Communication is Key

It's interesting being on the other side.

I've been in church work for over 15 years. For most of that time I have serve in some capacity on staff, on the inside if you will. Today I found myself on the outside.

One of my kids has been hounded me about a certain activity they'd like to do. I've been hestitant because I wanted them to be a bit older, but they have been persistent. Our church doesn't offer this particular activity but I heard of a neighborhing church who does. Not knowing the church all that well, I did what any regular Joe would do: I checked out their website.

Lame. Nothing there about the activity so I called. I got a great receptionist who directed me to the right person and she told me the day and time of the sign ups. I looked on my calendar this morning and today is the day. I cut my nap short this afternoon, made arrangements and altared some other things to be there on time. I walked in to sign up and found out that his age group has been postponed and more than likely postponed indefinitely. No notification on the web, no phone call, nothing.

In the enormity of life, this really isn't a big deal. We'll figure it out and our lives will definitely go on. However, for the first time in a long time, I wasn't on the inside of communication and I felt helpless and frustrated. As staff we often don't think about how our miscommunication or lack of communication effects those on the outside. I walked out this afternoon thinking if I really was a regular Joe, their lack of communication left a bad taste in my mouth....they might have lost the right to minister to me and my family.

Communication is key. The church must do an excellent job at clearly communicating the X's and O's of our activities, philosophyies, and overall the gospel. I'm on the inside and knowledgeable about what's happening, but today I got a glimpse of how it is on the outside of communication. I renews my vision to communicate clearly so that I can win the right to minister to students and families.