When you engage in public relations as a non-profit organization, every move must be strategic and thoughtful. The road to visibility can be long and arduous, and there is nothing more important than your integrity and your reputation. For more than three decades, we have been providing counsel and service to organizations and public figures in the Christian and non-profit sectors. We’ll unfold ten things we’ve learned.
Tip #6 Tell Stories
People will best remember your message if you illustrate it with a story. Whenever possible, tell a story. When I worked with Chuck Colson, I was continually reminded of this principle. When a reporter asked if there were inmates too tough and too bad to be reached with the Gospel, Chuck told the story of a hardened prisoner who had had his nose bitten off in fight and had later come to faith in Christ; he had become a strong leader in the prison church and a tremendous Christian witness. I’ve never forgotten that story and the image of a tough, noseless inmate ministering inside prison walls.
Jesus, of course, told stories—which we call parables—to vividly illustrate the principles of the Kingdom of God. It has that highest recommendation. And it is time tested recommendation.
Look for opportunities to tell your story--your message--in stories. The only thing people will remember longer is a good joke (but don’t try that; most of us should never rely on humor to make our points).
--Jim Jewell
29 Ocak 2010 Cuma
Rich Cizik Re-emerges with New Partnership for the Common Good
Here's a piece from Newsweek on Obama and the religious moderates (these are really the evangelical liberals).
Watching two good men, Rich Cizik and David Gushee, and their just-announced New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good.
The article reads:
Watching two good men, Rich Cizik and David Gushee, and their just-announced New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good.
The article reads:
Richard Cizik, the erstwhile lobbyist for the National Association of Evangelicals, has just emerged from hiding after being fired for telling NPR's Terry Gross that he voted for Obama in the primary and supported civil unions. Now, together with David Gushee, an evangelical theologian who has written against torture, Cizik has founded the New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good, which aims to redefine the Christian agenda. Cizik first met Obama at a June 2008 meeting with evangelical leaders. "I came away exceedingly impressed. But that person, the person I first heard articulate his values—I don't think it's come through as it ought."
Public Relations in the Age of the Sound Bite
PR tips: "[Don't use 'bizspeak' in interviews]. Rightsize your paradigm-shifting, outside-the-box thinking on your owntime. Unless you're talking to a trade magazine or some kind of technical publication, stay away from any type of BizSpeak. Take into consideration what the article is about and what the media outlet's audience is and you can figure out whether talking in technical language is appropriate."
Fuller Center for Housing to Build in Haiti
Delighted to see the experienced folks at the Fuller Center for Housing setting up to build low-cost houses in Haiti.
The Fuller Center is teaming up with Lazarian World Homes to build earthquake-, fire-and hurricane-resistant homes made of rebar, concrete and styrofoam blocks. One 16'x16' home is $3000.
Building a quality, low-cost house is a good way to jump into the Haiti crisis.
The Fuller Center is teaming up with Lazarian World Homes to build earthquake-, fire-and hurricane-resistant homes made of rebar, concrete and styrofoam blocks. One 16'x16' home is $3000.
Building a quality, low-cost house is a good way to jump into the Haiti crisis.
28 Ocak 2010 Perşembe
Leaders of the Evangelical Generation: #4 Ted W. Engstrom
[I am working on a project that may become a book on the most influential evangelicals leaders of our generation, since 1976, and the impact they've had on the church and their times. I will introduce them briefly on this blog from time to time.]
# 4 Ted W. Engstrom. Executive Leadership 1916-2006
The strength and breadth of today’s evangelical movement—the evangelical part of the Christian church—is due in large part to the foundations started in the 1950s and built over the last generation. Among these foundations are the organizations, associations, and businesses that many call the para-church. These groups, focused on a specific part of the church’s overall work, complemented the ministry of the churches, but they also clearly transcended the churches in public perception and effectiveness on many tasks. This may be because of their focus, the attractiveness of these endeavors to entrepreneurs and their ability to attract expertise, absence of geographic boundaries, and the ability to raise funds in new ways.
This growing wing of the church was led by a new crop of individuals who at first came from the churches—pastors who had a calling to pursue a specific area of ministry, such as international relief, child evangelism, or radio programming—and over time included more and more management professionals who moved from their secular jobs to lead these Christian organizations.
[As the new para-church flank developed over the last generation, many church insiders—pastors, church staff, denominational executives—naturally began to resent the higher profile of these groups, and especially their ability to raise large budgets, even as individual churches struggled to build a new children’s wing or put in a new furnace.]
One of the early giants was Ted W. Engstrom, a large kindly man with round edges and a hitch in his step who led through spiritual infusion, seasoned wisdom, and a steady hand.
For more than half a century, Engstrom’s colleagues became accustomed to his frequent correspondence (signed with his initials, TWE), which graced the management logs of three of the early giants of the para-church. Engstrom, who graduated from Taylor University, was editorial director and general manager of Zondervan Publishing House, and became president of Youth for Christ International (where some of the crusades featured a young evangelist named Graham) before joining World Vision International in 1963. It was his leadership at these organizations, and then his role as a mentor for scores of up-and-coming executives in the Christian world, that provided a steady hand to the rudder of the growing evangelical movement.
