Should you hire or should you outsource? It’s likely a question you’ve pondered before. When it comes to your communications efforts, what is the right answer for your church?
Maybe you need to develop a brand new website or you want to put together a compelling outreach video. Perhaps your bulletin needs an overhaul by a graphic designer or you want some fresh, engaging photography to illustrate the life of your church.
Do you have the talents needed for these projects within your communications team, or do you need to outsource the work to professionals skilled in those areas? There are certainly pros and cons to each option.
Hiring for communications
Pros
Cons
So when is hiring the right choice? We work with a number of churches who decide to hire communications personnel to join their staff team. This often creates that much-needed link between staff and lay leaders, pastors and congregation or between the congregation and the community. It also frees current staff members from being overloaded with communications planning and tasks that they don't feel confident doing. Pastors can focus on their calling to teach and shepherd, while others are focusing on things like the church website, social media and the weekly bulletin.
Remember: hires need to be strategic. Take time to consider the talents and experiences the ideal candidate should have. Churches are often tempted to hire an implementer when they really need a strategic leader, or vice-versa. Move slowly, if needed, to make sure you are placing the right person in the right seat on your team.
And when is outsourcing the right choice? We have worked with several churches who have outsourced much or all of their communications work during an interim period when they are either trying to hire or determining what they will need for the future. This helps keep their ministry messaging moving forward in a timely manner with excellence while decisions are being made in the background.
Plus, there are some tasks that your communications staff doesn’t have the time and/or the skillset to do well, so outsourcing is a great way to fill those gaps and get excellent work in the process. Sure, we all take photos and videos on our iPhones, but there’s no comparison to the work of a professional photographer or videographer who definitely brings it to the next level. Yes, you can make your own flyer, but should you? Do you understand the latest trends in website design and development? Sometimes a hybrid approach is the best answer – keep most work in-house and outsource projects that require specialized skills or are in areas where there’s not enough work to hire someone full-time. And even when you outsource, remember that someone within the church will still need to be available to manage and invest in that ongoing relationship.
At the end of the day, when it comes to hiring or outsourcing, it's important to make strategic choices based on your church's goals, needs and available resources (time, money and skillsets).