On-going communication, Part Four

Previously I wrote about what to say and how to say if given a chance.  An important key to me is not just a “one time” communication but  having “on-going” communication with the church.

As overseas workers we need to find ways to create advocacy with our churches. We cannot afford to be out of touch with them.  We definitely do not want to only come around when we need something. Our motto should not be “pray, pay and get out of the way”. The Great Commission was given to the church and we need to help the church in this venture.  I have some friends whom I think do an incredible job with having “on-going” communication and their secret is that they allot some of their time each week to develop partnerships and communicate with them formally and informally. They put it on their calendar.

Here are some other ideas. Feel free to let me know what works for you.

Some people write email updates and create an email distribution list.  I like the idea of this. I always make a point to reply personally to those who reply to my general letter. This keeps the conversation going and personalizes it more in my opinion.

If you need to keep security in mind you can always send your email to a person and they could distribute it for you. I also use a “b/cc”  so as not to show everyone on the list who I am sending it to.  It also helps curtail those who “reply to all” when they get an email from you.

Others may print out a newsletter and mail it though I think that number has greatly declined in the recent years with such connectivity with the internet. I know we have some people in one church who print out our email updates and send it to people who do not use the computer. We are thankful for them doing this for over 9 years now.

Create a private Facebook group where you can tell your advocates about prayer requests as they come up or you can message the entire group at one time.

Then there is Twitter. For me it is more for general requests and not so much extremely personal ones.

Others create a You Tube account and upload short videos about their work.

All of these social networking tools can be inserted into your blog or website for your advocates to be able to connect with you when they have time. Again, you have to decide how public you desire your work to be. Once it is in on the internet the world can see.

I hear more and more of workers doing skype calls with the church for a morning service or with a small group. This is a great way to have a presence in a church on a regular basis. It is a way you can be in front of the people while you are on the field.

I am also a huge fan of the partner church having a designated advocate that is tasked with regular communication with their workers. Many churches are project driven but I am finding more and more churches who have a person either on staff or a member who is the contact person for the overseas workers. This ensures on-going connectivity between the church and the worker. This person can help tell your story to the church. If you have regular communication with this person then your work spreads quickly. I know some people who have advocates in several churches and so the worker spends time communicating with their advocates knowing that they will tell their story to others.

Next Up

What about the worker who does not have a partner church?  I have an idea!