news article
Changes in how we share our story
February 4, 2019 / By Stephen J. Hustedt / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
How we communicate as a society seems to evolve daily. While it may seem very distant now, the time when the only way to reach members of our churches was to mail them a print newsletter was not all that long ago, and there are still plenty of people that prefer that form of communication. There are also many people who would prefer their information to just show up as a notification on their smart devices. In order to best share our story with as many people as possible, it is the job of the communicator to find the balance.
To that end Upper New York Conference Communications has continually evolved over the last five years or so. Examples include, introducing new elements like the Bridge and the Weekly Digest, changing the audience and the format for the Advocate, more fully embracing social media, and putting the resources necessary into video ministry to make that platform more impactful. In that spirit, Conference Communications will be making an adjustment once again.
In the past, the Advocate has been the tool that focuses on taking people who are new to our churches or new to leadership deeper into what it means to be United Methodist. Each issue of the Advocate has a particular theme that explores our life together as United Methodists through inspiring stories, resources, and information. However, we know that a lot of people would prefer to get that information in a format that is better suited to their smart device.
Moving forward, Conference Communications will explore topics that might have previously been explored in an issue of the Advocate in a new format called “Focus On.” QR codes and quick links will be made available to local churches to make access as easy as possible, and the new format will allow for better integration with other forms of electronic media.
There will be some cost savings involved in this move, as there will now only be two issues of the Advocate per year now, but ultimately this change comes from trying to continue to be forward thinking.
The hope is that by being proactive, we can continue to be in the forefront of increasing the capacity of local church leaders to make Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Additional information about how Upper New York Conference Communications is leading the way in telling our story will be available in the Communications Report in Vol. I of the Journal later this year.