Communications Process

City Impact is a churchwide effort to pursue our purpose and accomplish our vision and mission by living out our values in our homes, neighborhoods, communities, and cities. We want to celebrate stories and communicate opportunities well. To do that, we have created this guide to outline policies, processes, and best practices. The purpose of this guide is to align our Perimeter Church staff and City Impact Leadership Teams to:

• efficiently share information
• effectively represent Perimeter
• ultimately support kingdom flourishing in our cities.

City Impact Leadership Roles

The city-based lay leaders are key to the success of this City Impact initiative. Each City Impact Lay Leader works in partnership with a specific Perimeter Church ministry department. There are a number of roles among the City Leadership Team. They each have very unique functions based on the church ministry with which they work. For the purpose of this guide, the City Impact Lay Leaders are recognized as belonging to one of two groups--convener and coordinator.

*** City Lay Leader ***	***Department Ministry ***	Department Contact
Convener	City Impact	Omari Hill
*** Coordinators ***
Community Outreach Lay Leader	Community Outreach	Debra Potter
Welcome Host Lay Leader	Connection/Belong	Sarah Taylor/Tricia Stradley
Education Lay Leader	Education, Part of CO	Mary Lou Heaner/ Debra Potter
Men’s Discipleship Lay Leader	Men’s Discipleship	Caleb Martin
Women’s Discipleship Lay Leader	Women’s Discipleship	Kelli Means
Women’s Ministry Lay Leader	Women’s Ministry	Gail Hatcher
Faith and Work Lay Leader	Faith and Work	Ryan Brown
City Shepherd	Shepherding	Randy Schlichting
Shepherdess	Shepherding	Kelly Ward
Communications Coordinator	Communications	Darin Jameson/Tara Stack
Prayer Coordinator	City Impact/Prayer	Tara Stack
Young Families Lay Leader	Families	Jimmy Kim
Student Families Lay Leader	Families	Jimmy Kim

** Conveners **- are responsible for rallying other city-based leaders around a vision for their City Impact Team. They lead the charge in identifying needs and creating ministry plans to bring kingdom flourishing to their cities. They work directly with the City Impact ministry dept.

** Coordinators **- work closely with Perimeter ministry departments (Communications, Belong Ministries, Community Outreach, etc) to plan, promote and implement City Impact opportunities related to those departments. They are also liaisons between Perimeter departments and their City Impact teams (city leaders and Perimeter members)

How City Impact Opportunities Are Created

City ministry opportunities are developed through collaboration between the City Impact Coordinators and their respective ministry departments. These opportunities should align with the church's vision, mission, and values and be sponsored by a Perimeter Church ministry department.

Events and opportunities are often interchangeable terms, but we will simply refer to opportunities for our purposes here. Opportunities facilitate engagement and community in City Impact.

The following diagram illustrates the process for creating opportunities.

Roles & Responsibilities in the process

There are three primary roles in this system:

** 1. City Impact Coordinators **- these lay leaders work with their corresponding church ministry departments to develop and implement ministry opportunities aligned with the plan and goals they developed together. When developing any new initiative, the City Impact Coordinator should collaborate with the staff ministry leader well in advance of its launch.

** 2. Ministry Department Leaders **- Department leaders work closely with their corresponding City Impact Coordinator to develop ministry initiatives that align with the vision and mission of the church and the city. The relationship between each city coordinator and the ministry department is key to developing an efficient and effective city ministry.

** 3. Ministry Administrative Partner (MAP) **- Often this role is filled by a staff ministry associate or a department coordinator. The Ministry Administrator represents church ministry departments and consults with staff and other departments as needed when requests for opportunities are received. They publish the new opportunity to Ministry Platform (MP), so it can be “pushed” out to official church communication channels. However, these administrators do not originate or create content. Rather, they use the content sub

Process

** 1. ** City coordinators should first engage with their convener to ensure any proposed opportunity aligns with the City’s ministry plans.

