Category Archives: communication

Just Kidding!

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Rev. Alison Hyder

Preaching is an art, but it comes with old conventions. One common practice is to start your sermon with a joke. There are several reasons for this. Some preachers use it as a way to grab the congregation’s attention after … Continue reading →

Posted in boundaries, humor, mission, Nasrudin, parables of Jesus, pastoral role, preaching, respect, roles, stereotypes, worship | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Conforming to the Brand

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Rev. Alison Hyder

Ministry can be a minefield of mishaps, injuries, and misunderstandings. It is easy to take a wrong step and hurt someone’s feelings, or expose a long-buried resentment. A sermon, or even a chance comment, can unleash a chain reaction of … Continue reading →

Posted in blogs, boundaries, branding, Church Leadership, communication, consistency, Facebook, God's work, growth, image, LinkedIn, mission, newsletters, perfection, privacy, publicity, roles, Social media, websites | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Branding Your Ministry – pt 2: No one’s perfect

Posted on March 12, 2011 by Rev. Alison Hyder

Last month’s post dealt with the concept of branding a church so that presents a consistent image that can drive both mission and publicity. Conversely, you could say that a strong mission identity can mold all aspects of the ministry … Continue reading →

Posted in branding, burn-out, calling, church growth, Church Leadership, clergy abuse, congregations, goals, God's work, growth, image, ministry, perfection, publicity, rabbis, roles, self-discipline, websites | Leave a comment

Branding your Ministry (pt 1)

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Rev. Alison Hyder

The ubiquitous nature of social media has changed everything from corporations to churches. While branding used to be reserved for products like Barbie and Kleenex, or a corporate image such as American Express that was built on the public trust. … Continue reading →

Posted in branding, church growth, Church Leadership, communication, growth, image, ministry, mission, newsletters, publicity, websites | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Appreciative Inquiry

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Rev. Alison Hyder

Of late, it seems that ministers are regularly advised to take lessons from business models. Whether inspiring volunteers or organizing a fundraiser, we’re urged to look to corporate gurus like Tom Peters. Being masters of human psychology, these people do … Continue reading →

Posted in Appreciative Inqiury, calling, church growth, Church Leadership, clergy coaching, communication, congregations, families, goals, growth, ministry, rabbis, small groups, tools for mininsters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Virtually News pt 2.

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Rev. Alison Hyder

What makes for a good congregational newsletter? Should it be purely informational, or should it have articles on theology? And what approach should the minister take in the publication? When I was a small church minister, I took over the … Continue reading →

Posted in congregations, elders, ministry, newsletters, newsletters, publicity, roles, stewardship, tools for mininsters, websites | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

virtually news – part 1

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Rev. Alison Hyder

This is my third blog post. Like most ministers and rabbis, I have plenty to say and no end of opinions. Right now I am between congregations, but as a minister I had the forums of pulpits, newsletter articles, the … Continue reading →

Posted in communication, congregations, elders, newsletters, newsletters, respect, stewardship, tools for mininsters, Uncategorized, websites | 2 Comments