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We have a clear, concise mission statement that defines our congregation and its ministry.

We have information about the ages, family situations, and lifestyles of our members that help us define their wants and needs as an audience.

We have conducted a congregational survey of media habits to help determine the best media for internal communication.

We have obtained demographic data about our community, and have a clear understanding of our external audience.

We have taken a neighborhood survey to find out what unchurched persons live nearby and what might bring them to our church.

We have developed a media strategy with clear, attainable, and measurable goals concerning what audiences we want to reach and with what specific message.

We have placed distinctive, easy to read directional signs on all nearby major thoroughfares and intersections.

We have a large, easy to read, well-lighted sign identifying our church building clearly to all who pass by.

Driveways and parking areas around our church building are clearly marked, well-maintained, and easily accessible.

Entrances to our building are clearly marked for those coming from the outside, directing newcomers to the correct entry.

Once inside, persons unfamiliar with our building can easily find coat rooms, rest rooms, nursery, worship area, and the church office, by following clear, readable signs, building maps, and room markings.

Our congregation has a simple, distinctive logo that appears on all letterheads, bulletins, newsletters, brochures, and advertisements.

We use a consistent color scheme, with the same color paper and the same color print, on all newsletters, bulletins, letterheads, etc.

Our Sunday worship bulletin is produced with modern word processing equipment, uses large, easy to read print in only one or two font styles, and is uncluttered, with plenty of white space.

Our Sunday worship bulletin is written assuming it will be read by persons unfamiliar with our worship, making the service easy to follow.

We have received copyright permission to reproduce the liturgy in our bulletin so that the service is easy to follow.

Our Pastor and other worship leaders orally give page numbers and directions to help newcomers follow the worship easily.

Our congregation has a professional-looking newsletter that is regularly sent to all members and prospective members.

Our church newsletter focuses on current events and future opportunities, rather than reporting on what has already taken place.

Our newsletter is attractively laid out in columns less than four inches wide, uses appropriate graphics to highlight items, employs no more than two font styles, is easy to read, and uncluttered with plenty of white spaces.

The front page of our newsletter calls attention to an important and exciting upcoming event, while the pastor’s column is placed on an inside page.

The portion of our newsletter that is visible when the newsletter is folded for mailing features large, bold lettering calling attention to worship or an upcoming event.

Our newsletter consists of a single folded sheet of paper, or is stapled together in booklet form, so that readers do not have to remove a staple or fastener in order to open the newsletter for reading.

We send a brief, quickly read, single page newsletter once each week rather than a large, multi-page, monthly news booklet.

Our worship space is equipped with a top-quality sound system, and worship leaders have been trained to use it professionally and unobtrusively, so that even those with hearing loss can hear clearly.

We make a high-quality recording of the worship service each week, directly from the sound system, and duplicate cassettes for the sick and shut-ins OR we make a high quality videotape for the same purpose.

We have installed a projection system in our worship area, with screens large and well-placed so that all may see clearly, that can be used to enhance liturgy, readings, and/or sermons with visual images.

We regularly use slides, overheads, or computer presentation software to enhance sermons, temple-talks, or meeting presentations.

Our church office telephone system is adequate to our needs, and we have enough lines so that callers seldom receive a busy signal.

Church staff and volunteers are well-trained to answer the telephone in a professional manner, and transfer calls effectively and efficiently.

We have an answering machine or voice-mail system that answers the phone after hours. The answer message is clear, easy to understand, and brief, yet includes basic information such as service times and office hours, and gives a name or number of a person who may be called in emergencies.

We’ve installed a special phone line connected to an answering machine all the time, on which we record a daily thought, devotional, prayer, or children’s Bible story of the day.

Our telephone directory listings in both the white- and yellow- pages are clear, easy to find, and give enough information to allow newcomers to find our church easily for worship.

We send brief, well-written, single-page news releases to local newspapers and other media whenever an out-of-the-ordinary event occurs at our church.

Because our local paper publishes a free weekly church information page, we submit accurate, up-to-date information about our upcoming worship and other events each week.

Our pastor and/or church secretary has made a point of meeting the religion editor of our local paper and know him/her by name so that a relationship has been established in advance of any news stories that may come up involving our congregation.

Our congregational budget includes sufficient funds for at least a modest newspaper display ad at Rally Day, Christmas, Holy Week, and Vacation Bible School each year.

We have used ELCA Print Ads, or other creative newspaper advertising, through the year, placing these ads in sections of the paper OTHER THAN the religion page!

We have prepared an attractive single-sheet brochure that introduces our congregation and its ministries to persons outside the church.

We have distributed our brochure or a community newsletter door-to-door in our service area, or sent it by direct mail to households in our neighborhood.

Our brochure is the primary element in materials we bring to first-time guests in our follow-up calls to them after they worship with us.

Our brochure is included in our New Neighbor Packets, available in the narthex of our church building and regularly mentioned to church members OR our brochure is included in the packets given to new neighbors by our community outreach evangelism calling teams.

We have contacted our local outdoor advertising company about leasing neighborhood billboards prior to Christmas and Easter.

We have discussed with our outdoor advertising company the possibility of securing special rates for billboards that would appear only when no other client has leased the board.

We have surveyed our newest members and our prospective members to determine which local radio stations or formats they listen to most frequently.

We have asked the sales departments of the local radio stations most listened to by our prospective members to supply us with rate sheets or spoken with them about an advertising package.

We have inquired at our local radio station about placing free public service announcements, or about the possibility of providing them with a regular, brief devotional program.

We have coordinated with other ELCA congregations in our area to approach a local station about the possibility of placing "Lutheran Vespers" on the air in our area.

Instead of buying an hour of radio time for our weekly worship service, we edit the worship tape to a concise 30-minute program for radio, featuring our best music and a version of the sermon prepared and delivered with radio listeners in mind.

We subscribe to and regularly use "Mosaic," the video magazine of the ELCA, with congregational classes and groups.

We have contacted our local cable company about the possibility of using the Public Access channel, free of charge, to carry our worship service, a new member training class, Bible study, children’s story time, or to show our congregation’s library of "Mosaic" videos.

We have coordinated with other congregations in our area in asking our local cable company to include the "Odyssey" cable network among its basic channels.

We have asked the sales department of the local cable company to supply us with rate sheets or spoken with them about an advertising package on Odyssey or other cable channels.

We have contracted our Synod office concerning the possibility of working together with other congregations in placing the ELCA video "spots" on one or more of our local TV stations or cable channels.

We have investigated the actual costs and technical requirements of producing our own television promotional spots.

Our congregation provides an account on LutherLink, the ELCA computer network, for our pastor and/or for at least one other key leader (church secretary, newsletter editor, etc.)

Our congregation has established a "homepage" on the World Wide Web, has a means of receiving feedback from Web users, and regularly updates the page with current information.

Our congregation has a communication plan to inform members and the public media in the event of an extremely unusual celebration, disaster, or crisis. This plan identifies the person who will speak to the media for the congregation, and an alternate. The plan also identifies which media to contact, and specifies ground rules for reporters at worship services and other events.

We have made a list of addresses and phone numbers for various editors and newsrooms and keep it handy by sending out releases or calling in cancellation announcements.

Our church staff, congregation Council, or some other group in the congregation regularly reviews church activities looking for special events that are worthy of a news release, and sees that they are prepared and sent.

Writer: Mark Johns, Produced by the Division for Congregational Ministries, ELCA.

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