Full Mission Statement
“We exist to make fully committed followers of Jesus Christ through Love, Acceptance, & Forgiveness.”
MISSION STATEMENT
NOTES:
• An Oxford comma is included and this is an ampersand exception.
• The words “Love,” “Acceptance,” and “Forgiveness” (LAF) are treated as proper nouns and capitalized in our mission statement.
Shortened Mission Statement
“A Community of Love, Acceptance, & Forgiveness”
Christ Community’s Mission Principles:
Worship: Life Worship
Evangelism: Crossing Borders
Discipleship: Equipping Followers
Ministry: Joining God
Fellowship: Creating Space
SPACE AND FACILITY NAMES
Rooms in Buildings A and B are Room A2, Room B5, etc.
Fireside Room
MP Building
MP Room
MP upstairs rooms: Room M1, Room M2, Room M3, etc.
Lower Patio
Nursery
Preschool
Sanctuary
Sanctuary North
Sanctuary South
Upper Patio
Welcome Center
Youth Tent (or the Tent)
NOTES:
• In the Cafe (capitalized as proper noun without an accent)
• On the Lawn (capitalized as proper noun)
AND ABBREVIATIONS
Care Ministry
Celebrate Recovery, CR
Children’s Ministry, CM
Christ Community Church or Christ Community (not “CCC”)
DivorceCare
GriefShare
High School Ministry, HSM
KidCare
LAF Track Courses or LAF Track
Life With Spice, LWS
Men’s Ministry, MM
Middle School Ministry, MSM
Missions Team
Ministry Partners (any person or group we partner with as a church)
PrimeTimers (one word with two capital letters)
Women’s Ministry, WM
Young Adults, YA
Service Names and Times: Followed by the time reference (“am” and “pm”) in lowercase without a space. All times are expressed with the hour, followed by a colon, then the minutes. E.g., 5:00-6:00pm (not 5-6pm or 5-6:00pm).
SERVICES DATES/TIMES
Expressing times and dates is also an exception where ampersands are permitted.
• The Contemporary Services are at 9:00 & 10:45am. (Because both 9:00 and 10:45am are within the same time reference, “am” is only used at the end.)
• The Traditional Service is at 10:00am.
• The training seminar will be held from 8:30am-2:00pm. (Because 8:30am is in the morning and 2:00pm is in the afternoon, both time references are included.)
Dates are to be written as cardinal numbers when the year is included. Format is month day (comma) year: March 20, 2024.
NOTE:
Do not use only digits and symbols to express dates, or dashes or periods between the components (not 1-22-2024 or 12.25.2024).
Use ordinal numbers when not including the year: March 20th.
Regardless if cardinal or ordinal numbers, when using multiple dates, include an Oxford comma plus “and” before the final date:
April 10th, 17th, 24th, & 31st or April 14, 28; May 12, & 26, 2024
Dates under 10 are always expressed as a single digit: May 8, 2022 (not May 08, 2022)
Ordinal dates are not superscript: May 18th (not May 18 ) th
Expressing numbers in text, also known as the Time, Measurement, and Money Rule.
NUMBERS IN TEXT
• Spell out numbers under 10, except when they relate to time (8:00am), measurement (7-year-old child), or money ($45). Remain consistent throughout the document—if one item requires a numeral, use numerals for all other items of that type. E.g., One article has 16 pages, one has 7, and the third has only 5.
• When two numbers that refer to different things appear together in the same document, use a numeral for one and spell out the other. E.g., fifteen 20-page articles.
• Spell out numbers when they begin a sentence, except if the first word is a calendar year. E.g., 1976 marked the bicentennial celebration for the United States.
• Percent. Use digits when expressing percentages, but spell out “percent,” e.g., 10 percent. Only use the percent symbol for charts, graphs, or graphics.
• Phone numbers. Use a dash between the area code and the prefix, and the prefix and the suffix. (Do not enclose the area code in parentheses, or follow with a diagonal, or use periods to separate the components of a phone number.)
916-344-2382 (not (916) 123-4567, 916/444-5555, or 916.222.3333)
EM AND EN DASHES
Em dash
Represents a break in a sentence, a sudden shift in thought, an interruption, or a parenthetical phrase. It looks like two dashes with no spaces before, between, or afterwards.
E xamples :
• I started explaining—then I was distracted.
• He was using it—which would be my preference—but then stopped.
• They tell of the power of your awesome works — and I will proclaim your great deeds.
Psalm 145:6
En dash
Joins words together, expresses a period of time, or indicates a range of numbers.
E xamples :
• That was God-honoring behavior.
• They attended high school from 2010-2014.
• The average attendance is 50-60 people.
Quoting scripture versions: The Christ Community standard is the NIV; when quoting scripture from other versions, always include the version abbreviation in parentheses after the scripture notation.
