WHAT'S NEW ON THE COMMBLOG | |
Who Do I Ask When She's Out? Building Systems as a Team of One
by Ashley Graham-Wilcox
Back in April, I said I'd become a little obsessed with one question: How are people actually getting their work done? Because my To Do list seems to only get longer, as the big projects get moved from one week’s list to the next’s, nudged aside by smaller, time-consuming tasks.
Most mainline church communicators aren't a department: These days, many churches consider themselves lucky if they have one person tasked with communications. We're one person… or one part-time person…. or a parish administrator who also does the website and takes photos when they can… or a volunteer squeezing Instagram in between carpool and dinner. Plenty of us, me included, split the week between more than one church or organization and try to give each one our best.
| | HELP SHAPE A NEW RESOURCE | |
Faith. Money. Freedom. Pilot Group
Thursdays, October 22, 29, & November 5 | 10:00 AM PT / 11:00 AM MT / 12:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM ET. Online via Zoom.
As Caffeinated Church expands in 2027 to include Stewardship and Evangelism alongside Communications and Administration, we are broadening the kinds of practical resources we offer. Stewardship for Life will focus specifically on personal finance—helping individuals explore their own relationship with money through the lens of faith. It will differ from the resources we are also developing for church stewardship campaigns, but it will also be grounded in the belief that conversations about generosity begin with our own money stories, values, choices, and experiences.
This fall, we’re inviting up to 20 people to help us test and shape one of the first Stewardship for Life resources: Faith. Money. Freedom. This faith and personal finance guidebook explores the relationship between our money stories, our values, our faith, and the lives we are building. Through practical exercises, conversation, prayer, and theological reflection, participants will consider their own financial lives—from saving and spending to generosity, relationships, enough, and the choices that shape the future.
Help us shape this new Stewardship for Life resource!
| | CHURCH COLLABORATION MEETING | |
Volunteer Wrangling Without Losing Your Mind
Wednesday, October 7 | 10:00 AM PT / 11:00 AM MT / 12:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM ET
Volunteers are essential to church life, but managing communication, expectations, scheduling, and follow-through can sometimes become a ministry of its own. What systems, tools, and practices help create healthier volunteer cultures and clearer communication? Join us as we share frustrations, successes, and practical ideas for working with volunteers in ways that are sustainable and life-giving.
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SEO for Churches
Tuesday, October 13 | 10:00 AM PT / 11:00 AM MT / 12:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM ET
If your church website feels like it's sitting quietly on the internet while nobody finds it, the fix is often simpler than you'd think. This workshop is a ground-floor introduction to search engine optimization (SEO), built for people who've never had reason to think about it before.
We'll cover how people actually search for a church online, the on-page basics that matter most, and local SEO through your Google Business Profile. We'll also flag the mistakes we see most often on church sites and send you home with a short list of changes you can make that same afternoon. No technical background required!
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Realm User Group
Thursday, October 15 | 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.
| | ADMINISTRATORS' CAFE ROUNDTABLE | |
Who Has the Password?
Tuesday, October 20 | 10:00 AM PT / 11:00 AM MT / 12:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM ET
The website login lives on a sticky note. The social media account is still under a volunteer who left in 2019. The church credit card is in three different Google Docs.
Every church has an access-and-accounts situation, and most of us are quietly managing it with duct tape and hope. Let's talk through how you track logins, hand off accounts when staff change, and keep things running without becoming the sole keeper of every password in the building.
| CHURCH COLLABORATION MEETING |
Small Church, Big Workload
Wednesday, November 4 | 10:00 AM PT / 11:00 AM MT / 12:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM ET
In many churches, one person may function as the communicator, administrator, tech support, designer, calendar manager, and event coordinator all at once. How do you decide what truly matters, simplify what no longer serves your ministry, and avoid burnout when resources are limited? This conversation will focus on practical ways to streamline work, set realistic expectations, and create healthier rhythms in small church settings.
| | CAFFEINATED CHURCH GATHERING | | |
Caffeinated Church Gathering:
A Day Centered on Creative Collaboration
Thursday, November 12 | 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM PT / 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM MT / 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM CT / 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET
This hands-on intensive is designed to help you build a strong foundation in the essential skills communicators need today. Think of it as a practical, approachable Communications 101 course for churches.
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.
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Featured Resource:
Been tasked with turning your rector’s sermons into a podcast — but have no idea where to start?
Or maybe you have an idea for a podcast of your own but aren’t sure what equipment you need, where to host it, or how to actually get it into people’s ears.
Our Podcasting Resource walks you through the process from start to finish, with practical guidance for creating, recording, editing, publishing, and sharing a church podcast. You don’t have to be the next Ira Glass. You just need a place to start — and we’ve got you covered.
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This Week's Creative Prompt:
Show us your communications relic. What piece of old church communications technology is still lurking in your office? A Rolodex? Fax machine? Label maker from 1997? Ancient digital camera? Mystery cable nobody is willing to throw away? Snap a photo and share it.
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This Week's Refill & Rest:
Make some white space. Church communications can fill every available inch—of the bulletin, the newsletter, and your brain. Where could you leave a little white space this week? Protect 15 minutes with no email, no notifications, and no requests to “just add one more thing.” Your brain needs margins, too.
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