Manual for Positive Press Relations

It does feel good to see your church featured in the local newspaper. Few would argue with that. It is gratifying when a positive impression is created by a photo or news story published straight out of your church’s activities. Everyone likes to see themselves in print, including church members!

 

But the purpose of PR work and media contact on behalf of the church is not just to stimulate personal satisfaction for ourselves, nor even a warm fuzzy feeling’ among the members. It would be disappointing if that was the limit of our motiva- tion. There are more substantial reasons-sound evangelistic (dare we say ‘marketing”?) reasons to pursue PR work, which make it more than an end in it- self. Efforts of the local church communication secretary can legitimately be visual- ized as a component of the Matthew 28 Commission’ to take the Gospel to the world.

 

Having said that, news reports by the church in the media rarely seem to have any immediately measurable impact in terms of drawing ‘x’ number of people off the streets into church attendance. Because results’ may be hard to observe or quantify, there is a tendency to dismiss communication work as little more than a token role with nominal value. That would be even more disappointing.

 

Good communication does have incalculable potential in the long term for the overall purposes of the church. So we do need to recognize certain very clear incentives for approaching the communication task with vision, vigour and conviction.