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What Goes in a Communications Audit (and Why You Should Do One Before Fall)
by Ashley Graham-Wilcox
Summer is a lie.
I mean that lovingly — and also literally. As I wrote a few weeks ago, there is no slow season in church work. But summer does have something that the rest of the year often doesn't: a little breathing room. The emails still come. The newsletters still need writing. But the pace shifts, even slightly, and that shift is worth something: It's worth using.
One of the best things you can do with a few hours of margin — before fall programming kicks off, before stewardship season is suddenly on the horizon, before Advent is somehow four weeks away — is to look honestly at your communications and ask: What is actually working?
That's a communications audit. And it doesn't have to be complicated.
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Communications Coordinator
— Part-Time, Contract —
Caffeinated Church is looking for a creative, self-directed communicator who genuinely loves the work of the Church and knows how to connect with the people who serve it. This role supports two interconnected bodies of work: Caffeinated Church, an ecumenical hub for church communicators and administrators, and Equipping Congregations, a grant-funded storytelling initiative that works directly with congregations to help them communicate their stories with clarity, creativity, and confidence. The Communications Coordinator brings their own instincts and initiative to a focused set of responsibilities: crafting compelling content, supporting programs, and helping grow a community of church communicators and administrators who are better at their work because of this ministry. Read the job description here.
This 5-8 hours/week position reports to Ashley Graham-Wilcox, Program Director of Caffeinated Church & Show & Tell Project Coordinator (Equipping Congregations).
Send a resume and cover letter to Ashley@CaffeinatedChurch.org. Position will remain open until filled.
| COMMUNICATIONS FULL-DAY TRAINING! |
A Practical Communications Day — a Gathering!
Whether you're a volunteer who suddenly became "the communications person," a pastor wearing one more hat than expected, a church administrator, or someone who simply wants to help tell your congregation's story more effectively, this day is designed for you.
Think of it as a practical, approachable Communications 101 course for churches. Together we'll explore the essential skills communicators need today and provide a foundation you can build on long after the workshop ends.
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What You'll Learn
Together, we'll explore graphic design, marketing and advertising, layout and publication design, website development, and the practical realities of communicating in small and mid-sized congregations. Learn more.
We'll spend 2½ hours learning together in the morning, take a generous lunch break, and return for another 2½ hours of interactive training and conversation in the afternoon.
By the end of the day, you'll leave more grounded, more confident, and better equipped to share your church's story with clarity, creativity, and purpose.
Ready to Get Started?
Whether you're creating a bulletin, building a website, promoting an event, designing a graphic, or helping shape your congregation's communications strategy, this day will give you a practical place to start.
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Reaching the People Not in Your Pews: A Social Media Strategy Workshop
Tuesday, June 23 | 10:00 AM PT / 11:00 AM MT / 12:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM ET
Caffeinated Church's Show & Tell initiative is built on a simple premise: the mainline church doesn't need to reinvent itself to reach younger and disconnected audiences. It just needs to say out loud what it already is. That work starts with how churches show up on social media.
This workshop is a window into what that looks like in practice. Cynthia Dvorak is one of the Show & Tell Equipping Congregations consultants currently working with churches across Colorado. She brings a social media strategy framework designed specifically to reach Gen Z, Millennials, and Latino communities who are spiritually curious but disconnected from institutional church life.
We'll talk about content that connects, which platforms to focus on and why, and how to shift from broadcasting to genuine storytelling. Come ready to think differently about who you're trying to reach.
| ADMINISTRATORS VIRTUAL CAFE | |
Borrowing Brilliance
Thursday, June 25 | 10:00 AM PT / 11:00 AM MT / 12:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM ET
Sometimes the best ideas are already sitting in someone else's church office.
Join us for a collaborative show-and-tell where church administrators, communicators, and ministry leaders share one practical tool, process, resource, or workflow that has made their work easier, more effective, or more sustainable. Bring a communications calendar, volunteer system, meeting template, event checklist, AI prompt, spreadsheet, signage idea, or anything else that's working well in your context.
This isn't about having all the answers—it's about learning from one another. Come ready to share, steal a few good ideas, and leave with at least one thing you can put to use before the busy fall season begins.
Facilitated by Ashley Graham-Wilcox, Independent Church Consultant.
| CHURCH COLLABORATION MEETING | |
When Everything is "Urgent"
Wednesday, August 12 | 10:00 AM PT / 11:00 AM MT / 12:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM ET
Church communicators and administrators often live in a world where every request feels immediate, important, and last-minute. How do you navigate competing priorities, unrealistic timelines, clergy and staff expectations, and the emotional labor of trying to keep everything moving? Together we’ll share practical strategies for setting healthier workflows, clarifying priorities, and reducing unnecessary communication panic.
Facilitated by Mike Orr, Canon for Communications and Evangelism, the Episcopal Church in Colorado.
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Realm User Group
August 20 (Third Thursday of the Month, excluding July and December): 9:00 AM PT / 10:00 AM MT / 11:00 AM CT / 12:00 PM ET
Join us for a time of sharing, troubleshooting, and honing our Realm skills in support of our missions and ministries.
Hosted by Janey Griggs Salazar, Administrative Assistant and Benefits Coordinator for the Episcopal Church in Colorado
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This Week's Creative Prompt:
What's the communication project you're most quietly proud of — the one you never quite got credit for?
Write 3–5 sentences about what it was, what you pulled off, and why it still matters to you.
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This Week's Refill & Rest:
You probably spent time this week finding the right words for someone else.
Take five minutes today and write something just for yourself — a note, a list, a prayer, a rant, whatever needs to come out. It doesn't have to be good. It just has to be yours.
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