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Jason Vana

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7 Reasons Why Church Leaders Should Publish on LinkedIn


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LinkedIn, the social networking site with the mission of connecting the world’s professionals, announced a few months ago that it will begin unrolling the ability for its members to publish long-form posts on the site. In essence, it’s like having a blog built right into your LinkedIn profile—with your posts made visible to the 300 million members of LinkedIn.

It’s great news—and a great way for church leaders and staff to expand their influence and message. Unfortunately, not many in church leadership have caught onto the immense value of being active on LinkedIn. It is, after all, seen as a social site only for business people.

Why would church leaders waste their time building on online resume on a business site?

Publishing long-form posts is incredibly beneficial to those in church leadership. Here are just a few reasons why you should publish posts on LinkedIn:

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My Bible Marking Plan


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About a month ago, I wrote a post about the fun way I mark my Bible – using Crayola Twistable Crayons! I seriously didn’t think it would get as many comments, shares, or even off-site discussion as it did – so much so that people still comment on how much I like to use crayons (some of us really never do grow up).

In all the discussion I had around the post, there was a single question that kept popping up:

What system do you use for your Bible marking?

It’s one thing to tote the awesomeness of the Crayola Twistable Crayons for making your Bible look pretty, it’s another to actually know what colors to use for what topics.

When I wrote the post, I didn’t really have a color scheme down yet. I had used two colors at that point, and was still figuring out what my plan would be.

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Master Your Church’s Blog


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Blogging. It can be the bane of any church communications department’s existence. Not because blogging is some horrible experience that smart people would rather avoid (do you think I would be writing this post if it was?!).

No, blogging can be fun.
Coming up with topics for posts week in and week out — not so much.

For a year and a half, back when I worked in the communications department of my church, I was responsible for the church’s blog (on top of everything else I had to do). Some days I loved it. Other days…let’s just say I wanted to go all Office Space on the blog like it was some kind of old printer.

Developing new and exciting posts every week was difficult, but over time, I saw a pattern that helped make coming up with new topics easier.

If you’re looking to master your church’s blog, consider writing posts on the following topic categories:

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A Fun Way to Mark Your Bible


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I love marking up my Bible when I study. I’m not sure if it’s the graphic designer in me (I like pretty colors) or the former English major coming out (sentence diagrams!!), but I just enjoy dissecting the text and finding the deeper—and much more personal—meaning.

A quick flip through my Bible will prove my case. Highlights, underlines, arrows pointing to notes I wrote in the margins, boxes, color coded markings—it’s like a playground for my studious brain.

But there’s one problem in this wondrous glory-land I call marking my Bible: It’s hard to find the right tools.

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How-To Up Your Church Graphics Game


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When it comes to your church communication tools, the quality of your graphics matter.

Just take a look around. High quality graphics are everywhere. They’re on our phones, on our TV’s, found throughout our favorite websites. Schools, organizations, even neighborhood associations have stepped up their game and produce high quality communication tools.

Gone are the days when a free piece of clip-art will suffice. Or a grainy image printed on the cover of your bulletin.

The Church should be no exception.

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Crafting a (Mostly) Stress Free Church Bulletin


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The church bulletin. It’s the bane of many a church communication department’s existence.

That simple piece of folded paper can strike fear in any heart, leave a grown man whimpering in the corner, and make the sanest of people want to pull their hair out in frustration.

Okay, maybe it’s not all that bad, but if you’ve ever been tasked with producing a bulletin for your church service, you know it’s not an easy undertaking.

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