Communication corner

Potomac Conference Corporation of Seventh-day AdventistsÂŽ

COMMUNICATION CORNER Some keys to ministry engagement

Welcome There are no secrets to success.

It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. ­ —Colin Powell

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Communication Corner

Welcome to the ministry that shares the good news of what is happening in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. As part of the communications team, you are an important part of the ministry by providing consistent and creative messages about the local church. You are responsible for fostering the flow of information that supports and promotes the mission of your local church both with the members (internally), and with the local community and the Potomac Conference Corporation (externally).

Debra C. Anderson Assistant to the President for Communication

This booklet will provide you with important information on how to best relay the story of what is happening in your local church and the impact it is having on the community it serves. You will find material on a number of subjects including a job description for church communicators, writing tips, techniques to connect with church members, methods to reach local media outlets and various resource materials. This handbook is designed to inspire you to think creatively and act decisively.

We hope that you will find this information helpful as you work with your church family to spread the Good News of our loving Savior.

Tiffany Doss Communication Specialist

Potomac Conference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists

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Job Description for

Church Communicators Whether or not you have a title like Communication Director, have a group of communicators you’re working with or are on your own— welcome to the team! We look forward to working with you and to providing you with resources to help you streamline communication within your church and share stories with the community.

Church communicators are responsible for developing a clear, concise, comprehensive and consistent communication plan that supports the mission and vision of the local church to both internal and external audiences. Church communicators work in collaboration with the pastor, ministry leaders and members to develop and execute a strategy that includes newsletters, website design and maintenance, social media and printed information.

Adept at depicting the life changing stories taking place in the lives of members in the local church, church communicators share those stories through various information outlets, discussed on page 6.

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Communication Department for the

Potomac Conference Corporation Working alongside you are the team members of

The conference website, www.pcsda.org, provides

Potomac’s Communication Department. We work to

updates on the latest news and information related

develop a positive reputation for the Seventh-day

to administration, departments, churches, schools,

Adventist Church among members and non-members

calendar information and includes resources

in regions of the District of Columbia, Maryland

and services available to our constituents and

and Virginia. Team members are responsible for

employees. Leader2Leader, a monthly e-newsletter,

developing and executing a clear strategy that

provides a snapshot of what is happening around

informs communities within this territory of Potomac’s

the conference. Potomac People is Potomac’s

mission and enhances the organization’s brand.

two-page section in the Columbia Union Visitor, a

We do this by communicating with members and

48-page, full-color magazine that provides news

employees on behalf of Potomac’s administration

from across the Columbia Union Conference.

team. The office serves as a resource for

Information on how to submit content to any of

conference departmental directors and support

these platforms is available on page 8 and 9.

staff, pastors and local church leaders managing all marketing, communication, branding, design,

Be sure to connect with us on Social media:

advertising and public relations for Potomac.

us on Facebook – Potomac Conference of Seventh-day Adventist

Potomac’s Communication Department is

Instagram - potomacsda

responsible for incident and crisis management, social media updates, event support, promotion

follow us on Twitter @PotomacConf

of church and school news, organizational branding, internal and external communication,

Youtube.com/PotomacConference

photography and videography production.

Potomac Conference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists

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Communication

Outlets

Within the local church, there is information to be

Church Newsletter

shared both internally and externally. It’s important to

Newsletters are an important avenue to connect

understand the different avenues of communication

members with each other while providing updated

in order to best get the information to your audience.

information on church news and activities. A newsletter is also an effective way to stay in touch

Bulletin Announcements

with missing members. Choose a captivating name

One of the best ways to communicate with church

for your newsletter and make sure it has some

members regarding upcoming events and reminders

relevance to your church. When contemplating

is through the bulletin. Be sure that printed

whether to send the newsletter through regular

information is current, clear, concise and correct. Keep

mail or via email, consider the demographics of

it fresh by annually re-examining the bulletin’s design

the congregation. A membership made up of

and layout to be sure it has a current look. Enlist the

seasoned adults might prefer receiving a copy

help of a proofreader to minimize written errors.

in the mail while a younger generation might prefer communication they can read on their

Foyer Bulletin Boards

smartphone. Be sure to include the conference

Bulletin boards are a great place to provide

communication department (communication@

information. Posting photos of church activities,

pcsda.org) on the church newsletter mailing list.

families, new members and community events provide an opportunity for parishioners to

Church Website

stay connected. Most everyone likes to view

When looking for a church to visit, most people go

pictures of their family and friends—so go bold.

online for information. They want to know the location

Make the bulletin board bright and colorful.

of the church, worship service times, what activities are available for adults and children and the latest news. A decision to visit your church can come down

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Communication Corner

to how current your website is or even how

church, the church must go where the people are.

current it feels. If the information is not up-to-date

The people are connecting through social media:

or if the look feels dated, it leaves the impression

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube to name a

that the church is not functioning optimally. Your

few. Create profiles for your church and keep them

website is the introduction of your church—make

up-to-date with timely and accurate information.

sure it’s informative and user-friendly. The North

Social media needs three important elements:

American Division provides free websites to all

planning, people and purpose. Identify individuals

churches through Adventist Church Connect.

who understand social media to help engage your

Visit www.adventistchurchconnect.com

congregation to reach the larger community.

for more information.

