John Thomas III, Editor of The Christian Recorder
In the United States and Canada, Black History Month is an annual celebration held in February. Carter G. Woodson pioneered Black History Week, in 1926, to honor the contributions of African-Americans that were historically ignored or unknown. At its foundation, Black History Month is about ensuring that the historical accounts of the descendants of the African Diaspora are recorded and shared. How does the AME Church share our good news with each other and the world? How does the Church constructively engage with “the media” so that our voice is heard?
The first part of sharing your story is answering the question, “What do I have to say?” Too often, we are so engaged in ministry that we do not realize that it is vital for us to share what has been accomplished. Whether a congregation has five members or 5,000, every church has a story that deserves to be told. Annual days and church anniversaries are important events to share because they provide a space for celebration and reflection. Members often hear great reports of ministry highlights during annual conferences, yet the reports aren’t shared outside of that moment? Others may be inspired by the church’s homeless winter shelter program or after-school tutoring sessions. When is the last time your church shared its ministry with someone beyond its four walls or in an AME Church conference report?
After you identify the ministry accounts that should be shared, the next step is the recordation process. Start with the five key questions of journalism: Who? What? When? Where? Why? The actual program of the event may be utilized to outline the article. Include direct quotes to help shape the perspective. The average accepted length of an article in most media is 500 words or less; therefore, it’s important to find a balance between coverage and length. Photographs are important to help tell a story. It is essential that writers utilize high-quality photos of at least three megapixels which can be taken by a camera or cell phone. In our congregations, there are willing scribes from school-aged youth to retired educators who would be ready to write if asked. Who can help share your church’s story?
After the account is recorded, it’s time to share the information. The key to maximizing your audience is to have a clear media strategy that takes advantage of various outlets to optimize the article’s reach. Various media outlets have different levels of coverage. While it is easy to rely on social media because of its ease of access, posts are rarely seen beyond an individual’s network. Many congregations invest in great photos to share online; yet, they are normally seen by persons already familiar with the local charge and tend to not reach a broader audience.
Following are some general ideas or suggestions. Depending on your country, they may not be relevant to your local context.Internal AME Church media includes a variety of AME publications available to distribute information. The Christian Recorderis the denomination’s official organ and has a circulation of 15,000 in print and 20,000 persons that receive the bi-weekly emails. It has content exchange agreements with several denominations and organizations including the AME Zion, CME, UMC, and Episcopal Churches, the Associated Church Press, the National Newspaper Publishers Association, and the World Methodist Council. The publication also participates in the Religion News Service feed picked up by many national dailies in the United States and globally. Most importantly, there is no cost associated with submitting an article to The Christian Recorder. Depending on the story, the Voice of Missions, Missionary Magazine, or other AME periodicals are also options.
Local newspapers also serve your community and may have a dedicated religion or community affairs reporter. The publication may allow you to submit your own story as a “special feature” or may wish to send a reporter. Pay special attention to the African-American newspapers that are in the area as well. Outside of the United States, many countries have government news services which may also cover your events. If the article is published electronically, that offers a new piece of content to add to your website and social media page. Request permission to reprint the story and share it with The Christian Recorderbecause news media cannot automatically reprint articles without permission. Sometimes a charge is imposed by the publications but the article’s subject can normally share the piece to another outlet as a courtesy.
Television stations are more selective and may not cover church events as frequently. However, you should know how to contact local and community interest reporters for newsworthy events. Also, investigate public access options.
Social media is also a useful tool in telling your story. Develop Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube pages for your congregation and encourage members to share posts from the pages to their own profiles. This medium is visually-driven so pictures and video are essential if available. Long stories and quotes do not perform well so keep your posts short and creative. While Facebook is still the dominant platform, it is increasingly difficult to get new persons to view content outside of their friend network without using paid ads because of Facebook’s more selective algorithms. Twitter and Snapchat are geared more toward individual use versus a group. They may be appropriate for sharing based upon your church’s membership and target audience.
Amazing ministry occurs in AME congregations on a daily and weekly basis. Sharing relevant information is a great outreach and evangelism tool. Creating a strategy to find and share the ministry of our congregations empowers and informs not only our members but the broader community as well. Think about the stories that are in the pews of your local church and what can be done to record and share them. It is important that we make sure that the voice and ministry of every congregation continue to bear witness to God’s grace in the community and beyond.
