Over the past twenty years or so the church has seen some welcomed changes in its attempt to be relevant and current in today’s world. Churches are finally able to hire trained staff to help produce quality music, dramas, videos and more for their worship services. They hire trained teachers and leaders to head up the various ministries throughout the church. We have come a long way.

Where the church has struggled in recent years is in the area of web design, publications and graphics. We have graduated to using high dollar video projectors only to project text with solid colored backgrounds. We have tens of thousands of dollars in copy equipment only to put out clipart with text. We have great web addresses that lead to web sites that don’t do our churches justice for who we really are. For years we have had to settle for less because we were unable to afford his priced professional staff to do the work in these areas. For people like me this has been a frustrating road. No money to get it done right.

For those of you that suffer as we do in this area, there is hope. The hope lies in a growing trend that many churches are welcoming with open arms. The hope is that churches will embrace this opportunity to create a better representation of who they are and who they stand for.

Contracting or “farming out” has been used in the business world for years. Web designers use graphic artist to create graphics for their sites. A general contractor will hire out several sub contractors to build anything from homes to airplanes. There are hundreds of examples of companies that practice, with great success, this principle of contracting or “farming out”. It makes great business sense!

The church today that will become more effective in the area of communication and promotion will be the ones who effectively employ the technique of contracting. Because most churches can’t afford a full-time publications person responsible for web sites, brochures, graphics and more, they tend to produce less than what they would like to produce. To get a qualified person to come in and fill this position would be very expensive…not to mention the fact that the high cost of benefits continues to shoot through the roof. To do this job correctly would probably take more than one person. Is there hope for 90% of the churches in our country?

The answer is yes! There are many Christian companies that provide services to meet your needs in every area of your visual/promotional ministries. Most of them are specialists who focus on one specific area such as web or graphic design. If you are looking to increase the quality of your churches appearance to those you are trying to reach for Christ, you may want to consider going this route. Churches across the country are realizing the value and stewardship of contracting. Plus, you get a professional product without the costs of a high dollar full-time staff person.

In the next month or two we will be introducing you to a company that does it all. They provide everything from web design, graphics, publications, music production, brochures, logos, charts and much, much more. If it is creative, they can do it. If you would like more info on how your church can benefit from these Christian companies, please send your request to steve@experiencingworship.com