I’m in the process of developing a communications strategy for my church in 2011, and expanding the strategy to include some general principles and guides for our communication - both internal and external.

Why is a style guide important? Ultimately, a style guide is about ensuring clarity and consistency.

Coca-Cola is a globally recognised brand, not only because you can find their products on just about every street corner across the world, but because of the logo and colour scheme that is rigorously adhered to. If Coke used different colours and different fonts, we’d be confused. We’d wonder if the can with ‘Coke’ written in pink writing and arial font, is the same as the can with ‘Coke’ written in blue writing and Helvetica font. Is it the same product or not?

This is a basic example, but the lesson applies to our churches.

As we seek to grow our presence in the local community, we need to be consistent in how we present ourselves. If we use a different logo for each event, and are frequently experimenting with different designs, fonts, styles, etc. our communities will be confused. Think of it from the perspective of someone who has very little exposure to your church.

When they receive a brochure in the mail about our upcoming kids holiday club, they might think to themselves “I wonder if this is the church that we visited last Christmas? I can’t remember what its name was, but the logo and designs don’t look very familiar. If it was the same church we visited at Christmas, I’d be keen to send the kids along, but I don’t want to visit any new churches”.

Can you see how consistency is important?

I’ve been checking out what other churches have produced by way of communications manuals, and today I’d like to share with you seven examples I’ve discovered. If you are aware of others, please share them via the comments section below.

1. WiredChurches.com has a manual for US$10.99 - it’s available to purchase here. This is the best resource I’ve come across so far. They also have a collection of communications forms and administrative documents available for download, starting at $1.99. Available here.
2. Church Marketing Manual for the Digital Age by Bryan Foster for AU$16.95. I haven’t bought this one, but you can get a taste for what it includes by downloading the contents page. The manual is available to purchase here.
3. Church Communication Director’s Manual by Patrician T. Foster. Available for download here.
4. Hamline United Methodist Church Communication Manual. “The purpose of this manual is to articulate the procedures for HUMC communications both within the church congregation and outside the church.” Available for download here.
5. Church Communications Handbook by Wanda Vassallo for AU$17.98. Available for purchase here.
6. Communicate: A Manual for the Church Communicator. This 36-page manual was developed by the Adventist Media Network team, and focuses on media relations. Available for download here.
7. Foursquare Style Guide. This is a comprehensive and well-written guide - 74 pages in total!  The explanation at the start is helpful - “Sure, it's large and seems in charge, but the reality is that you'll probably never even have to reference the majority of this book. But when a situation arises"”whether it be content or design related"”this book will do just what the title implies: It will guide you through what you need to know.” Available for download here.

On a related note…

• Mosaic also has a page on their website with communication guidelines for those in the church seeking to use the church’s communication channels. See guidelines here.
• North Point has developed some web design standards for their church website. Download here.