Building Stewardship:  Communications

But We Already Communicate…

Sometimes it may seem that all you do is communicate. But what if you did less communication that was more effective?

Between verbal communications, announcements, telephone inquiries, voice mail, e-mail, Web sites, bulletins and newspapers, you may question the need for better communication at your parish. But consider the issue of quality of communication. What are you communicating? Using the following graph, where does most of your communication fall?

A lot of parish communication is in the form of information—dates and times, telephone numbers and so forth—and a lot of effort is expended in communicating that information. But where is the communication that enables the building of the Kingdom of God? That sort of conversion communication is three steps beyond dates and times and telephone numbers. It is information that informs and inspires. Over a period of time, it leads to action, because it also empowers.

So if you think that a new stewardship campaign just means more newsletters and mailings and their related expenses, think again. We’re talking about dramatically improving the quality and effectiveness of your communication using less time and less money.

In our Christian tradition, communication must also be communio, that is, it must be two-way, a constant flow of joy and hope, grief and anxiety shared among believers and their leaders. In our own day, the Internet provides an unprecedented way to facilitate and nurture communio in our parishes on a day-to-day basis.