The Ministry of Communication

1. The Ministry of Communication Part I Light Bearers to the World Your Presenter: Ellie Wharton 1/13-14, 2007

2. Spreading the light Ellen G. White, in her book, The Publishing Ministry, calls the act of publishing “a sacred work.” The communications that are shared are “to prepare a people to meet God.” At the end of this seminar you will be well prepared to assume the duties of this life-changing ministry.

3. Introduction • Part I – Light bearers to the world This session is an open discussion format where we will discuss five spiritual responsibilities of the Communications Department • Part II – Your church at work In this session you will learn how, what and when to submit material to the Conference office and Union publications, how to build a relationship with the local media in your town, methods that will keep your church informed

4. Your Five Spiritual Responsibilities • Serve as God’s divinely appointed instruments • Demonstrate Christian Principles • Witness for Truth • Add shelf life to the spoken word • Follow Divine not worldly policy How well are you equipped to handle these responsibilities?

5. Serve as God’s Divinely Appointed Instruments You have been chosen to “accomplish the work essential to be done in this part of the world to prepare a people to stand…” in the last day. The Publishing Ministry, pg. 42 You may have been elected by your congregation, but you have been appointed by God. What will be your plan to get people to cooperate with you?

6. Demonstrate Christian Principles “All that is done in every line is to bear the impress of heaven, to show forth the excellence of the character of God…” The Publishing Ministry, Pg. 41 Every word you present before the world must be accurate, informative, inspirational and fresh. What must you do toprepare your communications?

7. Witness for Truth “Every institution that bears the name of Seventh-day Adventist is to be to the world as was Joseph in Egypt and as were Daniel and his fellows in Babylon.” The Publishing Ministry, Pg. 42 Your communications must be distinct within your local communities from that of other denominations How can you develop your skills to accomplish this?

8. Add Shelf Life to the Spoken Word “Very much more can be accomplished by the living preacher with the circulation of papers and tracts than by the preaching of the word alone…”The Publishing Ministry, Pg. 44 Most people have an attention span of 20 minutes while a magazine or newsletter will remain on a table top for months and can be referred to at anytime. What measures can you take to capitalize on this opportunity?

9. Follow Divine not Worldly Policy “Those who trust to their own wisdom will plan to carry out their special ideas. This will bring results unfavorable to the advancement of God’s cause.” The Publishing Ministry, Pg. 53 Every word that is written, every photo that is taken, every article that is submitted must be done prayerfully and with the exclusive desire to bring honor to God’s work. Think of some situations where person’s actions can cause unfavorable results? How can they be avoided?

10. Your Five Earthly Responsibilities • Review, initiate and oversee all modes of communication, both internal and external, employed by the Church • Inform the Church and the public of the activities and services provided by the Church • Except for the weekly bulletin, be responsible for the editing, printing, broadcasting, and distribution, by traditional and electronic means, of all periodic communications emanating from the Church • Coordinate and provide assistance as needed for ALL news releases emanating from the Church • Disseminate information on the Church's objectives and programs to the congregation and community

11. In Summary… Communicate God’s love as the center of the universe…

12. And the people will beat a path to your door.

13. Stay tuned for Part II Your Church At Work The “How to’s” of Effective Communications

14. The Ministry of Communications Part II Your Church at Work The “How to’s” of Effective Communications Special thanks to Olson Perry, former Editor of the Southern Tidings for his assistance in preparing this part of the seminar

15. As the Communications Officer you can be either a blessing or a curse for the church . You must be prepared to: • Work closely with the pastor • Be on the church board • Meet with each department regularly • Be visible with your local media and community • Meet deadlines • Exhibit creativity in the areas of journalism, photography, videography, internet and publishing programs …and still hold down a regular job, maintain a family, take time for yourself, and get some rest…

