Kem Meyer was my favorite speaker at the MinistryCOM conference. She is on staff at Granger Community Church, just a couple hours west of me near South Bend, Ind. That's a fascinating, innovative church of 5500, and Kem is a remarkably engaging, competent person. I took gobs of notes from her keynote session and from a seminar.

In the keynote, she said that whenever someone comes to you wanting to do a brochure or website, you need to ask three questions.

1. Is it a tool, or is it just cool?
2. What problem is this solving?
3. What will happen, or won't happen, if we don't do it?

All of this addresses the matter of purpose. Over the years, as we've created new ministry groups at the denominational level, they (very predictably) tend to want to create whatever communication tool is in vogue at that time. In earlier years, they always wanted a brochure and a newsletter. They didn't necessarily know what they wanted to do with them, but just thought they should have them. So I would design a brochure and a newsletter.

Now, they're more likely to want a website and an email list. A few years ago, the Youth Task Force asked me to develop a website for them, so I did. But they never gave me anything--I mean, not one thing--to put on it. They thought they should have a website, but more because it seemed "cutting edge" than because it accomplished a purpose for them.

Currently, to be really cutting edge, you need a blog. It's the cool thing. A blog is a huge, huge commitment which people don't realize until they start one. I've created three blogs for the denomination. One I never implemented, because I didn't feel the group would be committed to making it succeed. One I discontinued because it wasn't living up to its original purpose, and I combined it into the third blog, which was struggling, but is doing fine now that we've expanded it. A fourth blog request I simply said no to.

We really need more intentionality about our communications pieces, making sure they accomplish our purposes. Since I'm the communications guy, I guess I shouldn't throw stones.