Committee hears opinions on future of church communications
Episcopal News Service. July 9, 2009 [070909-15]
ENS Staff
A proposal by the Episcopal Church's communications department to change the nature of some church communications vehicles, including transforming Episcopal Life into a quarterly magazine from the current monthly newspaper, was on July 9 the subject of testimony before the Communications committee at General Convention.
At issue was Resolution D034, which opposes the plan. Among other things, it calls upon the church to retain Episcopal Life as a monthly publication, reaffirm the oversight responsibility of the paper's board of governors and reinstate an Executive Council liaison to the board.
The resolution noted that more than 30 diocesan and church newspapers pay to print their local papers in conjunction with Episcopal Life, providing about 90 percent of the churchwide paper's revenue. It is a "symbol of our unity and a forum through which we discuss our differences," read the resolution's explanation. There are 110 dioceses.
Episcopal Church director of communications Anne Rudig outlined a proposed budget for the department, based at the Church Center in New York, that would retain news coverage on the Episcopal Life Online website and change the print publication to a feature-focused quarterly magazine.
In addition, she said, the department "can offer new communications services and resources to all dioceses," such as discounted prices on live webcasting, television and radio commercials, posters, print advertising and direct mail. News staff would be retained, she said. However, the publication's business office in Ambler, Pennsylvania would be closed, some staff hours reduced and other staff moved to New York.
"Historically, the department has been a news bureau model. I am moving ahead with a draft budget that would allow the office to move from a news model to a diversified strategic communications model," she said. Recently, she noted, Executive Council gave the department funds to "help us identify new audiences and identify what channels are most appealing to those audiences."
Testimony and questions from committee members centered on the value of Episcopal Life to dioceses that want news from the wider church in monthly printed form, budget considerations and newer forms of media and technology.
Sharon Tillman, director of communications for the Diocese of Maryland, and incoming chair of the board of governors, gave the committee a copy of a statement the board approved recently opposing the proposal and called for greater consultation from managers at the main office. "Members of the church want and need more, not less, news about their church," she said.
Several speakers addressed the importance of receiving Episcopal Life in conjunction with their local papers. Jerry Lamb, provisional bishop of the Diocese of San Joaquin (California), noted that the newspaper has been a unifying tool as the diocese works to rebuild after former leadership left the Episcopal Church.
"I believe the printed edition of Episcopal Life is a core value of this church … We put into everybody's hand a piece of paper where everybody's got the same news instead of 15 blogs. I am very concerned it stay on a monthly basis," he said.
The Rev. Scott Gunn, a deputy from Rhode Island, said that as a member of the board, he signed its statement, but spoke against the resolution. "It is not a good idea to legislate solutions … The future of monthly print publications is limited." He added that a proposed five-month time frame for the end of the monthly newspaper is too short and there should be a survey to determine a long-term strategy.
Another resolution before the committee, D037, calls on the church to conduct a survey "to determine the most appropriate means of reaching Episcopalians" and Gunn also spoke in favor of that resolution.
Anne Brown of Vermont said that although she appreciates innovation, "many of our members don't have access to high speed Internet [connection]" and the diocese sends its paper with Episcopal Life to all households without charge.
Richelle Thompson, director of communications in the diocese of Southern Ohio which does not print with Episcopal Life, spoke against the resolution and for the proposed plan, wondering why the church spends "a majority of our resources on one tool – print." She added that "much of the news is already reported on blogs or websites" and the church "needs a strategic communications plan."
Margaret Porter of New Hampshire spoke in favor of the resolution. "Episcopal Life is a form of mission conversation," she said. Rayford Ray (Northern Michigan) said taking away the monthly would "take away the source of information for our diocese."
However, Keri Dixon, director of communications of the Diocese of East Carolina, noted she is 24 years old and asked "what is good for the greater whole," not just the dioceses that print with the monthly newspaper. She said she has a mix of media in her diocese, including a twice-per-year magazine, web-only monthly newspaper, "emergency" newsletter, DVDs and booklets. "I love the chance to innovate, to move away from the old and step into the new," she said.