HOW EFFECTIVE PUBLIC RELATIONS CAN HELP YOUR CHURCH REACH YOUR COMMUNITY

Justin Dean, That Church Conferencewww.justinjdean.com // @justinjdean

Church Communications

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JUSTIN DEAN

Justin  Dean  is  the  former  Communications  Director  at  Mars  Hill  Church  and  now  co-­leads  That  Church  Conference,  a  growing  community  of  church  practitioners  dedicated  to  helping  the  church  communicate  well  and  reach  more  people  digitally.

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WHAT IS PUBLIC RELATIONS?

• Everything we say and do (or don’t do) is public relations.

• Whether you like it or not, everyone in your organization is in PR.

• It doesn’t matter so much what you meant to say or do.

• What matters most is how people perceive it and how they feel about you because of it.

• Effective PR is when you’re intentional about it.

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HOW CAN EFFECTIVE PR HELP MY CHURCH?

• We want our churches to grow so we can reach more people.

• We want to reach more people so they meet Jesus.

• A positive reputation is important to effectively reaching people.

• Best way to reach people is to go where they are.

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ENGAGE WITH YOUR COMMUNITY• Build relational equity (H/T @vanbaird).

• Community organizations

• Other churches

• Press & Media

• Influencers

• Government

• Business owners

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• Maintain relationships

• Send out press releases

• Participate outside the church

• Engage on social media (don’t just be a megaphone)

• Share stories

• DO SOMETHING (Don’t just post #PrayFor graphics)

• Documenting > Creating Content

BUILD A PRO-ACTIVE PR PLAN

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• Plan ahead for plausible scenarios.

• Document what you’ll do and how you’ll do it.

• Choose a spokesperson now.

• Rehearse and educate staff.

• Document church beliefs and policies.

• Know your vision, mission, and values.

BUILD A RE-ACTIVE CRISIS PLAN

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• You can’t ignore public relations (remember, you’re already doing it).

• The world we live in, you never know when a crisis will hit. Plan ahead.

• Worst plan is no plan.

• More than just protecting ourselves…

• The church needs to be actively and aggressively pursuing people.

EFFECTIVE PUBLIC RELATIONS

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PRE-ORDER JUSTIN’S BOOK

#PRMATTERS

A  Survival  Guide  for  Church  CommunicatorsLessons  learned  from  Justin  Dean, former  Communications  Director  at  Mars  Hill  Church.

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