1. COMMUNICATIONS
COMMITTEE

2. IDENTIFY
BUILDING COMMUNITY
What We Communicate
Marketing is the Management of Perception.
Management is not about manipulating the truth, but effectively presenting
reality. It is simply the ability to know where you are today, to know
where you would like to be in the future, and to make adjustments along
the way.
Perception is how people feel about things.
Perception is framed from two major components:
(1) what people see and hear about us, and
(2) where they are in life.
Marketing comes from :
(1) knowing how people perceive your organization;
(2) having a vision for how you would like them to perceive you within
reality; and
(3) making decisive strides and adjustments in your way of doing and
communicating things to ensure that people ultimately perceive you as a
you desire.

3. If your audience
can’t verbalize
your concept,
you’ve failed to
communicate.

4. PROCESS I
Identifying Communication
How do people perceive us?
How would we like people to perceive us?
How are we communicating our perception?
Elements that can form someone’s perception of our church:
The concept of the church in general
The denomination
Curb appeal
External promotion
Location
Website
Worship style
Ministry style
Ministry focus
Vocabulary
Signage
Décor
Attire of leadership or members
Type and number of cars in the lot
Doctrine
Church history
Printed materials
Leadership team
Greeters
Children’s ministry
Youth ministry
Current and Past members

5. Expectations do
not only influence
our responses;
they actually
influence what we
feel.

6. The Burger King Whopper

9. EXPLORE
SEEKING THE SPIRIT
How We Communicate
We should always focus on whom we are trying to reach and the ways we create
their perception of us.
What are the main components that make up our church’s marketing efforts, the
main areas that contribute to how we are perceived.

10. EXPLORE What could you do to make them
feel as if you built the whole
SEEKING THE SPIRIT experience just for them?
How Communicate | Discussion Vocabulary – We all develop verbal shortcuts among groups we
are involved in. How many times do you use words that non-
churchgoers cannot comprehend without proper explanation?
Curb Appeal – conveys, without words, a number of things about your
priorities, social connections, and financial status.
Décor – Sets the tone . It might be traditional, contemporary, or
worse, historic contemporary. Conservative, traditional, or
External Promotions – gets the word out by effectively communicating to
extravagant …it says volumes about your church culture.
your audience. Style and design breeds a coherent sense of self.
Printed Materials – All printed materials that are available to
Website – People will likely review six to twelve websites before making
communicate essential details about your church make up your
a decision. Internet presence has become the primary way people
church’s personality in printed form.
evaluate churches. Does it give potential visitors a glimpse of life inside
and make visitors comfortable?
Attire of Leadership and Members – Visitors will quickly compare
how they look against the church members. The leadership of the
Greeters, Ushers, and Leadership Team Members – People who stand
church is a vivid confirmation of what is valued by the
out as official representatives of a church serves as an immediate
congregation.
indicator for visitors. How a greeter treats them is a huge factor in
determining what their future relationship with the church will be. Who
Ministers – The more points of connection people see with the
is making the first impression?
minister from attire to lifestyle habits, the more they will feel
connected.
Signage - Would I know where the main entrance is? Could I find the
restrooms without asking?
Supporting Ministries (Children’s, Youth, Nursery, etc) – What
visitors are looking for when they drop their children off is a
Logo – What your church logo says to your congregation can be very
strong sense their child will be safe and secure and warmly and
different than what it says to the outside world. Their frequency and
sincerely accepted into the class as an individual. They want to
consistency of use conveys a deeper sense that the church knows itself
hear you say the child’s name and see you help the child become
well. What is the purpose of the logo?
part of the group.

11. If people hear you
talk about change
and don’t see it,
your credibility is
shot.

12. CONNECTING AND
COMMUNICATING
Connecting and Communication
Collect samples of current communication modules.
Collect examples of other organization’s communication modules.
Add any additional communication modules necessary to complete a full
list of platforms.
Identify any immediate changes that can be made easily.
Is everything cohesively branded and does each communication module
leave an impression on the end-user about what and who the organization
is and what the organization does:

13. PROCESS II
Exploring How We Communicate
What can we do to make the experience more valuable for each
visitor?
The concept of the church in general
The denomination
Curb appeal
External promotion
Location
Website
Worship style
Ministry style
Ministry focus
Vocabulary
Signage
Décor
Attire of leadership or members
Type and number of cars in the lot
Doctrine
Church history
Printed materials
Leadership team
Greeters
Children’s ministry
Youth ministry
Current and Past members

14. Handouts
+
Resources

15. Identifying Communication
1. How do people perceive your organization?
2. How would we like people to perceive this organization?
3. How are we communicating our perception?

16. If your audience
can’t verbalize
your concept, Mission
you’ve failed to Mission statements should explain why your organization exists.
communicate it. If it has been more than five years, now is probably a good time to review
and, if necessary, adjust or even rewrite your mission statement.
At the very least, mission statements should address these key questions:
What does the organization do?
Who does it serve?
How does it serve the needs?
What values guide the work?
Vision
A vision statement is sometimes called a picture of your company in the
future , reminding you of what you are trying to build – not how you are
going to get there. Your vision statement is your inspiration, the framework
for all your strategic planning.
The vision statement answers the question:
Where do we want to go?
Unlike the mission statement, a vision statement is for you and the other
members of your company, not for your customers or clients.

