As important as it is to make sure you’re communicating effectively and inspirationally from the pulpit, there are more areas of communication that also need your attention if you want your church to make an impact in your community. In the digital age we live in, there are so many ways we can communicate beyond Sunday morning. We can communicate using social media. We can communicate through our website. We can communicate at volunteer events. We can communicate in staff meetings. The possibilities are endless.

That being said, it’s important that you do your homework to make sure all of your communication strategies are top-notch. So to help you out, here are a few books to get you started with your research.

1. PR Matters: A Survival Guide For Church Communicators

Is your church prepared to handle a crisis well? Do you have a plan in place for how to deal with negative comments on social media? Are you afraid to try new communications methods? In PR Matters, Justin Dean provides practical advice on how to communicate the gospel well and reach more people in a world that wants Christians to be bland.

2. The Come Back Effect: How Hospitality Can Compel Your Church's Guests to Return

The key to growth as a church, youth ministry, or business is getting first-time guests to come back. And as any good manager of a hotel, a store, a restaurant, or an attraction knows, the key to getting guests to come back is not actually the rooms or the product or the food itself; it's how guests feel when they're there. It's about hospitality. No matter how much effort and time we spend on excellence--stirring worship time, inspiring sermons, a good coffee blend in the foyer--what our guests really want when they come to our churches is to feel welcome, comfortable, and understood.

3. Church Marketing 101: Preparing Your Church for Greater Growth

Over 90 percent of all Christian churches in the United States have fewer than 200 members. While they vary in shape, size, ethnicity, and denomination, they have one thing in common: the desire to grow. So why is it that some churches fail to grow for years, while other congregations in the same community increase exponentially? The problem, says church marketing authority Richard Reising, is that most churches should not be doing promotion. Instead, they should focus on the preparation that will make members eager to invite others. In ChurchMarketing 101®, he demystifies basic marketing principles for the church, evaluates them against biblical principles, and illustrates how simple changes can remove roadblocks that hinder members from reaching out. Reising's simple yet insightful approach will be invaluable to pastors and ministry leaders from churches of all denominations and styles.

4. Streamline: How To Create Healthy Church Systems

You are confident of your calling. You are leading a church with an important mission. You’ve got a carefully worded vision statement, a set of core values, and leaders who say they want to make it happen.But does it feel like you’re not making any real progress? Does it feel like you’re stuck solving the same problems over and over again? Does it seem that you’re always talking about potential, or tomorrow, or after the next hire? After twenty years in ministry, I’ve learned that passion isn’t enough. You can have a clear mission, but without organization you won’t get everyone moving in the right direction. You can preach the vision, but if you don’t have a clear path ready for people, your vision talk will be just talk. I bet you don’t have a mission problem, or a facility problem, or even a volunteer problem. I know it’s trendy to talk multi-site, and popular to run a 40-day campaign. New service times, new programs, and new websites are like candy that capture attention in the checkout aisle. But it’s likely these aren’t the issues holding you back. You can start new services and hire a branding company to create a new website, and in three years from now, you’ll likely be in the same place. That’s because you’re knee-deep in a system problem. Streamline will help you create and implement healthy systems across all the departments in your church. You'll create alignment with your team and build focus into your ministries. You'll know what's working and why. Each short chapter focuses on one system you can create or improve. You'll walk away with actionable ideas ready to execute. Streamline will help you organize your church around the important mission.