Involving Congregations in Advocacy Now (ICAN)
an ELCA guide to developing an advocacy ministry within your congregation
How to Bring Advocacy to my Congregation
In this section:
 Creating
a Network
Telephone Networks:
We recommend the following design.
Person #1 receives a message and then calls two
people. Person #10 receives two calls and telephones #1 to confirm
that the message has been received. If #10 hears from only one side
of the network, he or she only has a few people to call to find
where the message got stuck.
This design asks for a very small commitment–only
one or two phone calls per person. Note that each person on the
chain is the contact for their congregation. Each person can create
a network in their congregation.
Who Decides When to Send a Message?
Call your person #1 when your representative or senators are key
to the vote. If a local committee takes responsibility for starting
messages, call the hotline numbers every month to keep track of what
issues are “hot” in Congress. Decide as a group what issues your
network will act on and whether non-legislative messages can be sent
through the network.
How Often Should You Use the Network?
Every 3-8 weeks. More often than this demands too much time; but
without use, network members are likely to forget about it.
How to Create a Telephone Network in Your
Congregation
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Talk to clergy and lay leaders before going
ahead. Get official approval to use the copier, phones, or
space.
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Make public announcements, put up a poster, and
put a notice in the bulletin. Then talk to people personally
about joining the network. Don’t expect that anyone will join
the network because of an announcement, but do expect that
people will respond if you invite them personally and tell them
how limited and simple the network is.
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