** This week I continue my missions Top 10 of how to set yourself up for success while on the field. Obviously this is not comprehensive, but should serve as a good guideline to help every missionary thrive both personally and with their ministry.
Number 8 – Communication
I grew up playing team sports. As you get older, the stakes and the competition in sports are greater. Hopefully, so is the coaching and the training. Any good coach will tell you that great communication is a foundational key to victory. Whether on the basketball court of football field, a good coach will tell you that each player needs to be communicating and listening to make sure that everyone is lined up correctly to best execute the play. The team that communicates the best is typically the team that executes the best and if you execute the best, then you will probably have a good shot at winning the game. If you play the game, you might as well win the game, so learning to communicate well is paramount.
When you look at society today it’s easy to understand that communication takes front and center stage. Everyone communicates, but not everyone communicates well. With communication being such a vast topic, the efforts of this article will go towards helping missionaries communicate well with their network of people. We all know that missionaries live on financial support. The norm is that most missionaries support comes from within their network of friendships and partnerships. This means that communication within this realm is imperative. After all, most donors want to give to someone of something that they understand, believe in and feel is important. Good communication helps donors to see clearly and have assurance and certainty to where their money is going.
Below I look at 4 mediums in which missionaries should be using for communication. With each of these there is a common formula I feel that should be used.
* Consistency + Clarity + Honesty = Effectivity.
You will have to decide what is appropriate in each of those areas for you. It will vary depending on a number of different variables. The point is to stick to the formula and as a result, I think you will find communication will be working in your favor!
First Medium – Phone/Text/Skype
In everyones network there will be a group of people i.e. family, close friends etc, that really want to see your face and hear your voice. Typically these people are who give the most to you and potentially pray for you with great consistency. Being a great missionary starts with these people. Give them your very best! Follow the above formula and make these people a priority!
Second Medium – Social Media
You might hate it or you might love it, but stats show that most of the world uses it. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc, all make up the social media market. This is a great place to connect with those who are not necessarily in your tight inner circle, but you still want them to know what’s happening in your life and ministry. It’s here where you want to attract old co-workers, college buddies, high school friends etc, to your mission. In the realm of social media think branding. Let everything done on these social media mediums paint a clear picture of who you are, your vision, your mission and how people can be a part of it. ** Obviously social media is for other things as well like cute pics of your kids, favorite movies, books etc. I’m simply saying that there NEEDS to be communication about your mission and it needs to be done with the above formula.
Third Medium – Professional Email (Mail Chimp, IContact, Constant Contact etc.)
Email can now be done in a very attractive way. Gone are the days of plain text newsletter. The above mentioned online email sites can help bring your words to life with modern design, color, images, video etc. Using one of these programs is where everyone of your newsletters should be created and sent out from. Most of them are user friendly and free. They also have analytics available and ways to create and manage lists of subscribers. This is not a choice. Ha!! You must use one of these online programs. Let email work for you, not against you.
Fourth Medium – In Person
Nothing goes as far as seeing someone in person. Try to make it a point each year or every other year to go back and visit every person in your network, including churches. Prioritize this financially and make it happen. I have seen tremendous benefits and success for the missionaries that block out a month every year to come home and reconnect and establish new partnerships.
When you utilize the formula above in these various mediums, you set yourself up for success. Not for the sake of success, but for the sake of the Kingdom. If God has called you to something, then surely He has a plan for providing for it. We must do our part though and one of the greatest things we can do is be a great communicator!
Marvin Slaton – Modern Day Director
