PeaceChurchCommunicationsManual2018_Fial Upload

COMMUNICATIONS MANUAL
LAST UPDATED MARCH 2018

TABLE OF CONTENTS
OVERVIEW ................................................. 5
Purpose. .................................................................................................5
PRIORITIES & VALUES. ....................................... 6
The Basics. .............................................................................................. 6
Communication Priority Chart ..............................................................................7
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION ................................. 8
Events Calendar. ..........................................................................................8
Communication Request Forms. ............................................................................8
Filling out a Form. ......................................................................................8
Deadlines. ............................................................................................ 9
Editing. .............................................................................................. 9
Printing .............................................................................................. 9
Internal Marketing/Promotions. ............................................................................ 9
The Bulletin. .......................................................................................... 9
Ministry Updates ...................................................................................... 9
Peace Central. ........................................................................................ 10
Ministry Table. ........................................................................................ 10
Slides. ............................................................................................... 10
Bathroom Signs. ...................................................................................... 10
Other Printed Materials. ................................................................................ 10
Photos. .............................................................................................. 10
Web.................................................................................................... 10
Page Updates. ........................................................................................ 11
Online Registration. ................................................................................... 11
E-mail. ............................................................................................... 11
Social Media. ......................................................................................... 11
Presentations. ........................................................................................... 12
Content. ............................................................................................. 12
Graphics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2

Fonts ................................................................................................ 12
Colors. ............................................................................................... 12
Presenting. ........................................................................................... 12
EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION ................................ 13
Advertising. ............................................................................................. 13
Social Media. ......................................................................................... 13
Newspaper. .......................................................................................... 13
Press Release. ........................................................................................ 13
Posters Around Town. ................................................................................. 13
Mailed Pieces. ........................................................................................... 14
Postcard Mailer. ....................................................................................... 14
Bulk Mail ............................................................................................. 14
Invite Cards. ............................................................................................. 14
GRAPHIC STANDARDS ...................................... 15
Publisher. ............................................................................................... 15
Templates. ........................................................................................... 15
Tips. ................................................................................................. 15
Peace Church’s Logo Guidelines. ........................................................................... 16
Logo Usage. .......................................................................................... 16
Safe Area. ............................................................................................ 16
Event & Ministry Logos. ................................................................................... 17
Fonts. .................................................................................................. 17
STYLE GUIDE. .............................................. 18
Grammar, Spelling & Punctuation. .......................................................................... 18
Writing ................................................................................................ 20
Formatting. ............................................................................................. 21
Homophones & Other Tricky Words. ........................................................................22
General Terms .......................................................................................... 23
Ministry-Related Terms. .................................................................................. 23
Proofreading & Editing. .................................................................................. 24
Writing for Web. ........................................................................................ 25
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3

VOICE MAIL & E-MAIL GUIDELINES ........................... 26
The Basics. ............................................................................................. 26
Forwarding/Replying. ................................................................................... 26
General ................................................................................................ 26
E-mail Response Templates. ...............................................................................27
SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES ................................. 29
Social Media Basics. ..................................................................................... 29
IN-HOUSE PRINTING ........................................ 30
Documents. ............................................................................................ 30
Printing. ............................................................................................... 30
CANCELLATIONS & SEVERE WEATHER ....................... 31
TABLE OF CONTENTS
4

OVERVIEW
The reason Peace Church exists is to help people find and follow Jesus (make disciples). To do that, we want our
worship services, ministry events, and every single thing we’re involved with to be easy to understand and done with
excellence. If our atmosphere and communications are boring and our website is impossible to figure out, we will only
be adding to today’s white noise (information overload) and have a hard time attracting new people who are interested
in learning about Jesus.
We believe beauty helps people feel comfortable. We also believe quality and consistency are the key items that
build trust. How we communicate with each other and our audience brings our message to life. A quality, clear,
consistent, and stylistic approach is key in the overall excellence of our church.
A clear and consistent Peace Church experience leads to trust, and that trust is our brand.
The heart behind this document is to help you. If you’re a ministry leader, volunteer, staff member, or intern, we want
resources that help you do your job quickly and well.
This document is an integral part of Peace Church’s ongoing effort to make disciples. It provides guidelines designed
to help all of us effectively communicate the mission and values of Peace Church in logos, print, marketing, electronic
media and more. Whenever you need to communicate anything associated with your ministry, start with this document.
PURPOSE
We have a commitment to excellence in all of our communication pieces. The purpose of the Communications Department,
(the reason the team exists) is four-fold:
EFFECTIVENESS
We exist to enhance the experience of the visitor and regular attendee by creating continuity throughout all ministry areas.
This requires a partnership with staff, ministry leaders, and volunteers to ensure the responsible stewardship of resources.
CONSISTENCY
Consistency is critical because each communication piece is a tool with the opportunity to unify or dilute the over-arching
message and communications of Peace Church.
CLARITY
Clarity is the quality of information provided and how it is organized. We want to simplify everything our audience sees,
hears, or touches to make their lives easier and more rewarding in every aspect of their engagement with Peace Church.
Clarity in communication helps them connect with Jesus and others effortlessly.
GROWTH
The commitment to excellence provides a path for our church to grow. Growth means more people pointed to Jesus,
more opportunities to serve our community, and more people in our congregation to connect, serve God, and become an
active member of Peace Church.
OVERVIEW
5

PRIORITIES & VALUES
Peace Church has communication values that drive the reasoning behind why and how we do what we do. We hope that
by listing them here, you will better understand the reasons behind how our branding and communication plans work.
PEACE CHURCH’S COMMUNICATIONS WILL:
• Be driven from the outside in. That is, there will always be a heavy emphasis on communicating to our community,
first time guests, and the like.
• Always utilize a language, style, and method that is visible and understandable to our guests.
• Filter the needs of our ministries through the needs of our guests first.
• Be simple and clear, eliminating unnecessary fluff or complicated content (too much information can be just as
dangerous as not enough).
• Be designed to reduce the noise in people’s lives and eliminate competition between ministries.
• Deliver excellence in timeliness, accuracy, design, layout, and ease of use.
• Be appropriate based on ministry priorities (see Communication Priority Chart).
• Capitalize on our strengths. Most people will connect with Peace Church for the first time through a Sunday worship
service. Therefore, most of our communication resources are expended on the weekend worship experience, inviting
people to those services, and then helping them take their next steps beyond Sunday morning.
• Be sustainable. We won’t launch a deliverable (newsletter, email, website, etc.) if we don’t have the systems and
personnel to maintain it with excellence.
THE BASICS
• Always include the Peace Church logo on every public piece. See the Graphic Standards section for more information
about logos and how they are used.
• Every piece should cover the most important question an audience asks: “Why should this matter to me?” Then, it
should follow up with the necessary basics of who, what, where, when, why, and how (call to action).
• Each communication piece that is produced by Peace Church will be evaluated using the communications priority
system. The Communications Director will determine which priority level each request falls under and produce the
appropriate communications pieces based on that categorization.
PRIORITIES & VALUES
6

