Christianity is a Communication Event

By Pastor Keith Anderson

In his book, Flickering Pixels: How Technology Shapes Your Faith, Shane Hipps writes that “Christianity is fundamentally a communication event.” He means that Jesus, whom the Gospel writer, John refers to as “The Word”, is the fullness and embodiment of God’s communication to the world of God’s love, forgiveness, joy, and hope. Jesus is both the message and the messenger.

Communications has been a vital part of the faith communities from the very beginning—from the 10 Commandments on stone tablets to Paul’s letters written on scrolls, from Martin Luther and the printing press, to newspapers, TV, radio, and now the internet, churches have adopted new technologies to communicate the grace and love of God.

Our experience during the COVID pandemic has demonstrated just how important it is to have a good digital platform, from our live-streamed worship to website, email, social media, and more. Some churches, including UDLC, were already trending in this direction. The pandemic has just sped up the process for all of us.

A New Digital Communications Specialist

In order to help us communicate better (not always our strongest suit at UDLC) and build upon the work that we have done during the pandemic, we will be hiring a half-time Digital Communications Specialist. This position is part of the office reorganization that we began last summer and fits within our existing staffing footprint. At that time, we imagined the position as a Tech Assistant. During the pandemic, we realized that this is more of a digital communications role. It includes tasks and responsibilities that Lindsay and I took on when the pandemic hit, which, we can all agree is not the best use of our time or the church’s resources. We hope to find someone to start in this role soon after Easter. (This position is not open to church members.) Please see more about the position below or the posting on Indeed.

About the Position

OUR MISSION

Upper Dublin Lutheran Church is a place where lives are changed through worship, learning, and community, and where people are empowered to change the world and make it a better place, following the example and teachings of Jesus. Our congregation is a dynamic, down-to-earth group of people seeking spiritual nourishment, meaningful relationships, and ways to use their talents, skills, and knowledge to serve others.

JOB SUMMARY

Communications touch all aspects of our mission and ministries at UDLC. The Communications Specialist will lead us in sharing the story of our church to external audiences, encouraging member engagement, promoting participation, and keeping everyone informed about our common life and the things they are most interested in at UDLC. Our staff members are often the first impression that guests and visitors have of our community. As such, it is expected that the person in this position has a welcoming and professional presence and maintains an elevated level of confidentiality.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Collaborates with pastors to prepare materials for worship services such as PowerPoint presentations, announcements, and materials.

• Maintains, oversees, and frequently updates the congregational website (currently hosted on Squarespace) and the cemetery and preschool websites (currently hosted on Weebly).

• Creates content for and updates UDLC’s social media sites (currently Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube).

• Manages Microsoft Office 365, Teams, and SharePoint technology, and supports the adoption of it by training staff and committees on using the technology.

• Maintains membership information on our cloud-based church database by ensuring member records are up-to-date, using the group communication features such as the calendar and group functions, and exploring other features that will support UDLC’s mission.

• Creates graphics and other media for communications and publications.

• Supports the ministry staff and committee leaders in using technology such as Zoom, SharePoint, and other communication tools.

• Helps implement new technology in meeting spaces that allow for virtual participation.

• Prepares periodic congregational mailings for stewardship and other campaigns.

• Advises the pastors and staff on opportunities to improve and streamline communication.

• Provides formal updates at monthly staff meetings.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Strong interpersonal skills, and willingness to maintain confidentiality.

• Strong digital fluency, including the ability to understand, select, and use appropriate technologies for communication.

• Strong technological literacy, including the willingness to explore and adapt to new technologies.

• Strong orientation towards details and how they relate to broader needs.

• Excellent organizational and time management skills.

• Demonstrated experience creating and editing content for broad communications.

• Demonstrated experience using Microsoft Office 365, SharePoint, and Teams.

• Demonstrated experience using social media platforms for business communications such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

• Preferred experience in basic graphic design.

• Preferred experience using web hosting sites such as Squarespace and Weebly.

• Preferred experience using email marketing platforms such as MailChimp.

• Preferred experience using and maintaining membership databases.