How Churches Communicate in 2014

Tag Archive - unstuck

How Churches Communicate in 2014

Monday, March 17, 2014

At the Unstuck Group we work with all kinds of churches across America, and one of the common trends we’ve observed is that increasingly church leaders feel stuck when it comes to communicating beyond the pulpit. The options have increased significantly in recent years, giving us both more effective possibilities and more overwhelming decisions. Websites, social media and smartphones have transformed the ways we interact. With these new opportunities, we know it’s tough to stay on top of what your church should be doing to effectively communicate to people.

We want church communications to get unstuck, and we need your help!

Today, we’re asking you to take a short survey–just 7 minutes–that will help us compile communications data from churches across the country. Our team will analyze it to find clear benchmarks for what your digital and print media should actually look like to be most effective.

Every church, every size–your input is valuable to us. The more diversity we have in responses, the more useful our data will be to the Church.

Please consider participating in this brief survey. If you take the time, we’ll send you a free copy of our findings before we make them available to everyone else. We thank you in advance and we look forward to sharing the insights with you to help your church get unstuck!

Church Communications Survey

Posted in Creative Arts

New eBook: Vital Signs – Meaningful Metrics That Keep a Pulse on Your Church’s Health

Monday, March 3, 2014

I’m excited to announce a new eBook to help churches get unstuck. It’s from the gang over at The Unstuck Group, the consulting group that I work with. The book is called Vital Signs – Meaningful Metrics That Keep a Pulse on Your Church’s Health.

Churches can become so consumed with all the things they have going on that they assume they are healthy as a by-product of activity. But, how do you actually know if your church is healthy in every facet? This eBook by Tony Morgan and Ryan Stigile shares proven tools that have worked for more than 50 churches across the U.S.

You will find this is a practical guide for determining the true health of your church so you can focus your energy on the areas that need it the most.

Vital Signs provides step-by-step insight into:

How to gain an understanding of your church’s strengths and weaknesses.
How to set better goals and know if you’re reaching them.
How to identify early warning signs that your church is unhealthy.
How to chart a clear path forward for good health in the long run.

Some people fear using numbers and statistics in the Church, feeling that we shouldn’t approach something so organic like a business. But metrics don’t turn a church into a business any more than a check-up turns a body into a machine. They give you the raw data you need on a macro level to make the adjustments you need on a relational level. Remember: Every number has name, and every name has a story. Learn how to read them.

Vital Signs is available today from Amazon and Barnes & Noble Nook.

This is a guest post by Tiffany Deluccia. Tiffany serves as the Social Media Strategist at The Unstuck Group. Tiffany graduated from Clemson University and has spent the last four years working in public relations with major national retail brands, nonprofits and churches on content creation, strategic planning, communication consulting, social media and media relations. She also founded and writes for WastingPerfume.com, a devotional blog for young women and teen girls.

Posted in Leadership

Apply for a Leadership Coaching Network Before the End of February

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

The deadline for the next round of my leadership coaching network is right around the corner. The network launches in April and the deadline for applications is next Friday, February the 28th.

You can read my original post sharing the reasons why you should consider joining these leadership coaching gatherings. Or you can check out all the nitty-gritty details.

I hope you’ll join the other leaders who have already committed to this next season of mentoring, training and networking. Have questions? Contact me here!

Posted in Leadership

New Leadership Coaching Network Starting Soon!

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

A couple of weeks ago, we opened applications for the new leadership coaching networks that will begin this Spring with The UnStuck Group. The deadline for applications is February 28, but applications have already been coming in and these new coaching networks will probably fill up before then.

Still on the fence about whether or not to participate? Here’s what others have said:

“Paul Alexander is a natural leader and a great coach. He’s strategic, constantly learning, and has been very helpful to me in my ministry leadership and management.”
– Mike Work, Vice President of Operations at Youth Specialties

“When I have a leadership question Paul is always one of my first calls. He is a gifted leader and strategist. Paul knows how to ask the right questions to properly diagnosis current systems, and the unique capacity to help teams formulate a plan that is both practical and attainable. Working with Paul has been an encouragement and has stirred in me the desire to be a better leader.”
– Aaron McRae, Senior Pastor of Hillside Community Church in Alta Loma, CA

“Paul Alexander is simply brilliant when it comes to helping pastors and churches get laser-focused on their purpose, process and values. I believe he is one of the top strategic thinkers in the church today. After connecting with him, you will be encouraged, inspired and equipped.”
– Kyle Wall, Senior Pastor of Atlantic Shores Baptist Church in Virginia Beach, VA

“Paul is a very talented leader who knows how to form and implement strategic plans, while encouraging and building leaders in the process. He is methodical in planning his approach, and builds his processes to include appropriate goals, steps, budgets, and measurement for completion. During my time working with Paul, he demonstrated how to focus on projects and refocus when scope changed or obstacles rose up. While learning from Paul, he made things “reproducible” which has allowed me to keep my teams on task and lead them to do the same.”
– Kerry Dodd, CFO of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA

You can get more details about the next Coaching Network on my website.

What’s next?

Complete the Coaching Network Application. The Phoenix Leadership Coaching Network that I’m leading will be limited to no more than 12 leaders and begins in April 2014. I’d like you to consider joining us. The deadline for applications is February 28, 2014.

Questions? Contact me

Posted in Leadership

Join a Leadership Coaching Network

Sunday, January 19, 2014

My current Leadership Coaching Network is coming to a close and I’m getting ready to launch a new network this spring for up to 12 church leaders! We’ll be meeting six days over six months beginning in April.

This is a coaching experience built around practical systems and tools that will help you take your next steps as a leader. Together we’ll take a look at best practices of growing, healthy churches, and press into tough conversations that will help you get unstuck in your leadership and take steps to see the vision that God has given your church become real.

At The UnStuck Group you’ve probably heard us say before that, “Your message has the potential to shift thinking. Your systems have the potential to shift behaviors.” This coaching network is focused on helping you discover the shifts that need to happen in your leadership and your ministry strategies and systems. You can’t continue to use the same systems and strategies and hope to experience different results. The only way to get different results is to engage different systems. This coaching network will challenge you to take those next steps.

Here are some things to keep in mind…

This is not an opportunity for someone who is looking for inspiration. My coaching networks involve work. You can’t just show up. You will have to commit to six months of reading and engaging leadership exercises with the ministry team at your church. This is designed to help you discover new systems and strategies.

This experience isn’t for people looking for leadership theory. Yes, you’ll learn some leadership skills, but this experience is designed for you to put those skills into action. Every month you will leave with new tools to implement in your ministry environment. I want to help you shift your thinking and shift your behaviors.

This is not a conference experience. In a conference, you can sit and soak in the teaching without engaging anyone else. In this coaching experience, you will be encouraged and challenged by other leaders who will be counting on you to participate fully.

Interested in Joining us?
Click here to get all the details you need to know about the leadership coaching network in Phoenix. My teammate at The Unstuck Group, Tony Morgan, is facilitating a similar network in Atlanta.

Complete the coaching network application and pay your initial deposit to hold your space. The deposit will be your first month’s fees. The next Atlanta and Phoenix networks will start in April 2014. The deadline to get your application in for the Phoenix network is February 28, 2014. Don’t delay, get your application in as soon as possible as spots are already filling up!

Posted in Leadership