Communication Habits Outside The Pulpit

I’ve written a few posts over at chucklawless.com in recent weeks; grateful to Chuck for his inviting me to provide a few “Thursdays With Todd” on his terrific site. This post is similar in format.

While preaching is arguably the greatest concern of weekly ministry, much of the preacher’s communication will occur outside of the pulpit when he interacts with individuals during the week. Aside from in-person meetings, the preacher will be communicating through phone calls, email, and other forms of media. How he uses these tools could make or break his ministry. Here then are 5 healthy habits to develop when communicating outside of the pulpit:

1) Share How You Can Be Reached

We honor people when we tell them the best way to contact us. It shows we are approachable and that we’re interested in hearing from them. Whatever your preferred tool for communicating, make it known. Redirecting someone to your preferred method can be done simply and tactfully: e.g., “Hey, John! Great to hear from you. I’m rarely on Facebook, so please email me (or, call me, etc.) and I’ll be sure to follow up.”

2) Return Every Message

No matter how you’re contacted, be sure to return every message. It’s a common courtesy. Support staff and volunteers may help filter out unwanted sales calls and impersonal inquiries, but those messages that come directly to us from members, attenders, colleagues, and acquaintances should be returned in a timely manner.

3) Answer Email Within 24 Hours

Some may disagree here and that’s okay (see habit #5), but don’t underestimate the need for timely responses to email. In a world where most organizations use email as their preferred method of communication1, user expectations have grown exponentially.

Your recent online transaction likely resulted in your receiving at least one email thanking you for your order and another containing shipping information–all within a matter of minutes. Those who contact us by email are conditioned to expect similar results. Most members know we’re busy, but they likely expect we’ll return their email within 24 hours. We show we care even when we briefly respond: “Hey, I got your email and I’ll get back to you soon.”

4) Remember Nonverbal Cues Are Missing

Because we cannot observe body language in a call, text, or email, we may miss nonverbal signals that aid communication. Without these signals, messages can be interpreted incorrectly. We may read a tersely worded email, for example, and believe the sender was upset when he or she was just fine. While we won’t always interpret the messages of others correctly, we can work for clarity in our own communications.

5) Don’t Expect Others To Share Your Habits

Pastors are responsible to some degree for the communication habits of those under their supervision. Beyond staff, however, we cannot expect others to communicate as we do. Communication habits differ from person to person and we are wise to extend grace to those whose habits are not our own.

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