Less Clutter. Less Noise. book tour happens today...

Today's the day I take the book on the virtual road and visit 28 blogs in 27 cities. The rules were simple. One question per blog all on one day. Some questions were hard, some were easy, some where short and some were long--all were good. Enjoy the tour! (It might take you more than a day, and that's ok. I about killed myself hitting all in one day. You might want to pace yourself.)

"Our church seems motivated most to attend events and activities when things are announced from the platform. When there’s no major push from the pulpit, how does one get the congregation excited and eager to participate in other things that are happening in the church using other forms of communication?" Find the answer on Frank Chiapperino's blog. (Philadelphia, PA)
"What mistakes have you made in the past and how/what have you learned from them?" Find the answer on Curtis Stephens' blog. (Charlotte, NC)
"What are your top 10 (5 will do) ways to communicate effectively?" Find the answer on Dave Baldwin's blog. (Reistertown, MD)
"If you were to move to a small church with little to no budget for communications, how would you implement a system for communications?" Find the answer on Faye Bryant's blog. (Townsend, TN)
"If you had to start over again (you found yourself at a new church), with no staff and leadership not agreeing with your philosophy, what one thing would you focus on first?" Find the answer on Frank Deno's blog. (Latham, NY)
"We’re finding our families are extremely busy and increasingly unable to get involved in church events. What are you best practices for communicating and engaging busy families?" Find the answer on Jenny Smith's blog. (Dayton, OH)
"What are some principles and strategies for transforming a silo-structured communications environment, where ministries are allowed to compete for attention with your main message?" Find the answer on Jeremy Davidson's blog. (Tulsa, OK)
"What's been the most valuable lesson you've learned since working in ministry?" Find the answer on Jon Edmiston's blog. (Peoria, AZ)
"As I read about Granger's communication policies and practices, it's apparent both the medium and the content are designed to be uncluttered. How did this mindset come to be part of the DNA of the leadership of the church?" Find the answer on Kim Bontrager's blog. (Wichita, KS)
"Is it better to have one long blog entry or podcast episode, or multiple short ones?" Find the answer on Tim David's blog. (Orlando, FL)
"When it comes to building the buzz about a sermon series or event, how do you determine the amount of energy, communication pieces, and time it will take for the largest buzz to grow?" Find the answer on Mark Borgetti's blog. (Naperville, IL)
"What ways have you found effective to communicate to regulars, who like the way things are, why changes are necessary in order to better connect with guests? Find the answer on Matt Ames' blog. (North Augusta, SC)
"As part of a larger church staff, what do you find to be the one essential/non-negotiable ingredient for your team to consistently function at a high caliber?" Find the answer on Mike Gothard's blog. (Elizabeth City, NC)
""What effect does church marketing and communication have on a church's children's program; do you think a communications team should collaborate with a children's ministry team on developing the program?" Find the answer on Nate Nakao's blog. (Morristown, NJ)
In the past, we've had NO communication strategy at my church. Part of my job is to create and implement one. In your experience, what is the best way to successfully walk the ministry leaders and staff through this transition without becoming a dictator of communication? Find the answer on Nick Asolas' blog. (Gilbert, AZ)
"How do church’s find a balance in utilizing new and old media in their presentation of the gospel?" Find the answer on Sam Mahlstadt's blog. (Winston-Salem, NC)
"How do we effectively communicate (vision, values, policies) with-in the multi-site model without adding layers of complexity?" Find the answer on Sam Luce's blog. (Utica, NY)
"We're a fairly inter-generational church with a good mix of tech and non-tech savvy people that worships 430 on a weekend in four worship services where all generations are represented. If you were starting from scratch in your communications strategy, what is the first communication tool you would tackle to reach the most people?" Find the answer on Sue Steege's blog. (Tonawanda, NY)
"Is social media the new wave of communication from the church to the unchurched? If so, how might we best use this medium to maximize impact in our cities?" Find the answer on Tommy Bowman's blog. (Kansas City, MO)
"You have a lot of great action items in your book, things to evaluate, then to implement some positive changes if needed. Where would you suggest starting if there are many things that need attention?" Find the answer on Jody Wissing's blog. (Frisco, TX)
"Desert island. You, on it. Choice of three books and three CDs. What would they be?" Find the answer on Beth Brawley's blog. (Powhatan, VA)
"In a smaller church setting, where most of the communication material is from volunteers, what can be done to coach all of those volunteers to reduce clutter?" Find the answer on Matt Kerner's blog. (Springfield, MO)
"How does the local church ensure they are not adding to the 'noise' engulfing their congregation?" Find the answer on Adam Mashni's blog. (Plymouth, MI)
"Given the topic of your book, what are your thoughts on twitter?" Find the answer on Jim Kast-Keat's blog. (Grandville, MI)
"Our church likes to be (more than) a little edgy in our sermon themes, hoping to speak the language of our culture. For instance, we preached a series on sex called Turned On. Can you suggest any guiding principles for choosing themes that are very relevant but don't cross the line of being in bad taste?" Find the answer on Robb Ryerse's blog. (Northwest, AR)
"I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook; I loathe the thought of Tweeting. I see their value, but I also see so many people being sucked into these social networks, wasting hours of time playing games, taking quizzes, sending flair, etc. which seems like the ultimate in clutter and noise. How can they best be used while subtly communicating "don't settle for status updates thinking you've experienced the real thing." Find the answer on Vanessa Ryerse's blog. (Northwest, AR)
"What would be your social networking advice for a church planter? Assuming he wants that added clutter and noise to his already busy life?" Find the answer on Guy Walker's blog. (Birmingham, AL)

LIVE VIDEO AFTER PARTY! (Just when you thought the fun was over.) Mark your calendar for Tuesday, June 2 p.m. EDT. Shawn Wood (Charleston, SC) is the host. You're invited. Don't miss it. Shawn's even better than Ryan Seacrest.

Comments

Kem that was a fantastic tour. It's amazing given how much you had to write so quickly that your answers were not only coherent but insightful :) Thanks for doing that, and for choosing some off-the-main-path blog sites.

BTW, trackback failed for some reason, but I posted about the tour at http://stepuptothecall.blogspot.com/2009/06/im-getting-less-clutter.html

Posted by: Larry Baxter | Jun 05, 2009 at 09:31 AM