Communications

Conference communications seeks to increase awareness and visibility of faith communities while also offering services, tools and resources for communications ministry to the local church through their district offices. Congregations across the state have written a story since their churches were founded. They are stories of faith, ministry, mission and love and these stories continue to be written every day. Each churches' goal should be to show its authentic story to the community and invite that community to be a part of it. Communications seeks to help churches share those stories and below are some tools to help churches get started:

Build an online presence - Need a website? Apply for a Website Development Grant! The grant includes everything you need to get started – training, templates, hosting and more. As Patty Shreve, a grant recipient from Hopewell United Methodist Church in Georgia, said, “If your church is on the fence about developing a website, have no fear; the UMCom Website Support Team is ready, willing and able to assist you. You, too, can become a website developer!” Apply now...

 Online Training - Learn to reach out and connect

Learning Bundles offer an in-depth approach to online training. Each bundle includes three courses, all at one reduced cost:

• Connection through Communication leads your team in the development of a communication strategy that will nurture relationships and create effective internal messaging.
• Reaching Beyond Your Walls helps you maximize recognition in the community through marketing and social media.

Church Marketing Plan Tool - Marketing isn't a dirty word. Marketing isn't about sales. Marketing is about understanding your community and using the tools available to speak most effectively to them. The Church Marketing Plan Tool (CMPT) is designed to help your church leadership create its own unique and effective marketing plan through two phases: phase one - research and vision, and phase two - strategy and implementation.

Web hosting with WordPress/ www.umcchurches.org - United Methodist Communications offers an affordable web hosting service, which includes WordPress branded themes and plug-ins. The service starts at less than $10 a month.

The Art of Story - Create your church's narrative and build your storytelling skills through a website and social media, and find leadership support, tips and tools to support your church's communication ministry. 

YouTube for Ministry -with its 1.5 billion users, YouTube is a valuable social media tool that churches can incorporate into outreach and communication plans. Get started by registering for the live learning session: YouTube for Churches, on Sept. 12 at noon central time! This session will cover the basics of YouTube as well as in-depth tips. You can even ask the experts from United Methodist Communications all of your YouTube-related questions!