Update on Communications Practices at Brighton First

The Communications Task Force, formed as part of Brighton First’s strategic plan, has completed its work and submitted a report to the Administrative Board for approval in August. The Communications Team was tasked with reviewing  communication practices at Brighton First and creating  policy and guidelines.

Key recommendations from the Communications Task Force include:

• Continue to use the current Brighton First logo in publications. After consulting with Mark Doyle, the director of communications for the Michigan Area United Methodist Church, the team determined that our current logo is most effective for our context. 

• Completely update the website by November 2017. The communication goal is that the website be the primary source for information for both visitors and regular attenders at Brighton First. Over the last year, we have made improvements, providing more information. The website will be redesigned to reflect current trends and enhanced usability.

• Change the format and frequency of Brighton First's newsletter. The newsletter in its current format will end in September, and we will send five mailings per year with an emphasis on our vision and mission as a church. The revised newsletter will accompany Christmas and Easter letters, as well as three giving statement mailings. Church members will continue to receive news of upcoming events through the worship bulletin, weekly e-news, Facebook and the website. For those who do not attend church and/or rely on the newsletter for information, we will mail bulletins (which contain letters from Pastor Sherry and news of upcoming events) monthly.

• Provide a concise description of communications channels that church groups may use to get their news and announcements out. This information is included in the Policy and Guideline document that will be available on line by mid-August.

We are grateful for the work of Joanne Schmidt, Terry Keefe, Alyssa Tumolo and Rev. Sherry Parker-Lewis, who worked over several months to create the communications guidelines. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Pastor Sherry.

Update on Communications Practices at Brighton First

The Communications Task Force, formed as part of Brighton First’s strategic plan, has completed its work and submitted a report to the Administrative Board for approval in August. The Communications Team was tasked with reviewing  communication practices at Brighton First and creating  policy and guidelines.

Key recommendations from the Communications Task Force include:

• Continue to use the current Brighton First logo in publications. After consulting with Mark Doyle, the director of communications for the Michigan Area United Methodist Church, the team determined that our current logo is most effective for our context. 

• Completely update the website by November 2017. The communication goal is that the website be the primary source for information for both visitors and regular attenders at Brighton First. Over the last year, we have made improvements, providing more information. The website will be redesigned to reflect current trends and enhanced usability.

• Change the format and frequency of Brighton First's newsletter. The newsletter in its current format will end in September, and we will send five mailings per year with an emphasis on our vision and mission as a church. The revised newsletter will accompany Christmas and Easter letters, as well as three giving statement mailings. Church members will continue to receive news of upcoming events through the worship bulletin, weekly e-news, Facebook and the website. For those who do not attend church and/or rely on the newsletter for information, we will mail bulletins (which contain letters from Pastor Sherry and news of upcoming events) monthly.

• Provide a concise description of communications channels that church groups may use to get their news and announcements out. This information is included in the Policy and Guideline document that will be available on line by mid-August.

We are grateful for the work of Joanne Schmidt, Terry Keefe, Alyssa Tumolo and Rev. Sherry Parker-Lewis, who worked over several months to create the communications guidelines. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Pastor Sherry.

Improving Communications at Brighton First

As part of the strategic plan set out by the Administrative Board of Brighton First, the Communications Team is creating policy and practices for effective communications. This includes communications within our church and with the general public.

Primary areas being discussed are website and social media presence, consistency in name and logo use, and excellence in print media. Church leaders will have guidelines for submitting news and announcements in the media sources that Brighton First uses including: bulletins, worship screen images, web site, Facebook, fliers, postcards and posters.

The Communications Team is currently discussing changes to the newsletter. This publication, which appears 9 - 10 times per years is both mailed and emailed to church members. Changes could include reducing the number of newsletter issues per year or replacing the newsletter with monthly mailed bulletins to those who cannot attend worship. The bulletins contain much of the same information found in monthly newsletters.

The biggest shift in communication practice will be a more active web site. After consulting with the communications director of the Detroit Annual Conference, Mark Doyle, the team has determined that all announcements and activities from Brighton First will be available on the web site. Best practices of dynamic churches included directing both congregation members and those seeking a new church home toward the church's web site. 

Brighton First's web site, currently being redeveloped, will eventually include sign ups and links for people to pay for events and give to mission projects on line through debit card, credit card or Pay Pal.

If you have any questions, contact Rev. Dr. Sherry Parker-Lewis.

Improving Communications at Brighton First

As part of the strategic plan set out by the Administrative Board of Brighton First, the Communications Team is creating policy and practices for effective communications. This includes communications within our church and with the general public.

Primary areas being discussed are website and social media presence, consistency in name and logo use, and excellence in print media. Church leaders will have guidelines for submitting news and announcements in the media sources that Brighton First uses including: bulletins, worship screen images, web site, Facebook, fliers, postcards and posters.

The Communications Team is currently discussing changes to the newsletter. This publication, which appears 9 - 10 times per years is both mailed and emailed to church members. Changes could include reducing the number of newsletter issues per year or replacing the newsletter with monthly mailed bulletins to those who cannot attend worship. The bulletins contain much of the same information found in monthly newsletters.