This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24 (ESV)
SCRIPTURES
NOTE : When using different scripture versions within a single document, it is recommended to include the version each time.
Using partial scriptures is acceptable provided there is clarification within the scripture notation. Lowercase “a” conveys the first portion of a passage and “b” the middle or end portion.
You can’t heal a wound by saying it’s not there!
Jeremiah 6:14a (TLB)
I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you.
Kings 20:5b (NIV)
Books of the Bible: Use cardinal numbers.
2 Timothy 1:15, 1 Peter 2:10, 3 John 1:5
Avoid splitting scripture notations between lines. Be mindful when writing out scripture notations to insure they are entirely on a single line. Don’t have the book of the Bible on one line with the scripture notation wrapping onto the next.
In the context of Christ Community ...
» Baptism and Baptism Service
» Bible is always capitalized, biblical is written in lowercase.
» Combined Worship Service is an event at Christ Community.
» Communion and Communion Service
» God-honoring (with a capital "G”) is a compound adjective when followed by a noun. The word "godly" has a lowercase "g," except when it is the first word of a sentence or used in a title.
» Gospel is capitalized as a proper noun when referring to books of the Bible, not the musical genre.
» Preschool in Children’s Ministry
» Move-Up Sunday — both words in a compound adjective are capitalized when (a) the noun following is a proper noun or (b) the words are a title.
» Next Steps
» QR code (not Code)
» Livestream (one word with one capital letter)
» Sabbath
» Session and Session Meeting
» Social Media (not social Media or Social media)
» Summer Camp
» Word of God is treated as a proper noun when referring to the Bible.
Commonly Confused Words
Accept or except
Accept is a verb meaning to receive. Except is a preposition meaning to exclude.
Affect or effect
Affect is commonly used as a verb, meaning to influence or produce a change. Effect is primarily used as a noun, representing the result or consequence of an action. However, effect can also be used as a verb, meaning to bring about or accomplish something.
Although or though (conjunctions)
Although is used when a minor element in a sentence may seem surprising or unexpected, it means even though or in spite of the fact. E.g., “Although I was only 6 years old, I can remember seeing it on TV.” Though is used when something contrasts with or is less important than the main clause in a sentence, e.g., “Everything I told them was correct, though I forgot a few things.”
Altogether or all together
Altogether is an adverb that means completely or totally. All together is a phrase that means everyone or everything gathered in one place at one time. To help decide when to use which word, try substituting just the word “together” to see if it makes sense; if it does, use all together
A part or apart
A part is a noun, a piece or portion of something. Apart is an adverb meaning separated from something else, similar to besides, except, or away from.
Assure, ensure, or insure (all verbs used with an object)
To assure means to convince or to give confidence to something. To ensure means to make certain that something will occur. To insure is to protect against risk, or to provide or obtain insurance on.
Between or among (prepositions)
When differentiating with two elements, use between. If there are more than two elements, then use among .
Cite or site
To cite is a verb meaning to mention or to make reference to. A site is a noun meaning a specific location.
Each or both (adjectives)
Each refers to one individual in a group of two or more people or things; both refers to two people or things in a group of two. Each uses a singular verb (e.g., each has) and both uses a plural verb (e.g., they both have).
E.g. or I.e.
The abbreviations “e.g.” and “i.e.” have different meanings. In Latin, “e.g.,” (exempli gratia) means for example, and “i.e.,” (id est) means in other words.
Especially or specially (adverbs)
Especially, a bit more formal, means more than usually or for a particular purpose or person. Specially means for a special reason or to a special or unusual degree.
Every day or everyday
Every day is a two-word adverb phrase that describes something that happens each day, e.g., "He came to work every day.” Tip: When you can substitute “each,” spell every day as two words. Everyday is an adjective meaning commonplace and used to modify the noun it precedes, e.g., “… an everyday occurrence.”
Everyone or every one
The pronoun everyone always refers to people. On the other hand, every one is a synonym of “each” and can refer to people or anything else, living or not.
Farther or further (adverbs)
Farther refers to a physical distance, further refers to an extension of time.
Fewer or less (adjectives)
Fewer is used to describe countable nouns while less is used to describe non-countable nouns. E.g., “There are fewer than 10 cows in the field.” And “There is less sunshine today than yesterday.”
Forego or forgo (verbs)
To forego means to go before (like a foregone conclusion), to forgo means to abstain from.
Gone or went
Gone is an adjective meaning no longer here/present. Went is the past tense of the verb to go.
I or me
Use the subjective pronoun “I” when the person speaking is doing the action, either alone or with someone else. Use the objective pronoun “me” when the person speaking is receiving the action, either directly or indirectly. E.g., “Blake and I are driving to Summer Camp.” “She brought the Subway sandwich to Joan and me.” Tip: Pretending to remove the other person’s name will make it clear whether or not to use “me” or another objective pronoun such as “us,” “him,” “her,” or “them.”