16. In addition, you must… • Review, initiate and oversee all modes of communication, both internal and external, employed by the Church • Inform the Church and the public of the activities and services provided by the Church • Except for the weekly bulletin, be responsible for the editing, printing, broadcasting, and distribution, by traditional and electronic means, of all periodic communications emanating from the Church • Coordinate and provide assistance as needed for ALL news releases emanating from the Church • Disseminate information on the Church's objectives and programs to the congregation and community

17. Media Representation • You must have a relationship with representatives from all pertinent media to include metro newspapers as well as grassroots papers and magazines, TV stations, radio stations (AM especially). This includes names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses • Your contact info must be on the rolodex of each print Editor, and News Assignment editors for TV and radio for their easy reference • Stories must demonstrate what your church is doing for the community, i.e., health fairs, food drive, community garden, health mobile • Stories must use the 5 “W’s” – who, what, when, where, why

18. Church Newsletter • Should be published monthly – we want news, not history • Should be mailed or delivered to each member’s home, nursing homes • Preferably should be 4 page, color • Should cover baptisms, baby christenings, special days, birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, stuff your congregations will want to read about • Big event stories can be submitted to local newspapers and even Southern Tidings but will require a different version

19. Develop a website • Work with an IT person within your church to create a website that can help win souls • Register online with iadventist.com, search engines so your site can be found • Publish your URL in your church bulletin and in all articles, on church letterhead, marquee outside of the church and on pastor’s biz cards • Maintain website monthly – keep it fresh so people will want to come back often

20. Website (cont.) • Website should become an extension of your newsletter • NAD gives awards each month for best websites • Good site to visit for ideas – www.hansonplace.org • GREAT site to visit – www.madisonmission.org

21. PR Ministry of the church • Work with pastor and all department heads to access info about meetings, special days • Publish the church calendar • Be a member of the church board so that you will know first-hand when decisions are made • Help department heads in promoting special events • Protect the image of the church (make sure pictures are hanging straight, lights are workable, holes in parking lot are reported, spots on carpet are reported, frayed carpet is noted and made a repair priority, bathrooms are presentable, etc.

22. PR Ministry (cont.) • Take plenty of photos of all events • Create a scrapbook • Videotape services, especially when there are guest speakers • Collect names of visitors and send cards • Treat the church as you would treat your own home – make it a place you would be proud to invite a friend to

23. Five White Conferences Carolina GA/Cumberland Gulf States Florida Kentucky/ Tennessee Three Black Conferences South Atlantic South Central South Eastern Understanding the Southern Union Each Conference is given two pages in each edition of Southern Tidings magazine

24. Rules for Submission • NEVER send articles directly to ST – you must always go through Michael Harpe, Communications Director, SCC • Deadlines must be met (10th of each month into the Conference Office) if you intend for your article to be considered. • Be precise in your writing style – space is limited • All copy must be submitted in Word or Word Perfect

25. Rules for Submission (cont.) • Use the 5 “W’s” (professional rules of journalism) • Avoid using titles such as Pastor, Elder, Deacon, Sister/Brother before a name • Titles come after the name – i.e. Michael Harpe, Elder; or Clarence Hodges, PhD • Don’t use the word “church” to identify a location. If it is used, it should be in lower case

26. More on submissions • Refer to The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation or go to www.grammarbook.com • Spell check – PLEASE!!! • Buy a good camera. Pictures should always be interesting – move in close to your subject, use proper lighting and FOCUS. Don’t place Black people up against a white wall for background • Use action shots with actual people doing activities – not the pastor or elder cheesing

27. Just a few more thoughts • Avoid group monotony – focus on one or two people rather than a whole group • Submit photos via email in jpeg format using 300 dpi resolution or higher. • Double check all facts - # of people, full names, places, dates, right type of degree for people named or shown in a photo • Keep in mind that your article could end up in the Adventist Review and go worldwide

28. Involve your young people • They have energy • They are creative • They are fast learners • They want to be heard • This could help launch a career

29. An important calling • You are the keeper of the church’s history • You are an outreach minister to those who may not be able to make it to church • Your work will outlast any preaching • You are in a perfect position to win souls Always remember – this is a ministry