Communication Standards
Communication Levels.
Our communication levels are the framework that we run all of our communications through. This levels document helps our team be unbiased towards specific ministries and allows us to think through what the best strategy is to communicate events and other important information to our church, without overwhelming them and becoming “noise”.
Best Practices.
Always send a test email, text or otherwise before scheduling or sending.
For anything you write, proofread.
Double-check: is your communication clear, direct and kind?
Keep it concise; the only words that make up a sentence are the necessary ones.
BE! STRATEGIC! WITH! YOUR! PUNCTUATION! Please.
Expectations: our environments extend throughout email and text communication.
Our Voice.
Our voice is our overall personality that defines our standard of internal and external communication.
OUR VOICE IS:
Accessible, but still truthful
Current, but not trendy
Helpful, but not pushy
Our Tone.
Our tone is the mood and attitude conveyed in our internal and external communication.
OUR VOICE IS:
Fun, but not gimmicky
Cool, but not trying too hard
Honest, but not abrasive
Campuses.
PRIMARY
Graceland Church (referring to all campuses)
Graceland Church New Albany
Graceland Church Dearborn
Graceland Church Memphis
Graceland Church Palmyra
Graceland Church Salem
NOT USED
Excluding Church
Example:
RIGHT: Graceland Church Palmyra
WRONG: Graceland Palmyra
SECONDARY
New Albany Campus
Dearborn Campus
Memphis Campus
Palmyra Campus
Salem Campus
Abbreviations
"GC" as an abbreviation pertaining to any ministry or campus, unless within a hashtag.
Example:
RIGHT: #gcmemphis
WRONG: #GCmem, #gcpal
EXPLANATIONS
ORDER
When listing the campuses New Albany is first, the rest of the campuses are listed alphabetically.
WHY WE ALWAYS USE CHURCH
Always use Graceland Church Campus because all campuses are part of Graceland Church. Leaving out “church” is insider language and doesn’t explain to people outside the church what it is.
Across websites on the internet (Google, Google Maps, Apple Maps, etc.) we are found by using the full Graceland Church Campus, using this in our language helps eliminate people searching Graceland Campus and not finding the correct listing.
Preferred Language and Spelling.
GENERAL
Graceland (one word)
Worship Center (not auditorium)
Receive offering (not take offering)
Any reference to God should be capitalized (He, Him)
Lord’s Supper not Communion
GRACELAND KIDS
"Kids" not "children"
"Graceland Kids" not "GCK"
"Kids Environment" not "Kids church"
"Programming/experience" NEVER "childcare"
"Serve our kids and families" not "watch kids"
"Leaders" not "volunteers"
"Check-in Hosts" not "Check-in Volunteers"
"Small Group Leaders" not "Teachers"
"New Christians Class" not "Baptism Class"
"Environment" not "Classroom"
"Room number (ex 107, 120, 110)" not "the two-year-old room"
"Family Dedication" not "Baby Dedication" or “Child Dedication”
SPELLING
Afterward (no ‘s’ at the end)
Among (no ‘st’ at the end)
Amid (no ‘st’ at the end)
Judgment (no E)
Canceled (no double L)
DISCIPLESHIP
“Community Groups” not “small groups” or “Sunday school”
“Graceland Students” not “Graceland Youth” or “Graceland High School”
“Graceland Kids” not “Graceland Children’s Ministry”
“Graceland College Age Ministry” or GCAM” not “Graceland College group”
“Soul Care” not “counseling” or “therapy
Editorial Style.
Our editorial style is AP Style. This means that across the board, Graceland’s writing style should be easy to read, concise and free of bias, as well as accurate, clear and neutral.
NUMBERS
Whole numbers below ten.
Example: Eight, Four
ADDRESSES
Abbreviate words street, avenue and boulevard ONLY after numbered address.
Example:
123 Perfect St.
Spell out Alaska and Hawaii and states with five or fewer letters.
Example:
I live in Iowa.
I live in FL.
Numbers that start a sentence.
Example: Twelve people were baptized.
Never abbreviate drive, highway, place, etc.
Example:
123 Perfect Place
For second references, abbreviate all state names.
Example:
I lived in Nashville, TN.
When writing about events use day, months and dates.
Example:
Sunday April 30, Thursday June 5
Abbreviate only if month’s name is six letters or longer.
Example:
April 30, Oct. 5
Use figures except for noon and midnight.
Example:
4:30
Do not include periods in am and pm/AM or PM.
Example:
RIGHT: 1:30 PM
WRONG: 1:30 p.m.
Example as a position:
Jenna Esarey is a ministry assistant at Graceland Church.
