Alot of my work is for churches and other religious organizations.
With that in mind, I’d like to read the newly released Outspoken: Conversations on Church Communication. It’s by Tim Schraeder, and it’s put out by the Center for Church Communication, the same people who do the blog Church Marketing Sucks.
I don’t know much about the book, but at a mere $10.07 from Amazon, I figure it’s worth checking out. (It’s also available to order at Tribeca, in Watertown, WI).
Cost aside, the real reason I’m buying Outspoken is because its promoters have sparked my interest. They’ve creatively marketed their product and let me, their audience, know they’re sharing the collective wisdom of 60 church communication experts. Not only that, they’ve also provided free banners so I can promote their product as well. How smart is that!
So, if this book has done such a good job communicating its message, I’m guessing it will have helpful ideas for churches to communicate theirs—the greatest message of all, that of God’s love.
I’m reading Outspoken right now. The content is great. There’s a lot there to convince churches to improve their communication and also how to improve it.
On the other hand (sorry to be a partypooper), I’m a bit disappointed in the book’s presentation. Ironic, or hypocritical, considering the subject of the book. It tells churches “presentation is everything” and “don’t settle for what’s quick, convenient or affordable,” yet they used a self-publishing and printing company to produce the book. It shows.
My first thought when opening the book was disappointment. I almost said screw this, I’m not plowing through this book. The ink is poor and text is running too close to the edge. This may all seem cosmetic, but in reality it enables the readability of the content, which in this case is quite difficult.
Like I said, the message is great (hey, that sounds familiar). So great, it deserves a better presentation. Next printing, go professional.