American Baptist Churches of the Great Rivers Region

1. The relational characteristics are the sources of satisfaction in a congregation.
2. The functional characteristics, if they are in place, are the sources of dissatisfaction in a congregation.
3. There is no correlation between the two.

Note: Kennon Callahan returns to the GRR in November of 2004. He will be leading 2 sessions on "The Effective Small Church." One will be held in Mount Vernon; the other in Bloomington/Normal.

There was a time when calling someone on the phone, even over a great distance, to express condolences was considered a rude insult. However, as our culture came to use the telephone more and more, that same way of communicating with the bereaved gained acceptance.

I do not know if e-mail for such a purpose has gained acceptance yet; but, it will.  I do know that e-mails of encouragement that I have sent out to pastors have been appreciatively described as "like receiving a card or note of encouragement."

I would recommend that each church and pastor consider the use of this tool. Use your internet connection; if you do not yet have one, get connected.

There are two cautions to this, however. The first is pastoral; the second deals with technology.

The pastoral concern centers on how the e-mail will be received. If the person being e-mailed has not come to the point of perceiving this as personally authentic, then use a note and a first class stamp until this type of communication becomes more mainstream. There will be a progression of acceptance. E-mail will first be accepted as personal FYI notes (information), then encouragement, only lastly very serious communications.

If the person is open to using e-mail in this way, use it, but be careful in specifics. Remember, e-mail could be intercepted. Your e-mail is not secure unless you have taken steps for making it secure. Most of us have not.

Churches have used e-mail to get the word out of needed prayer for people's health. Permission must be given for this, especially if you are sending out a "mass" e-mailing.

If you are sending to multiple recipients, use the BCC: option. This will hide the email addresses of the other recipients. Some persons have asked that we be more careful so as to lessen the chance of their becoming listed in a "spam" list.

Other churches have used e-mail to send electronic newsletters (best in Acrobat PDF format). This saves paper and publishing costs.

There are many uses for e-mail as a tool of ministry in addition to ad-ministry. Let me know how you use it. Contact me at revrick4@insightbb.com

See also: Tips for Writing E-Mail and E-Mail for the Church

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