Engstrom’s management advice could apply to many situations we face today: He said:
I worked at World Vision during Engstrom’s years as Executive Vice President, and I was his ghost writer for many internal and some external communications. During this years, Engstrom emphasized three things above all:
Evangelism: While many of the projects of groups such as World Vision concentrated on practical problems, Engstrom continued to drive for an evangelistic element in every program.
Time Management: he led Managing Your Time seminars for many years with World Vision colleague Ed Dayton.
Generosity: His motto—“We are in business to give ourselves away.” He recognized that groups such as World Vision were becoming centers of not only funds but also expertise, and he demonstrated his commitment to sharing this with others in the church.
The Christian Leadership Alliance established the Engstrom Institute as a home for their executive leadership training and resources. CLA says that Engstrom “is recognized for making one key contribution to 20th century American evangelical culture: introducing standard business practices and management principles to churches and other faith-based institutions. These often went awry because they paid too little attention to the bottom line."
The evangelical firmament has relied not only by the brightest stars, but also the gravity that held the constellations together. Ted Engstrom had that gravity—the para-church was his platform and an emerging force in the focused activity of the American church.
Jim Jewell
# 4 Ted W. Engstrom. Executive Leadership 1916-2006
The strength and breadth of today’s evangelical movement—the evangelical part of the Christian church—is due in large part to the foundations started in the 1950s and built over the last generation. Among these foundations are the organizations, associations, and businesses that many call the para-church. These groups, focused on a specific part of the church’s overall work, complemented the ministry of the churches, but they also clearly transcended the churches in public perception and effectiveness on many tasks. This may be because of their focus, the attractiveness of these endeavors to entrepreneurs and their ability to attract expertise, absence of geographic boundaries, and the ability to raise funds in new ways.
This growing wing of the church was led by a new crop of individuals who at first came from the churches—pastors who had a calling to pursue a specific area of ministry, such as international relief, child evangelism, or radio programming—and over time included more and more management professionals who moved from their secular jobs to lead these Christian organizations.
[As the new para-church flank developed over the last generation, many church insiders—pastors, church staff, denominational executives—naturally began to resent the higher profile of these groups, and especially their ability to raise large budgets, even as individual churches struggled to build a new children’s wing or put in a new furnace.]
One of the early giants was Ted W. Engstrom, a large kindly man with round edges and a hitch in his step who led through spiritual infusion, seasoned wisdom, and a steady hand.
For more than half a century, Engstrom’s colleagues became accustomed to his frequent correspondence (signed with his initials, TWE), which graced the management logs of three of the early giants of the para-church. Engstrom, who graduated from Taylor University, was editorial director and general manager of Zondervan Publishing House, and became president of Youth for Christ International (where some of the crusades featured a young evangelist named Graham) before joining World Vision International in 1963. It was his leadership at these organizations, and then his role as a mentor for scores of up-and-coming executives in the Christian world, that provided a steady hand to the rudder of the growing evangelical movement.
Engstrom’s management advice could apply to many situations we face today: He said:
“We terribly overestimate what we can do in one year and underestimate what we can do in five. Start by realizing that you can't get out of this mess in one year. But you can lay a foundation that can get you out of this mess in three or five years. By planning now, you can get some control over your time.”
I worked at World Vision during Engstrom’s years as Executive Vice President, and I was his ghost writer for many internal and some external communications. During this years, Engstrom emphasized three things above all:
Evangelism: While many of the projects of groups such as World Vision concentrated on practical problems, Engstrom continued to drive for an evangelistic element in every program.
Time Management: he led Managing Your Time seminars for many years with World Vision colleague Ed Dayton.
Generosity: His motto—“We are in business to give ourselves away.” He recognized that groups such as World Vision were becoming centers of not only funds but also expertise, and he demonstrated his commitment to sharing this with others in the church.
The Christian Leadership Alliance established the Engstrom Institute as a home for their executive leadership training and resources. CLA says that Engstrom “is recognized for making one key contribution to 20th century American evangelical culture: introducing standard business practices and management principles to churches and other faith-based institutions. These often went awry because they paid too little attention to the bottom line."
The evangelical firmament has relied not only by the brightest stars, but also the gravity that held the constellations together. Ted Engstrom had that gravity—the para-church was his platform and an emerging force in the focused activity of the American church.
Jim Jewell
27 Ocak 2010 Çarşamba
New Urbanism: Addressing a Great Threat to Health and Justice
Check out this video from our friends Chris Elisara and John Paget; their award winning piece on The New Urbanism that received top honors from from the Congress for New Urbanism.
More on this from Rusty Pritchard. He writes:
More on this from Rusty Pritchard. He writes:
The effect of the built environment on our bodies is not just felt through violent encounters with cars. Because we have created so many unwalkable, unlivable communities, Americans of all ages have grown heavier by degrees in the last 40 years. We are trained by the diet and exercise industries to think of the obesity epidemic as the result of individual gluttony or sloth, or to excuse it as a genetic predisposition. But America’s obesity problem will not be cured by diet or gym membership: the real problem is a lack of healthy environments that promote routine physical activity—walking as a way of life.
Gendercide in China Decimated Female Population
The horrendous one-child policy and the aborting of girls has resulted in an massive imbalance., according to the Washington Times.
In China, "an entire nation of women" is missing because they were aborted before they were born, said Reggie Littlejohn, founder of Women's Rights Without Frontiers, a nonprofit anti-sex slavery group. "This is gendercide."
Kaydol:
Kayıtlar (Atom)