Church of Irresistible Influence: Bridge-Building Stories to Help Reach Your Community

> Click for more books and periodicals on serving (involvement).

About the Author. Eugene L. Mason has more than two decades of experience in ministry communications. More...