06/18/2026
One of the questions I occasionally hear is, “Why don’t we make more announcements during worship?”
The answer is actually very simple.
At Woodlawn, we try to distinguish between motivation and information.
Information tells us when something is happening, where it is happening, what it costs, or how to sign up. Those details are important, and we work hard to provide them through our app, social media, videos, emails, calendars, small groups, and other communication channels.
Motivation is different. Motivation helps us understand why something matters. It inspires us to take a next step, serve, grow, connect, or participate in what God is doing among us.
Because our time together on Sunday mornings is valuable, we choose to focus most of our public communication on motivation rather than information.
That’s one reason I typically make only one verbal announcement each week. Rather than dividing our attention among five or six different events, I would rather spend a few moments helping our church family understand why a particular opportunity matters and how it connects to our mission.
We also try to reserve platform announcements for opportunities that affect either the entire church or a large percentage of our congregation. Many ministry opportunities can be communicated more effectively through Sunday School classes, small groups, ministry leaders, videos, and digital communication.
Our goal is not to announce less because we care less.
Our goal is to communicate in a way that helps people take meaningful steps toward Jesus, meaningful steps toward one another, and meaningful steps into the mission God has given us.
We want our worship services to remain focused, purposeful, and centered on Christ. We want our communication to help people move from simply knowing information to actively participating in the life of the church.
Thank you for being a church family that continues to engage, serve, grow, and support one another so faithfully.
You are wanted.
