Scott Vaughan Communications, LLC
Serving the strategic communication needs of churches and faith organizations
Ministry News
Scott Vaughan joins national church business administration group 
"Joining NACBA is long overdue and I'm glad to have finally joined this great networking organization of church business administrators, pastoral staff and administrative personnel," Scott said. "A lot of my work with churches either originates with or involves personnel assigned the business administration function. Strategic Communication - or Marketing - fits into business administration just like finance, operations and management fit there." Scott Vaughan speaks this month to church leaders in Georgia, Virginia and Ohio Scott Vaughan will assist organization with multiple strategies, campaigns during 2008
Lexington, SC - Jan. 3, 2008 - Scott Vaughan will begin duties, Tuesday, Jan. 7, as communications director for The Harvest in Lexington, SC. The non-denominational, contemporary church is known in the community for its cultural diversity, innovative student and children's ministry, contemporary worship, and ministry to those in crisis.
Lexington, SC - Nov. 28, 2007 -Deciding to avoid airline connections and the hurried rush of airports, Scott Vaughan spent 10 days, this month, on the road, driving to Beloit, Wisconsin where he served Central Christian Church as part of a Strategic Discovery Experience.
Lexington, SC - Oct. 11, 2007 - Speaking to more than 80 church leaders, church communication strategist Scott Vaughan said churches, to be successful in evangelism and discipleship, must make communication a ministry priority. Communication ministry begins with vertical communication with God through an organized prayer ministry; horizontal communication follows through organized church and community outreach.
Culpeper, VA - Sept. 29, 2007 - Today's evangelical church will never reach its full Kingdom potential until it gives priority to its vertical relationship with God and its horizontal relationship with others. Intentional prayer ministry is critical to a church's vertical relationship; communication (outreach) ministry is critical to a church's horizontal relationships.
Lexington, SC - May 22, 2008 - Scott Vaughan Communications, LLC has joined the National Association of Church Business Administration (NACBA) through its business membership category.
"Joining NACBA is long overdue and I'm glad to have finally joined this great networking organization of church business administrators, pastoral staff and administrative personnel," Scott said. "A lot of my work with churches either originates with or involves personnel assigned the business administration function. Strategic Communication - or Marketing - fits into business administration just like finance, operations and management fit there."Scott has participated for years in the churchadmin group at yahoo.com and has served NACBA chapters in Chicago; Kansas City; Greenville and Columbia, SC; Atlanta and Abbotsford, British Columbia. In September, he will be leading his Strategic Communication Seminar for the Des Moines, IA chapter of NACBA, and will return to be with the Chicago chapter in March 2009. Hosting Scott for a NACBA seminar only requires a $600 travel deposit, which is refunded through the first 20 paid registrations. Most seminars, which are expanded to include non-NACBA members, average 35-80 paid participants. "Hosting a seminar is a great way to build prospects for local NACBA chapters," he said.
Vaughan will be attending July's National NACBA Conference in Nashville as a participant only. "Through telephone and e-mail, I feel I have so many friends in NACBA. Unfortunately, we've never officially met. In Nashville, I hope I can put several names with faces."
Columbus, OH - April 22, 2008 - Scott Vaughan wrapped up a two-week speaking tour today, leading his three-hour Strategic Church Communication seminar in Atlanta (April 10), Charlottesville, VA (April 19) and here in Columbus.
The seminar serves as a practical orientation for organized church communication. It focuses on creating a functional communication system and using that system to strategically help people discover Jesus through the local church. Vaughan leads off with his own testimony, moving from a 20-year newspaper career to following God's call to serve churches the past 15 years. The seminar focuses on communication among staff, strategic thinking and its application to communication, an easy-to-understand communication formula for churches to use, and issues surrounding websites, print, greeters, property, and community advertising. He ends by challenging churches to write clearly for those outside the church, and to be intentional in ministry for women, young children and men. He combines personal story-telling with examples of what specific churches are doing in ministry.
The Atlanta seminar, Thursday, April 10, was co-sponsored by the North Atlanta and Peach State chapters of the National Association for Church Business Administration (NACBA). More than 65 attended - representing 46 Atlanta-area churches - the event at Dunwoody United Methodist Church.
