Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

Dear Friends,

While church communication brings its own unique challenges, the best communicators are almost always excellent multitaskers. Meaningful communication involves planning, strategic thinking, a keen visual sense, creative writing and so much more. In this issue, we highlight resources from church communicators to help you plan, build and sustain your important work.

In last month’s issue, Nancy Davidge argued that it is critical to shift our focus from ‘what’ to ‘why’ when we approach communications. In Thinking Strategically About Church Communications – Part 2, she takes us further, encouraging us to articulate the ‘how’ and ‘who’ – two important questions to ask when building a communications plan that is both strategic and effective.

Pictures can tell powerful stories without relying on a single word. In Take Better Pictures For Social Media, Kris Vieira shares pointers to help you ramp up your visual communications skills and take photographs that truly resonate with your audience.

Do you use a calendar to plan and organize your social media communications? In Build your Own Social Media Calendar, Kjerstin Besser explains how she manages social media accounts and builds an online presence by creating and using a content calendar.

Are you involved in Spanish or bilingual church communications? In Jesus’ Marketing Department, Sandra Montes speaks with four experts who work in Latino/Hispanic church communications, sharing their unique ministry challenges and what it means to communicate with this growing demographic in our Church.

Have you seen our new video? This short ECF video encapsulates the spirit of who we are as an organization, what drives our mission and how and why we work in community with so many across our Church to strengthen and vitalize Episcopal faith communities. We ask that you please share the video with members of your community, and others who may want to learn more about ECF’s mission and ministry.

To learn more about ECF and our programs, please visit our website.

Faithfully,

Charis Bhagianathan
Editor, ECF Vital Practices