COMMUNICATION
PRIORITY CHART
BIG
AUDIENCE
BIG DEAL
BOX 1
UTILIZED DURING SUNDAY
SERVICES/PIECES THAT
ACCOMPANY THE PRIMARY
MESSAGE:
• Most (but not all) message series
• All-church events (Easter,
Christmas, etc.)
• Campaigns (Embrace, W1S1)
SMALLER DEAL
BOX 2
PIECES RELEVANT TO ENTIRE
CHURCH & VISIBLE TO THE
GENERAL PUBLIC:
• Medium-Church events (Carols
& Candlelight, Sunday Night
Supper)
• Special Services (Thanksgiving
Eve, Good Friday, etc.)
SMALLER
AUDIENCE
BOX 3
MINISTRY EVENTS TARGETING
A PORTION OF THE CHURCH:
• Classes (Membership, Faith
Formation, HS Spring Break)
• Events (Marriage Retreat, Men’s/
Women’s/Student Events)
• Serving opportunities (Child
Protection Class)
BOX 4
SPECIALIZED CONTENT FOR A
SMALLER POPULATION
• Team trainings (Hospitality
Training, Worship Huddle)
• Events or serving opportunities
specific to a particular group
(Grief Share Holiday event,
Friends at Peace volunteer
recruitment, Top of the Liners
lunch outing)
CHANNELS:
ONE:
TWO:
THREE:
FOUR:
• PRINTS
Q
Q
Q
Q
• BULLETIN
Q
Q
Q
Q
• E-MAIL
Q
• MIN. UPDATES
Q
Q
• PROMO VIDEO
Q
Q
• MINISTRY TABLE
Q
• SOCIAL MEDIA
Q
Q
Q
Q
• PEACE CENTRAL
Q
Q
Q
• WEBSITE
Q
Q
Q
Q
• SLIDES
Q
Q
Q
• EXTERNAL
Q
Q
• E-NEWSLETTER
Q
Q
Q
Q

INTERNAL COMMUNICATION
We have a lot of things happening at Peace Church. To get the word out and ensure we’re providing the best experience
for our guests, we want to do our best to work together as a team with each ministry! That said, we appreciate that
ministries follow the given guidelines and timelines to ensure we can deliver quality communications in a timely manner.
Below are the steps each ministry should take when requesting work from the Communications Department.
EVENTS CALENDAR
Our main calendar is a great tool for all ministries to use to get their information online. Our Website Calendar links to our
website in real time, so if you make a change to a calendar event, it will be updated within a few minutes.
Each ministry and staff person is responsible for keeping calenders updated and current unless otherwise noted/
planned. If you do not have access to the Staff or Website calendars, connect with the office to schedule events on the
appropriate calendars.
Here are a few guidelines for how to use the calendar:
• Please make sure you select the correct calendar (Website, Staff, Personal, etc.) If you leave it at the default, it will
appear on your personal calendar, which does not link to the website.
• For one-time events: Name your event and choose the calendar, then choose the date. If it has a start and end time,
uncheck “all-day event” and enter the correct times. If applicable, enter the place and any necessary details.
• For repeating events: Enter the information above, but check the repeat button, and select the days and times it
repeats or the end date.
• For multiple events: Enter the information above, and then choose a start and end day. This will make your event
show up in a bar across multiple days. If your event is multiple days, but does not include overnight, then please enter
it as separate days with the correct start and end times.
• Do not use all caps. This makes it seem like you’re yelling.
• Please see the Communications Director if you need any help using the calendar, if you need access to any calendars,
or if you’ve forgotten your username and/or password.
NOTE: These processes may change as our apps and services provider changes in coming months. This document will be
updated to reflect those changes.
COMMUNICATION REQUEST FORM
Communication Request Forms are helpful for the Communications Director because they help keep things organized. By
filling out this form, you will ensure that your communications request/project gets added to the to-do list and that it gets
done in a timely fashion. Please read below for more details. Each communication piece that is produced by Peace Church
will be evaluated using the communications priority system. The Communications Director will determine which priority
level each request falls under and produce the appropriate communication pieces based on that categorization.
FILLING OUT A FORM
Communication Request Forms are available online at peacechurch.cc/communicationsrequestform. Please fill out the
form to the best of your ability so we have the most information possible. If you’d like, you may set up a meeting so we
can fill out the form together and go over details as we go.
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION
8

DEADLINES
We must have Communication Request Forms at least four weeks before you’d like your project to be finished. (Please
see printing bullet below for more information on how long printing takes and where certain things get printed.) Please
note that if a piece has to be ordered out-of-house, a Communication Request Form will need to be submitted at least six
weeks prior.
EDITING
Once the Communications Department gets the initial proof, you may look over/edit it. Please make sure that you have all
your information together before giving it to us to minimize the editing process.
PRINTING
If you are requesting a printed piece, depending on how many copies you’d like printed, the Communications Director will
decide how your piece will be printed. Depending on the quantity & quality of the prints, the Communications Director will
determine if the printing will be done in-house or outsourced.
• IN-HOUSE: Typically, if you are printing 200 or fewer copies, we will print in-house. This means you don’t have
extra print time, so you can submit your request four weeks in advance. The Communications Director will either print
the pieces or send you a printable PDF so you can print the copies you need. Please see the printing section of this
manual for more information on how to print in-house.
• OUTSOURCE: If you need more than 200 copies or a different quality of print, the Communications Director will
send your project to a professional printer (this cost will be taken from your budget). This can take up to two extra
weeks, which means you’ll need to submit your project request at least six weeks before you need your printed piece
to avoid rush/expedited shipping costs.
Now that you know how to submit a request for a specific project or event, please read the rest of this section to learn
about the many avenues we have for communicating important information to those who visit and attend Peace Church.
INTERNAL PROMOTIONS
There are a few opportunities for you to promote your ministry or event. All communications must be approved. Read below
for what they are and the guidelines for each one.
THE BULLETIN
The Bulletin is a publication that we provide at every Sunday morning service that includes a condensed list of
announcements (eight max). The Bulletin’s chief goal is to enhance and aid our Sunday worship experience, which includes
not overwhelming guests with every single thing we have going on at Peace Church. We do not run personal announcements
or outside ministries’ announcements (unless specifically sponsored by/partnered with Peace Church).
Part of choosing announcements is based on which items apply to the broadest group of people. The Communications
Department will determine which weeks and the total number of times announcements will be ran. Announcement requests
should be submitted by the end of the day on Tuesday (advance notice is appreciated).
If you’d like an announcement in the Bulletin that we are not already aware of, (Website Calendar, reoccurring events,
Communication Request Form, etc.) submit announcements to us at announcements@peacechurch.cc.
MINISTRY UPDATES
Ministry Updates are announcements given on Sunday mornings from stage or through video.
We try to keep Ministry Updates to a maximum of three announcements per week, so to overwhelm people with too much
information at one time. Please refer to the Communications Priority System for a better idea of what kind of announcements
will take precedence for Ministry Updates and how the Communications Department determines the priority level.
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION
9

