Connecting Church and Culture

Technological advancements have made it easier for people in every walk of life to stay connected. What was once a one-week mailing process is now a one-second click. From the days of sending messages through snail mail, then through email, and now through social messaging, things have clearly progressed.

Part 1: New Cultural Expectations

So what does all this advancement mean for your church when it comes to connecting with people today? Culture has new expectations for how the church should connect with people and their busy lives.

Most churches rely on Sunday announcements, print bulletins, and their website to keep people informed and connected with the church. Unfortunately, research shows this to be an increasingly less effective way to get people to connect. So the question arises, what is a more effective way to connect with today’s culture?

In order to properly answer this question, we need to take a look at what today’s culture values when it comes to you connecting with their busy lives. Our research shows there are three major communication values you must understand to effectively connect with them. These communication values are unique to today, and they represent a significant shift in the medium (how) and timing (when) culture now prefers to connect.

1. Flexibility: today’s culture is fast paced and overbooked

People desire things to work around their life so they can fit more in. They value the ability to manage when and what comes into their time and space. Flexibility is a must! DVRs, instant messaging, social media, and mobile apps are just a few examples of how they accomplish this. They can record a show and watch when it fits their schedule. They can check Facebook when they want, post on the go, and leave a message for a friend at their convenience. If they enjoy a particular company or service, they can download their app, allowing them to directly connect at their will with everything that company or service has in one convenient place. They love this because they have the ability to do so as it fits into their schedule.

2. Mobility: today’s culture is mobile in nature

Mobile devices are the choice of today’s culture. In the last five years, there has been a “mobile revolution” in all age groups. Mobile smartphone sales are expected to increase by millions this next year. Tablet sales in 2014 are expected to grow by 70 percent, according to many analysts. Computer sales are expected to decrease for the first time ever by more than 10 percent. These statistics point to a clear change in the devices people are using to communicate today. People are using their mobile devices to replace their PC and laptop in many situations. It’s easier to take with them, it stays connected on the go, and it has become a status symbol in most social circles.

3. Inclusivity: today’s culture is opinionated and they value all opinions being heard, including theirs

The old saying goes, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Well, today’s culture would say, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know you know how much they know.” People want their opinions heard! They want to be included in every conversation. This is why social media is so huge. Social media allows people to say what they want, when they want, to whom they want. The best way to communicate that you value people’s opinions is to have a means of social interaction wherever you are asking people to engage with your church. Don’t be mistaken—this has become a communication value for people of all ages today. Keeping these communication values of flexibility, mobility, and inclusivity in mind will help you greatly as you connect with culture in 2014.

It’s time to rethink two major things

• How: are you using the best mediums to connect with people today (sizable website, mobile apps, enews, emails, Facebook, etc.)? Do you incorporate flexibility, mobility, and inclusivity in them (changing the medium, not the message)?
• When: are you allowing people flexibility in the timing your mediums are used? Staying relevant with the timing and functionality of your mediums is very important.

Part 2: The Local Church Challenge

Above, we discussed the importance of understanding the new communication values of culture today: flexibility, mobility, and inclusivity. Next, we’ll discuss how these three communication values apply to the church specifically.

The local-church challenge: let’s take a look at some ways churches can better apply flexibility, mobility, and inclusivity to how they connect with people today. (These are meant to be a starting point, not an all-inclusive list).

1. Announcements

The challenge every church faces with the classic way of doing announcements is that it takes up precious time in middle of the service, people are often disconnected, and 1/3 of people will miss them that week (the average church attendance is at 64% each week). Many churches put their announcements on their website, which is good, but they are rarely checked by people in their church community.

We recommend making announcements interactive with something like Proclaim in combination with an electronic newsletter, delivered at the same time each week. This allows you to keep your Sunday service announcements short and to the point. But most importantly, it works great within the communication values of today’s culture. People can look (and relook) at it when they want, it’s mobile friendly, and if done right, it has a place in it for people to ask questions and share their opinions. It can also incorporate “social share,” which means people can share it on social media if they desire. Faithlife, the community and collaboration tool that undergirds Proclaim, has an elegant and easy-to-use newsletter feature that enables you to craft a weekly newsletter for your congregation, and best of all it’s completely free!

2. Giving

The giving culture in churches greatly differs from church to church, but regardless, there are ways to better connect people with your desired practice of generosity.

Statistics show that 80% of men do not carry a checkbook today, and with both males and females cash is becoming very rare in today’s credit- and debit-card culture. This reality means giving in church is not as convenient as it once was. It’s time to go online and mobile with your giving! Many churches have recently seen their online and mobile giving account for over 50% of all giving. The keys are a recurring giving feature, a mobile app with giving, and a website that is resizable. This allows people to give whenever they want, even from their phones. Whether it’s payday or after church when they get home, mobility makes giving easy.

Mobile apps today are affordable, easy to use, and include online giving.

3. Website

It’s time to go resizable! “Resizable” (sometimes referred to as “responsive”) simply means the website will adjust sizing perfectly based on the device used to access the website. This means on your phone browser, everything is easy to see and read. When you open the website on a tablet or PC, you’ll have a view that is also perfectly sized, regardless of your monitor size.

Currently, most church websites have a 25–30 percent mobile-viewing percentage; churches in larger cities have as high as 40 percent. This means around 1/3 of people that come to their website have a bad viewing experience if it’s not resizable. If you have just a classic website, mobile viewers will struggle to navigate the site because things are too small to read and hard to find. This will greatly impact the website’s use and your ability to connect with those using it.

You can upgrade your current website to be a resizable one fairly easily.

Start making improvements today

Take some time today to think through flexibility, mobility, and inclusiveness in the context of your church. The goal is to discern how to better connect your church with the culture around you by adjusting at the mediums you use, but not changing the timeless gospel message.

Some changes can be big and costly, but others are small and simple. What’s important is to discern what is a “good thought” and what is a “God thought” for your church to focus on this year.