E-mail is an old tool (as measured in cyber-time) that is constantly finding new uses. The Multichannel Church uses e-mail aggressively to coordinate far-flung activities, to assure constant communications about community life, and to give a human face to a church where people don't see the entire body.
Gather e-mail addresses
In the world of e-comm, your e-mail list is your "best friend forever." A healthy list grows constantly. Every time a group gathers or an event happens, be sure to collect e-mail addresses. Every "touch" you make should yield an e-mail address.
Organize your e-mail list
Your list should be part of a relational database, not just a spreadsheet. That database should store basic information like name, address, telephone and e-mail, as well as useful information list workplace, occupation, gender, date of birth, marital status, children, groups attended, activities attended, and ministries. You won't get all of this information at one time. In fact, asking for it could scare away some prospective constituents. You build the database over time. With a well organized list, then, you can send segmented e-mails for each ongoing activity and for special purposes.
Develop e-letters for groups
The church and its key activities should all have e-letters. Develop a general theme -- "branding" -- for all, and then a specific template for each activity using that theme. Some e-letters can go out on a regular schedule -- at least weekly for the primary e-letter -- and some as needed.
Follow best practices
Keep them short, use photos, embed videos in some, make sure they are lively.
Present church's human faces
By using photos and especially by embedding short videos, you can convey the human faces of your church, even when people don't see each other in plenary. Hearing leaders' voices, for example, can open people up to their leadership.
