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Church Communications
Jason D. Albert
Crown College

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Abstract
There is a common thought in the world that says even if you do not voice an opinion,
you have given an opinion. The same can be said in regards to communication aspects of the
church. What does the look of the church communicate? What are they trying to say in their
electronic formats? What brand are they selling to those who look? All aspects of the church
can be said to communicate in one fashion or another. This paper will explore the media
channels and communication outcomes of New Life Fellowship church.

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Media Channels of New Life Fellowship Church
The church has a message that has been communicated for centuries. The message has
not gotten old as it is still fresh and invigorating. However what has been changing is the form of
communication employed to be able to spread this message. Many churches of the 21
st
century
have employed various forms that extend beyond in house print, to social media, web pages,
blogs, audio and video, simulcasts and more. New Life Fellowship church has employed many of
these various forms of communication to better be able to reach people for Christ.
Questions
What is being communicated, even unintentionally to those who enter the church door?
What story is being told? These are two of the primary questions that need to be asked and
answered by every church to impact those who enter their doors. New Life Fellowship has asked
these questions in the past and continues to do so today. In fact, upon asking a ministry leader
these very questions, he said that one thing they try to do is employ fresh eyes from those outside
of the ministry. In fact, they were in the process of meeting with a marketing individual to gain a
fresh look at the brand they are presenting this very week. The most important answer they could
hope to present is that Jesus is the only way and that getting involved in a church and/or ministry
is vital.
In an effort to keep an open mind, I asked myself these questions as I approached New
Life Fellowship. In the past many people were not aware that this was a church just from the
outside. NLF is located in an old retail store that has been converted into the church. The outside
is clean but does not communicate via religious icons or symbolism that what is inside is a
vibrant church. There is one sign in the grassy knoll located in front of the church parking lot as
well as one sign on the building near the entrance. Upon entering the doors of the church, the
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perspective and impression begins to change. An aspect that can be nerve racking to visitors is
not understand or knowing what to expect or even what to do. NLF has made sure to create an
information center that is the main focus upon
entering. At the information center is a variety of
printed information on various ministries of the
church. During normal Sunday hours, there is a
volunteer that will greet people as well as dispense information on various aspects of the church.
The visitor is also given a gift in an effort to say thanks for visiting. This is also a clever
communication effort as the gift is emblazoned with the churches logo and name.

In this same entrance and foyer is a wall dedicated to
ministry information. This wall lists the Discipleship
Opportunities of the church. This is again another way of
communicating to those who come. This information appears that it is intended for more than the
casual attender, yet it is also vital to show the visitor the opportunity that is available for them to
grow if desired. Finally, NLF communicates to the casual observer that they are modern, clean,
well-organized (as evidenced with large signage), and focused on reaching people of Aberdeen
for Christ.
The other questions that should be asked as well by any church are in regards to the target
audience. Should the church focus on an internal audience or external audience? How then
should they communicate that message? While some ministries will answer these questions
based on whether they feel the church is for the saved or for the lost, NLF has made the
conscious decision that the church is for both so the target audience has to be both. This may
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seem like a contradiction, yet they work on discipling those who are there and evangelizing those
outside of the church walls. One way they do this is to have events that will bring people to the
church. Such events will help those who are members of the church to fellowship as well as
evangelize with those who are visitors. In regards to how the message is
being communicated, NLF employs multiple formats from print, to
banners (as seen in this photo), from their web page to personal
invitations, from fliers to word of mouth.
NLF understands that as the world changes, so to must the ways of
communicating. They have embraced the fact that technology is a big
aspect of communication both to those within the church as well as to
those without. While it is possible to receive all the information available
via printed material, the NLF website also provides a much more
comprehensive look at all the material without all the handouts. In addition to the information
available is the added bonus of being able to see or hear the gospel message being preached from
the pulpit. This form of communication allows people to see a glimpse of the church without
even having to come to the church. Because of this however, the online material must not only
be informative, it also has to pique their interest, sharpen their world, and inspire them to come
to NLF. In this regards, volunteers are nice, yet professional help can be better equipped in
knowing how to capture an audience online. Even within a normal church service as well as
childrens church, different forms of
communication can be employed. As
seen in this photo, banners, Large
visual signs, computer projections and
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even the 3D cross are all forms of communication to the childrens room.
Again, in an effort to see how communication works within NLF, I stepped back and
tried to observe with fresh eyes. The impression I received in looking at both the forms of
communication within the church and the communication via electronic services was positive.
The online forum was a bit on the side of information overload. However, this does allow the
casual observer a good glimpse into the activity of the church as well as what the church stands
for and believes in. Also the online forum does not seem biased towards any one ministry of the
church but gives all equal exposure. The communication that is relayed via the church itself
though seems almost as if the church is divided for attention, half to the childrens ministry and
half to the rest.
Speaking to the pastor of the church, there is a definite course in motion for how each
media is used and how it will be used moving forward. Currently NLF uses both formats with a
nigger lean towards elctronic media. In fact, the church has found that the website, social media,
texting and video are formats that are received the best in the church. As the electronic media
format is such a big success, there has been a push to continue developing new ways or more
effective ways to do this. One such change is that the church has outsourced messages that they
want to convey in video format to an organization out of state with more knowledge in this
format. This will allow the church not only to make announcements during services, but to also
be able to post these videos to the website as well as social media. Another new process is the
churches planning center for different church ministries. This program is very effective at
tracking the response of people in using this media so it is an added benefit for the ministry
leaders.
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To conclude, New Life Fellowship church has employed various forms of communication
to better be able to reach people for Christ. They have asked the pertinent questions in regards to
what their story is, who they wish to reach, how they plan on doing it as well as where they need
to focus their energies in reaching people. Communication is a fact of life and for the church it is
a key element in presenting the gift of Jesus. What does your church communicate?