The digital age we live in has opened up so many opportunities for churches to communicate via social media channels and your church website. However, these are not the only ways.
Many churches, if not all, will have a church notice board in place, some publish a regular parish magazine and others have a digital newsletter. This page will guide you through some of the considerations to make the best use of those channels.
Church notice boards
Your parish church notice board is not just a 'notice board': it is a primary mission tool!
It is proclaiming a message about Christ and the Church to today's people, who draw all their design values from contemporary publicity and media.
An eye-catching notice board can be a significant factor in determining whether passers-by decide to take a second look at the church and actually feel welcome enough to venture inside.
Churches should have primary and secondary notice boards outside in fixed locations. Please contact the DAC regarding advice on what permission is needed to introduce new notice boards.
The primary board ?should always face the road to be visible to all traffic - both vehicles and pedestrians. It is the 'portal' to all that the Church might want to say about itself in a snapshot (passers-by in a vehicle may only have a second to take in the information), so less is more! Basic elements include:
• Name of church/logo - Big to enable an internet search later
•Main service time(s) - Large, clear and simple
• Website/Contact
• Logos (see ‘Diocesan & Church of England Branding’ below)
• A disability access symbol, if appropriate
Drivers and passengers may well only glimpse the general condition and presentation, but any hint of neglect about the board itself (and the premises behind it) will be an instant turn off. Therefore, keep the board well maintained; an aluminium frame with a glass or scratch-proof plastic front will weather well and keep a 'contemporary' look longer. Also, make sure the church grounds are well-tended and litter free.
Your secondary notice board can also face the road so that it is seen by passers-by (mostly foot traffic), and should prioritise information about the services and activities the church offers. Ask yourself what people are most likely to be looking for:
• Service times and styles
• Playgroups
• Youth groups
• Fitness classes
The font should be contemporary and clear and its ?style should be consistent with that used on the primary board - think about logo, types, fonts, colours and pointing people to your website for further information. Keep notices short - think, less is more - highlighting the key information:
• What - Title and one-liner description
• When - Date, time (from-to)
• Where - Location or online
• Call to action - How to get involved/sign up
QR codes are a great tool to declutter a notice and can be created easily by Googling ‘QR Generator’ and popping your URL destination into the generator.
Parish magazines
Parish Magazines are an invaluable opportunity for churches to forge connections with their local area and residents while providing updates and news from the church, and sometimes the wider community.
A number of resources are available for ideas and content for parish magazines:
- Parish Pump - "the essential website for church magazines" exists to help church magazine editors by offering graphic and editorial resources to download it and place it into magazines, newsletters, or pew-sheets. Available on a subscription basis with a free trial.
- The Association for Church Editors - The association brings together editors, designers and other church members involved in the production of church magazines. It provides, amongst other things, training workshops and ideas for magazine content.
E-Newsletters
A helpful way to keep your community up to date is via a regular E-Newsletter. Sending a newsletter towards the end of the week can act as a taster of what’s coming up on Sunday and into next week. There are various options for mail management systems available to help you build and send your e-newsletter. We would recommend Mailchimp as it’s easy to use and will help you manage your data correctly.
We have a guide to help you get set up and a next steps guide which will help you make even better use of Mailchimp as a tool.
Design tools
There are many simple applications available to help you design your communications. If you’re wondering where to start and what to use, we would recommend Canva, an online design tool that has 100s of print and digital templates as well as customisable features to help you design pretty much any form of communication.
Anyone can get started on Canva for free, but, as a registered charity, a church can apply for a free Pro subscription via their Non-Profits scheme, which will give you access to even more helpful features. You can find out more here.
We’ve put together a simple guide to get you started on Canva here.
Diocesan & Church of England Branding
Branding resources for the Diocese of Guildford can be found below and the Church of England’s branding kit is available here. You can contact the Comms Team if you have any questions on the use of the branding material.
View Diocese of Guildford branding resources. To download the files right click on the document link and select to download linked file.