The biggest shift in communication practice will be a more active web site. After consulting with the communications director of the Detroit Annual Conference, Mark Doyle, the team has determined that all announcements and activities from Brighton First will be available on the web site. Best practices of dynamic churches included directing both congregation members and those seeking a new church home toward the church's web site. 

Brighton First's web site, currently being redeveloped, will eventually include sign ups and links for people to pay for events and give to mission projects on line through debit card, credit card or Pay Pal.

If you have any questions, contact Rev. Dr. Sherry Parker-Lewis.

Brighton First Strategic Plan Goal Targets Communication

The Administrative Board of Brighton First has adopted a two-year strategic plan. In this blog, I offer the details of the first goal of the plan, to "create a culture of invitation and welcome." 

The first step in creating the strategic plan for Brighton First, was to identify a condition that is keeping Brighton First from fulfilling its mission. The Strategic Plan Task Force developed this "diagnosis": A growing proportion of the population has no affiliation with any faith or church. We cannot make disciples for Jesus Christ from this part of the population by waiting for them to visit us.  We must find a way to overcome their negative impressions and reach them outside of our four walls, making the church relevant to them.

The task force named this guiding policy for achieving the goal of creating a culture of invitation and welcome: The Brighton First congregation is called to make itself a visible, positive, and relevant part of the community of Brighton, and its members are called by God to enter into relational ministry outside the walls of the church

What follows is a list of actions created to achieve the goal:

1.  Form a Communications Team by October 1, 2016. The Team will assist Brighton First in becoming a visible part of the community of Brighton, giving the church an inviting, positive public voice.

a.       The Communications Team will review current publications, the website, logos, tagline, and news release strategy and create a coherent Public Relations Strategy/Communications Plan. The Communications Team will consult with Mark Doyle, Detroit Annual Conference Communications Director in this assessment and plan development.

b.      The Public Relations Strategy/Communications Plan will contain goals and metrics to measure attainment of those goals.

c.       The Communications Team will report its strategy to the Administrative board no later than November 8, 2016.

d.      The Communications Team will outline the strategy in a written report  to the Church Conference in mid-November.

e.       The Communications Team will help and support other groups as necessary to maintain a consistent, positive voice in church publications and public communications.

f.        The church website, included in the strategy above, will be redesigned by March 2017 at the direction of the Communications Team and informed by the Public Relations Strategy/Communications Plan. The Finance Committee will budget for website redevelopment in 2017. ($3,000 - $5,000). Continuing maintenance of the website will also be fully funded.

g.       The Communications Team, with representatives from the Hospitality Team, the Trustees, the church staff, the youth group and non-church attenders from the community, will conduct an annual audit each August, examining all church publications and church signage, with the intention of eliminating “insider” language, confusing acronyms, etc.  The results and recommendations of the annual audit will be presented to the Administrative Board by the Communications Team by October each year.

2.  The Board of Trustees will review all interior and exterior signage by December 2016 and adjust as needed to provide a consistent, excellent welcome for all visitors by March 2017.

3. The Hospitality Team will schedule greeter, parking lot greeter and usher positions for every worship service, every Sunday by December 2016. 

4. In order to sustain its Sunday morning hospitality efforts, the Hospitality Team will develop a budget to be presented to the Finance Committee by October 1, 2016 and be funded in the 2017 budget.

5. All Children’s Ministries and Youth Ministries will include in their annual curriculum, grade level appropriate goals for practicing invitation and welcome in the life of the church. This will be in place by May 2017.

6.  The Children’s Ministry Sunday school program will be relocated to one central area in the church building (nursery – 6th grade). This will provide a single welcoming space for children and their parents, increase safety for children and allow parents to drop off and pick up all children at one location. The planning for consolidation will begin by September 2016. Trustees and the Children’s Ministries Team will work together to plan the stages for the relocation, including room improvements and furnishings. The Trustees and Children’s Ministries Team will work with the Finance Committee to fund these improvements.  The new designated Children’s Area will be fully renovated and equipped by August 2017.

7. The Administrative Board will appoint a task force from its membership to review small groups, boards, committees and ministry team practices of hospitality and welcome annually and the results of these practices. The first short-term  task force will be established no later than December 2016. This first review will be conducted in February 2017.

8.  The Hospitality Team, the Adult Faith Formation Team, and the Children’s Ministry Team will each consult with the Director of First Steps Preschool on ways to invite and include preschool families in worship and church programming, leading toward preschool families choosing Brighton First as their church home. Team plans for connection with First Steps Preschool families must be in place by December 2016. Based on goals set by each group, an annual review of these ministries will be included in teams’ annual reports to Church Conference (November) beginning in 2017.

9.  In order to create a modern, comfortable public space for worship attenders and guests throughout the week, the Trustees will collaborate with the Hospitality Team to redesign, remodel and furnish a space within the building.  The plan will be completed by December 2017. The Trustees, in partnership with the Finance Committee will determine how this project will be funded by March of 2018, and the renovated space will be ready for use by June of 2018.