The Charlottesville seminar, Saturday, April 19, was sponsored by the Central Virginia Baptist Association at Broadus Memorial Baptist Church. More than 30 attended from 17 churches and faith organizations.
The Columbus seminar, Tuesday, April 22, was sponsored by Worthington Christian Church. An ecumenical audience of more than 70 from 19 churches attended the event.
Scott Vaughan talks church community strategy at Western Canada's ChurchWorks '08
Abbotsford, British Columbia - March 5, 2008 - Today's church audiences and prospects are less interested in what the church is offering, and far more interested in why ministries and events are offered.
Speaking at ChurchWorks 2008, in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Scott Vaughan, of Scott Vaughan Communications, LLC, said, "In church planning and promotion, we must start with some tough questions: Why are we organizing this ministry or event? How will it improve the lives of others? How will be see the reflection of Jesus in what we are doing? What are the benefits of this activity to our prospective audiences? What are we willing to change or give up to make it reality?
"I am not giving up an evening or weekend to attend something just because the church is doing it. I don't have that kind of institutional loyalty," Vaughan said. "Your planning and communication message must motivate me to 'give up' my personal interests at home, work or play in order to engage your church."
Vaughan admits that its a selfish attitude on the part of consumers, but it's a reality that the church must be willing to forgive. "And, when we attract them to our property and our ministries, we must engage them so lovingly and joyfully that they want to be a part of where God is working."
Vaughan said too many church planning teams or committees are really planning for themselves and their friends - and that may not always translate into success. "Our ministry planning teams need to reflect in ethnicity, age, gender and education the people we are trying to reach."
Vaughan taught three different sessions on the day - one that touched on internal communication among staff and the creation of a communication system; and, a second on improving attendance at events. The three-hour afternoon session focused on overall church communication strategy.
Marilyn Hiebert, producer of ChurchWorks, said, "In organizing ChurchWorks, a day of inspiring and equipping those that support the ministries in a church, I wanted to place emphasis on communication. When I searched for a good speaker, Scott Vaughan's name came to me. So I took the chance and invited him to come and share at the one day conference. That was the best move I made! Some comments from those in the classes came back as: 'That was a very worthwhile day' or 'Scott Vaughan was brilliant.' Scott engaged those in the class in a relational way, used illustrations that people could relate to and provided useful information for the variety of skill and responsibility level represented in the classroom." Hiebert is also director of administration for the British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches in Abbotsford.
ChurchWorks is an annual equpping seminar sponsored by the British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches in association with the Canada/US Pacific Border chapter of the National Association of Church Business Administration.
Columbia, SC - Jan. 29, 2008 - Scott Vaughan Communications will assist South Carolina Baptist Ministries for the Aging (SCBMA) with promotion of its annual Mother's Day Offering and development of marketing strategies for each of its retirement facilities.
South Carolina Baptist Ministries for the Aging is a rising star within the family of South Carolina Baptist Convention institutions. SCBMA manages Bethea Baptist Retirement Community in Darlington, SC and Martha Franks Baptist Retirement Center in Laurens, SC. Since 2006, the organization has experienced a fiscal revival under the leadership of president Dr. Richard McLawhorn, the organization's board of directors, and facilities' staff. Area newspapers serving Darlington and Laurens have recognized the two facilities as leaders in retirement healthcare during the past year.
In 2005, Scott Vaughan Communications was hired by SCBMA to write strategy for the organization's dwindling, annual Mother's Day Offering. Receipts from that year's offering reached $1.2 million, which in part helped launched the organization's revival. The goal for the offering was $800,000.
Assisting SCBMA during 2008, Vaughan will work closely with McLawhorn and leaders at the two retirement facilities. The team will write and initiate a new strategy for the 2008 Mother's Day Offering, improve the communication systems and marketing strategies for the two retirement facilities, and work to effectively communicate with South Carolina Baptists.
