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Church Communication Lessons From Fast-Food Drive-thru

In-N-Out Burger has this figured out, and they cook with fresh ingredients, not frozen, so their prep time takes longer, yet their drive-thru is fast. Take a look at the picture of their menu that demonstrates the value of “less is more.”

The people that need to know about how to register for the single adult night of bowling are not the same group that will need to attend the youth lock-in, nor are they the same group that care much about a marriage seminar. And yet churches send out all-in-one communications.

When you communicate everything to everyone, you reach no one.

Lesson #3—Communicate value, not need

Depending on the type of message you want to share, organize my choices into simple, obvious groupings. The fast-food menu for most establishments is now an oxymoron. There is simply no way for a fast decision to be made when the volume of choices rival that of the Cheesecake Factory (a bloated menu of seemingly endless choices, for those unfamiliar with the popular restaurant).

A general rule of thumb in communicating information to people is to think about what you say from at least one of three methods:

“Entertain me!”—through clever and/or funny media, engage the user to identify with what you’re offering through a positive association or experience.

“Help me!”—via thought leadership, provide credible authority/expertise with solutions about a subject/topic.

“Love me!”—generate loyal, fanatic advocates who love you, love what you represent and enthusiastically share with their friends.

Paraphrasing the Apostle Paul, the greatest of these three is Love. It’s important to note that the third option almost never exists in mass communication efforts. Love is relational, and relationships require personal connection. Handwritten notes (yes, those still exist), a phone call, a personal text, a mention on Facebook or a direct message on Twitter, or even a personal email are all very effective methods of creating personal connection, personal activation and personal commitment. When you love people genuinely well, they’ll get involved and get others involved, too.  

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anthonycoppedge@churchleaders.com'
Anthony has worked in the secular world of A/V, the ministry world of church staff and the para-church ministry of three companies that serve the church space (Auxano, Fellowship Technologies and Worlds of Wow!). Today, his consultancy focuses on helping churches and para-church ministries leverage appropriate systems, processes and technologies for more effective ministry. Anthony leads out of his strengths of effectively caring for people, efficiently managing resources and enabling scalable growth. He has been consulting, teaching, writing and speaking to church and business leaders for nearly 20 years.