Church Community Builder (CCB) Conference Connection

Technology has changed the way we do a lot of

Potomac’s Communication Department is part of a

things. More conversations happen via text than

global network of Adventist communicators, helping

through human interaction. Phones are the new

the Seventh-day Adventist Church stay connected.

camera. Online shopping is more popular than

As a church communicator, you too are a part of the

in brick and mortar buildings. The smart phone

universal information system. The department solicits

revolution has forever changed the landscape of

your articles and photos to share with members of the

communication. Gone are the days of personal

Potomac Conference, the Columbia Union and the

organizers and little black books with scribbled

North America Division. Stories that reflect what the

phone numbers. Technological changes impact

church is doing in the local community, evangelistic

even the way we experience church. Church

meetings, community and member recognition are

management systems like Church Community Builder

a few examples of the news that is great to share.

usher in a new era of church communications.

Remember that every word you write, every photo

CCB will enhance how your church family

you take, every article you submit is playing an

communicates with one another through:

important role in recording the history of your church.

• Church Calendar - One church calendar that will be accessible to all church and

Social Networking

ministry leaders. The digital calendar can

Have you connected your church to social media?

be synced to all modern smart devices. If a

If not, you might want to do so immediately. Social

change is made, it’s immediately reflected

media isn’t a fad. It’s here to stay. It has become a staple in the way people communicate—quickly and effectively. To broaden the influence of the

the next time you open your calendar.

• Online Church Directory - Every leader will have access to the same directory

Potomac Conference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists

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online, saving everyone time when trying

like to have featured, be sure to have a well-

to reach other leaders or members.

prepared writer and photographer in place

• Ministry Groups - Each ministry will

for the occasion. Inform the conference’s

have its own group for ‘interactive

communication team of the upcoming event

communications’ facilitating planning,

and ask to reserve space for the article.

communication and ministry.

• Targeted Mass Communication -

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A rticles must be a minimum of 250 words.

Personalized mass mailing to targeted segments of your church.

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T he Visitor requires at least three high resolution photographs. They must:

Conference Media Relations

- Be in focus

The Potomac Conference’s Communication

- Help tell the story of what is taking place

Department oversees three types of publications—

- Include a caption that explains what

the Visitor Magazine, Leader2Leader, pcsda.org

is occurring in the photo and identify

and social media outlets. The following

all persons in the picture including

are guidelines for each of the outlets.

their name(s) and title(s). (Example, Besty Bell, head deaconess for the

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V ISTOR MAGAZINE

Spirit of God Church. Dale Johnson,

Potomac People is Potomac’s two-page section

coordinator for the event.)

in the Columbia Union Visitor magazine, a publication that features news from across the

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T he Visitor also requires that each article

Columbia Union Conference and is published

contain at least one quote and include

10 times a year. To be published in the Visitor,

the title of the person being quoted.

specifically under the Potomac People section,

- Example 1: “I had a wonderful Sabbath,” said

content must first be submitted to Potomac’s

Barbara Haron, member of the Spirit of God

Communication Department. If you have a

Seventh-day Adventist Church. Example 2:

story idea and need help writing it or already

“We were delighted with how many people

have a story written please submit it via email:

attended this event,” said Dan Johnson,

communication@pcsda.org or call 540-886-0771.

pastor of the Spirit of God church. “We hope to do a follow-up event in the near future.”

What to know n

Think proactively and get ahead of the story.

If there is an event coming up that you would

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C ontent to the Visitor is submitted two months before it is actually printed. It’s important to

Communication Corner

keep this in mind, as to not submit stories that

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P CSDA.ORG STORIES/SOCIAL MEDIA

are dated. Submitting a story at the end of

We are always looking for stories to share on

December about a recently held Christmas

pcsda.org as well as Potomac’s social media

program will not run in the Visitor, as it wouldn’t

outlets. The same guidelines as the Visitor apply

be published until March. It could however,

for these types of submissions. There is no

be featured in Leader2Leader, Potomac’s

deadline in submitting content for the website.

monthly newsletter or on pcsda.org as well as the conference’s social media outlets.