"Dr. McLawhorn and I met recently, and I heard his passionate vision for putting Christ at the center of Baptist Ministries for the Aging and all decisions regarding it," Vaughan said. "When I toured the facilities, saw the loving care of staff, saw the energy behind facility upgrades, and know Christ is uplifted through all of it - well, it's a project I know I want to embrace."
Part-time position will strengthen and expand ministry to other churches
Lexington, SC - Jan. 3, 2008 - Scott Vaughan will begin duties, Tuesday, Jan. 7, as communications director for The Harvest in Lexington, SC. The non-denominational, contemporary church is known in the community for its cultural diversity, innovative student and children's ministry, contemporary worship, and ministry to those in crisis.
The part-time position will not affect the ongoing growth and expansion of Scott Vaughan Communications, which serves more than 2,000 congregations in three continents.
"The Harvest is one of the great ministry success stories in the Columbia, SC area," Vaughan said. "Pastor Ken Jumper followed God's leading in his life, and God has blessed that obedience with a church focused on helping people discover Jesus and walk closer with him. The church's growth, which has led to new facilities and expanded ministries, now requires more intentional focus on communication strategy. Creating and managing this communication effort will be an exciting challenge for me."
Vaughan will work closely with pastor Jumper and church administrator Darrell Roland. Roland is president of the Carolina Chapter of the National Association of Church Business Administration (NACBA).
Vaughan will maintain his membership and leadership role at Lexington Baptist Church, Lexington, and will have schedule flexibility to speak for organizations and work on-site with churches. At Lexington Baptist Church, Vaughan is a deacon and discipleship teacher.
Strategic experience with Wisconsin church produces research, 2008 strategy timeline
Lexington, SC - Nov. 28, 2007 -
The road trip also allowed a morning stopover in Zionsville, IN, where Scott met with Zionsville Presbyterian Church administration and communication staff. He also used the travel time to write several future issues of the Quick Bites essay series, and a new seminar being taught this week as part of the Church Vitality Series in Columbia, SC.
"Obviously, I broke the 14-hour drive to Wisconsin into parts," Scott said. "I enjoyed the freedom of not having to rush to and then wait around in airports; I didn't surrender control of my time to the inconsistency of the airports. On the flip side, I did invest more time in the travel, but it was a great opportunity for writing, study and prayer. I used every Rest Area as an opportunity for devotion and prayer. I was able to take time to write in the evenings.
"I can't serve churches by driving to all of them, certainly, but this was one of those trips that came at the perfect time within my work and family calendar," Scott said.
With Central Christian Church, in Beloit, WI, Scott attended the church's three worship services and gave leadership insights on how a guest might react to the church setting. Over three days, Vaughan met with pre-selected lay and staff discussion groups to talk about church ministry strengths, community opportunities, and communication. He led communication learning experiences for church elders and other lay leaders, and for the full church staff. Pre-work, before the visit, allowed Scott to review the church's communication system, understand the church and community demographic, and review community media and demographic information. At the conclusion of the five-day experience, Scott presented church staff with a 30-page summary of the experience including a draft communication strategy for 2008. The church will now review the draft, respond to it, and Scott will tighten it toward a final draft for implementation. David Clark is senior pastor of the church.
"We believe the insights and strategy Scott provided for us will take our service to God and our people to new levels," said Craig Zastrow, executive pastor, Central Christian Church. "We believe that God was very much involved in Scott's visit to our church."
En route to Wisconsin, Scott spent a morning with Zionsville (IN) Presbyterian executive director of operations Mike Miller and communications director Scott Weber. The discussion meeting produced an exchange of ideas regarding the church's communication organization, system and direction in 2008.
Scott says another highlight of the road trip was completion of December's Quick Bite essay related to websites and emerging technology, and January's essay related to people groups. He also wrote an outreach seminar focusing on a four-step formula (right message, right audience, right time by right method) and is teaching the seminar this week at the Church Vitality Series, in Columbia.
Scott Vaughan says, "Organizations aren't successful until communication is priority"
"Churches often call me when they are in pain," Vaughan told the audience of church pastors, business administrators, ministry assistants and laity. "That pain may be focused on a decline in membership, a loss of community image, or rapid growth. The reason for the pain is often clear. The church website is a dysfunctional representation of the church, and the website makes no mention of the church's prayer initiatives. How can we expect to grow spiritually and numerically if we aren't effectively communicating with God and then with one another?"
