Congregational Press Kit for Canadian Unitarian Congregations
by Ann Buckmaster& Frances Deverell
Theological Students, Vancouver School of Theology
for
Rev. Dr. Brian Fraser
Third Year, Winter Intensive, 1999
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful for ideas and inspiration from the following sources in the development of this Press Kit:
Brian Kiely, Visibility 101, A Public Relations Workshop for Canadian Unitarian Ministers, Canadian Unitarian Council, May, 1998
Phillip Hewett, Unitarians in Canada, Second Edition, Canadian Unitarian Council, Toronto, 1995.
The Web Pages of:
First Unitarian Church of Toronto; Ministers: Mark and Donna Morrison-Reed
Unitarian Fellowship of London; Minister: Jane Bramadat
Unitarian Fellowship of Kelowna; Minister: Wendy McNiven
Canadian Unitarian Document entitled Helping Our Religion Grow
Sandra Moriarity, Message Strategies, (Visibility 101 packet)
Ed Shiller, Managing the Media (Visibility 101 packet)
Frances Deverell, Finding Common Voice, Social Responsibility Handbook for Congregations, Canadian Unitarian Council, May 1998
Table of Contents
- Introduction - Why Increase the Visibility of Unitarianism?
- Who In Your Congregation Should Read and Know About This Press Kit?
- Preparing a Communication Policy
- Who In Your Congregation Should Read and Know About This Press Kit?
- Why Do We Need a Communication Policy?
- Who talks to the press?
- Who uses letterhead?
- What is the level of delegated authority to committees?
- Factors to Consider in Developing an Approval Process?
- What does an approval process look like?
- Why are timelines important?
- Is there an emergency procedure?
- What is the role of the minister in public relations?
- Step-by Step Process
- How to Get Started:
- Choosing the Method of Outreach
- List of Options
- The Press Release
- Calendar listings and public service announcements
- Interviews
- Media Events
- What Makes a Story Newsworthy?
- What message strategies should I consider to make my story interesting?
- Preparing a Media Information Kit:
- Interviews
- Preparing for the Interview
- Giving the Interview
- Added Tips for TV Interview
- Do's and Don'ts of Dealing with the Media
- When Not to Initiate Media Coverage
- What to do When the Media Get it WRONG?
- Examples by Key Areas of the Church
- Worship
- Religious Education
- Social Responsibility
- Membership
- Appendix One: History
- Who talks to the press?
- Appendix Two: What Unitarians Believe
- Appendix Three: Specific Project Communication Strategy & Responsibility Table
- Appendix Three: Specific Project Communication Strategy & Responsibility Table
Those of us who participate in Unitarian Universalist congregations know what a dynamic, exciting faith we have. We can see that we have a message of good news that the world really needs, today more than ever. We all know people who are searching for something deeper in their lives. They are asking: Is there a purpose in my life? Where can I find reassurance and comfort in the face of loss? What is the meaning of existence? How can I be awake and open to all of creation? How do I live a life of worth and dignity? How can I find hope in a world where there seem to be so many problems?
If we are to make our Good News available to those who need it in this world, we must establish a visible and affirming presence in our communities. Unitarians don't proselytize (try to entice people away from their current faith), but it is appropriate and even necessary for us to do some evangelizing (getting our message out there for those who want to hear it.)
This Press Kit is designed to help all the different groups in the congregation do a better job of making the larger community aware of what they are doing.
At the same time, while we want the press to help us get our message out, we cannot control what they print or say. It is a challenge to get publicity which shows us in a positive light and gets our message across in a clear and affirming way. It is important that the people who communicate with the press have a clear idea of who we are and how to communicate our ideals.
This Press Kit is designed to highlight where some of the opportunities and pitfalls might be as we try to get our message out to the larger community.
Note: There is no instant gratification in publicity work. It takes a long time to develop and maintain a positive image for the church in the community. Everything we do, from the appearance of our building, and the sign out front, to the individual actions of our members, helps contribute to that image. Being intentional in every action and maintaining a consistent presence in the eyes of the public will make our churches an attractive place to visit and join.
This Press Kit is developed with the assumption that everyone in the congregation is an evangelist and that everything we do as a congregation communicates who we are and what we are about. As Unitarian Universalists we covenant together to affirm and promote our purposes and principles. Our acts of worship, religious education, social responsibility, and caring for each other all contribute to that purpose. Our building and how we care for it, our work on administrative committees, and every task we undertake all demonstrate in the moment what we believe about who we are as people, what is important, and how we should live in connection with others and with our earth community. When we seek publicity, we are inviting people to come and join us -- a group of people who are finding ways to transform our own lives and those of others by putting our values into action.
