In today’s world of rumor mills, lightning-fast communications and electronic resources, you probably should think carefully about trying to hold tight to any major announcements for the long term.
It’s a challenge, especially if more than one or two people are aware of the announcement. And it’s doubly challenging when there’s a committee involved. Somebody’s probably going to talk.
And if people in a church “catch wind” of a major announcement or major decision, it’s human nature — right or wrong — for some of those people to seek out, listen for, and disseminate any amount of information.
Then what happens?
Speculation begins.
Rumors start to spread.
Depending on the nature of the pending announcement, some fear and uncertainty might even set in.
So what do you do?
After nearly 15 years in the professional communications business, including public relations and marketing, I’ve seen this over and over again in numerous organizations. Churches are certainly not immune.
Once the rumors start rolling. Once the speculation begins to twist and turn when every bit of new information is leaked. Once people start meeting in the parking lot and saying things like, “Don’t quote me on this, but I heard from someone close to the situation ….” — the church needs to step in and take the reins of a situation that’s spun out of control. Sadly, at this point, the church is already way behind.
I understand that there are things that cannot — and, sometimes, should not — be shared. But once it’s out, news travels fast.
It’s important to control the message.
Here are some ways to control the information:
- Seek God in all decisions. Seek the counsel of the Holy Spirit.
- Adopt a strategic communications and marketing plan.
- Be discerning about what information could potentially be harmful to someone and proceed with caution.
- If at all possible, provide complete transparency from beginning to end.
- If complete transparency is not an option for some reason, let people know an announcement is coming and set hard and fast ground rules for the dissemination of information. That shows leadership and control.
- Provide regular updates. Release new, controlled information during each update.
- Be up front about who is making the decisions and why that person or those people are in the position to make the decisions.
- If you begin to hear rumors and realize they are way off-base, meet with the church and address the issue head on. Unless someone can be harmed by the information or it’s not biblical to release the information, it’s not worth damaging the church’s reputation to ignore the storm that’s brewing.
- Never mislead or lie.
- Never “spin” the information. People can spot it easily.
The truth is often less damaging, less dramatic, than what your imagination can produce. So ALWAYS err on the side of truth when it comes to internal and external communication.
I’m happy to say that I’ve seen this done very well recently. In fact, the majority of the positives on the above list come from the great example I’ve experienced with my own church. So there are success stories out there!
How does your church employ strategic communication strategies when planning a major announcement or decision?
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