Announcements at your church do not have to be boring. There is a right way and a wrong way to make church announcements. Personal opinions differ, but the truth is: announcements are important for the people of your church.
Here are ideas that will help you to make clear, concise, and compelling announcements.
Acknowledge your guests (but don’t put them on the spot)
It’s important to acknowledge your guests and help them to feel comfortable. Visiting a church can be uncomfortable for many people.
Let guests know what to expect, how they can learn more about your church, and make sure you express your gratitude for their attendance. These small gestures will go a long way in helping visitors to feel welcome. This can also help to create an expectation among the members of your church to invite new people to attend and ensure that you do not miss a first-time guest by accident.
Make it simple (and short)
Focus on a few key announcements every week. Making too many announcements is a great way to ensure no one will remember anything you said.
Resist the temptation to announcement everything a member of your congregation suggests. Make a way for people to submit announcement requests and a deadline. This way when someone approaches you on Sunday morning with a request, you can let them know that you’re unable to accommodate their request since they missed the deadline.
Let people know how to connect
What is the next step someone visiting your church should take to learn more about your church?
For most churches, this next step is for visitors to fill out a connection card with their contact information and perhaps answer a couple of questions — e.g., How did you hear about us? How can we help you? Don’t overload the card with too many things.
For your announcements, make sure people know what they need to do. For example, do they need to sign up or RSVP for your event? If so, then let them know how they can do this. Using a connection card is the best way to do this.
Email your church newsletter
This is a great tool to communicate events during the week and provide more details. You could also post a link to it on your church website and social media outlets. Mailchimp is a nice tool to use and has good analytical tools.
Use videos
Video announcements can be a great tactic. They give you the opportunity to review them ahead of time and you can make sure that they don’t run over.
Also, you can use videos to only make the key announcements instead of announcing everything going on at your church. This is one way to better emphasize an event or to share with people an encouraging story or the work of your church in the community.
Prepare
Make sure whoever is responsible has the information he or she needs. It’s also a good idea to encourage them to read through them ahead of time to spot any errors, ask any questions, and be better prepared to sound clear when making the announcements.
Most churches put time and effort into the music and the sermons for a church service, right? Put some thought into how you do your announcements and it can be a good experience for everyone! Church announcements don’t have to be boring.