Media Relations As a leader in your church for communication, it is

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LEADER2LEADER

your responsibility to work with the media to make

Leader2Leader is Potomac’s monthly e-newsletter

the public aware of special events and activities

that offers a snapshot of what is happening

happening at your church. Research the local media

around the conference. It contains evangelism and

outlets in your city or town and make a list of local

education stories as well as updates and news

newspapers, radio and television stations. Send

for future events. Submissions are welcomed

press releases and letters to the editor or public

for this publication. What you need to know:

service announcements to the outlets informing

- D eadlines are the 15th of each month

them of what is taking place at your church. Write a

- I nformation is presented as a bullet point

letter of introduction to newspaper editors, radio and

- T here is no minimum word count

television assignment editors and religion reporters,

- Q uotes are not required

letting them know you are willing to be a resource

- I nformation must include the WHO, WHAT,

for information on spiritual, health and education

WHERE, WHEN AND WHY of the event - Photos

are encouraged, but not required.

matters. Nurture the contacts by periodically sending information regarding church news and by

To be sure you are up-to-date on all the

making semi-regular phone calls, so they know you

news and information regarding Potomac

remain a valuable resource for their organization.

Conference subscribe to Leader2Leader by emailing communication@pcsda.org.

Write a le t te r of intr o duc tion …, le t ting the m k now yo u a r e w illing to b e a r e s o u rc e of information on s piritu al , he alth a nd e duc ation mat te r s .

Potomac Conference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists

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Writing

a Story to Share News Writing

Page

1

Name: Period:

Date:

are two schools of thought when writing BasicThere News Style: Inverted Pyramid

The advantage to using the inverted pyramid

an article. For more news driven articles,Simple

style is that it puts the information in logical order.

writers generally abide by the inverted

It arranges information from the most important

Newspaper articles are written using an inverted pyramid pyramid concept.

Most newspaper items will format as shown below. The most important information is at the top (beginning ofbe article) and the least form. important written in this This is a great format information is at the bottom (end of article). Has the ability to undergo cutoff test (removing last section(s) of story to local media. for reporting events to the quickly shorten story).

to the least important. The story beings with a climax and sets the tone for what is to follow. The information that follows then explains and supports the lead. Disadvantages to using the pyramid style is that it doesn’t encourage the reader to read the

Primary Lead

(25-40 words: keep it short and to the point) 1.

Summary of who, what, why, when, where and how (or as many available for use without cluttering the lead) - or 2. Single outstanding fact.

Secondary Lead Continue

Outline of story began in primary lead: a summary of important facts.

Review Of (continuing story)

Condensed statement on outline of story written so far

complete story. There is little suspense as readers’ interest tends to diminish as the story progresses.

Writing Tips When writing for publication keep these tips in mind: n

sure all information is (a) accurate, (b) concise, (c) objective, (d) timely, (e) pertinent, and (f) interesting.

2. Attribute both direct an indirect quotes.

3. Begin chronological story if telling of game or meeting.

t las t Tes ving ckly toff remo o qui u C or t ff ory y g o f st tor ttin (s) o ten s u C tion hor s s ec

S elect stories that cause the reader to want more. What makes your story stand

Details 1. Identify of further identify all people and places fully. Be

out? Is it exciting, what makes it unusual or unique? Why should it be read? n

B e timely. Most stories have a shelf life of a few days, several weeks at the most. Stories

Background

This is pertinent information not directly related to this event, but useful in understanding the event.

that are several weeks or months old are less likely to be selected than something that has occurred in recent days.

Lesser Details n

B e sure you have ALL the facts: Have you covered the “How” and the “five Ws” of WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN and WHY?

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Communication Corner

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M arket your story. Yes, sell it! In the initial

and the identity of those in the photo, including

two sentences, explain why it is important for the reader to find out more. n

their title or how they relate to the story. n

I nspirational stories are encouraged as

C apture the story with photographs. Good

they motivate others to think creatively.

photos help to make a good story even better.

What inspiring ministry ideas has your

Photos provide the reader with a visual that

church or education institution participated

enriches the narrative. Make sure that photos

in that would inspire others?

are high resolution. Be sure to include a caption

Resources: Potomac Conference: pcsda.org/communication Columbia Union Conference: columbiaunion.org/communication North American Division: nadadventist.org/communication General Conference: press.adventist.org

Potomac Conference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists

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606 Greenville Avenue Staunton, VA 24401 P 540 886 0771 F 540 886 5734 www.pcsda.org Š2018 Potomac Conference Corporation of Seventh-day AdventistsŽ. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the conference.