wfn.org | Communication task force moves toward churchwide

["Communication Ministries" <wshuffit@cm.disciples.org>]

communication strategy
Date: March 13, 2002
Disciples News Service
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Contact: Curt Miller
E-mail: cmiller@cm.disciples.org
on the Web: http://www.disciples.org

02a-22

	INDIANAPOLIS (DNS) -- In its first meeting here March 6, a
communication task force, named in the wake of the decision
to suspend publication of The Disciple magazine, identified
a variety of key elements of a churchwide communication
strategy for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
The task force, composed of lay persons, communication
professionals and clergy, also discussed issues related to
the development of a print publication to succeed The
Disciple. Citing steadily declining readership, Christian
Board of Publication suspended publication of the
28-year-old journal with a March commemorative issue.  

	In January, the Administrative Committee of the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ) called on Moderator Alvin
Jackson and General Minister and President Richard L. Hamm
to convene a group to: 

	* Determine the communication needs of the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ); 

	* Determine how those communication needs are best met,
including exploring partnerships within the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ) and among ecumenical partners; 

	* Provide critique and counsel to the Christian Board of
Publication and Communication Ministries (a component of
the Office of General Minister and President) as to the
role those ministries can best play in meeting those needs; 

	* Report those recommendations to the Administrative
Committee at its July 2002 meeting; 

	* Bring a report to the Administrative Committee in July
concerning what specific publication or publications will
follow the suspension of publication of The Disciple
magazine. 

	In its first meeting, the communication task force did not
make a specific recommendation for a successor to The
Disciple magazine, but it did note that the magazine had
served at least two important Disciples audiences: clergy
and lay leadership.  

	The group recognized the efforts of a recently-formed
not-for-profit corporation, which plans to launch a new
churchwide printed journal in April.  DisciplesWorld is
under the leadership of James Suggs, former president of
the Christian Board of Publication, and Robert Friedly,
former CBP vice president and editor of The Disciple. "We
affirm the effort as we seek to encourage new voices in
churchwide communication.  We welcome this sincere work and
hope that it will fulfill a part of the communication needs
of members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ),"
said Frank Caperton, task force chair and retired executive
editor of the Indianapolis Star. 

	The group worked to identify messages and themes to be
communicated throughout the Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ).  A core assignment in a communication strategy,
according to the task force, is to widely communicate the
vision and mission for the Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ).  This includes the formal statement of vision: "to
be a faithful, growing church that demonstrates true
community, deep Christian spirituality, and a passion for
justice; and the formal statement of the church's mission:
"to be and to share the good news of Jesus Christ,
witnessing, loving and serving from our doorsteps to the
ends of the earth."  It also includes interpretation of the
goals of the church's 2020 Vision, which include the
establishment of a thousand new Disciples congregations and
the revitalization of another thousand congregations by the
year 2020, and development of leadership necessary to
accomplish those goals.  

	"If we have this vision, it has to be the centerpiece of
the communication strategy.  We must work to create a
community of people throughout the church who care about
the vision," said Caperton. 

	"Our communication challenge is to show people how the
vision can be manifested -- how the vision has something to
do with their reality," said the Rev. David Shirey, task
force member and interim pastor of Southport (Ind.)
Christian Church.  

	Shirey, noting that the Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ) of 2002 is facing challenges and change, likened
the experience to the Hebrew exile."It was during the exile
that the Hebrew scripture was finally brought together and
written down. We are in an exile time. We're going to be
gathering the family stories. We're pulling together our
text, and we'll express it visually, in print and on the
world wide web," he said. 

	In its one day meeting, the task force discussed the
foundations of a churchwide communication strategy,
defining primary communication messages, discussing
audiences for those messages, and evaluating connections
and networks already in place. 

	In its discussion of messages, the group addressed the
question "what do we want communication to do?" Answers
clustered in several themes: vision, identity, community,
inspiration, networking, revitalization and growth. 

	Specific messages, the group said, should: "Communicate
honest good news about what's going on out there. Inform,
inspire, delight. Create a community around the vision.
Provide a sense of Disciples history and identity. Tell the
story through people and in a way that connects with
contemporary life. Give a platform to share ideas. Make
people glad to be Disciples. Honor our growing diversity
and celebrate our unity in Christ. Communicate how being in
mission transforms people."

	The task group also identified a variety of audiences in
the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). "Our first goal
is to communicate with people in the pews," the group
concluded.  The list of other audiences includes, but is
not limited to: clergy and lay leadership, elders, ethnic
groups, age-specific groups, seminarians, persons without
church homes, and regional, general and congregational
staff members.

	The group identified communication networks and
connections already in place. A communication strategy will
help connect them, and will identify, widen and create
other networks. 

	In a preliminary discussion of a churchwide communication
strategy, the group said such a plan will: 

	*support the vision and transformation of the church

	*employ research necessary to focus all aspects of the
strategy

	*identify, utilize and create communication networks

	*employ marketing principals and tools

	*develop an extensive electronic communication
infrastructure

	*foster mutual support among general, regional and
constituency group communicators

	*create redundant communication systems

	*consistently evaluate churchwide communication and
anticipate change and improvement

	*identify various audiences

	*identify appropriate media for particular audiences

	*provide for the use of advertising 

	The goal of the task force is to complete its work in 
less than 90 days and to report its findings to the July
meeting of the Administrative Committee.  In preparation
for the committee's next meeting in April, Communication
Ministries Executive Director Curt Miller will draft a
churchwide communication strategy document for evaluation
by the task group.  

	The members of the task force are: Frank Caperton, chair,
retired vice president of news and executive editor,
Indianapolis Star; the Rev. David Shirey, interim senior
pastor, Southport (Ind.) Christian Church; Diane Connolly,
a member of Creekwood Christian Church, Flower Mound,
Texas, editor of ReligionLink, which provides resources for
journalists across the country to cover religion in public
life, and former religion editor, Dallas Morning News;
David Brown, member of Lindenwood Christian Church,
Memphis, owner and president, Conaway Brown, Inc., a
Memphis advertising agency; Paul Rivera, a New York City
project engineer and member of Iglesia Cristiana Sinai
(Discipulos de Cristo), Brooklyn; the Rev. Richard L. Hamm,
general minister and president, Christian Church (Disciples
of Christ) and the Rev. Frank Thomas, senior pastor,
Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, Memphis.  Thomas
was unable to attend the task group's first meeting. 
	
	Miller and Christian Board of Publication President Russ
White are part of the group, to serve as sources of
information for its discussions and to receive the advice
of the task force for their respective communication
ministries. 

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