If we want to increase our visibility in the larger community then all of our activities may be seen as worth promoting. This means there are many people in your congregation who should be aware of and familiar with the reasons for and the procedures for doing publicity. Obvious candidates are leaders such as the Minister, the President, the Church Administrator and the Receptionist if that is a different person. These are the people who are most likely to be contacted by the media when you begin to reach out. In addition, Chairs of key committees (Worship, Religious Education, Social Responsibility and Membership) are all likely to be doing activities which may warrant publicity. Our activities and programs are the best way of letting people know who we are over the long run.
If we start by sending out press releases without understanding how the public may respond and how the members of our congregation may respond, then it is a recipe for conflict. Sorting out a few key issues in advance can make the process smooth and ensure that we are respecting each other and putting our best face forward to the public.
There are a number of factors to consider in making this decision. But, you must make a decision. Who the press talks to is one of the most important factors in utilizing the media. Some factors you may want to consider:
The letterhead of the church signifies that whoever is writing is representing or speaking for the church. Can anyone in your congregation use letterhead or is there an approval process to ensure that any message is consistent with our purposes and principles and reflects church positions and policy?
One can get so concerned about controlling the congregation's image and create such a difficult decision process that it becomes impossible for anyone to communicate on behalf of the church to the wider world. Similarly, a complete lack of roles and policy can have the same effect. This is perhaps why Unitarianism is one of the better kept secrets in our communities. It is helpful to give committee chairs some guidelines and training so that they can have the authority to initiate public relations communication within clear boundaries.
Under what circumstances should the committee chair inform the Board, Minister, Congregation? Or, obtain higher authority?
If committee chairs can normally issue a press release about the committee's activities and simply inform church leaders of the event, what factors should alert them that this may be a larger issue that needs higher approvals?
What does an approval process look like?
If a committee chair realizes that higher approval is needed, he or she should approach a designated person. It could be:
Democratic decision-making processes take time. This is their greatest weakness. It is often impossible to get people together between regularly scheduled meetings. Board agendas are often full and items that don't seem central to their agenda often get postponed. Press releases need to be timed very precisely if they are to be picked up. If you issue them too far ahead or too late, the press is not interested. People have a certain time frame when they will mark their calendars for an event and you have to catch them in that window. Committees need to be able to issue their press release within a very tight window of time before the event.
Sometimes an event comes up which is central to the church and which requires a quick response. If the church is going to do something or take a stand it has to be right now or there is no point. It should be emphasized that if the committees and the church are doing their planning, this should not happen often. If a social responsibility committee considers every issue that comes up on an emergency basis only, then we are allowing the news media to set our agenda rather than setting our own agenda based on our vision, mission and principles. Nevertheless, there may be a circumstance where the church wants to respond more quickly. To establish an emergency procedure you may want to consider:
What is the role of the minister in public relations?
If you have a minister, then this discussion needs to happen before you raise the congregation's profile in the community. Does the minister have an interest in public relations or does he/she prefer to support the public relations efforts of other people? Does the church want to have a consistent presence in the community over time? Is this best done through the minister or is there some other person who can play that role? If no one has the necessarily confidence and skills, who should be trained?
Note: It is important to make sure that the roles of individuals, committees, the Board and the Minister are clearly outlined in any policy that you write.
A well designed publicity program will help our congregations grow and make our religion more visible in the community.
How will you let your congregation know what is happening? If they don't know, and they read about it in the paper first, this could be a cause for tension in the congregation. Make sure you use every available means to inform people of your project: newsletter, order of service, Sunday morning announcements, information sheets, brochures, briefs, etc.
Choosing the Method of Outreach
The most effective strategy is to get to know the key reporters who may be able to help you and find out what their particular interests and priorities are. Your next step will be to consider the method of outreach in relation to the type of message, the target audience, the cost, potential effectiveness, and time required to follow through.
List of Options:
The Press Release
Calendar listings and public service announcements
Interviews
Controversy. The more outrageous or bitter the controversy, the more people want to see, hear, and read about it. Violence sells. We don't want to create violence, but we might want to highlight our approach to dealing with conflict and violence as a hook for reader interest.
Human interest. Does this story touch on an experience or emotion shared by most people?
Entertainment value. Is the story funny or does it stimulate curiosity, imagination or passion?
Think creatively. Think about the media you are targeting and try to craft your event to really show off in that medium. Think pictures for newspapers. Video for television. Audio for radio. A multi-media image has much more appeal.
Information: An Information strategy is usually a straightforward statement of fact, best used in brochures and web pages. It is an attempt to describe Unitarian Universalism in general or to give details of a specific event. When used in a press release format, there still may need to be a "hook" or an angle to make it more readable but for the most part it is basic information. "So and so was called to be the new minister..." or the "99th annual rummage sale...."
