Meet the Editors
Kevin Hendricks is the founder of Monkey Outta Nowhere, and author of Addition by Adoption: Kids, Causes and 140 Characters (2010). His writing has been featured here on So What Faith on multiple occasions, including “Effectively Welcoming Visitors” and “Baptist Dance Party Goes Viral.”
Chuck Scoggins is a senior partner at the 374 Design Agency where he runs Motion Design Media, a division of the agency focused on designing motion animation videos.
Cleve Persinger is the founder of MediaBLEEP and Creative Missions. Additionally, he serves as External Communications Strategist for The Chapel, a multi-site church in Chicagoland.
Book Basics
Creative Missions offers communication and technology professionals the opportunity to make a real difference by participating in short-term mission trips designed to leverage their expertise to help faith communities “create sustainable solutions and strategies that engage” (41). While most congregations will never benefit from the wisdom of such a team, they can use Dangerous: A Go-To Guide for Church Communication as a tool in the communications re-visioning process. Focused on smaller congregations without dedicated communications and technology staff, the brief chapters by subject matter experts function as actionable lessons. If you are unsure about the role of announcements in worship, needing pointers on design basics, pondering how to make video work on a shoestring (or nonexistent) budget, or wanting to understand possible use cases for Google and Facebook, consider this book your basic guide (and follow the many links to even more helpful information).
So What?
Churches are in the communication business. Staffing models in small to medium sized churches often assign every task to those with no professional training in the field (typically either a generalist secretary or the solo pastor). Basic guides can function as “how to” manuals for these leaders and/or as rationale for welcoming an ever widening group of volunteers to aid in this area of church life.
- How large is your local congregation? What staff are responsible for communications? How good of a job does the church do in equipping these individuals? in supplementing their knowledge and skills with the expertise of volunteers?
- How would you rate your local congregation’s overall communication ministry? What is one area you think should be targeted for improvement?
Kevin Hendricks, Chuck Scoggins, and Cleve Persinger, eds. Dangerous: A Go-To Guide for Church Communication. (Center for Church Communication, 2013). ISBN: 1484909364.