As modalities of media continue to change at a rapid pace worldwide, expertise is needed to determine the right mix of broadcast, electronic and print resources necessary to achieve optimal communication of clearly focused messages to identified target audiences.

Congregational transformation is the essential first step in achieving maximum results from advertising. (Resources to assist in this regard are posted on this Web site in the area of Congregational Development; see links at left.)

In this context, the Episcopal Church seeks to be faithful to its mission of extending as widely as possible an inviting welcome into parish life and personal growth, spiritual enrichment and service to people in need. These efforts are assisted regularly by media exposure achieved through a combination of news coverage and paid advertising – publicity that can be maximized with attention to the following considerations.

First, each congregation and diocese is well served by developing its own unique and respective “comprehensive communications plan” – a document that sets a timeline for all annual tasks including the placement of advertising, the release of news, the maintenance of Web sites, the publication of printed materials, and the like. These tasks should be rendered in sync with a common message and with teamwork – not in isolation from each other. To this end, a congregation can be well served by a communications committee that -- as an arm of the vestry or bishop’s committee -- works with clergy and other staff/volunteers to plan and to implement the comprehensive plan, and to develop effective strategies, adequate budgeting and personnel for the same. In the diocesan context, a regional advisory commission to the bishop(s) and diocesan staff can prove highly valuable in this regard, and especially in terms of providing a shared network of liaison with and among communications committees at work in local congregations.

Second, overall public communication and advertising in particular should be rendered on behalf of the Episcopal Church with sensitivity to people of other faiths. Care should be taken to assure that marketing, branding and advertising do not foster statements or nuances that, either directly or indirectly, discount or compete with the experiences and traditions of other faith groups. It is of further help whenever advertising and public communication is respectful of the diversity of spiritual traditions and geographic/demographic contexts within the Episcopal Church and its 7,300-plus congregations, as well. Likewise, it is best whenever advertising and public communication seeks not merely to encourage attendance, but on a higher level evokes and inspires appreciation for truths and spiritual experience valued by the Episcopal Church        

Third, and of great importance, because the Episcopal Church lives out its faith locally, regionally, nationally and internationally, advertising and public communication initiatives are most strategic when they recognize, affirm and support this polity with its several contexts. Cooperative initiatives, therefore, are the goal – and the spirit in which the Advertising Collaborative has been formed to serve Episcopalians by providing a spectrum of resources for sharing and implementation.