In college, I always tried to prioritize. I’d start by writing that excruciatingly long paper, then tackle the short, multiple choice quiz. Though I knew the paper would take a long time and the quiz wouldn’t happen until 3:00 a.m. when my brain power hit an all-time low, at least it was easier than writing! My plan got me through.
In the church office, work such as creating bulletins and newsletters will always take a while to complete. But you can still have a plan! We’ve compiled a list of six ideas to help you minimize those time-consuming tasks.
Update each deliverable once
If you receive multiple prayer requests a day but only send out or post the prayer list once a week, save the requests in a folder. Only update the prayer list once a week, right before you send it out.
Send out monthly reminders
Reminding volunteers of their service times can be a time-consuming task. Consider sending out reminders to volunteers monthly rather than weekly. This way, you’re doing a task 12 times instead of 52 times over the course of one year.
Send out monthly newsletters
Sure, creating a monthly newsletter will take much more time than putting together a weekly newsletter. But it probably won’t take take four times as long! Depending on how many changes occur each week, this change could be a huge time-saver for your church. Plus, sending out newsletters via email will save even more time . . . and money!
Be smart about creative writing and graphic design
For many people, being creative is fun. Selecting the right images for the bulletin cover or newsletter may be enjoyable tasks, but is it efficient? Invest your time in creating templates for all official communication from your church. This will save you hours in the future and create a standard look and feel for everything you send out.
Update the website yourself
Web design has come a long way in the past 15 years. With in-line editing features, updating websites can be as easy as writing an email. You’ll save a lot of time if you don’t have to rely on someone outside the church office to update your church website.
Evaluate your approval process
How does your church handle purchases? A requisition form with multiple signatures? Are all purchases made by one person? Many churches use a single church debit card everyone can use or they reimburse the staff who makes purchases on behalf of the church.
This blog post is an excerpt from our ebook “51 Ideas to Make Your Church Office Hum.” To read the full document, which includes more ways to increase productivity and efficiency in your church office, download our free ebook by clicking the button below!
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