PEACE CENTRAL/WELCOME CENTER
• Peace Central has all current information regarding various ministries and events. It is manned before and after
services by someone with a knowledge of what is going on in the church.
• You may not place anything at Peace Central without permission from the Communications Department. If there
is something you’d like to be placed there, or you need something designed, please complete a Communications
Request form.
MINISTRY TABLES
• Tables can be set up in the back of the Worship Center as needed. Complete a Communications Request Form and
the Communications Director will determine when and if your ministry will have a Ministry Table.
• We will need to know what is at each table so that we can tell Facilities and the Welcome Center Hosts and make
certain that brand/atmosphere consistency is kept.
SLIDES
Slides are the images on the screens in the Worship Center before and after service on Sundays and on the screens
throughout our facility. The Communications Director decides which events need a slide for promotion.
BATHROOM SIGNS
Bathroom Signs are the flyers that are printed and inserted into the holders throughout the restrooms in the church.
Selection for bathroom signs will be determined by the Communications Department.
BANNERS
Banners have stands and can be used in the Commons Area or in other places to help promote an event. These are
generally reserved for large events or all-church campaigns.
• Banners will be printed in-house and associated costs will be charged to your ministry’s budget.
PRINTED MATERIALS
There is a variety of other custom printed items that can be printed through the Communications Department (marketing/
promotional pieces, postcards, etc.). Please contact us to let us know what your request is, and we will work together to get
whatever we can ready for you. Please plan ahead by submitting your request as soon as possible so that we have time to
create beautiful work for you and have it printed at the lowest possible price.
PHOTOS
Only high quality or professional photos will be used on designed pieces. Some pointers for an appropriate photo would
be images that are sharp and not blurry, clear and not grainy, not too dark, not have too busy of a background. Typically,
photos from the Internet are not suitable for print. If you would like to line someone up to photograph your event, there
are willing volunteers in the church that have professional equipment. The Communications Department also has access to
a professional camera.
WEB
Peace Church’s website is a very large, important communication tool. The goal of the website is to be able to keep
members and visitors informed, engaged, and invested in what’s going on at Peace Church. The information below will
help give you a better understanding of the website, what it should accomplish, and what our values for it are.
Effective communications harness the power of a message that brings our mission, vision, and values. Effective technology
provides a seamless, integrated solution, giving people what they need when they need it.
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION
10

Together, communications and technology fuel our website. An integral part of ministry operations, our website is one
medium we use to accomplish the above. This section highlights some of the guiding principles we incorporate in our
online strategy.
• Let it flow. People shouldn’t notice process. If they do, it’s not working. We want to help people connect with Jesus, our
church, and each other effortlessly—less scrolling & fewer clicks.
• Reduce the noise. Keep it simple—really simple. Eliminate fluff and provide facts. The key goal is to simplify
everything our audience sees or touches to make their lives easier, more rewarding, and provide the quickest path to
the main thing.
• Design from the outside in, not the inside out. Our website should be user-centric (guest focused), not organizationcentric.
We will build pages to be most clear and helpful to the visitor; not organized around our internal
organizational chart.
• Our site will always be designed within the context of low-to-no maintenance. Automate whenever possible. If we
can’t maintain it, we won’t implement it. However, all content needs to stay up to date constantly.
• We won’t overpower because we can. Just because it’s cool doesn’t always mean we should do it.
These are our general rules/guidelines for creating web content, which guides how we create for you the list of items below.
WEB PAGE UPDATES
This is the most basic form of web presence. Each ministry area has its own page on the Peace Church site. Please monitor
it regularly (preferably monthly), and complete a Communications Request Form when content needs updating. We will
use the guidelines above to keep content simple, readable, and not overwhelming.
REGISTRATION
If you have an event that you’d like people to be able to sign up for online, we can create an online registration form for
you. Please give us all that information on your Communications Request Form. We’ll need to know what information you
need to gather from people, who the results should be emailed to and any other page content.
E-MAILS
An e-mail/e-vite can be sent for a specific event. This is a form e-mail that can be sent to anyone from our database,
from Peace Church. You can get more details from the Communications Director. All mass e-mails (e-mails to more than
50 people) must go through the Communications Department to ensure we are in compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act.
Also, we want to make sure that our e-mail domain is not applied to any SPAM blacklists. We want to make sure that your
e-mail campaign is effective by reducing the overall number (quantity) of e-mails an attendee of Peace Church receives on
a normal basis. Recurring e-mails (i.e. emails to Growth Group Leaders, etc.) should be initially approved by the Creative
team and should be sent through Planning Center Online.
SOCIAL MEDIA
The Communications Department regularly utilizes Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) to promote various
ministry opportunities. Ministries should refrain from creating individual social media accounts and/or websites unless
prior approval has been given by the Director of Communications. We want to maximize our social media reach by having
a centralized strategy with one page that focuses on church-wide content, but also includes ministry content. There are a
few exceptions to this policy, but they need to be approved prior to creating the account.
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION
11

PRESENTATIONS
PowerPoint (or Keynote for Macs) presentations can a great tool that you can use for your ministry events. These tools can
enhance or distract from your presentation. The following are some guidelines to help you in creating slides. They can help
you avoid common pitfalls in slide design and increase the effectiveness of your presentation.
CONTENT
• Use statements instead of sentences. Use active, visual language.
• Keep it short. Use key words to help the audience focus on your message.
• Too many words on a slide will tune people out quickly and will force you to read the slide as you’re presenting. Each
slide should present one idea and no more than eight words per line.
GRAPHICS
• Art should enhance and clarify your message, not just be flashy for the sake of “looking cool.” The Communications
Director can create graphically strong slides or images for you if requested. Please complete a Communications
Request Form.
• High-resolution bit-mapped (file extension .bmp) images will slow down the transition from one slide to another.
JPEGs (.jpg) or PNGs (.png) at 72 dpi are best. Talk to the Communications Director if you have any questions about
images.
FONTS
• Type for slides should be at least 36 to 40 points, while bulleted text should be no smaller than 24 points. The key
reason type size often winds up being too small is because there’s too much of it on one slide.
• Don’t use more than two different fonts in your presentation.
• Sans serif fonts (e.g., Arial , Calibri, or Helvetica) provide the best on-screen legibility.
COLORS
• Let the information be the important point of every show, rather than an expression of jazzy colors.
• Use a color format that gives good contrast between background and text. Dark backgrounds with light-colored text
work best.
• Text drop shadows or outlines should be black or a darker value of the background color. Pay attention to shadow
colors. It makes the legibility poor if not done properly. See the Communications Department if you have questions.
PRESENTATION
• Preview your presentation on the equipment you will be using for the meeting or event.
• Do not “read along” to your audience. Speak about each slide while looking at those in front of you. You should be
the focus, not the screen.
• Keep visual transitions and sounds to a minimum, unless they directly contribute something to your presentation. You
do not want your audience to be over-stimulated or miss the point you are trying to make.
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION
12

EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION
External Communications are what we do to market Peace Church events or ministries outside of the church, such as
newspapers, online ads, billboards, theater ads, and more.
ADS
Ads can be a great way to get the word out about your ministry event. Read below for details and options for advertising.
FACEBOOK
Facebook is a great way to advertise because you will get a lot of impressions (the number of times your ad pops up
when someone is viewing Facebook) for a very low price. Facebook ads are a great deal, and you can set your price, target
audience, and timeline very specifically. Talk to the Communications Department for more details.
NEWSPAPER
Our local newspapers are another way to advertise. You can advertise in the Sun & News, Reminder or The Banner.
Newspaper ads are pricey, but can still be effective.
OTHER (BILLBOARDS, THEATER, ETC.)
Christmas, Easter, and other large church-wide events could include a variety of other advertising avenues including
billboards, theater ads, etc. These are the only events that will require such marketing measures.
PRESS RELEASES
Press releases are short write-ups that we give to the local newspaper to inform them of an upcoming event. These are
posted in the newspaper weekly. Sometimes from this information, they are interested in doing a story on the event or
ministry.
See the Communications Department if you’d like us to write a press release or edit/approve one written by the ministry
leader. The Sun & News and The Reminder requests are due the Monday before the Saturday they are run and The Banner
releases are due the Monday before the Thursday they are run, so please plan accordingly.
POSTERS AROUND TOWN
You can promote your event by talking to the Communications Department about placing posters in local businesses
in Middleville & Caledonia. Posters must be designed by the Communications Department, so please complete a
Communications Request Form.
EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION
13

MAILED PIECES
Occasionally, Peace Church will send out direct mailings. If you’d like something to be created and mailed to a large group of
people, whether within Peace Church or the Middleville/Caledonia area, we can set up a special mailing for you. We have a
few options for what types of pieces can be mailed and how they are mailed.
POSTCARD/MAILER
We can create postcards or mailers in any size, folding, etc. to promote your ministry. We can send them to a specific/
targeted group in Peace Church, or to the whole church. Talk to the Communications Director for more details and examples.
Depending on size and shape, they can take up to two weeks to be printed and shipped to us for the cheapest price. Then
they can take up to another week to be mailed. So please plan accordingly and give us at least six weeks’ notice to get them
done for you.
BULK MAILINGS
A bulk mailing consists of 200 or more pieces (each piece must be exactly the same) to be mailed. The benefit of sending
mail as a bulk mailing, rather than first-class mail, is that you get a large discount in mailing cost.
To set up a bulk mailing, talk to the Communications Department. We will help you get your list ready and print labels for
you. We have volunteers who enjoy coming in to help label mailed items (and seal if needed). You are responsible for calling
volunteers and taking your mailing to the Post Office.
INVITE CARDS
Invite cards are generally for sermon series, holiday events or other all-church events. They can also be used for large ministry
events. Please complete a Communications Request Form.
EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION
14

GRAPHIC STANDARDS
These graphic standards are available to help each ministry when they need to use Peace Church’s logo, design
something, or what fonts you should use when putting together a print piece. To have consistency and quality in all that
we produce, if what you need created is going to more than 30 people, talk to the Communications Department to create
a design plan. The Communications Department will not be able to create every graphic that each ministry needs, but will,
at the least, provide feedback, suggestions, and final approval. Thanks for your assistance in keeping these standards!
PUBLISHER
Publisher is a great tool for those who don’t have the fancy programs the Communications Director has. Again, if you need
more than 30 copies of something, come to the Communications Department to have us design it or provide resources.
But Publisher can be used in some great ways to help you get your work done. All projects created by you/ministry
leaders must still be reviewed and edited by the Communications Department before being distributed.
TEMPLATES
Publisher provides templates for you for postcards, letters, name tags, or other print pieces. If it’s something that you use
on a regular basis and periodically change a small amount of information, adjust accordingly.
TIPS
Here are a few tips for creating things in Publisher to help you work more efficiently and to follow the graphic standards of
Peace Church.
• Margins: When creating your document, most of the default margins in Publisher are much too big. Once your
document is open, go to File>Page Setup, and change your margin guides to .25”. This is the limit of the printer, so
that’s as far to the edge that you can print.
• Clip art: There actually is a lot of decent “clip art” and images you can find within Word and Publisher. When going
to insert a picture or art, if you click on “Clip art on Office Online” at the bottom of the box, you can search for any
number of images or icons. Please use professional looking photographs and images when creating.
• Fonts: Don’t use more than two fonts in your design. This keeps it clear and professional.
• Images & Logos: Never drag from an edge to resize a picture. Always drag from the corner. This makes sure that you
don’t stretch or squish it.
• Keyboard shortcuts: There are a number of shortcuts you can use to make working in Publisher easier.
• Shift: Holding shift while selecting objects will allow you to select multiple objects at a time. Holding shift when
moving an object will move it in line either vertically or horizontally.
• Control: Holding control while moving an object will make a copy once you let go of the mouse. This works well
for creating name tags or other objects that you need multiples of on one page. Holding control when resizing an
object will resize it from the center.
• Grouping: Grouping objects together will help you move them around. Just go to Arrange>Group.
• Rounded corners: To get rounded corners on an image, you need to create a rounded corner box and give it a white
outline. Then place it over your image and make the outline as thick as it needs to be to cover the corners of your
image. (We wish there was a better way to do this!)
GRAPHIC STANDARDS
15

• PEACE CHURCH’S LOGO GUIDELINES
This section explains policies and guidelines for the use of our identity (logo) and provides information for the preparation
of various types of printed materials used by the church. To ensure effective usage of the Peace Church identity, these
guidelines must be followed. If Peace Church’s logo is printed on anything that more than 30 people will see, the
Communications Director must review it & approve.
The official Peace Church logo consists of two components shown below; the words ‘Peace Church’ and the
accompanying “cross circle” logo mark (referred to as the mark). They must both be reproduced from authorized original
reproduction-ready art and cannot be redrawn, re-proportioned or modified in any way without prior approval from the
Communications Director. Approved, high resolution, and production-ready versions of our logo can be found on our local
network in the following folder path; Share_peacesvr/Peace Church Graphics/Logos.
Both the logotype and mark must not be reproduced. Only the Director of Communications can determine in which cases
it is permissible and/or appropriate to use the logotype without the accompanying graphic mark or the mark without the
accompanying logotype.
LOGO USAGE
Logos are located on the Peace Church’s shared drive. General church logos are in the Church Logos folder. Ministry logos
are in separate folders with your ministry name on them (some are under over-arching ministries).
Only the Communications Department has the original logos that are approved to be used. The logo cannot be redrawn,
re-proportioned (stretched or squeezed) or modified in any way.
If you need the logo in another color, the Communications Director can create one for you.
RESPECTING THE SAFE AREA
When using the logo on a printed piece, or for web, you must keep a safe area around the logo that is equal to the
“meanline.” In Typography, the meanline is is half the distance from the baseline to the cap height.
SAFE AREA
LOGO MARK
LOGO TYPE
The address/contact information is the only thing allowed to come within the safe area of the logo.
GRAPHIC STANDARDS
16

