The Importance of Communications

As communicators, we are called to the work of evangelism — telling the story of the church at work in our diocese and beyond. We want to share the Good News and bring others to know and love the Lord. Communication is a tool for building a community.

Resources for Communicators

Episcopal Communicators
Whether you’re volunteer or paid, if you’re involved in communicating for an Episcopal church or organization, please check out the group Episcopal Communicators. There’s an annual membership fee to join; they also have a Facebook group (no membership fee required).

eFormation: a learning community offered through Virginia Theological Seminary. Several people from our diocese have participated their “Boot Camp” events and highly recommend eFormation to others.

Communications Planning Webinar
“Before You Say a Word: Developing Your Communications Plan” was a free 1-hour webinar offered by the Episcopal Church Foundation on December 1, 2016. You can access the archived video of this webinar here.

Episcopal Church Writing Style Guide
Find it at this link:  www.episcopalchurch.org/style-guide/​. One of the most helpful style guidelines at this resource is the entry for “Capitalization” found here. Find out when to capitalize “the presiding bishop” and if you should capitalize “The Standing Committee of the Diocese of South Carolina.” 

Episcopal Church Image Galleries
Looking for some general church photos to use in your publications? Visit the TEC Image Gallery.

Digital Communication Resources

• Digital Church Policies, a very helpful Building Faith article with sample policies.
• Taking your worship online: A guide for beginners and everyone else
• How to Livestream Your Church Service in 4 Easy Steps – Facebook and YouTube are excellent platforms for easily live-streaming worship. (You do NOT have to have a Facebook account to watch.) 
• Center for Lifelong Learning at VTS offers numerous video tutorials on the use of digital media like Zoom, Facebook, etc. 
• Beyond Livestream Worship: What we learned from our experiment with online worship – a series of blog posts by Episcopal Church Foundation. 
• Invite Welcome Connect in Virtual Church – Episcopal Church Foundation blog post  

Branding

Diocesan Brand Resources

Looking for the diocesan seal or diocesan logo? Here are a few of the most commonly used files. Additionally, check out the Logo & Brand Identity Guidelines for more information.

Episcopal Church Branding

The Episcopal Church offers important resources to help guide your communications efforts.

The Episcopal Church Visual Identity Guide includes important tips on the proper use of the shield logo, as well as color palettes, font suggestions, and social media tips and techniques. The Visual Identity Guide also includes information about The Presiding Bishop’s style, as well as logos for use in promoting “The Jesus Movement.”

As we live into the challenge and opportunity of being “the Episcopal branch of The Jesus Movement,” a logo for the movement is available to supplement The Episcopal Church logo or to stand in its place. Use the design for collateral and promotional materials to help spread the movement.

Find the logos, shields, and graphics of The Episcopal Church on the web at this link: ​www.episcopalchurch.org/resource-library/logos-shields-graphics/

This shield pictured above, which you will see at every Episcopal Church, is the official “logo” of the Episcopal Church (TEC), and represents our history.  The red Cross of St. George on a white field is symbolic of the Church of England. The blue field in the upper left corner is the Episcopal Church.  It features a Cross of St. Andrew, in re-cognition of the fact that the first American bishop was consecrated in Scotland. This cross is made up of nine cross-lets or mini crosses, which represent the nine dioceses that met in Philadelphia in 1789 to form the Protestant Episcopal Church of the U.S.A.

Fun fact: The Diocese of South Carolina is one of these nine dioceses! (also a fun fact, this blue is the official blue of TEC – Web #407EC9 or Pantone 660C).