Vaughan's presentation, "Successful Church Communication," focused on the strategic thinking required in communication ministry. "If we will stop and think about 'why' we do things, promotion becomes easier and we will be better stewards of our time and resources." Issues like relationship-building, image management, promotion timing, budget, and communication errors were subjects of the event's first 90 minutes. In the program's second half, Vaughan dived into strategic thinking around websites, print publications, greeter ministry and property, and advertising.
Response was encouraging. "I was very encouraged by the feedback," Vaughan said. "Many of those attending have communicated with me about their specific situation."
Participants received an additional conference benefit. The seminar was hosted by the Carolina chapter of the National Association of Church Business Administration (NACBA) at The Harvest, a growing non-denominational contemporary church. Over lunch, participants experienced a sample of the church's themed children's worship, Heirport. Remodeling its former worship center, the church has created a dynamic children's worship center in a simulated airport hangar complete with runway lights, sheet metal decor, airport artwork and even a wing converted to a counter-top. The facility also includes a video game center and play area. Children's worship leader Jeremy Frizzell entertained the audience with a puppet show.
The Harvest Greeter Ministry also modeled its Sunday morning experience with door greeters, an operational information center, and coffee service at the church cafe.
"The Harvest is one of this area's fastest-growing congregations," Vaughan said. "Pastor Ken Jumper, his staff and lay leaders have invested time and energy in understanding the needs of people, communicating with them, and helping them feel comfortable. Conference participants were able to see a snapshot of a church's efforts in this regard."
Websites, newsletters and local church strategy among most popular discussion points
That's how Scott Vaughan began his "Successful Church Communication" seminar before more than 80 Virginia church leaders, including pastors, deacons, business administrators, ministry assistants and communication volunteers. The seminar was sponsored by the Shiloh, Goshen and Fredericksburg Area Baptist associations. The Virginia Baptist Mission Board provided funding to rent the local Germanna Center for Advanced Technology. Beyond the predominant Baptist audience, the seminar was also attended by area Methodist and Lutheran church leaders.
The seminar, billed as a whirlwind communication seminar in less than five hours, touched on church branding, communication professionalism, customer service and satisfaction, and local church communication strategy. Vaughan, whose client base includes many smaller and medium-sized congregations, highlighted his Four Circles of communication strategy, suggesting any church can affordably engage communication strategy to improve its outreach ministry. The Four Circles strategy model centers on websites as 24/7 church offices while using print, facilities and grounds, and local advertising to touch people how they best receive communication. The seminar also focused on tough love and "how churches shoot themselves in the foot" when it comes to communication budgeting, service, and planning.
Not surprising, Vaughan spent time after the lunch break discussing websites and newsletters. Newsletters, he said, "will always be relevant to communication ministry, but can be more efficient, more professional, and work in concert with the church's website."
Richard "Lanny" Horton, director of missions, Shiloh Baptist Association said, "As we expected, Scott proved to be the church communication guru! He challenged much traditional thinking, as well as, provided good reasons from his background in journalism and his own involvement in church life - local, state and convention-wide. Everyone who commented to me said it was tme well-spent - worth giving up a Saturday morning and afternoon for - and helpful. Participants are now well-equipped to formulate a communication strategy for their church, giving it a much higher priority than before. I recommend Scott without reservation." The Shiloh Association first contacted Vaughan about hosting the event.
Vaughan, 48, uses illustrations from his family life, culture and decade of church service to help churches understand the need for communication and how it reduces the potential for conflict while creating a climate for evangelism and discipleship.
"The host associations put together a great event," Vaughan said. "They were creative in finding a comfortable location, had volunteers who provided excellent guest service, and everything came off without a hitch. I had great response during and after the event, and since I've returned to the office. It's such a blessing when people understand that communication is a ministry that helps people discover Jesus and grow in that relationship."
To host Scott Vaughan, please visit this website and download the How To Host A Seminar document. With proper planning and promotion, most seminars can be supported from the participant registration fee. <^><