The Association of Church Reputation Managers (ACRM), a body of Christian professional communicators, has called on leaders of Christian churches and ministries in Nigeria and around the world to prioritise reputation and perception management as an indispensable asset to foster church growth and bolster soul-winning and evangelistic activities.
Resource persons from the Association made this appeal at the weekend in Lagos, when they facilitated immersive knowledge-sharing sessions on the fundamentals of reputation and perception management for Publicity and Media Officers, drawn from across the districts and zones in Pearce Region Chapter of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC).
The well-attended inaugural regional summit with the theme, ‘Church Reputation and Perception Management in the Digital Age’, was aimed at equipping the participants with the right knowledge and skills necessary to effectively manage reputation and perception of the church amidst increasing prevalence of fake news, misinformation, and AI-generated distorted content.
Highly-educative and interactive, the two-part presentations infused with real-life situations and case studies, had the President of ACRM, Pastor Joseph ‘Yemi Adeniran, and First Deputy President (Strategy), Pastor Lere Ojedokun, as the main facilitators.
In his presentation titled, ‘Navigating Reputation Management in the 21st Century Church’, Pastor Adeniran emphasised the importance of good reputation building and management to the church, noting that even the Holy Bible enjoins Christians to choose good reputation over riches and esteem it above silver and gold, referencing Proverbs 22:1 (NKJV).
He stated that due to the fast-changing social, cultural, political and economic environment, today’s church is increasingly susceptible to the vagaries of issues and crises that threaten reputation, underscoring the need for leaders in Christian ministries to give greater consideration to reputation and perception management the same way they give to church finances and other matters.
‘The 21st Century Churches must acknowledge the changing dynamics of the environment and larger society. Things are not the same way they were ten, twenty, thirty or fifty years ago. Church leaders must understand the importance of reputation management and accord it priority like every other asset of the church’, he counseled.
He said further: ‘Those in ministry must understand that, while they may not have control over their stakeholders, they can influence it. Reputation is an intangible asset that must be well-managed like other assets; it is a potent resource. Reputational capital is important for the sustenance and growth of churches in the contemporary world’.
Pastor Adeniran, who is a former Registrar of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and Head of Brand Management at Intercontinental Bank Plc, said further that good reputation management by churches would not only enhance leadership effectiveness and influence but serve as a potent testimonial, adding that it is a fertile ground for evangelism and soul- winning to thrive.
‘Good reputation establishes and enhances trust and credibility for leaders of faith, their members and churches and ministries. It ensures stability in times of crisis, and fosters church growth’, he stated, while identifying financial and sexual scandals, partisan politics, flamboyant lifestyle and ostentatious display of wealth, lack of accountable and transparent leadership, toxic and rigid leadership style, and consumerism as causes of reputational damage for the church.
In his presentation titled, ‘Reputation Management for Churches and the Digital Space’, Pastor Ojedokun reaffirmed that owing to the combined factors of fast-paced technological advancement, access to smartphones and the Internet, democratisation of information and the preponderance of online and social media, it has become inevitable for churches to pay greater attention to their reputation because of the potential of any piece of news to travel across the world within seconds.
‘We’re living in a globalised and interconnected world and the church is also globalised and interconnected. All Churches are increasingly online, and their digital presence impacts their reputation. Reputation management is crucial for churches to maintain trust and credibility’, he said, while advising those in charge of online reputation management for churches to always monitor online presence and reviews on the church.
Ojedokun, who drew practical examples from his industry-wide brand management experience, further charged them to ensure prompt response to online feedback and criticisms professionally and factually, foster a positive online culture, and be transparent and accountable online.
He also stressed the need to understand the key drivers of the digital space, which include globalisation, technological advancement, audience’s appetite for information and knowledge, rising digital migrants, freedom of expression, lifestyle and cultural changes, and changing work culture and environment.
While urging church leaders and their members to stay away from actions and utterances that could cause online reputational damages, he advised professional communicators to always anticipate and have issue and crisis management plan ready, including preparation of issue owners ahead of time.
‘It is imperative for church information and communication managers to anticipate, forestall, manage and mitigate issues and crises effectively and efficiently in an increasingly close, digital world. The modern-day church must meet people who are now largely in the digital space; a good online reputation will not only enhance Gospel’s reach and visibility, it will enhance the overall church reputation and brand equity’, Ojedokun concluded.
Earlier in his opening remarks to declare the summit open, the Regional Superintendent of Pearce Region, Pastor Stephen Aluko, described the theme of the summit as timeous, urging both Church leaders and their congratulations to embrace reputation and perception management as a very important component of the Christian ministry.
‘I’m delighted by the theme of this summit- Church Reputation and Perception Management in the Digital Age. It is appropriate for the dispensation that we are in, and it is what both church leaders and members must key into’, he affirmed, stressing that knowledge gained at the summit would make the church better informed and positioned in the digital age.
Pastor Aluko commended the Media and Publicity Officers for their pivotal roles in publicising the programmes and activities of the church over the years, noting that the summit was a testament to their commitment to move the work they do to greater heights, as well as making CAC more visible and making evangelism and soul-winning more impactful.
Represented by the Secretary of CAC Pearce Region, Pastor Oluwole Ogungbenjo, the cleric admonished leaders and superintendents at all levels of the church to incorporate media and publicity initiatives into their activities because of the immense benefits.
The Supervising Superintendent for CAC Pearce Region Media and Publicity Secretaries, Pastor Seyi Adeyemi, in his welcome address, underscored the need for today’s churches to maximise the potential of digital ecosystem in telling their own stories and reporting the significant impact which the church is making on society but under-reported.
He said, ‘The theme of this inaugural edition, Church Reputation and Perception Management in the Digital Age, is very apt and timely. It’s time for us to tell our story ourselves rather than leave it to distortion by those who know little or nothing about what the Lord is doing through us’.
While noting that the summit would help in improving public perception of the church, Pastor Adeyemi asserted that perceptions were people’s reality of an individual or organisations. He expressed the confidence that the summit would become a flagship event of the Media and Publicity department in Pearce Region, thanking the members of the executive for their dedication and hard work in making the inaugural summit a reality.
The summit was anchored by the Regional Publicity Secretary and Chairman of the Council of CAC Publicity Secretaries Pearce Region, Pastor Isaac Adetutu, who was also the convener.
