The church has the greatest message out there: the message of the Gospel. Unfortunately, most churches aren't doing a great job of communicating it.

Whether your church is tweeting, texting, posting to Facebook, or printing weekly bulletins, every church is communicating a message. How is yours being heard?

Let's get real, though. The church has done a fine job of communicating, growing, and reaching people with the Gospel without all this new fangled technology. No one was live tweeting the #SermonontheMount, there were no Facebook invites to announce when Jesus was coming in to town and the disciples weren't checking-in to the Upper Room in Acts 2. What the early church DID have was a compelling message. A story worth sharing. And that message spread from person to person, from household to household, and the church grew exponentially.

In the last few years social media has radically altered how we share ideas, connect with our friends, and shape our values.

Think about it: what was the last movie you went to see, the last book you read, the last tunes you downloaded, or even the last conference you attended? Chances are the choices you made were heavily impacted by what you heard other people saying. Most of you are probably even reading this article because Catalyst posted it. Catalyst is a voice you trust because they provide excellent resources for next generation church leaders. So, if they posted or linked to something, you trust it will be valuable. [This is, I promise.]

So, let's take this a step further. Many church leaders are wrestling with why all of this matters in the context of the local church. Should churches care about how they communicate?

My answer, and the answer of 66 of my closest friends, is a loud YES and we share our thoughts and ideas about all of this in a new book that's releasing today called Outspoken: Conversations on Church Communication.

Just as the early church grew from people sharing first-hand accounts of their experience with Jesus and the ministry of the disciples, today's church will grow as people "Like," share, tweet, and post content, stories, and first-experiences at our churches with their friends. It's not about what we say or advertising space we buy, but by the impact of what we are doing that will allow our message to be heard.

Pulling from the wisdom and insight of over 60 leading experts in church communication from churches like LifeChurch.tv, Hillsong Church, Granger Community Church, and more, Outspoken provides a comprehensive resource for church leaders sharing how the Church can leverage new media to effectively connect people with the Gospel.

From branding and design to websites and social media, there are endless ways your church can cut through the static and help the message of the Gospel be heard clearly.

The church has never been more resourced to share the message of the Gospel. With that privilege comes an immense responsibility. We've got a message worth sharing and its time we learn how to communicate it and communicate it well.

It's time to be OUTSPOKEN!

Download a sample here or get a copy for you and your team on Amazon. http://cmsucks.us/cc Learn more at www.OutspokenBook.com.

Tim Schraeder is passionately committed to helping churches effectively communicate the unchanging message of the Gospel in a way that's relevant to our ever-changing culture. He's served churches as a communications director for over a decade, most recently serving on staff at Park Community Church. Today, he serves as the co-director of the Center for Church Communication. He's the creator and general editor of Outspoken: Conversations on Church Communication. Tim lives in downtown Chicago where he can be found in any neighborhood coffeeshop that has a good wifi signal.