** 2. ** When cities develop a ministry opportunity, the city coordinator should submit an opportunity request form that delivers content to the appropriate ministry department. These forms can be found under each Ministry-specific section of the CI Leadership page. Date-specific opportunities should be _ submitted at least a month in advance _, allowing sufficient time for processing and congregational promotion. This will allow the greatest opportunity for visibility, as well as mutual agreement regarding communication strategy through official or organic channels, or some combination of the two (See the City Impact Communication Channels section below for further detail). The ministry departments will help ensure alignment with the church’s vision, mission, and values and does not conflict with a major churchwide priority.

** 3. ** When the ministry receives the request, the MAP will send an acknowledgment email within 24 business hours notifying the CI coordinator that the request is being processed.

** 4. ** In some cases, an MAP will need to consult other staff or collaborate with another department.

** 5. ** Opportunities will be reviewed by the Ministry Department Leader. Recurring opportunities may not need to be reviewed every time. That is up to the department. Upon approval, the opportunity is entered into MP, and the city coordinator is notified.

6. Once an opportunity is finalized, it will be posted to the Perimeter app and the city’s webpage on the Perimeter website. The app is tailored to communicate targeted messaging to individuals living in specific cities based on their MP profiles. In other words, users who are logged in to the app will automatically see opportunities coming up in their city on their app dashboard.

7. If an opportunity needs to be adjusted after being posted (due to time or location change or cancellation), the CI coordinator should contact the appropriate MAP directly to request the change. Please allow 48-hours notice, excluding weekends, for these changes to take effect.

Best Practices for Request Form Content

Opportunity Description

The opportunity description that a city provides has the potential to inspire people to engage. Consider using clear and concise language so that readers understand what is being asked of them. We suggest limiting it to 50 words to be easily read on the website and app

Opportunity Confirmation Emails

Follow-up emails can be sent to those who register for City Impact opportunities. The content for these emails is collected through the opportunity request form and is processed through MP. There are potentially three emails that can be sent via MP to registrants for an event.

1. MP automatically sends a ** registration confirmation ** email. This is brief and embedded in the MP programming. The church cannot make any changes to this messaging.

2. We can, additionally, send a ** detailed email ** adding more information about the event. As a best practice, when you submit content for this email, include the organizer’s contact information (email and phone number), the location (including address), the date and time, and other helpful information like parking instructions, weather contingencies, or “bring a chair.”
This optional email can be sent after registration, in addition to the auto-confirmation email.

3. Additionally, we can send out a ** reminder email ** three or seven days in advance of the event with critical details, like the event date, time, and location. When filling out the MP request form, the organizer can choose whether to send that distribution timeframe.

Summary

MAPs will review confirmation emails.

Internal Processes

MAPs work with their department leaders when revieweing a new opportunity. Each department should decide on a process to ensure opportunities are in alignment with Ministry goals and objectied before moving forward.

If sucessfully reviewed by all appropriate staff:

• The MAP creates the opportunity in the Ministry Platform (MP).
• They will use the information provided from the original form.
• Opportunities should be published to MP _ at least three weeks _ in advance.

If alignment is not possible, or if questions arise with a department:

• The MAP will respond by email to the original CI contact to seek clarity.
• The MAP may recommend changes to allow the opportunity to be approved.

Reasons why a request may be declined:

• Not enough information or time to consider the opportunity
• Conflict with an existing churchwide event or priority.
• Misalignment with the church's vision, mission, or values.

Should an opportunity be out of alignment, it will not be promoted in our Official channels. However, it may still be promoted in Organic channels _ so long as: _

1. It does not conflict with a major churchwide event, opportunity, or priority.
2. It does not conflict with the Perimeter Church vision, mission, or values.

Best Practice for Responding

MAPs may receive requests that need the input of multiple team members or departments. In these cases, an MAP should make the CI Coordinator aware of the situation and discuss the case internally before responding to all. The follow-up should be within one week. If a solution is not possible in that timeframe, the MAP should suggest a timeline for when it might be resolved.

** TIP: ** We suggest that MAPs cross-department collaborate via Teams, text, or phone instead of long email chains. Lengthy email chains make it difficult to reference important info in earlier emails.

Out of Office

While out of the office, MAs and department leaders should arrange for coverage for the form responsibilities.

