Communicators Gather to Learn

The work of a church administrator is often done behind the scenes, but it is indispensable to the work of the church. Paid or volunteer, full-time or part-time, church administrators are responsible for a variety of tasks that can range from scheduling to social media and from record-keeping to reception.

Back to God Ministries International (BTGMI) recently worked with Church Juice, part of ReFrame Media, BTGMI’s English-language ministry, to recognize the importance of the work done by church administrators and communicators by offering a day of learning and sharing.

Held Wednesday, Apr. 3, at the Christian Reformed Church in North America’s Canadian office in Burlington, Ont., the workshop drew 42 people representing 30 churches, both nearby and from as far as St. Thomas, Ottawa, and Barrie, Ont.

Organizer Paul Vandersteen of BTGMI noted, “While Church Juice and BTGMI have been involved in some area workshops across Canada, this was the first one hosted in the new Burlington denominational building.”

The purpose of the day, Vandersteen said, was to bring church administrators and communicators together to share experiences and best practices, learn from presentations, and be introduced to the Burlington facility and the staff who work there in support of churches at the local level. Attendees met and had a chance to speak over lunch with staff in communications, finance, Kids Corner ministry, Click Call Chat, Canadian Ministries, and others.

Bryan Haley of Church Juice, a church communications resourcing ministry, led three sessions on strategies administrators can use to help connect effectively, lead in supportive ways, and use social media to achieve the mission of sharing the good news of Jesus.

“I'm excited to be able to help church communicators grow in their skills and roles,” said Haley. “The day allowed us to help church administrators be encouraged and get new ideas to take back to their churches.”

Dorothy Vandersteen, program manager for The Bridge App, spoke with attendees about ways to promote use of The Bridge App once churches have signed on, and explained tools within The Bridge App to make connections easier. She also walked participants through the steps of using the app’s content management tools in the cloud.

“The day was very helpful,” said Janice Sanderson of First Hamilton (Ont.) CRC. “I took lots of notes, especially in how to manage and multitask within all the various social media aspects. And it’s always just a good opportunity to connect with other churches, I think, because you can get ideas from one another, you can share experiences with one another, and you can learn new areas of where you can find information or just additional tools to help you do your job and do it well.”

Janet Drenth of CrossPoint CRC in Brampton, Ont., agreed: “It was a really good day; I learned a lot. It was great talking with other administrators and finding out what’s working for them.” She added, “I learned a lot more about The Bridge App -- the new stuff coming [out] is very exciting, [and I’m] looking forward to using it more.”