While preaching is arguably the most significant concern of weekly ministry, much of the preacher’s communication will occur outside the pulpit when he interacts with individuals during the week. Aside from in-person meetings, the preacher will communicate through phone calls, email, and other forms of media. How he uses these tools could make or break his ministry. Here, then, are five healthy habits to develop when communicating outside of the pulpit:
1) Share How You Can Be Reached
We honor people when we tell them the best way to contact us. It shows we are approachable and interested in hearing from them. Whatever your preferred tool for communicating, make it known. Tactfully redirecting someone to your preferred method is not difficult: e.g., “Hey, John! Great to hear from you. I’m rarely on Facebook, so please email me (or call me, etc.), and I’ll follow up.”
2) Return Every Message
No matter how you’re contacted, be sure to return every message. It’s a common courtesy. Support staff and volunteers may help filter out unwanted sales calls and impersonal inquiries. Still, those messages that come directly to us from members, attendees, colleagues, and acquaintances should be returned promptly.
3) Answer Email Within 24 Hours
Some may disagree here, and that’s okay (see habit #5), but don’t underestimate the need for timely email responses. In a world where most organizations still use email as their preferred method of communication1, user expectations have grown exponentially.
Your recent online transaction likely resulted in receiving at least one email thanking you for your order and another containing shipping information—all within minutes. Those who contact us by email are conditioned to expect similar results. Most members know we’re busy, but they likely expect we’ll return their email within 24 hours. We show we care even when we briefly respond: “Hey, I got your email, and I’ll get back to you soon.”
4) Remember What You Can’t See
We may miss nonverbal signals that aid communication because we cannot observe body language in a call, text, or email. Without these signals, messages may be misinterpreted. For example, we may read a tersely worded email and assume the sender was upset when, in actuality, they were just fine. While we won’t always interpret the messages of others correctly, we can always work for greater clarity in our own communications.
5) Don’t Expect Others To Share Your Habits
Pastors are responsible to some degree for the communication habits of those under their supervision. Beyond the staff, however, we cannot expect others to communicate as we do. Communication habits differ from person to person, and we are wise to extend grace to those whose practices are not our own.
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