If or whether ( conjunctions )
It is recommended to use if when establishing a condition, “We will go if it doesn’t rain.” and whether in reference to a choice or alternatives “We’re going whether they join us or not.”
Its or it's
Its is a possessive pronoun. It’s is a contraction of it is or it has.
Kick off, kickoff, or kick-off
Kick off is a phrasal verb meaning to launch something (e.g., a football). Kickoff is a noun or an adjective, the initial stage of something. Kick-off is a verb, to commence an action.
On or upon
Both prepositions have the same meaning, although upon provides a more formal tone.
Principal or principle (nouns)
A principal is the headmaster of a school or a person who i s in charge of certain things in a company. A principle is a rule, law, guideline, or fact.
Shoutout or shout out
When used to express a compliment, shoutout is a noun and spelled as one word. When used as a verb to express an action, “I had to shout out before they drove away,” it is spelled as two words with no hyphen.
Sign up, signup, or sign-up
Sign up is a two-word verbal phrase, e.g., “to register for something.” Signup as one word is a noun, e.g., “the signup on the wall.” Sign-up with a hyphen is a compound adjective followed by a noun, e.g., “a sign-up sheet.”
Than or then
Than is a conjunction used after comparative adjectives. Then is an adverb meaning at the time or immediately.
Who or that (pronouns)
Who is used when referring to people and that when talking or writing about inanimate objects (e.g., that computer, that document). E.g., “I know a person who could use that item.” That can also be used when talking about a class or type of person, such as “that team.”
Who or whom (pronouns)
Whom refers to the object of the sentence. If who can be replaced with him, then use whom.
Whose or who's
Whose is the possessive form of the word who. Who’s is a contraction for who is.
Random Items
» Acronyms. Except for already established ministry names, acronyms are typically spelled out the first time used then followed in parenthesis, e.g., Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) provided they are used again within the document.
» Strive to use active voice, avoiding passive voice, when communicating. Active voice is when the subject of the sentence performs the action; it is succinct and more direct. Passive voice is when the subject of the sentence is the receiver of the action, and can sound uncertain or less convincing. Use “they gathered” (active voice) instead of “they were gathered” (passive).
» “All-church” is typed with hyphen whenever it is followed by a noun.
» Ampersands (&) versus spelling out “and.” Communications with our congregation are typically formal in nature, therefore spelling out "and" is standard. Exceptions include graphics, when expressing times, when communicating via Social Media, and in our mission statement, Love, Acceptance, & Forgiveness.
» An apostrophe is a punctuation mark used to indicate either possession (Harry’s book, the boy’s coat) or the omission of letters or numbers (can’t, the class of ‘99). Apostrophes are not to make something plural (not “… during the 1990’s.”). Apostrophes typically indicate possession, except with “it” or to form a possessive pronoun, e.g., “The choice is yours …” (with no apostrophe). At Christ Community, when names in the Bible end in “s” are possessive, only an apostrophe is added (not 's), e.g., Moses' staff.
» Brackets have two uses. They are used to insert explanations, corrections, clarifications, or comments into quoted material. Brackets are also used when inserting text into a passage already in parentheses. Brackets are always used in pairs; there must be both an opening and a closing bracket.
» Brand names. Capitalize brand names and registered trademarks (e.g., Kleenex, Xerox).
» Capitalizing hyphenated words in titles. Both the word preceding the hyphen and the word following the hyphen are capitalized when writing title case (e.g., Move-Up Sunday).
» Include final punctuation when using a colon. It is only necessary to capitalize the first letter in the word following a colon (a) when it is a proper noun or title, or (b) if what follows is a complete/stand-alone sentence. E.g., “Each time we attend a staff meeting.” (Not “as an example” because it is only a phrase.)
» Commonly used phrases that are expressed without a hyphen include: decision maker, Christ follower, and difference maker.
» Compound adjectives that modify nouns are hyphenated (e.g., church-wide update). But not “Let’s communicate this church wide.”
» Directional terms. North, south, east, west, central, southeastern, and northwestern are all expressed in lowercase. The only exception is when referring to a widely known section like Pacific Northwest, the West Coast, or Southern California.
» Ellipses ( … ). An ellipsis (singular, or ellipses, plural) should have a space both before the first and after the last period. They are typically used to indicate one or more words have been deleted from a quote, text, or document: “Azusa Pacific University exists ... to advance the work of God in the world.” Or to express a pause in thought: “Hmm … think I will need to get back to you about that.”
