A strong communication department is essential for organizational success. It serves as the vital conduit that helps information flow across all levels fostering clarity, understanding, and trust among team members. Over the past five years, the Dakota Conference Communication Department has been steadfast in its commitment to enhancing communication effectiveness.
The Dakota Conference’s web page, dakotaadventist.org, stands as a central hub, catering to employees, church members, local church leaders, and visitors. Regularly updated, it addresses community needs with features like an event calendar, offering appeals, ministry information, Adventist branding links, sunset calendar, employee details, and cemetery listings. The site also includes valuable links to schools, camps, and more, offering a comprehensive resource for members.
Alongside this, the department utilizes Facebook as an interactive communication platform, providing immediate-release information to an ample number of followers. This approach ensures real-time engagement with the audience, fostering a sense of community and responsiveness.
Communication channels have been harnessed to distribute news and information effectively. The Dakota Dispatch, a bi-weekly electronic newsletter, reaches over five hundred subscribers across the United States. This full-color publication serves to keep Dakotans informed about Conference events, as well as school and church ministry updates. For the past several years, each issue has featured a portion of Bob DuPuy’s book, Nothing to Fear: The Story of Seventh-day Adventism in the Dakotas. Additionally, the Dakota Messenger, a quarterly newsletter mailed to over 2,000 households, presents departmental reports and announces ministry events. Archived issues of these communiqués are easily accessible on the Conference website. Furthermore, the Communication Department contributes two monthly pages to the Mid-America Union’s OUTLOOK Magazine, extending the reach of Dakotas’ news.
Looking forward to the next quinquennium, the Communication Department maintains its dedication to effective strategies. It envisions a sustained focus on the present and future of the Seventh-day Adventist mission in the Dakota Conference. Utilizing every available tool, the department aims to share the good news of the Dakotas and prepare the community for the imminent return of the Savior. This forward-looking approach includes a continued commitment to ensuring that the mission and values of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Dakota Conference resonate clearly with its diverse audience. Through the strategic use of both online and traditional channels, the department aims to strengthen connections, foster engagement, and contribute to the collective success and growth of the organization in the years to come.