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When to Say No to a New Communications Channel

by Ashley Graham-Wilcox

It usually starts the same way: A vestry member, a pastor, an enthusiastic volunteer who just discovered podcasts pulls you aside after a meeting and says some version of: "Have you thought about starting a YouTube channel?" Or a second Instagram. Or a weekly video devotional. Or a Substack. Or, of course, a church TikTok account that would be run by the youth group.

(The youth group idea was actually fine. The long-term execution…another story.)

The point is: new channel requests come with the territory, and sometimes they're genuinely good ideas. The problem is that every new channel is a commitment — of time, of attention, of someone's energy — and it's easy to say yes in a meeting and then live with the consequences for years.

So, here's a framework for thinking through whether a new communications channel is actually worth it. Use it before you commit.

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Upcoming Workshops

Tomorrow! Expert-led Workshop Tomorrow!

Small Changes, Big Impact: Refreshing Your Church Website

Tuesday, June 9 | 10:00 AM PT / 11:00 AM MT / 12:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM ET

Learn practical, high‑impact ways to make your church website more welcoming in hours—not months. Designed for clergy, vestries, communicators, and volunteers, this session walks you through quick wins: clarifying your homepage message, surfacing service times and a strong call-to-action, writing plainly for newcomers, cleaning out clutter, and applying simple design and accessibility tweaks. You’ll leave with a clear 1‑hour refresh plan, examples you can copy, and immediate steps you can implement this week to help visitors find their way in.

Led by Kendall Martin, Strategic Communications Consultant

Remember to register in order to receive the recording of this expert-led workshop!

Church Collaboration Cafe

Summer Slowdown, Fall Ramp-up

Wednesday, June 10 | 10:00 AM PT / 11:00 AM MT / 12:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM ET

June can be one of the best times to pause, evaluate, and prepare before the busy fall season arrives. How are you using the quieter rhythms of summer to clean up systems, refresh your website, organize calendars, update forms, plan major events, or rethink communications workflows? Join us for a collaborative conversation about working smarter now so that September doesn’t arrive in full chaos mode.

Facilitated by Mike Orr, Canon for Communications and Evangelism, the Episcopal Church in Colorado.

Realm User Group

June 17 (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

Join Here

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.

Espresso Yourself: A Creative Prompt

How did you end up doing this work? Not the resume version — the real version. Write 3–5 sentences about the moment (or the series of small moments) that landed you here. Bonus points if it surprises you when you read it back.

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Refill & Rest: Self-Care Corner

Something worth remembering on a Monday: The people in your congregation are not just recipients of your work. They are also a community you get to belong to. Let yourself be ministered to this week, not just the one doing the ministering.

CaffeinatedChurch.org