10. Worship leadership will intentionally work to strengthen the church’s culture of invitation in worship. Parishioners will tell stories of inviting others or being invited to church at least 6 times per year beginning in October 2016. The senior pastor will be  responsible for this. There will be at least one worship series per year devoted to the practice of invitation. 

Brighton First Strategic Plan Goal Targets Communication

The Administrative Board of Brighton First has adopted a two-year strategic plan. In this blog, I offer the details of the first goal of the plan, to "create a culture of invitation and welcome." 

The first step in creating the strategic plan for Brighton First, was to identify a condition that is keeping Brighton First from fulfilling its mission. The Strategic Plan Task Force developed this "diagnosis": A growing proportion of the population has no affiliation with any faith or church. We cannot make disciples for Jesus Christ from this part of the population by waiting for them to visit us.  We must find a way to overcome their negative impressions and reach them outside of our four walls, making the church relevant to them.

The task force named this guiding policy for achieving the goal of creating a culture of invitation and welcome: The Brighton First congregation is called to make itself a visible, positive, and relevant part of the community of Brighton, and its members are called by God to enter into relational ministry outside the walls of the church

What follows is a list of actions created to achieve the goal:

1.  Form a Communications Team by October 1, 2016. The Team will assist Brighton First in becoming a visible part of the community of Brighton, giving the church an inviting, positive public voice.

a.       The Communications Team will review current publications, the website, logos, tagline, and news release strategy and create a coherent Public Relations Strategy/Communications Plan. The Communications Team will consult with Mark Doyle, Detroit Annual Conference Communications Director in this assessment and plan development.

b.      The Public Relations Strategy/Communications Plan will contain goals and metrics to measure attainment of those goals.

c.       The Communications Team will report its strategy to the Administrative board no later than November 8, 2016.

d.      The Communications Team will outline the strategy in a written report  to the Church Conference in mid-November.

e.       The Communications Team will help and support other groups as necessary to maintain a consistent, positive voice in church publications and public communications.

f.        The church website, included in the strategy above, will be redesigned by March 2017 at the direction of the Communications Team and informed by the Public Relations Strategy/Communications Plan. The Finance Committee will budget for website redevelopment in 2017. ($3,000 - $5,000). Continuing maintenance of the website will also be fully funded.

g.       The Communications Team, with representatives from the Hospitality Team, the Trustees, the church staff, the youth group and non-church attenders from the community, will conduct an annual audit each August, examining all church publications and church signage, with the intention of eliminating “insider” language, confusing acronyms, etc.  The results and recommendations of the annual audit will be presented to the Administrative Board by the Communications Team by October each year.

2.  The Board of Trustees will review all interior and exterior signage by December 2016 and adjust as needed to provide a consistent, excellent welcome for all visitors by March 2017.

3. The Hospitality Team will schedule greeter, parking lot greeter and usher positions for every worship service, every Sunday by December 2016. 

4. In order to sustain its Sunday morning hospitality efforts, the Hospitality Team will develop a budget to be presented to the Finance Committee by October 1, 2016 and be funded in the 2017 budget.

5. All Children’s Ministries and Youth Ministries will include in their annual curriculum, grade level appropriate goals for practicing invitation and welcome in the life of the church. This will be in place by May 2017.

6.  The Children’s Ministry Sunday school program will be relocated to one central area in the church building (nursery – 6th grade). This will provide a single welcoming space for children and their parents, increase safety for children and allow parents to drop off and pick up all children at one location. The planning for consolidation will begin by September 2016. Trustees and the Children’s Ministries Team will work together to plan the stages for the relocation, including room improvements and furnishings. The Trustees and Children’s Ministries Team will work with the Finance Committee to fund these improvements.  The new designated Children’s Area will be fully renovated and equipped by August 2017.

7. The Administrative Board will appoint a task force from its membership to review small groups, boards, committees and ministry team practices of hospitality and welcome annually and the results of these practices. The first short-term  task force will be established no later than December 2016. This first review will be conducted in February 2017.

8.  The Hospitality Team, the Adult Faith Formation Team, and the Children’s Ministry Team will each consult with the Director of First Steps Preschool on ways to invite and include preschool families in worship and church programming, leading toward preschool families choosing Brighton First as their church home. Team plans for connection with First Steps Preschool families must be in place by December 2016. Based on goals set by each group, an annual review of these ministries will be included in teams’ annual reports to Church Conference (November) beginning in 2017.

9.  In order to create a modern, comfortable public space for worship attenders and guests throughout the week, the Trustees will collaborate with the Hospitality Team to redesign, remodel and furnish a space within the building.  The plan will be completed by December 2017. The Trustees, in partnership with the Finance Committee will determine how this project will be funded by March of 2018, and the renovated space will be ready for use by June of 2018.

10. Worship leadership will intentionally work to strengthen the church’s culture of invitation in worship. Parishioners will tell stories of inviting others or being invited to church at least 6 times per year beginning in October 2016. The senior pastor will be  responsible for this. There will be at least one worship series per year devoted to the practice of invitation.