17. Vision and Mission
Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington
Vision Statement Assesment:
Seeking the Spirit Does the Vision Statement clearly identify the organization in the future?
Building Community Does the Vision Statement identify what the organization is wanting to build?
Changing the World Is the Vision Statement written for people inside the organization?
Mission Statement Assesment:
In this liberal religious community of inspiration, love and action: What does the organization do?
we celebrate life Who does it serve?
we nurture one another How does it serve the needs?
we welcome all What values guide the work?
we care for the earth and
we work for the common good

18. Identifying Perception
Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington
OFFLINE OFFLINE
Website Print Materials
DVD/Sermons and Services Committee Brochures
Podcasting Sermons
Music Music/Copyright
Voicemail Letter from Ministers to visitors/Letterhead Stationery
Pubic Relations/News Media Order of Service
Social Media Newsletter
E-Calender Name Tags
Email Administration/Agendas, Job Descriptions, Memos
Accessibility Presentations
Symbols Physical Plant
Conditions/Color
Entrance and Accessibility
Landscaping and Maintenance
Parking
External Promotion
Yellow Pages
Information Centers
Signage - Inside and Outside
Wayfinding
Public Relations/News Media
Greeters, Welcomers and Leadership
Ministry
Vocabulary
Doctrine
Attire of Leadership/Members
Current Members
Other Church Members

19. Community Action Alerts
The Center for Congregations wants to keep you informed.
What Are Community Action Alerts?
Community Action Alerts let you know about events and happenings in the
community that we feel are of interest to congregations. The email newsletter is
sent monthly. Items are also posted on this webpage. The news items in Community
Alert are not Center-sponsored programs. The information posted here does not
imply a Center for Congregations endorsement of those products, companies, or
services.
Deadline for Submissions
The Community Action Alert newsletter is sent on the third Wednesday of each
month. The deadline for submission of news is the previous Friday.
How to Submit News Items and Announcements
Please submit announcements for the webpage and the email newsletter using this
form. We do not accept submissions by phone or email. We can only accept one
item per congregation per month, and announcements must have a broad, general
public interest.
What Information to Include
Don't forget to include important dates, times, location, cost, and contact
information. We encourage each contributor to provide a web link to a photo, logo,
or artwork, which will accompany the announcement. Please keep the description to
150 words or less. We will consider each submission, but not all can be included due
to space, timing, and content.

20. Over 50% of the Social Media Networks
worlds population One characteristic shared by both social media and industrial media is the
is under 30 years capability to reach small or large audiences; for example, either a blog post
or a television show may reach zero people or millions of people. The
old and 96% of properties that help describe the differences between social media and
industrial media depend on the study. Some of these properties are:
them have joined Reach - both industrial and social media technologies provide scale and
a social media enable anyone to reach a global audience.
network. Accessibility - the means of production for industrial media are typically
owned privately or by government; social media tools are generally
available to anyone at little or no cost.
Usability - industrial media production typically requires specialized skills
and training. Most social media does not, or in some cases reinvent skills,
so anyone can operate the means of production.
Recency - the time lag between communications produced by industrial
media can be long (days, weeks, or even months) compared to social media
(which can be capable of virtually instantaneous responses; only the
participants determine any delay in response). As industrial media are
currently adopting social media tools, this feature may well not be
distinctive anymore in some time.
Permanence - industrial media, once created, cannot be altered (once a
magazine article is printed and distributed changes cannot be made to that
same article) whereas social media can be altered almost instantaneously
by comments or editing.

21. As of 2008, if you
are not on a
social networking
site – you’re not
on the Internet.
Social Media Platforms
There are three types of business owners:
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Social media is a complete waste of time, both for myself and my
employees. We don’t need a social media strategy.”
My business has an integrated and effective social media strategy and it has
been really helpful for the growth of our business.’
Why get involved in Social Media? It’s a fundamental shift in the way we
communicate:
Network
Promote
Share

22. If Facebook were
a country it would
be the 3rd most
populated in the
world, ahead of
the United States.
Social Media Platforms
65,000 new videos and 83% watching video clips
200,000,000 blogs with 73% active readers
57% have joined a social network site
Only 14% of people trust advertisements.
78% trust the recommendation of other users.
34% of people post experiences with organizations and brands.
36% think more positively about companies that have blogs.

23. By 2010,
Millenials/Gen
Y-ers will
outnumber Baby
Boomers.
Social Media Target Audience
Baby Boomers born 1943-1960
Generation X born 1961-1980
Generation Y born 1982-2002
Millenials spend 16 hours a week online.
96% have joined a social network.
They have an average of 52 online friends.
AND THEY DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR AD
THEY CARE WHAT THEIR FRIENDS THINK.

24. Do not promise
change and settle
for a result that is
anything less than
the vision.

25. Resources
Center for Congregation Workshops:
http://editor.des08.com/vo/?FileID=e5452eb9-a801-453f-97ac-7d07aada3ed4&m=f76aa978d5df3b428d81e0c07267160f&MailID=20053929
ChurchMarketing 101: Preparing Your Church for Greater Growth by Richard L. Reising
100 Questions that Non-Members Ask About Unitarian Universalism by John Sias
Marketing Workbook by GK Rowe:
http://www.slideshare.net/gkrowe/marketing-uucb