EVENT & MINISTRY LOGOS
All logos must be created by the Communications Director, unless you are using a logo from an outside ministry or
company. Please fill out a Communications Request Form if there is a ministry of the church that is requesting a logo to
be created.
If you need a graphic for your event, the Communications Director can create one for you. Please fill out a
Communications Request Form.
FONTS
Peace Church’s standard font (font family) for printed materials is Gotham. However, you’re welcome to use other fonts if
you’d like for headers and design elements. Please approve them with the Communications Department.
Our standard font, along with some other acceptable fonts are located on the Peace Church Shared Drive.
GRAPHIC STANDARDS
17

STYLE GUIDE
Consistency in grammar, spelling, and print writing in general is another part of brand trust. Some of these are established
grammatical rules, while others are simply a way for us to maintain consistency. Read through this section (Style Guide) to
familiarize yourself with Peace Church’s grammar, style and spelling rules.
Peace Church’s grammar and style generally align with The Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition) and The Christian
Writer’s Manual of Style. If you have questions about grammar or a specific situation not addressed in this style guide, the
Communications Department has access to these two rescources, which can provide helpful answers and clarity.
GRAMMAR, SPELLING, & PUNCTUATION
ABBREVIATIONS
Avoid in general, particularly when referring to events or groups.
EXAMPLE: Use Peace Church (not Peace).
TITLES
As a general rule, titles of published works (books, movies, magazines, musical albums) are to be in italics for easier
readability (rather than underlined or inside quotation marks). The exception to this rule would be a shorter piece of a
larger published work (a chapter of a book, an individual song, a single poem), which should be formatted as normal text
inside quotation marks. When referring to a Peace Church titled event or class, italics is the preferred format.
EXAMPLE: Beth Moore’s Breaking Free. “Come together” is the first track on the Beatles’ Abbey Road.
DATES
Drop the reference to the year when appropriate. You may abbreviate months if you need space, but never abbreviate the
day of the week. Make sure commas are in the right place. Do not use ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.), just use cardinal
numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.).
EXAMPLE: Friday, August 9 (not Fri., Aug. 9th, 2018)
TIMES
Use AM and PM and use an en-dash—not a hyphen—in between times (see Hyphens and Dashes for more details). Add a
space after the time and before AM or PM. You do not need to use AM and/or PM twice if the start and end time are both
morning or evening. Don’t use “o’clock” when writing times that are on the hour.
EXAMPLE: 6:00 PM (not 6 PM or 6:00 P.M. or 6pm)
6:00–9:00 PM (not 6 p.m.-9 p.m.)
8:00 AM–3:00 PM (not 8 in the morning to 3p.m.)
STYLE GUIDE
18

NUMBERS
Spell out numbers one through nine. Use the numerals for numbers 10 and above. Also, when using hyphenated adjectives
to describe length, spell out numbers and hyphenate. But, be consistent. If a range of numbers includes both a number
below and above 10, use numerals for both.
EXAMPLE: I have five kids. We needed 25 sandwich orders. Kids from age 5–12 are eligible. Caraway Street is open for kids
from five years old through fourth grade.
MONEY
Use $5, not $5.00. Be consistent. If referencing a fractional amount and whole amount in the same sentence, use the full
reference (including cents) for both.
AND VS. &
Only use “and” in most body text. The ampersand is permissible in headlines and stylized text for graphics.
APOSTROPHES
Do not use apostrophes in plurals and in reference to years or ages. Use apostrophes when referring to the possessive,
meaning that someone owns what you’re talking about. Apostrophes are also used to stand in for words or numbers that
are missing, such as contractions or references to decades.
EXAMPLE: CDs (not CD’s). The 1990s (not the 1990’s). Pastor Adam’s sermons (not Pastor Adams sermons). Peace Kids
(not Peace Kid’s). The ‘90s (not the 90s). Don’t (not dont).
CAPITALIZATION
1. Avoid using all caps in body copy. It gives the impression of YELLING.
2. Use bold or italics instead if you’d like to emphasize a particular word or phrase, but avoid this as much as possible.
3. Pronouns referring to God are never capitalized (he, his, him) if not at the beginning of a sentence. Names of God are
always capitalized (Holy Spirit, the Son of God, the King of glory). Refer to the ESV Bible for specific examples.
4. In titles, lowercase a, an, the, and prepositions of three letters or less (unless it is the first word in the title).
5. Capitalize Mother and Father when used in place of the person’s name. Example: Mother always prayed for me.
Other context: I’m thankful that my mother always prayed for me.
EXAMPLE: The event takes place today at 3:00 PM (not TODAY at 3 p.m.)
BULLETS
Be consistent in the type of bullets used. Be sure to check size and spacing. (See Periods & Spacing for more information)
COMMAS
In lists of three items or more, use the Oxford comma before and/or. Use commas where there are natural pauses in a
sentence, for compound sentences (before and/or), and to set off unnecessary or parenthetical words or clauses.
EXAMPLE: Bring your Bible, scrap paper, and an open heart. Well, I hope we can do that.
I walked to the store, and I ran into my friend! The kickoff, to say the least, was a success.
EXCLAMATIONS
Do not overuse!!!!!! Limit to two per paragraph. People will get it, we promise :)
STYLE GUIDE
19

HYPHENS AND DASHES
There are three basic levels of hyphens and dashes, and they can be confusing! A hyphen is the smallest (-) and is used for
compound adjectives. The en dash is medium (–) and is used between dates or times. The em dash is the longest (—) and
is used in sentences with a separate clause. Never use the tilde (~) to separate words or phrases.
EXAMPLE: A six-week series. A to-the-point statement. A six-year-old child. (hyphens)
The event takes place from 6:00–9:00 PM. The trip is July 8–15. (n-dash)
I was reading—I don’t normally read on Fridays—when I came across this. (m-dash)
There are keyboard shortcuts for these symbols that will make it easier for you to use them, if you have a number keypad
on your keyboard. If not, one easy way to access these symbols is with a quick Google search, then copy and paste.
• En-dash (–) is CTRL+MINUS KEY (The one on the number keypad, not the dash key) or ALT+MINUS KEY (Mac)
• Em-dash ( —) is CTRL+ALT+MINUS KEY or SHIFT+ALT+MINUS KEY (Mac)
PERIODS & SPACING
Use only one space after a period at the end of a sentence. Never use double spaces. One space is also used after a colon.
Omit periods in bulleted lists for incomplete sentences.
EXAMPLE: The Bible teaches us to:
• Love God first
• Love others second
• Love ourselves last
PUNCTUATION WITH QUOTES
The period and comma always go inside the quotation marks. The dash, semicolon, question mark, exclamation point, etc.
go within the quotation marks when they apply to the quoted matter only. They go outside the quotation marks when they
apply to the whole sentence.
EXAMPLE: “I went to church yesterday,” he said. Which biblical figure said, “It is finished”?
WRITING
ACTIVE VS. PASSIVE VOICE
Choose active vs. passive writing. Passive voice lowers the readability and clarity.
EXAMPLE: “We decided.” (not “It was decided.”)
WORDINESS
Avoid wordiness and eliminate unnecessary phrases or adjectives. If the sentence makes sense without it, you should take
it out. A clear, concise writing style is better than a wordy, flowery style with too many descriptions. We are not writing
poetry (usually!). If there are too many words, it’s likely that a guest or member won’t read it.
EXAMPLE: (TOO WORDY) Each summer, the Women’s Ministry gathers for Pizza in the Park. We do this by inviting
women and their children and grandchildren to the park. Anyone can be a part of this! How? Get together and join us
at the Caledonia Lakeside Park on July 15, as we will look forward to enjoying pizza together and enjoying fellowship!
(CLEAR, CONCISE WORDING) The Women’s Ministry team invites all women, their children, and their grandchildren to
Caledonia Lakeside Park on July 15 to enjoy pizza and fellowship!
STYLE GUIDE
20