Perimeter Church Communications Ministry

The Communications Ministry is tasked with ensuring that the church communicates in a manner that aligns with the church’s vision, mission, and values. While promoting ministry opportunities, we want to communicate with a focus on simplicity, clarity, and consistency.

Being sensitive to the volume of communication our members receive, we want to avoid overwhelming and fatiguing our members with too many emails. As a church, we also have a responsibility to protect the data and privacy our members have entrusted to us.

As a policy, Perimeter Church does not send emails to anyone in our distribution list unless they have _ explicitly _ requested to receive a specific type of communication. All requests for mass emails are reviewed by the Communications Ministry.

City Impact Communications Overview

In general, there are Official and Organic communications channels for promoting City Impact opportunities. We can break them down as follows:

These channels and how they function are further outlined on the following pages.

Official Channels

Official channels are meant to build awareness of City Impact and funnel individuals into connection with their City Impact teams.

_ Examples: _ Perimeter website, CI newsletters, and Perimeter app.

• Official channels offer a wider distribution platform, including members in cities who may or may not also be in Organic channels.

• Official channels are synced to the church’s Ministry Platform database. This allows us to tailor communications to specific demographics and groups.

• Official channels sync to the church’s regular communication schedules. As such, they are not as immediate as Organic channels.

• Official channels feature Perimeter Church branding since communication in these channels is from Perimeter Church and perceived as such by recipients.

• Official channels are stewarded and supported by church staff and leadership.

Organic Channels

Organic channels are more specific to their respective cities and provide more direct communication from CI leaders to participants. They are organic in the sense that they offer more “grassroots” horizontal communication, driven by the city teams, rather than the top-down communication of official channels.

_ Examples: _ Facebook groups, GroupMe, and texts.

• Organic channels are more timely and immediate and are ideal for short-notice updates and direct responses.

• Organic channels are meant to serve as forums among CI members. In a sense, they “take over” from the Official channels once people are connected to their city.

• Organic channels do NOT feature Perimeter Church branding since communication is among Perimeter members, but not on behalf of Perimeter Church. The church logo and branding should only be used when a message is coming from Perimeter Church for the sake of clarity for recipients. We do not want to confuse recipients.

• Organic channels are moderated by their CI communications coordinator or another trusted, designated leader. This person is responsible for ensuring communication is appropriate, relevant, and serving the ultimate goal of City Impact to bring about kingdom flourishing in their city.

• Organic channels are moderated and supported by their CI Leadership Team. For example, the Perimeter Church IT department does not provide tech support for organic channels since these are largely determined by CI teams, and cities may use different organic channels. However, as an extension of the body and life of the church, organic channels are still _ shepherded _ by church leadership.

• Organic channels are promoted within CI once people have been connected. Participants are invited to join by their CI convenors or coordinators, often during gatherings.

• Organic Emails are associated with a person. Participants may be emailed by their CI convenors or coordinators, from a personal email signed with the CI convenors or coordinator's name. Ideally, direct email communication is very small (think 1 to 1). This is to protect the personally identifiable data entrusted to Perimeter, ensuring that it is used for the express purpose of the permission that was given. If communication is needed to a broader audience, it is best to utilize either the formal process of opportunity creation and updates or organic channels such as Facebook via the described processes above. This is also to protect the City Impact Lay Leaders, as mass email communication can be viewed as spam or pressure, which can be counterproductive to the experience we desire to present. The more consistent we become utilizing our organic channels for key information, the more those interested in connection will rely on those channels. Those that engage in organic channels can mute, opt-out, or disconnect as they have need. Email communication via distribution can be very difficult to unsubscribe from. The church has provided each city leader team with a Perimeter email address whose recipients can be adjusted as members roll on and off the team.

• Organic channels can promote official opportunities. Link to the official opportunity by copying the URL from the city webpage.

