Messaging Clarity Assessment

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Dimension 1

Messaging Clarity

If someone who's never attended a church read your homepage or bulletin, how clearly would they understand what your congregation actually does?

Completely unclear — lots of insider language

Mostly unclear — a few accessible moments

Somewhat clear — gets there eventually

Mostly clear — a few jargon holdouts

Crystal clear — no insider language required

How easy is it to explain your church's core beliefs to a skeptical friend in one or two sentences?

Nearly impossible — we struggle with this internally

Very difficult — takes a long conversation

Possible — but it takes a few minutes

Fairly easy — most people can do it

Very easy — we have a crisp, tested statement

How often does your communications team debate what words to use because the message itself isn't settled?

Constantly — every piece is a negotiation

Frequently — no shared language framework

Sometimes — for big topics

Rarely — mostly aligned

Almost never — clear shared language

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Dimension 2

Communication Consistency

How consistent is your church's voice and tone across Sunday bulletins, social media, email newsletters, and your website?

Completely different — each channel feels like a different org

Quite inconsistent — noticeable gaps

Somewhat consistent — same general vibe, different execution

Mostly consistent — minor variations

Very consistent — unmistakably the same voice everywhere

How reliably do you communicate with your congregation on a regular schedule?

Sporadic — whenever we find the time

Irregular — intentions but no system

Fairly regular — with occasional gaps

Mostly reliable — minor misses

Consistent cadence — community expects and relies on it

If a new staff member needed to write something "in the church's voice," how easy would it be for them?

Impossible — nothing written down, all in people's heads

Very hard — scattered examples, no guidance

Doable — some examples they could imitate

Fairly easy — some style notes or templates

Easy — documented voice guide and templates exist

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Dimension 3

Audience Fit

How well do your communications speak to people who are spiritually curious but church-skeptical?

Not at all — we write for insiders

Poorly — occasional nods to outsiders

Somewhat — some pieces reach them, most don't

Fairly well — deliberately accessible most of the time

Very well — a secular skeptic would feel genuinely addressed

How clearly do you communicate what makes your church different from other congregations in your city?

We don't — we look like every other church

Vaguely — we imply it but don't name it

Somewhat — occasional moments of distinctiveness

Fairly clearly — our values come through

Very clearly — our difference is front and center

When someone visits your website or social profiles for the first time, how likely are they to understand if this church is for them?

Very unlikely — nothing helps them self-select

Unlikely — too generic to tell

Possible — with effort they could figure it out

Fairly likely — some good signals

Very likely — it's immediately obvious

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Dimension 4

Mission Alignment

How closely do your public communications reflect the actual work your congregation does in the community?

Not at all — our work and our words are disconnected

Loosely — we do more than we say

Somewhat — some alignment, some gaps

Fairly closely — most of our work gets communicated

Very closely — what we do and what we say are unified

How often do your fundraising and stewardship communications feel like invitations rather than obligations?

Rarely — they mostly land as guilt or pressure

Sometimes — mixed bag

About half the time

Frequently — we've worked on this

Almost always — giving feels like joining something

How confident are you that your digital presence (website, social, email) accurately represents who your church is becoming — not just who you've been?

Not confident — it's outdated and static

Slightly confident — some updates, but lags behind

Moderately confident — captures some of the evolution

Fairly confident — mostly current

Very confident — it's a living, accurate picture

How Clear Is Your Church's Message?

First, a little about you