FORMATTING
E-MAIL ADDRESSES
In text, e-mail should always be lowercase. Never hyphenate e-mail addresses (i.e., they must stay on the same line).
EXAMPLE: office@peacechurch.cc (not Office@PeaceChurch.cc)
PHONE NUMBERS
All phone numbers must be separated by periods, not hyphens. Use direct numbers and avoid using the main number
whenever possible. Do not use the area code (616) unless it is a non-local number (e.g., 269) in internal promotions. Outside
advertising may use the area code.
EXAMPLE: 616.891.8119 (not 616-891-8119)
WEB ADDRESSES
Use lowercase for all web addresses. Internet addresses should never be underlined. You can change the setting in
Microsoft Word that does it automatically (see us for help). Do not use the “http://” or “www” prefix in any web address.
Never hyphenate web addresses (i.e., they must stay on the same line).
EXAMPLE: peacechurch.cc (not www.peacechurch.cc)
NOTE: Capitalize “Internet” but not “website.”
WIDOWS & ORPHANS
Eliminate these!
A widow is a very short line—usually one word, or the end of a hyphenated word—at the end of a paragraph or column. A
widow is considered poor typography because it leaves too much white space between paragraphs or at the bottom of a
page. This interrupts the reader’s eye and diminishes readability. Fix them by reworking the rag or editing the copy.
Like a widow, an orphan is a single word, part of a word or very short line, except it appears at the beginning of a
column or a page. This results in poor horizontal alignment at the top of the column or page. The term “orphan” is not as
commonly used as “widow,” but the concept is the same, and so is the solution: fix it!
EXAMPLE: (WIDOW) Fishing Fellowship is a time to relax, enjoy catching fish, and to have a friendly competition. Join us
today!
(Reword to get this word on the line above or get another word with it)
HYPHENATION
Never hyphenate words between lines of text. Always hit “Enter” or “Shift+Enter” on your keyboard to get rid of those. Do
not hyphenate websites or e-mails.
ROOM NAMES/NUMBERS
Room numbers should include the word “Room” when referring to a numbered room. Capitalize the title of rooms.
EXAMPLE: If you like coffee and visiting with others, stop by and enjoy at Caraway Street or Room 202 after the service.
STYLE GUIDE
21

HOMOPHONES & OTHER TRICKY WORDS
AFFECT/EFFECT
Affect is a verb that means to influence. Effect is usually a noun that means “a result,” but it can be a verb meaning “to
produce a change.”
EXAMPLE: The event affected my emotions. That photo has a nice effect against the dark background. His legislation
effected a change in policy.
INSURE/ENSURE
Insure means to provide insurance. Ensure means to make clear or certain.
EXAMPLE: The insurance company insures us for a lot of things. She called the students to ensure they would be there the
next day.
E.G. & I.E.
E.g. means example, and i.e. means ”that is” and simply restates what was just said. Always place a comma directly after
both terms.
EXAMPLE: Make a critical comment, e.g., “I don’t like this phrase because...”
The “Auditorium” i.e., the Worship Center, seats 500 people.
ITS & IT’S
Its is the possessive form of the pronoun “it.” It’s is a contraction of “it is.”
EXAMPLE: Turn the chair over on its side. It’s (it is) getting dark outside.
YOUR & YOU’RE
Your is the possessive form, and you’re is a contraction of “you are.”
EXAMPLE: I am going to your house tomorrow. You’re going to be there, right?
THERE, THEIR, AND THEY’RE
There refers to a specific place. Their is the possessive form of “they.” They’re is a contraction of “they are.”
EXAMPLE: I just saw her, right over there. I talked to their mother yesterday. They’re very excited to see us!
STYLE GUIDE
22

THAT & WHICH
That and which are tricky, but worth getting right! “That” is used for a restrictive clause, meaning if you took out the phrase
following “that,” it would change the meaning of the sentence. “Which” is used with non-restrictive clauses, meaning
you could take out the phrase, and it wouldn’t change the sentence meaning (these clauses are usually surrounded or
preceded by commas).
EXAMPLE: Clouds that are dark usually mean rain (If you took out “that are dark,” it would change the meaning to say that
all clouds mean rain, which isn’t true).
Dark clouds, which look menacing, usually mean rain (If you took out “which look menacing,” it wouldn’t change the
meaning of the sentence).
The oil spill cleanup is not going well, which is bad news (“which is bad news” is a side note. It doesn’t change the meaning,
it just adds to it).
IRREGARDLESS
“Irregardless” is never right. The correct term is “regardless.”
GENERAL TERMS
HOT
a lot
cannot
e-mail
flyer (brochure)
information about
Internet
online
voicemail
website
leader
NOT
alot
can not
email
flier (something that flies)
information on
internet
on-line or on line
voice mail
web site
sponsor
MINISTRY-RELATED TERMS
HOT
Caraway Street
Peace Kids
Faith Formation
Growth Groups
Youth Ministry(ies)
Christianity & Culture
Peace Central
Commons Area
Worship Center
NOT
Caraway
Kidz Worship
Sunday school
Small Groups
Youth Group(s)
CNC
Info Depot
Lobby/Narthex
Sanctuary/Auditorium
STYLE GUIDE
23