Argument: Argument strategy assumes that there are at least two sides to an issue. Messages are meant to be persuasive of a point of view and should be designed to speak to an audience already interested in the issue. Argument messages need to recap the issue in its most current form e.g. the government's latest stand, a previous letter to the editor, etc. Argument should be based on reason and logic, and should come from an identifiable UU angle. The principles are often helpful here, either quoted or paraphrased.
Image: Image strategy is used to develop a strong memorable identity for a person or our faith. It attempts to bundle perceptions into a single concept or symbol representing the subject of the message. The best image strategies result in a perception that the image itself is the subject. If the church is taking a stand, for example, the image will lend colour to that stand. e.g. The Welcoming Congregation.
Emotional Strategies: Emotional strategies are also meant to persuade and are designed to pull in the undecided and affirm the people on your side. They rarely have any effect on the opposition. Taking on the religious right, for example, can be polarizing and earn you some nasty phone calls, but it can influence many in the middle. The emotional message need not be used for already emotion charged issues. Used judiciously and carefully it can create interest in an event or activity. And remember, humour is as effective as any other emotion.
Entertainment: This style is most commonly used for advertising. The theory is that entertained people pay closer attention and notice your "product". Things like the Wayside Pulpit often fall into this category, but good entertaining writing can also get your columns published (Look what it did for Fulghum after all.)
Interviews:
Do's and Don'ts of Dealing with the Media
When Not to Initiate Media Coverage
What to do When the Media Get it WRONG?
Unitarianism is a non-creedal religious community which emerged out of the Judao Christian tradition during the reformation 400 years ago and independently in 1819 in the United States. The first Canadian Church formed in 1842 in Montreal. What the various streams of Unitarianism all had in common was a commitment to the values of freedom, reason, and tolerance. Since we see the truth as continually unfolding, our religious principles are adapted as our understanding deepens.
Today there are 1000 Unitarian congregations around the world and at least one congregation in every major Canadian centre. In British Columbia, The Vancouver Church was founded in 1909 and the Victoria Church in 1910 with both churches calling their first ministers in 1911. Today there are 4 churches in the lower mainland, 2 in Victoria, a church in Kelowna, and various fellowships on the island and in the interior.
As a result of this commitment to free thinking, Unitarianism has undergone a number of waves of thinking about the nature of humanity and the nature of ultimate reality or truth. In Canada, we participated in the Social Gospel movement to create the Kingdom of God on earth and one of our ministers, William Irvine, was a key builder of the CCF party. We have had waves of humanism, social activism, exploration of Eastern traditions, and, most recently, are experiencing a large interest in earth-centred spirituality. Another important focus of our movement is the interfaith dialogue and many of our members belong to the International Association for Religious Freedom.
In 1961, The Unitarian Association of the United States merged with the Universalist Church of America to become one denomination. At the same time, the Canadian Unitarian Council was formed and officially became a part of the Unitarian Universalist Association. All Canadian Congregations currently belong to both.
Today, Unitarian and Unitarian Universalist congregations are stimulating, active religious communities that affirm and promote the full participation of persons in all their activities, including membership, programming, hiring practices, and the calling of religious professionals, without regards to race, colour, gender, sexual or affectional orientation, physical or mental challenge, age, or national origin. We walk together in a spiritual path that includes the full range of options from support for meditation, prayer and inner reflection to support for social action in the world in the search for world peace and justice for all.
Why Do We Need a Communication Policy?
Who talks to the press?
Who uses letterhead?
What is the level of delegated authority to committees?
For example, if the Worship Committee is inviting a special guest and wants to issue a press release, the Worship Chair might have the full authority to issue such a release and the responsibility to provide a copy of the release to the executive, the minister,
the Board, the receptionist, and the office administrator. You might want to decide if someone should review the release for content and tone before it goes out. If there is disagreement as to the appropriateness of a release, does anyone have veto power?
Factors to Consider in Developing an Approval Process?
That person or group would review the situation and determine the level of approval required, the approval process, and the timelines. They would be familiar with normal congregational practice and would decide if the whole congregation needs to be involved, if the board can and would be willing to make this decision on its own, or if the minister, the president, or the executive of the Board could simply decide.
Why are timelines important?
Is there an emergency procedure?
How to Get Started:
Ask the people in your congregation the following questions:
Q: How did you hear about Unitarianism? (word of mouth, print or broadcast?)
Q: How long did you attend the church before you became a member? The answers will provide useful information for planning the type of outreach and how better to get new people involved.
