Parish communication: good practice for Viber, email and announcements

Parish communication used to be simple: an announcement from the ambo after the Liturgy and a sheet of paper pinned to the church door. Today we have Viber, WhatsApp, email, a website and social media, and at the same time parishioners who use none of these. The goal is not to send more messages but to send the right messages to the right people.

The right message to the right group

Sunday school parents do not need to hear about choir rehearsals, and the Philoptochos volunteers do not need the youth football fixtures. When everyone receives everything, before long nobody reads anything. Divide your recipients into a few clear groups:

• The whole parish: the services schedule, major feasts, important changes.
• Sunday school parents: dates, events, consent forms.
• Volunteers and ministries: rotas, distributions, meetings.
• The parish council: governance matters that are not for general circulation.

If your Sunday school could do with better organisation, our Sunday school guide also covers keeping parents informed.

How often?

People appreciate a steady, predictable rhythm. For many parishes a short weekly message works well, sent on the same day each week, say Thursday, with the coming week's services, plus extra messages only when they are genuinely needed. Before busy seasons such as Holy Week or Christmas, sending the full schedule several days ahead saves dozens of phone calls. Avoid a stream of small messages on the same day.

Viber, email or something else?

Each channel has its place. Viber and WhatsApp are quick and widely used, so they suit short reminders. Email suits longer texts, schedules and documents people want to keep. The parish website is the reference point where everything lives permanently. A good habit is for the short message to point to the full schedule, so the information sits in one place and only ever needs correcting once.

Parishioners without a smartphone

Every parish has older parishioners who do not own a smartphone or are not comfortable with one. They are often the most faithful and regular churchgoers, and they must not be left behind. A few simple measures help:

• A printed monthly schedule at the candle stand and the church entrance.
• Important changes announced after the Divine Liturgy.
• A volunteer who phones those who have asked to be called about anything significant.
• Plain SMS text messages, which work on the simplest mobile phones.

The notice board

The notice board in the narthex is still one of the most effective tools, provided it is kept tidy. Give one person responsibility for it, take down anything out of date every week, and use large, legible lettering. A board covered in old posters tells parishioners that nobody is looking after it.

Privacy in group chats

In an ordinary Viber or WhatsApp group, every member can see every other member's phone number. For large groups, prefer communities or broadcast channels where only administrators post and numbers stay hidden. In email, put recipients in blind copy. Never mention a parishioner's health or financial difficulties in a group message, even to ask for prayers, without their consent. Our practical GDPR guide explains why this matters.

Bilingual messages in the diaspora

In diaspora parishes, children and grandchildren often read more comfortably in the language of the country they live in, while older members prefer Greek. A bilingual message, Greek first with a short version in English underneath, keeps the whole family connected to parish life. Keep it simple: the same order of information in both languages, and dates and times written the same way in each.

A message people will read

Lead with what matters most: what, when, where. Keep it short, add a warm greeting and sign off with the parish name. A clear, kindly worded message shows that the parish values its people's time.

Convivia is being designed so that a parish can send the right message to the right group without exposing parishioners' phone numbers. Explore the features.