Effective Church Communications

In colonial times, correspondents depended on friends, merchants, and Native Americans to carry messages between the colonies. These messages were transported by foot, horse, and ship. It was a long, tough road that had no guarantee of success. Along the way, any number of things could cut off the communication. Loved ones waited days, weeks, and months for any reply.

On July 26, 1775, members of the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia established what would become the United States Postal Service. From this point on, the progress of communication grew rapidly.

In 1854, Charles Bourseul published a description of a make-break telephone transmitter and receiver in L’Illustration in Paris but at the time did not build a working instrument. In 1860, Johann Philipp Reis of Germany demonstrated a make-break transmitter (after the design of Bourseul) and a knitting needle receiver. Witnesses said they heard human voices being transmitted. On that famous day of August 10, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell successfully made the first long distance phone call (about six miles). We have been using phones ever since.

Today, we have dozens of ways to communicate. The telephone call, while still a powerful means of communication, is decreasing in popularity as other technologies replace it. In fact, email replaced the telephone as the world’s most used form of communication many years ago. Since then, other forms of communication are gaining ground such as texting, Skype (and various forms of instant messaging), Facebook, Twitter, and a host of others.

The question is often asked, “What type of communication should I use and be involved with?” The answer is to have more than one or two ways of communicating with others. This is especially true of elders, youth leaders, and program organizers. To be effective, those in leadership positions must be flexible and understand what the saints are using. In most situations, it is no longer practical to only use the phone to reach out to the body of saints.

I understand that this can be hard for many older saints who have not been brought up with new technology. It can be overwhelming, to say the least; however, an effective shepherd and leader should make an effort to understand the current changes in communication and see the value that they can have. New technologies are allowing a greater reach for service, more prayer, and a connection with the whole church around the world.

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