Do your church members know what they believe? Encourage your congregation to articulate their religious beliefs. People gain skill in talking about their religion by participating in programs such as "Building Your Own Theology" and "The New U" or by listening to credos developed by other Unitarians, as part of a worship service.
Connect publicity with your congregational plan for growth and goals. Are there any problems with reaching out? Is being bigger necessarily better? How do your members feel about this? Is there some difficulty with proselytizing?
Whom do you want to attract? Look at the people in you congregation. Are they families with children? Singles? Elders? Which groups are you trying to reach? Ethnic groups, gays, lesbians, bisexuals?
What do you want an outreach program to do? Do you want to make yourself more visible in the community? For example: Do you want to share with others who are working on peace or "green" issues, cessation of violence against women?
Are you seeking new members? What programs do you have already to attract people or would lead to community visibility -- men's group, women's group, Welcoming Congregation, a recycling program. Look at these activities to see if they are newsworthy.
When setting up a plan to promote growth or increase visibility remember what you set out to do. Base any program on the goals of your congregation has defined. Don't get started prematurely. It is important to have personnel and facilities to provide agreed upon programs and advertised services. Include as many church members in any plans as possible -- this generates excitement and encourages discussion. Word of mouth is a powerful tool!
Develop a list of contacts for the media. Get to know the assignment editors for the daily newspapers and public affairs programs on TV and radio.
Does your society have a publicity committee? A membership committee? Do they work together? Make sure your publicity committee is informed about all special services and events happening in the church. Have a spokesperson for your congregation. Tell the truth if you are ever in a controversial situation and have a crisis intervention program in readiness.
The congregation that can make effective connection with the media will become well known as a force in its community. To accomplish this it is helpful to familiarize yourself with the various types of media and what the focus of each media format is. For example, in Vancouver there are major newspapers that cover events of interest to the whole lower mainland and local newspapers that cover events in specific municipalities. Radio covers similar news to the newspapers. There are specialty newspapers targeted at particular populations such as ethnic communities or parents as a group. The television channels are divided into those with regional and national level interest and those focused on local programming. Each of these media has key reporters that will cover church business as part of their mandate. In addition they have news reporters who cover events which are newsworthy. When you have such an event, you make a higher priority page in the paper than when it is simply church business.
The Press or Media Release is probably the most common tool for reaching out to the media for publicity for our events. The media receive many of these announcements, however, so it is wise to know what to include to increase the chances of getting your notice picked up.
Many print publications will list upcoming events in the community. To be included in the listings:
Radio stations will also "read" public service announcements. To be included in the listings:
Interviews are a really good way to get your message across in your own words. But, you must be aware that you will be edited for time, and everything you say needs to stand independently. Careful preparation is important. Get to know the producers of local talk shows. Contact them when you church has a newsworthy speaker.
Media Events
The best way to get media attention is to create a media event. Marilyn Sewell created a media event when she posted a pink ribbon around the entire church property and declared the Portland Church a sanctuary for gays and lesbians. Brian Kiely created a media event for the South Fraser Congregation when he arranged for the church to buy books that were being banned from the Surrey library because of their gay/lesbian related content. He publicized the event and read the children's story from one of the banned books on Sunday. Carol Lees created a media event when she picketed in front of the government buildings wearing a prison uniform and a ball and chain. Christian churches have been creating media events this year by running special services to bless the animals. Having all the dogs and cats, turtles and birds come to the church creates a great photo opportunity. The Portland-area churches created a media event when they ran an outdoor revival meeting for Unitarian Universalism.
What Makes a Story Newsworthy?
Timeliness. Most of the media events described above were related to discussions going on in those communities. Ask: Is the story relevant to the daily lives of the people you are trying to reach? Does it relate to a major issue of the day, a major holiday, event or person?
What message strategies should I consider to make my story interesting?
You have a desire to communicate something to a wider audience beyond the church. Perhaps it is an event to publicize or a comment to be made about values and social issues. The question now is what form should that message take? Sandra Moriarity described five basic message strategies:
TIP: When referring to an opponent in the debate, don't name them. Refer to them by title e.g. "the premier" . Don't give them free publicity on your nickel.
Preparing a Media Information Kit:
If you hope a reporter will write a larger story rather than simply printing a brief announcement, you can help the reporter do this by providing the back-up supports for the story. Some things to include are:
See the Appendix of this Kit for sample fact sheets to include about Unitarianism:
Preparing for the Interview:
Giving the Interview:
Added Tips for TV Interview:
Are you wondering when your congregation should seek publicity or whether a particular project might be newsworthy? The following is a list of some of the occasions for different areas of the church. ...you will surely think of more.
Worship
Religious Education
Social Responsibility
Membership