Capitalize names of U.S. regions.
Example:
We’re planning to head Southwest for that conference.
When a full-sentence quotation is introduced or followed by attribution, place a comma between them.
Example:
“The period goes inside the quote,” he said.
For large numbers use hyphen to connect word ending in y to another word.
Example: Fifty-five.
Abbreviate compass directions in numbered address.
Example:
123 N Perfect Drive
When referring to a month, day and year, set off year with commas.
Example:
June 15, 1991, was the year I was born.
When referring to the previous year use “last year” not “2022”
Example:
The most recent Family Dedication was in October last year. The Family Dedication before that was in March of last year.
List out times in uniform.
Example:
10:30 AM, 1:00 PM
Include a space between time and am or pm/AM or PM.
Example:
RIGHT: 9:00 AM
WRONG: 9:00am
PLACES
General compass directions should be lowercase.
Example:
For Our Neighbors Day is looking for more projects east of Floyds Knobs.
PUNCTUATION
Place a comma before and after the following:
A year if it follows a month and date.
Example:
I was born on August 13, 1990, in Kettering, OH.
Use a single space after period at the end of a sentence.
Example:
RIGHT: Don’t double space. It’s unnecessary.
WRONG: Don’t double space. It’s unnecessary.
HOW TO CITE SCRIPTURE
Reference in list format:
Write the scripture in bullet form with the scripture in italics, using quotation marks on the front and back of the paragraph. Reference translation and scripture address in parentheses following sentence.
Example:
“A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back” (Proverbs 29:11 ESV).
“A fool's lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating” (Proverbs 18:6 ESV).
“It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling” (Proverbs 20:3 ESV).
Use a comma to set off a person’s hometown and age.
Example:
Matt Singleton, 35, is on the Creative team.
A state, if it follows a city or county name.
Example:
I was born in Kettering, OH, on August 13, 1990.
Use a hyphen for compound adjectives before the noun.
Example:
Well-known pastor, full-time job, ever-changing landscape.
Do not put space between initials.
Example:
C.S. Lewis
Reference a paraphrase or proof of understanding:
Reference passage and translation using parentheses at the end of the thought.
Example of Paraphrase: He offers “living water” to the woman at the well (John 4), and offers living water at the feast of the tabernacles (John 7).
Example of Proof of Understanding: This is the point. Jesus came to deal with sin and show us a better way. Justification is never by itself. Sanctification always follows, with Glorification as the ultimate aim. (Romans 8:28-30 ESV) It’s a package deal.
Quote within a clause:
Scripture italicized in quotation marks with translation and scripture reference in parentheses.
Example: Mainly, that Israel would be the Lord’s nation and that through them, “all the families of the earth would be blessed” (Genesis 12:3 ESV).
Capitalize first word after colon ONLY if it is a proper noun or start of a complete sentence.
Example:
He promised this: Graceland Church will always be a place where we put Jesus First. Here’s what he told me: Jesus First.
An appositive (word or phrase that says same thing as a word or phrase next to it).
Example:
I saw my boss, Nate Millican, in the hall.
Do not use when compound modifier occurs after verb.
Example:
The pastor was well known. Her job became full time. He worked in an ever changing landscape.
Quote marks always appear outside of punctuation.
Example:
“The period goes inside the quote.”
Quotations that are questions only need a question mark.
Example:
“Is that really what he said?” he asked.
Direct quote as stand-alone:
Write full scripture in italics and separate it as its own paragraph. No parentheses.
Example: “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 ESV
TIME
Always use numbers without st, nd, rd or th in dates.
Example:
April 2, 1998 NOT April 2nd, 1998
Abbreviate months when immediately preceding a date.
Example:
RIGHT: Baptism Sunday is Jan. 5.
WRONG: Baptism Sunday is in Jan.
Years are never spelled out.
Example:
2020 NOT Twenty-Twenty
List out times including the last AM or PM only.
Example:
Palmyra campus’ service times are at 9:00 and 10:30 AM
TITLES
Only capitalize title when using them as a title.
Example of title as a title:
Jenna Esarey, Ministry Assistant, is a wonderful person.
Colons go outside of quotation marks unless part of quoted material.
Example:
She said, “I gave him this list: buy supplies, send a thank you note and respond to emails.”
Quote marks indicate exact wording.
Example:
He said, “The period goes inside the quote.”
Direct quote within a paragraph:
Scripture italicized in quotation marks with translation and scripture reference in parentheses.
Example: As followers of Jesus, we have a similar act of remembrance, communion. “And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me’” (Luke 22:19 NIV).