City Impact Communication Channels

As part of the broader Perimeter Church communication strategy, city-specific City Impact content will be driven through the channels designed specifically for City Impact (both organic and official channels). This is important to help establish a consistent rhythm of communication, and help people know where they can expect to see the most current information for their cities. We dilute the effectiveness of the designated City Impact channels if we highlight a subset of upcoming events via other churchwide communication mechanisms. There will be opportunities for the Church as a whole to celebrate specific things that are going on in individual cities through things such as podcasts, family moments, videos, and churchwide social media, when it is consistent with the broader communication strategy. Below are further definitions of designated City Impact Communication Channels.

Perimeter City Emails

Each City Impact team is provided a city-based Perimeter email address (impact[city name]@perimeter.org). Emails sent to these addresses will be automatically forwarded to the designated city leader team members. These email addresses are utilized for inbound communication from those expressing interest to reach their city teams, and for outbound communications coming from Ministry Platform in the form of Newsletters and specific Opportunity communications.

To protect the integrity of email addresses from website scraping, a common practice of search engines and bots online, we will not post the personal contact information of City Impact leaders. Instead, every city webpage will feature a form to contact the City Leadership Team.

City Impact Newsletters

City Impact e-newsletters may be distributed as frequently as once per month to the respective cities with the goal of keeping residents aware of opportunities and important updates in their cities.

The City Impact distribution lists consist of those members and engaged regular attenders who live in the designated geographic city. Often, the city from a mailing address does not reflect the geographic location of a person’s home. Recipients can subscribe or unsubscribe to these newsletters.

Content for the city newsletters should come from the city leadership team. Church staff may suggest content, but generally, it is up to the city team to determine what will be featured. The city Communications Coordinator works with the church Communications department to develop their newsletter. The request form and content should be submitted at least one week in advance of the requested delivery date. It is up to the city leadership team to work with the city Communications Coordinator to ensure that all appropriate content is included.

Church and City Email Marketing

There are two types of official emails that come from Perimeter Church.

• City Impact newsletters (city-specific)
• The Pulse (Churchwide)

The monthly City Impact email newsletters are designed to promote City Impact news and opportunities specific to their respective cities. On occasion they may also feature church-wide news or opportunities that include all cities (Vision Sunday, Holy Week, etc).

The Pulse is designed to communicate news and opportunities to the congregation at large. We do not include city-specific news and opportunities in the Pulse. On occasion, we may highlight City Impact in the Pulse to direct people to their City pages on our website. Similarly, we do not include city-specific announcements in email newsletters sent by various Perimeter ministries.

Why don’t we promote city announcements in the Pulse or ministry emails?

Ultimately we want recipients to trust in our communication channels, including our emails. This trust comes from clearly defined channels that are simple, clear and consistent.

Simple: Recipients should know why they are receiving an email and what it’s about.

Clear: Recipients should know who is sending them the email and how to respond.

Consistent: They should know where and when to look for that info.

Since the Pulse is sent to recipients in all cities, its value is in sharing news and opportunities that are not specific to individual cities. The value of the City Impact emails is that they are tailored to each city and thus relevant to their city-specific audiences.

Campus Signage

The Communications Dept is responsible for all signage to be displayed inside the church buildings and on the church campus. This includes permanent signage and temporary signage for special events such as banners, yard signs, etc. All signage must be approved by the Communications Dept.

In all these cases, signage is for Perimeter Church and Perimeter Church events taking place on the campus. The only exception is when a church-wide event on the Perimeter campus is raising awareness for ministries or events happening off campus.

For example, the churchwide City Impact Expo takes place at Perimeter Church but raises awareness of the various City Impact Teams. Each city would have a pre-approved sign on display, consistent with the signage for other cities on display.

There are three reasons we do not display city-specific event signage on the church campus::

1. City Impact events are to be marketed within the existing channels for cities, in keeping with the vision of City Impact to focus engagement and community within the city.

2. Publicizing a city-specific event in a church wide space like the church campus could create confusion for other members and attendees who live outside the city.

3. Displaying city-specific event signage creates potential competition among cities for limited space. We want to respect every City Impact team by using campus signage for church wide publicity while pointing individuals to their respective City Impact pages and organic channels for city-specific publicity.

Any signage on the church campus that has not been approved by Communications will be removed.