Building A Team

Building a strong team is essential to operating any successful ministry, shrine or organization. If you need a chance to refresh your team’s workflow, be sure to check out KP Consulting’s four discussion prompts for team alignment. Every ministry should have access to a communications staffer with proven experience and expertise in the profession.

For the team at St. Joseph’s Parish in Manchester, MO (SJM), there was a clear need for a detailed communication plan and a dedicated person to manage customer engagement. In 2021, the Academy of St. Louis had moved onto campus, the Masses, celebrations and events that represented community life at SJM were returning, and the growing Latino and Hispanic community brought re-engaged energy to the parish. To help leverage these strengths, the KP Consulting team designed a renewable communications plan to help unify messaging and amplify good news.

The SJM team partnered with KPC to develop a message platform, schedule, and plan for strengthening communication.

The SJM team hired Fernanda Thurmond to help manage the channels. With a background in project coordination and community engagement at Bayer, her skill set was a natural fit to implement the new communications plan. As the parish’s engagement coordinator, her focus is on evangelization and connection with the parishioners and visitors.

The parish website, weekly Flocknote, and ministry highlights all align with the theme of "Belong, Believe, Become."

“We know that social media, the website, the Sunday welcoming experience, are all tools that we have access to in spreading the Gospel,” Fernanda said. “But we know we must use them appropriately. If you use a hammer correctly, it can be tremendously helpful. But if you use it incorrectly or inconsistently, it can do a great deal of damage.”

To align the team, KPC held several training and coaching sessions with the staff and ministry team leaders.

With a new communications plan in place Fernanda was able to help lead a four-person communications team in implementing new templates, refreshed graphic standards, and the message platform across all channels - print, digital, and hybrid ones like the weekly bulletin.

Applying the brand helps make the bulletin prep process streamlined and easy to read.

As the team continues evolving and growing, they’re embracing the new model, working with a parish strategic planning consultant, and building out lay leadership as they set a parish plan and map a path for the future!

Learn more about how SJM is growing by visiting stjoemanchester.org.