PROOFREADING & EDITING
Copy (any body of text without proofreading and editing can potentially turn off readers. One error can convey that
the information or audience is not important or valued. Always have someone (preferably someone unfamiliar with the
material, so that if anything is confusing, they will catch it) proofread your work before it becomes public. Do not rely on
your computer’s spelling and grammar checks.
ACCURACY
Cross-reference dates and days of the week with a calendar.
AUDIENCE
Does the copy answer the most important question our audience asks: “What’s in it for me?” Leo Burnett, leading
advertising executive of our generation, says, “Don’t tell me how good you make it. Tell me how good it makes me when I
use it.”
BASICS
Does the copy include the necessary basics of: Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How (call to action)? Does the call to
action include appropriate contact information (e.g., complete address, phone number, e-mail, web address, etc.)? Does it
have your ministry logo on it?
CONSISTENCY
Look for consistency with punctuation, style, and formatting throughout the piece. Compare with our Style Guide.
NAMES
Double-check accuracy on names, phone numbers, and e-mail directly with that person, or cross-reference with more than
one proofreader.
SPELLING
Spelling is critical. A single misspelling can convey that the information or audience is not important or valued. Don’t rely
on your computer’s spell check.
TERMINOLOGY
Step into the shoes of a new guest and consider what their reactions may be to certain words or phrases and the
appearance of the piece. Do certain words sound “cliché,” too implied, or confusing? If so, there’s a good chance the
message may not be understood by our audience.
TONE
Are we accurately representing the intended meaning? Question anything that may raise a red flag to you. It’s better to
address the potential problem than to allow it to go unchecked. Don’t assume someone else will do it.
TIPS FOR GOOD PROOFING
• Work from a printout, not the computer screen (but do use computer shortcuts below during final edits).
• Read out loud. You’ll hear problems you may not see when reading silently.
• Use a blank sheet of paper to cover up the lines below the one you’re reading. This technique keeps you from
skipping ahead of possible mistakes.
• Use the search function of the computer to find mistakes you’re likely to make. Search for “it,” for “its,” and “it’s.”
Look for opening parentheses or quote marks (people tend to leave out the closing parenthesis).
• End with a spell check, using a computer or by reading backwards word by word. But remember that spell check
won’t catch mistakes with homonyms like they’re, there, and their or typos like “he” instead of “the.”
STYLE GUIDE
24

WRITING FOR WEB
People read online differently than they do in print materials. The physical limitations of computer monitors, as well as the
nature of a hypertext environment (links), prevent people from reading for long periods of time or in a linear fashion. While
good writing is good writing, understanding these differences is crucial to communicating effectively on the web.
Interestingly enough, in today’s information age, people are becoming more accustomed to the reading style of web copy
and are becoming more impatient with lengthy print copy. The transition has already begun to move to a “task-driven”
reading approach as more and more documents are being published in scannable or bulleted formats. In other words, web
copy translates well into printed material, but print copy does not translate well into web copy.
TEXT
“Chunk” text (break into easy-to-read pieces) for quick and easy reading. Use shorter phrases, rather than longer, wordy
sentences to make a point.
ACTIVE VOICE
Be direct. Use active voice.
CONTENT
• Make one point per paragraph. Don’t overload your reader.
• Employ the “inverted pyramid” style of writing—place the main point of the topic in the first or second sentence
instead of leading up to the topic sentence with introductory sentences.
• Avoid empty phrases, market-speak, and flowery wording. A reader is more likely to trust the content when it is
simple and not over-hyped. Break paragraph points into bulleted lists.
EXAMPLE: If you have kids, we’ve got some great programs for you! We have programs on Sunday mornings during both
hours as well as the Sunday School hour and Sunday evenings.
It would be clearer like this:
Got kids? Check out these programs:
Sunday mornings: 8:30 & 11:00 AM
Sunday evenings: 6 PM
FONTS
Do not mess around with fonts when writing web copy. Just use the default, which is clear and easy to read.
LINKS
Do not use wording like “click on” or “click here.” Just make the subject or phrase a hyperlink or button.
EXAMPLE: Register now! (not Click here to register). Connect with others through Growth Groups. (not Click here for
Growth Groups).
STYLE GUIDE
25

VOICEMAIL & E-MAIL GUIDELINES
Voicemail and e-mail are an important part of communications at Peace Church. We need to make sure we’re being clear,
polite and helpful in all ways possible, including in this way.
THE BASICS
Check your mailbox at least once a day and respond within hours to a request. If you are on vacation or will be unable to
respond in a timely fashion, either set your out-of-office message on e-mail (record a new message on your voice mail) or
make sure someone else is responding to your e-mails.
Reply to every message that originates from a person. Delete general solicitations and advertisements.
When reading e-mails, please read the entire message. It’s very easy to skim an e-mail, miss an important detail, and then
ask the sender a question that was already covered in the original e-mail. Fully reading all e-mails will save time and reduce
confusion.
FORWARDING/REPLYING
• When forwarding e-mails for a response, make sure that person will be able to respond in a timely fashion. If not,
send it to someone else if possible.
• If you don’t receive a response within a week from the person you forwarded it to, telling you they responded or will
respond, send it again to make sure it didn’t fall through the cracks.
• Never forward e-mails to or distribute personal e-mails. Always use a church e-mail address.
• Always include a phone number when telling someone to call, and include an e-mail when asking someone to e-mail
a staff member.
• Always include a web address link when sending someone to a specific part of the website.
• Use staff titles in e-mail responses. For example, “Ryan Kimmel, our Pastor of Family Discipleship, will respond to your
question as soon as he can.”
• Do not hit “reply all” when there’s an e-mail that gets sent out to a ministry team. This wastes time for staff and
volunteers. If you want to respond to the original sender, make sure you just hit “reply.”
• Please do not add any backgrounds, fancy fonts, or bright colors to your e-mails. Using simple black text and a clear
signature are professional and will make your e-mails easier to read.
GENERAL
• Encourage people to attend Membership Classes if they want to know more about us. It is the best place to learn
about the mission, vision, and values of Peace Church. They’ll also learn about all the opportunities available to them.
Check the calendar for the next meeting time.
• Don’t try to be a counselor. Instead, forward on to a pastor like Adam, Ryan, or Ken, depending on the request. It’s not
your job to have all the answers. It’s your job to connect them with someone who can answer their questions.
• Be clear and concise when writing e-mails to staff or others. Proofread your e-mails before you send them, or have
someone else do so. If your e-mail is long and confusing, it will just waste time because you’ll end up having to write
it again.
VOICEMAIL AND E-MAIL GUIDELINES
26

• Don’t respond to an e-mail in anger. If you are offended by an e-mail, take some time away from it and respond later.
Or talk to someone else for advice on how to handle it, rather than replying something that you may regret later.
• Include a simple signature in your e-mails:
Jim Bowerman
Communications Director
Peace Church
616.891.8119 ext. 106
peacechurch.cc
REMEMBER
• You may be the first and only contact that someone has with Peace Church.
• Your goal is to connect people directly with a resource, not necessarily just another person. Avoid the middleman.
E-MAIL RESPONSE TEMPLATES
When responding to e-mails, this is a sample library you can use to help you with some basic requests that people send in.
AUTO REPLY MESSAGE
This message is automatically generated the first time someone sends a message to office@peacechurch.cc.
This is an auto-response to let you know we have received your message. Someone will respond to you within 36 hours.
If you need a more immediate reply, please call us at 616.891.8119 during our regular office hours of 9:00 AM–4:30 PM,
Monday through Thursday. Thank you for contacting Peace Church.
PRAYER REQUESTS
This message is automatically generated the first time someone sends a message to pray@peacechurch.cc.
Thank you for your message and your concern. I have forwarded your message to (name and e-mail of the person you
forwarded it to) on the prayer team. Please keep them informed with any updates to your request or answered prayers.
GENERAL RESPONSES
General responses for things such as: address changes, library/resources, class registration changes, general comments or
criticism, prayer requests, small groups, weddings/funerals, etc.
Thank you for your email. I’m sending your question(s) to [name and e-mail address], our [title of staff member]. He/she
handles [topic]. If you don’t hear from him/her in response to your question(s)in the next several days, please feel free to
get back in touch with me.
ANONYMOUS COMPLAINTS
I appreciate your time in writing this note, but we don’t respond to anonymous messages. If you’d like to call the church and
talk through this with someone, feel free to do so at 616.891.8119.
VOICEMAIL AND E-MAIL GUIDELINES
27

