BOOK COMMENTARY
April 1, 1981
Telling the Story of the Local Church
by Velma Sumrall and Lucille Germany The Seabury Press, $7.95
Reviewed by Lorolie A. Brown Copy editor, Input magazine Grand Rapids, Mich.
SITUATION: You want to tell people about Jesus Christ; to let them know how your church can meet their needs.
QUESTION: How do you get the attention of people conditioned to video, stereo, technicolor, and four-color foldout?
ANSWER: You use the channels they're tuned in to: film, slides, tapes, television, radio, newspaper, flyers, leaflets, mailouts.
Sumrall and Germany say we short-circuit the gospel message if we confine ourselves to the traditional sermon, Sunday school, and prayer groups as our means of communicating God's message.
The authors inventory the forms of mass media, talk about their possibilities, and then tackle the practical what-you-need and how-to-do-it with thorough step-by-step suggestions.
The key is to discover the talents, abilities, and available equipment of the people in your congregation. List them on index cards in a "talent bank" file.
An editor who's a diplomat in securing articles as well as a surgeon in wielding a few basic editing rules can make the church newsletter an interesting "meld of many voices." The authors' guidelines for lively page layout and printing procedures are straightforward and practical. The basic how-to's are given for services the church can provide to the local media: a reference sheet of terminology used in your denomination, well-written news releases, and write-ups of interviews. These can help newspapers and radio cover your church news.
But print isn't the only medium people pay attention to. In fact, the authors point out that our world today is "literally wired for sound." Cassette recorders ...
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