Communicate... Your Ministry

By Bill Lewellis

 

INTRODUCTION

This is a copyrighted work in progress. I will flesh it out and revise it on a regular basis.

For more than 30 years, I have worked in the general areas of diocesan communication and media relations for two dioceses and with three bishops: first for 13 years in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown (150 congregations and 260,000 communicants) on the staff of the founding bishop of that diocese, then for the past 18 years for the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem, on the staff of Bishop Mark Dyer and Bishop Paul Marshall.

During the course of this experience, I have developed biases that I continually assess. Using that construct, I hope to offer with some directness and clarity what I have learned about the theology, ministry and practice of communication in a church context and how I have appropriated this experience, emphasizing what has made sense to me and what has worked for me.

For a while, let this first installment serve as both introduction and vague table of contents to come. I will occasionally revise this so it may serve eventually both as a specific table of contents and a summary of what follows.

  1. Communication-Evangelism
    Christian communication is about proclaiming the gospel.
  2. Every church is a small church that needs to extend its pulpit.
  3. Don't confuse evangelism with publicity. (Why do you want media coverage?)
  4. Think not how but what.
  5. The media are not out to get you.
  6. Establish and maintain credibility, take advantage of opportunities, and be of some use to your media contacts.
  7. Over the long haul, the cooperation you get from the media for what you'd like to accomplish will generally mirror how much control over the story you're willing to give up.
  8. God uses many media of self-disclosure.
  9. You don't have to be a technician to use technology.
  10. Communication builds community.
  11. Communication is not a program.
  12. There's no 's' in communication.

 

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All rights reserved
Bill Lewellis, Communication Minister/Editor, Diocese of Bethlehem
333 Wyandotte Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015 — 610-691-5655 x229
Be attentive. Be intelligent. Be reasonable. Be responsible.
Be in love. And, if necessary, change. —Bernard Lonergan
blewellis@diobeth.org  —  www.diobeth.org