Our Church A/V equipment is fine. What’s Next?

You might have noticed that Capital Hope Media isn’t (just) an A/V company, we’re really “an all-in-one Communications Company for faith-based organizations.”

(Gotta have an elevator pitch).

We often say, “The A/V stuff isn’t the point, but it is necessary.” So what does a church do when the A/V stuff works reasonably well?

Answer: you get to pivot your focus to out-facing communications. You get to focus on ministry to your community, and not wires!

This step is overwhelming to many churches, and it’s easy to understand why. It immediately raises a dozen concerns, and the sheer size of the project is intimidating. Plus, anyone who has spent time leading churches knows, it is not easy to change the way a church operates. 

So let me offer a few guiding thoughts in this quick blog post. 

There is a common anxiety I see based in a misconception. “Isn’t communications really a fancy way to say MARKETING? And isn’t that manipulative, mega-church stuff? Our church does NOT want to do that.” Many of us have this anxiety, until we get space to think it through. 

Yes, many churches use marketing to manipulate people, in the same way many for-profit companies use marketing to manipulate people. But that’s bad marketing. 

Good Marketing

Good marketing is simply saying “hey, we have this thing we think would make your life better. I hope you’re aware of it.” That’s what good companies making good products do. And it’s easy to see how your church can do that. 

Every sunday morning, your pastor stands up and speaks because they think they have something to share that would improve the lives of people. Some call that helpful message the gospel of Jesus. Just…keep doing that. That’s all marketing and public-facing communications is. You’re just sharing the same helpful message outside your doors that you share inside your doors.

Beyond that, the essence of how a church would communicate is similar to how a nonprofit would communicate. Sure, there are some differences in the details, but mostly…the strategic questions are similar. The topic of identity and branding is similar. Content creation is often similar. 

Next Steps

If you’re at this stage in your church, I hope you’ll subscribe to the nonprofit communications email list. The advice in that blog/email is just as helpful to your organization as any local community center. It will help your church thrive as you share who you are with your neighbors.

And of course, if you need help with doing this work, schedule a meeting with us! Let’s talk about options, and see if Capital Hope Media is a good fit to help your church move forward.