Communications
The mission of the Center for Communication is to provide resources and share stories that help create vital congregations that make disciples of Jesus Christ, who make disciples equipped to transform lives, communities and the world.
Arkansas Conference eNews
The Arkansas Conference eNews is a weekly newsletter that promotes time-sensitive news at the conference level, highlights conference initiatives and agencies, shares conference-wide event announcements with an up-to-date calendar, and delivers denomination news relevant to the Arkansas Conference.
The eNews is free of charge and available to all. Church leaders and worshipers will find valuable information within this publication for creating disciples within their congregations and communities.
Sign up to receive the Arkansas Conference eNews here.
Frequency: Weekly on Thursdays
Deadline for submission: Weekly on Tuesdays
Content process: Content is reviewed weekly by Center for Communication staff and is approved based on upcoming calendar and events of the conference. Announcement requests are welcome but will be limited to the conference wide appeal. Submissions should be submitted to communications@arumc.org.
The Arkansas United Methodist: Living Our Faith
The AUM is a monthly online magazine that provides stories that coincide with the trajectory of the Arkansas Conference:
The trajectory of the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church is to create vital congregations that make disciples of Jesus Christ, who make disciples equipped to transform lives, communities, and the world.
With that in mind, the purpose of the Arkansas United Methodist is to be an extension of that good work.
We will work with United Methodist Churches across the state of Arkansas to tell their stories, lift up their missions, and encourage everyone to live out their Christian faith and be examples to the world.
We will not seek to divide our congregation among hot button issues, but rather work to bring everyone closer together through positive, uplifting stories of good works happening in our communities, cities, counties, and state.
We will carry on the rich tradition of the Arkansas United Methodist, which has been in circulation since the 1880’s, by highlighting conference-wide initiatives and agencies.
And we will listen to our audience for their words of encouragement, as well as their words of critique, working together to create a better sense of community within the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Frequency: Monthly
Deadline: Story ideas are welcome anytime! Approved content must be submitted by the 15th of the month prior to publication. All content should be sent to editor@arumc.org.
Content process: Content for the AUM is considered in weekly collaborative meetings of the Center for Communication editorial team. Decisions on reported content are made based solely on the conference trajectory and the AUM purpose.
Archives: To find earlier archives of the AUM, please visit the Arkansas Conference Archives and History.
Daily Devotions from Bishop Mueller
Bishop Gary Mueller issues daily devotions that can be found here or on the conference Facebook page.
Social Media
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest and other social platforms
The purpose of social media by the Arkansas Conference is to promote events, share United Methodist news, create engagement with clergy and worshipers, and provide stories of vitality.
Frequency: Ongoing
Content process: Messaging for social media is evaluated daily by the Center for Communication staff. The conference trajectory is used to determine all posting for social media platforms.
Print Marketing Collateral
Any Arkansas Conference ministry team requesting printed tools, including brochures, postcards, workbooks and flyers must submit requests directly to the Center for Communication Director at amy.ezell@arumc.org.
Deadlines:
- Brochures: 1 month
- Event postcards/flyers: 2 weeks
- Workbooks/Journals: 6 weeks
Content process: Any UMC ministry team wanting a print project must first schedule an overview meeting with the director of the Center for Communication to determine best needs for audience, reach, cost and return on investment. All text must be submitted by the person submitting the request. The Center for Communication will provide editorial review, design, branding and production.
Event Marketing Plan
A marketing plan is an important roadmap to help reach the goals set for an event. Any Arkansas Conference UMC body who would like a marketing plan created for an event should contact amy.ezell@arumc.org.
Deadline: 3 months prior to event
Arkansas Conference Website (arumc.org)
The Arkansas Conference maintains a conference website to house information on all conference centers and ministries and links to all Arkansas Conference-affiliated agencies. It is important to keep each page current and utilized to its fullest potential to drive traffic and increase visitors to the site in its entirety. The Center for Communication manages all updates internally to keep branding and messaging aligned to the conference trajectory.
Please send all update requests and job postings to website@arumc.org.
Deadline: Allow up to 3 business days for all updates to be made once approved.
Arkansas Conference Event Calendar
The Center for Communication has an Event Calendar for all Conference and District events. To add an event to the Conference calendar, please send an email to Yvonne Armstrong at yvonne.armstrong@arumc.org. For District events, please email your District Administrator (find their contact information here).
Local Clergy and Congregation Use of Arkansas Conference Center for Communication
The Center for Communication is always available to clergy and laity from our conference for guidance and support. The Center is not equipped to provide services to local congregations with materials in print, design or production, but we are always exploring options for future possibilities.
Resources
- Local Church Crisis Communications Sample Plan
- Social Media and the Church
- Tips for Handling a Crisis
Center for Communication Contacts
Amy Ezell, Director amy.ezell@arumc.org
Day Davis, Social Media Specialist, day.davis@arumc.org
Stephen Gideon, Senior Design Strategist, stephen.gideon@arumc.org
Caleb Hennington, Digital Content Editor, caleb.hennington@arumc.org
Jacob Turner, Website and Analytics Specialist, jacob.turner@arumc.org