EMOTIONALLY-CHARGED COMPLAINTS
Be cautious when handling emotionally-charged e-mails. Leave out any personal reply that may indicate you are accepting
their emotion as our own. For example, don’t say “I would be upset in your situation as well.”
Your responsibility is to affirm by responding to the urgency of their message; someone has heard their comments and will
forward it immediately to the relevant contacts for response. There is likely more to the story and it is the responsibility of
the relevant contact person to dig deeper and respond appropriately. Stay as neutral as possible in your response.
Thank you for your message and taking the time to share your concerns with us. I have forwarded your message to
[contact person, title and e-mail address]. He/she is prompt with responses, but is occasionally out of town. You are
important to God and important to the church. Please get back to me if you are unable to connect and get your questions
answered. Let me know if I can be of any further assistance.
OTHER SALES REQUEST RESPONSES
I’m sure you offer a wonderful product, and I certainly appreciate your heart for wanting to support the ministry financially.
It’s just that we can’t allow one person to offer their products and services without also opening that up to the hundreds of
other people in our congregation that would also want to sell their products and services.
We get this type of request frequently. In a church that is reaching so many people in our community, we’re not able to
accommodate any of those requests. I’m grateful, however, for your commitment to our ministry. It’s encouraging to know
that there are people like you that are very supportive of the mission and vision God has called our church to accomplish.
Thank you, again, for your inquiry.
VOICEMAIL AND E-MAIL GUIDELINES
28

SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES
The term social media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive
dialogue. Social media is for social interaction, and it has substantially changed the way of communication between
organizations, communities, and individuals over the past decade.
As a church, we utilize social media as a way to communicate to our community as well as be a social place to share faith
stories, encourage members of these groups, and be a resource for biblical inspiration.
SOCIAL MEDIA BASICS
Peace Church uses Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to communicate a number of different things. The idea is to use social
media platforms to connect people to information that matters to them. We try to post at least several times per week, not to
create noise, but to keep our ministries on people’s minds.
People have to go to websites to get information; social media enables information to go to people. The website is one of our
greatest central points for disseminating information, so we use social media to get people to our site. Using social media is a
way to extend our message and communication channels to reach people throughout the week.
Our first rule of social media is to be authentic. Bringing a real voice to the content makes it much more engaging.
When on your own personal accounts, please do all you can to remember you are a representative of Peace Church. On social
media, that can look like the following:
• Avoid gossip at all costs.
• Always speak of Peace Church in a positive light.
• Avoid posting inappropriate posts (images & language).
SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES
29

IN-HOUSE PRINTING
With printing in-house, the Communications Department can create PDFs to email to you so that you can print as many
copies of your piece as needed. This gives you freedom, but there are a lot of print settings and options involved with the
copy machines/printers in the office. This section is to help you with printing in-house.
DOCUMENTS
Anything that you need to send out to more than 30 people should be created or approved by the Communications
Director. Otherwise, we can print in-house for you.
You will receive your document in PDF format. If your piece has two sides (front and back), the second page of your PDF is
the back side of your piece. So remember to scroll down to look for that second page!
PRINTING
When you’re ready to print, follow these steps:
1. Go to File>Print.
2. Under Printer>Name, select the correct printer. This may depend on what size and type of paper you’re using.
You may need to load a special paper, like colored card stock, or colored copy paper. If you need to do so, please
change the paper setting on the copy machine as well as from your computer when you’re printing.
3. Click Properties. Under basic, select portrait or landscape.
4. Under Basic, Select the paper size under Original Size. Don’t worry about paper size. If it says, “Same as original
size” that will work.
5. Under Paper Tray, select the appropriate tray, depending on what you’re printing. Then click the Paper Settings for
Each Tray button and make sure the paper is selected correctly.
6. If you need to print 2-sided, click the Layout tab. Select 2-sided under Print Type. Then select Right Bind or Left
Bind (they work the same way). Make sure nothing else in this tab is checked.
7. In the Quality tab, under Select Color, choose Gray Scale if you’re only printing in black and white. If you’re printing
in color, you can leave it on Auto Color.
8. Click OK. Now you’re back in the main dialogue box. Here you can choose how many copies you’d like to print. You
may want to just print one copy first, just to test it to make sure all your settings are correct.
9. Under Page Scaling, select None. Make sure Auto-Rotate and Center and Choose Paper Source by PDF page size
are unchecked.
10. If you need to print a booklet that gets folded & stapled, see the Communications Department for help.
If you’re having any issues, please feel free to talk to us to get help with your printing.
Please remember to put away your unused paper and reset any trays to their default settings. Do not leave paper in the
Manual Feed Tray for the Office to clean up.
IN-HOUSE PRINTING
30

CANCELLATIONS/WEATHER
CANCELLATIONS
Our team will constantly monitor threatening weather before and during events. Cancellations will be announced with the
media.
In the event of inclement weather, all weekday morning activities (from opening to 4 p.m.) at Peace Church will
automatically be cancelled if Thornapple Kellogg (Middleville) or Caledonia Public Schools close because of weatherrelated
conditions. The cancellation team will make the call to cancel afternoon, evening, and weekend activities by 2 PM,
again following the lead of the local school districts evening activities.
If there is a travel advisory, all scheduled events will be allowed to take place. The cancellation team will be responsible for
monitoring or changing conditions.
If there is a Barry/Kent County or a Michigan State Police Travel Ban, all scheduled events will be cancelled.
Sunday services will only be cancelled under extreme and unusual conditions (such as tornado warning or travel ban
because of a blizzard). It is imperative that each attendee evaluate if travel is safe for his or her own situation.
You may check the following media for cancellations:
• Call us at 616.891.8119
• Radio: WJQ (99.3 FM), WCSG (91.3 FM)
• TV: WOODTV (8), WOTV (4), WMMT (3) & WZZM (13)
CANCELLATIONS/WEATHER
31

6950 CHERRY VALLEY ROAD MIDDLEVILLE, MI 49333
616.891.8119 | OFFICE@PEACECHURCH.CC | PEACECHURCH.CC