Dan
For me, fall means updating phonebook listings. I looked our church up in the phone book today. It’s the first time I’ve done that. I know better. I should have looked it up my first week here! Thankfully, our number was listed correctly, but I have missed the deadline to edit it (October 10).
I remember at a previous church, they listed the preschool number in big, bold text and the main office number really small underneath it. That was a mess. Moral of the story: remember to check your local listings so that people can get in touch with you. It is important to be intentional about how your church is listed.
Yellow page ads are worth it. Make sure to include your phone number, address, service times, announce a nursery if you have one, and include a map with a prominent intersection. You should consider listing your website address. Only list your web address if it is updated regularly, is paid up for at least a year, has a web designer that produces a professional look, and says what you want it to say. It does more harm than good when someone looks at a professional yellow page ad only to be directed to a web page that isn’t there or is poorly done.
Also, be careful of Yellow page scams. You will receive advertisements that look like invoices! There are many yellow page impostors out there. Make sure you know which books are used in your community. I would recommend contacting the company directly from your old phonebook, rather than responding to mail. Verify your account status before you send any payments to a phone company.
Do you have some tips or stories about things that we sometimes take for granted in the care of our churches? I’d like to keep a list.
