Communicators - Resources
Communicators > Resources

Below are links to a wide variety of resources available to communicators. This list is never complete - so check back for new resources!

To suggest a resource, send an e-mail to .

General Communication
Electronic Communication
Content
Other

General Communication

• Effective Communication: A guide for congregations - This is an ongoing project of the ELCA to assist congregations

• Synod Communication Blog - A blog with all kinds of suggestions for improving congregation communication

• Synod Communicators' Minutes - Minutes from the synod communicators' meetings covering a wide variety of topics

• Religion Communicators Council - An interfaith association of religion communicators working in print and electronic communication, marketing and public relations

Electronic Communication

• ELCA Web Works - Resources for enhancing your Web ministry - a resource from the ELCA

• ChurchMarketingSucks.com - "The blog to frustrate, educate and motivate the church to communicate, with uncompromising clarity, the truth of Jesus Christ"

• Writing for the Web - Articles with tips for writing specifically for online readers

• www.webmonkey.com - Web design

• www.w3schools.com - Web design

• www.csszengarden.com - Specializing in CSS design

• www.alistapart.com - Web design

• www.joomla.org - Content management system (makes websites easier to maintain and dynamic without an outside developer)

• ConstantContact.com – Email marketing (e-news, etc.)

• Email.Exacttarget.com – Email marketing (e-news, etc.)

• FeedBurner.com – Blogs and podcast (audio and video)

• Wordpress.org – blogging

• Blogger.com - blogging

• Lutherans Online – Provides free services to Lutheran congregations including job listings and free web page
  hosting

• Church Web Advisor - A paid subscription to help you create a congregation web site. Contents include web site templates, stock photos, tips, code snippets, clip art, plus special reports on different ministries and how they can be incorporated into your web site

• Clickz.com – Internet marketing information

• Lyris.com Knowledge Center - Resources on e-mail marketing

• Pewforum.org – Forum on religion and public life.

• SurveyMonkey.com – Create and publish custom surveys

• Zoomerang.com – Online surveys

• MyWackoSpace.com - MySpace editor and resource

• FreeCodeSource.com - Lots of free stuff, including MySpace layouts and other features

• Whether and How to Use MySpace - An article on...well, it's pretty obvious

• iContact - Create, publish, and track e-mail newsletters, surveys, and RSS feeds

• The Blogging Church (by Brian Bailey and Terry Storch) - A book on, yes, blogging

• ProBlogger - A blog on blogging

• meebo - An instant messaging service that allows you to use various services through their one service

• FileHippo - A single resource for many free software downloads

Content

• ELCA Churchwide Resources ^PDF - Use these resources for content for your newsletters, resources for staff, and many other things

• Synod Resources ^PDF - Use these resources for content for your newsletters, resources for staff, and many other things

• The Newsletter Newsletter – A paid subscription with clip art, photos, bulletin covers, articles, kids stuff, and lots more for helping with bulletins and newsletters

• Church Secretary Today – This paid subscription includes a clip art gallery, children’s bulletins, a discussion board, a writing center, crossword puzzles, and more

• Church Web Advisor - A paid subscription to help you create a congregation web site. Contents include web site templates, stock photos, tips, code snippets, clip art, plus special reports on different ministries and how they can be incorporated into your web site

Other

• Consistent Computer Bargains for Non-Profits - A source for discount computer software

• Techsoup - A source for discount computer software; not designed to work with churches, so it can be a bit cumbersome, though the discounts are good

• Use Augsburg Fortress for fundraising - Create your church’s own Augsburg Fortress store with selected resources and earn a share of the profits

• Copyright basics – www.augsburgfortress.org/copyrights

• Search NSRV Bible online

• Luther Seminary’s Resource Guide – Get help finding a speaker for your next event