Good communication is critical to making a significant change take root within a church, especially in a faith community. Most pastors and church leaders understand this, but it’s often difficult to execute well. Gaining understanding and commitment to a new vision or direction within a church is both an intellectual and emotional journey. It challenges people, and as a result, church leaders often under-communicate or send inconsistent messages about the change, both of which can halt spiritual transformation efforts.

Many churches fail to communicate their vision for change as effectively as they should, often by a factor of 10. A single sermon announcing a major shift in the church’s direction is never enough, nor is a series of speeches or announcements from the senior pastor and leadership team. To understand how easily the vision for change can be lost in the noise of day-to-day church life, consider this:

The total amount of communication going to church members over three months: thousands of words or messages through various channels (sermons, bulletins, emails, etc.).

Typical communication about the change over a period of three months (the equivalent of one 30-minute sermon, a few meetings, one newsletter article, and a short group discussion) = a fraction of that total word count.

This means that the change vision has only captured a small percentage of the communication landscape.

How can you avoid this? First and most importantly, church leaders – especially pastors and senior leadership – need to “walk the talk” and become living examples of the vision they are calling the congregation to embrace. Nothing undermines communication efforts more than inconsistent actions by leadership, and nothing speaks as powerfully as a leader who backs up their words with behavior. When the entire leadership team begins to live out the vision they are preaching, it sends a powerful message to the congregation. These actions inspire trust, motivate the church body, and diminish doubts.

On a practical level, the vision for change must be communicated in every part of church life—through each sermon, Bible study, meeting, email, and conversation. The vision must be referred to consistently, not only from the pulpit but also in emails, church bulletins, ministry meetings, and group discussions. Keep these key elements in mind as you communicate about the change:

1. Keep your messages simple and jargon-free

2. Use metaphors and analogies to paint a vivid picture for members

3. Repeat, repeat, repeat – ideas only sink in after they’re heard many times

4. Explain people’s questions – if you don’t, it undermines credibility

5. Allow for constant feedback