Archived Meetings

Tuesday, September 24, 2024: Communicating Church Programs, Events, & Activities
Do you have a process where church staff and volunteers can submit their programs, events, and activities for promotion? Do you have defined places where these goings-on are promoted like a newsletter, bulletin, on bulletin boards, etc? How do you prioritize big events vs little events, or do you? Do you promote them chronologically? When you’ve already printed the bulletin that week and a volunteer wants to ‘slip in’ a bulletin insert, do you let them? Let’s talk! Let’s strategize! Let’s commiserate the issues we all experience together! This administrator’s virtual cafe is facilitated by Canon Mike Orr, the Episcopal Church in Colorado. Video

Tuesday, December 5: A New Frontier of Church Vitality: Church Attendance Tracking & Reporting in the Digital Age
A generation ago, few could have imagined how technology would impact how we follow Jesus. Nearly every institution and aspect of our society has been altered by technology, including the Church. The internet has allowed the Church’s mission field to be limited only by the imagination and resources of a congregation. As churches have leveraged technology in providing online worship, formation, and connection opportunities, and many have grown their overall participation because of these digital offerings, we recognize the importance of online participation being regarded equally to in-person participation. All people matter and count, especially those who are unable to physically walk through the doors of a brick-and-mortar building. As we, the Church, seek better to understand our reach and impact in the world, we must re-evaluate how we count membership and how we collect data that measures participation, engagement, and commitment, inclusive of not only our in-person worshipers but also our new-found online communities of worshipers. This workshop time will engage our questions as we face this new frontier of church vitality and will be facilitated by the Rev. Matt Holcombe, Rector of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Video | Slides | Handout 1 | Handout 2

Wednesday, November 8: Volunteer Engagement
The lifeblood of any thriving church community often lies in the commitment and passion of its volunteers. From Sunday services to community outreach programs, volunteers play an essential role in the successful operation and growth of a church. However, recruiting, training, and retaining these valuable individuals can be a challenging task that requires a strategic approach. This virtual cafe is a time where we can talk about tools and insights to build a robust volunteer program. Worksheet

Wednesday, October 25, 2023: Event Planning from A to Z
Join us for an engaging session tailored for church administrators, event planners, staff, and volunteers at the Administrator's Cafe. Dive deep into the essentials of planning successful church events as we collaboratively build a comprehensive checklist. Explore ways to optimize your budget, effectively distribute tasks among staff and volunteers, and craft impactful event calendars. Exchange valuable tips on sourcing quality resources, from the right decor to cutting-edge technology. Benefit from shared experiences on strategies that balance logistics, resonate with diverse audiences, and achieve church goals. Don't let this chance to enhance your event-planning expertise pass you by!
Video | Church Event Planning Checklist

Tuesday, September 26, 2023: Creating & Using Program Evaluations for Effective Church Communications
Do you want your church's communications efforts to resonate more powerfully with your congregation and community? Understanding the impact of your communication initiatives is paramount. This peer conversation and workshop is your compass to crafting impactful strategies that are grounded in data-driven insights. We will: Learn how evaluations can help measure success, identify opportunities, make informed decisions, and fostering a culture of adaptability. Start to craft evaluation metrics that resonate with your communications and marketing objectives. From engagement rates to audience demographics, delve into the key performance indicators that matter. Come prepared to share the tools and methods you’ve had success with for gathering data, including surveys, analytics platforms, and social media insights. Understand how to harness data effectively for a holistic understanding. Practice analyzing and interpreting data for communication messages and strategy. Participate in an open discussion with fellow communicators and administrators: By harnessing the power of program evaluations, you'll be equipped to create strategies that resonate, inspire, and engage, propelling your church's message to new horizons of impact. Video

Tuesday, August 15, 2023: Budget Breakthroughs
Join us for this interactive meeting as we delve into the key elements of robust church communications and administration budgets. Whether your church is thriving and experiencing growth or facing resource limitations, our time together will guide you through the essentials. Discover the must-haves that will propel your church forward, while distinguishing between wants and needs. Explore innovative strategies to optimize your budget, uncover potential cost savings, and foster creative resource-sharing opportunities. Together, let's navigate the realm of church finances and unleash the potential of your budget. Facilitated by Mike Orr, Canon for Communications and Evangelism for the Episcopal Church in Colorado. Video

Tuesday, July 18, 2023: eNewsletter Design
In our time together, we'll talk about our eNewsletter audiences, fundamentals of layout and design, content structuring and hierarchy, and maximizing readability and engagement. We'll hear from several people who will share their eNewsletters and we'll ask questions and be curious together. Facilitated by Mike Orr, Canon for Communications and Evangelism for the Episcopal Church in Colorado. Video

Wednesday, June 28, 2023: Working Smarter, Not Harder
In our time together, we will explore common productivity pitfalls and time-wasters in church administration. We’ll talk about practical strategies and tools for optimizing our work and improving our productivity, and applying the principles of working smarter, not harder, to our work through developing an action plan for implementation. Video | Slides

Wednesday, November 11, 2022: Liturgy
Administrators are often tasked with putting together the service bulletins and training resources are not widely available; from a sense of liturgy and ‘why we do what we do.’ This workshop geared for Episcopal, Lutheran, and Presbyterian church administrators will be led by three clergy members: the Rev. Reagan Humber, Pastor of House for All Sinners and Saints (ELCA), Denver; The Rev. Stephanie Kopsch, Interim Rector of Holy Comforter Episcopal Church in Broomfield, CO who is ELCA Lutheran, serving an Episcopal Church and attended Presbyterian Seminary; and the Rev. Joseph Wolyniak, Associate Rector of Christ Church, Denver. These clergy hosted an informal discussion on liturgy.
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Wednesday, September 9, 2022: Introductions and Learning What We Need
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