United Methodist Communication (UMCom) announces a week-long ecumenical training opportunity launching this spring for anyone in ministry seeking to enhance their communications skills.
Communications Learning Week: Taking the Next Step will be held May 9-13, and it is designed with busy schedules in mind. All of the courses will be recorded and stored in a learning portal that participants will have access to for six months following the event. Registration opens on April 12.
During the learning week, church leaders and communicators will get access to a vast library of on-demand resources including recorded videos, tutorials and podcast episodes and self-guided eLearning modules curated by the UMCom training team. Live webinars led by experts on a variety of topics will be presented followed by Q&A sessions with each facilitator. Opportunities for discussion and networking round out the week’s activities.
High impact topics covered include:
- learning strategies for hybrid worship
- creating or expanding church podcasting
- identifying surprising ideas for church marketing
- taking advantage of social media trends for churches
- maximizing websites
- opening doors to inclusivity
- using Canva
- prioritizing self-care and finding rest
“We know that church leaders are extraordinarily busy,” noted John Haney, Senior Training and Development Specialist for United Methodist Communications. “On the one hand, we wanted to create an entry point for leaders to have access to comprehensive communication training resources. However, we do not want leaders to leave overwhelmed or discouraged. Leaders need not implement every communication strategy in their ministries, but they can find their next step. We want to empower attendees to walk away from this training with one or more ideas that they can begin implementing this year.”
Outside of this event, church leaders and volunteers can access UMCom’s self-serve online training courses. Each course offers individuals professional instruction that is completed on their schedule at their pace.
For more than 80 years, United Methodist Communications has been telling the church’s stories to enhance ministry and reflect the church to the world.
Complete details about Communications Learning Week: Taking the Next Step virtual conference are available on the UMCTraining.org website.