» Family member titles (e.g., mom, dad, uncle) are only capitalized when (a) used as a title immediately before the person’s name, e.g., “I adore Aunt Lisa.” or (b) the family title is used in place of their name, e.g., “Where is your toolbox, Dad?”
» Oxford commas are consistently used before the final conjunction ( “and” or “or”) in a list of three or more items. E.g., “You can get clarification from Ryan, Mark, or Gabe.”
» Parentheses are most often used to separate elements in a sentence. Parentheses subordinate the material within them so that readers save most of their attention for the rest of the sentence: “Aunt Sarah (who is really my mother's cousin) will be visiting next week.”
» Parallel construction is used for verb tense when writing includes a variety of activities or events. E.g., “At Summer Camp, students grow to Christ, develop relationships with each other, experience worship surrounded by creation, hear great speakers, swim in the lake, jump off the blob, participate in recreation games, drive go-karts, and so much more.” (The underscored words are all verbs in the same tense.)
» Possessives and plurals—when the root word ends with an “s” or an “s” sound, only get an apostrophe (not an “s”). E.g., “… in C. S. Lewis’ two books about ...” or “… in Jesus’ name.”
» Pre and post prefixes are not hyphenated unless doing so would create a double “e” or if the word is followed by a proper noun. E.g., predate, pre-election, postdated, post-Vietnam.
» Punctuation marks are the symbols used to divide written words into sentences and clauses, making them easily digestible for the reader. Grammar provides structure and standardization to language rules, then punctuation marks assist the process through symbols that signify meaning to readers and writers.
» Punctuation and quotation marks. Final punctuation goes inside the closing quotation marks unless it contradicts what has been quoted. E.g., Did she say, “I’m going to buy a horse tomorrow”? Or, He said, "I can't wait for her to arrive!”
» Repetitions. Avoid repeating the same adjectives or verbs in a paragraph or list, while at the same time being sure to maintain parallel construction.
» Reverential capitalization is the practice of capitalizing references to the Deity of Christ. Pronouns are the most common examples of reverential capitalization: He was demonstrating faith to His disciples when Jesus ... Father, thank You for Your providential care over our lives.
NOTE: At Christ Community, we do not change or modify scripture to include reverential capitalization.
» Subject-verb agreement refers to the grammatical concept that the subject of a sentence must align with the main verb within the same sentence. In particular, singular subjects use singular verbs and plural subjects use plural verbs. E.g., “Communications with our congregation are typically formal …” and “An Oxford comma is included when …”
» Text attributes include the font, style, alignment, and formatting associated with a given character or series of characters. One example is punctuation can be bolded, but not underscored. E.g., Capitalizing pronouns.
» Titles of large works like books, plays, movies, and periodicals, are set off by italicizing (when the applicable software allows for italics, e.g., JotForms software does not accommodate italics, so quotation marks can be substituted). Titles of shorter works like articles, songs, and poems, are set off by quotation marks.
» Worshiping and worshiped each only have one “p.”
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE AND MORE. Antonym
A word with an opposite meaning.
• Examples: Fast and slow, hot and cold
Alliteration
An alliteration is a type of figurative speech in which the repetition of letters or sounds in used within a sentence.
• Example: Whisper words of wisdom.
Acronym
An acronym is an abbreviation formed from the initial letter of words, then often pronounced as a word.
• Example: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Example
An example illustrates a rule or point, or demonstrate the application of something
• Example: This Style Guide provides valuable communication information.
Homophone
Two or more words pronounced alike but with different meanings or spellings.
• Example: Know God, know peace. No God, no peace.
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE AND MORE.
Hyperbole
A hyperbole is a figure of speech which exaggerates the meaning of a sentence.
• Example: My grandfather refers to himself as “older than dirt.”
Idiom
An idiom is a phrase which bears no literal meaning to a situation it is describing, although it implies facts or stories behind it.
• Examples: Better late than never, under the weather.
Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech, where the word or phrase applied to an object or action is not literally applicable.
• Example: He is a couch potato.
Non sequitur (Latin)
A non sequitur is typically a conclusion or statement that does not logically follow the previous argument or statement.
• Example: Employees should come to work on time. Some use the parking lot.
Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is when words used to describe a sound actually resemble the sound.
• Example: The horn honks.
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE AND MORE.
Oxymoron
An oxymoron is comprised of two words which appear to contradict each other, but in reality make sense.
• Example: The painting is completely unfinished.
Pun
A pun is a “play on words.” A pun typically enhances the meaning of the subject with humor.
• Example: Broken pencils are pointless
Segue
(pronounced SEG-way)
A segue is typically a smooth transition from one topic to the next.
• Example: And on that subject …
Simile
A simile compares the likeness of two things and usually uses “as” or “like.”
• Example: As quiet as a mouse.
Synonym
A word with a similar meaning.
• Example: Human and person