How to Make Church Announcements Better

By Alan Luckow – at www.freeimages.com

Announcements are legendary in churches.  You know the period of time where a man gets up and tries to share some important news for the whole church, which seems easy enough, but it is known for all types of mistakes.  The number one complaint about announcements  is that they take too long.  A second notorious quality of announcements are their mistakes, bumbling, and misinformation.  What might surprise you is that I find announcements harder to deliver than a sermon.  They are not easy, but they are important.

Here are some suggestions to make announcements more effective at your congregation.

1. Do them at the end of services, not the beginning.  This is my opinion, but it seems to help the energy level of worship if you begin with a brief welcome and get on to worship.  Some churches can spend 5-10 minutes making announcements and it is like the song leader has a big job ahead just getting everyone focused and enthused again.  If you do them at the end of services it helps people remember the meeting they are supposed to attend.
2. Use all available means to share information without verbally saying announcements.  Most churches can use their print bulletin and powerpoint slide show before services to disseminate information.  We email out our bulletin each Friday and make it available in print form at worship.  We can also send emails and texts to the congregation.  Have a bulletin board or volunteer station where people can visit for more information on a subject.
3.  Have a prepared announcement sheet for the presenter to use.  It expedients the announcements and helps the presenter stay focused when he has a sheet prepared by the office with the announcements that need to be read.  This helps keep them short, because there are guidelines set for what can make it on these announcements.  We try to only announce things that are happening or need attention this week.  We do not read or go through a prayer list, since that is listed in the bulletin.  Only needed updates or key events happening soon are allowed.
4. Use the same person to do announcements every week.  I know this goes against the tradition of many churches, but it really helps.  It allows everyone to know who makes announcements so if they have a pressing issue they can see him.  He can know the elders guidelines and wishes on what needs or should be announcements.  You don’t want to be in situations where just anything can be announced, because if it is not approved by the elders, then you have to find a way to correct the mistake.  Find one man who does well, is not wordy and is able to speak clearly and concisely.
5. Try to keep the announcement time to one person.  Nothing takes the air out of a crowd like a parade of people getting up to make their special announcement.  There is a time and place for special announcements, but it should be rare!
6. Preachers should not use their sermon time for announcements.  If you are a preacher, don’t start every week with announcements for events.  The time at the start of the sermon can be the most effective time to make an announcement, but it should be rarely used.  The preacher’s job is to preach and use that time to capture his audience’s attention for his sermon.

What suggestions would you make for making announcements more effective at our congregations?