Language

Brand Language

Brand Essence

For details on our specific expression of mission and culture, click here.

The essence of our brand is manifest in a simple phrase: “We are One Mission—One Movement.” In other words, we are a global church with a global mission, united by the call to Impact Eternity through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If nothing else, ours is a Movement committed to proclaiming Bible truth in real-time Pentecostal power.

Please join us in using these specific phrases whenever possible. We believe that this language is helping to inspire a global community of faith, uniting us around a common cause and challenging us to partner together in the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

Writing Copy

Target Audience

Start by identifying the response that you want from your specific reader. This will help you navigate tone, word choice, and length. It will also help you choose the appropriate communication channel.

Inclusive Language

The Pentecostal Church of God seeks to use neutral language to avoid exclusion of either gender.

Do: Christ died for all people.
Don’t: Christ died for all mankind.

Do: When a person prays, he or she should...
Don’t: When a person prays, he should...

Tone of Voice

Use a friendly, family oriented, informal tone. Be genuine and clear, but also express passion and inspiration. Use humor when it feels natural and appropriate.

Word Choice

Utilize the keywords expressed above. Use them and expand on them. Select words carefully with an awareness of their meanings. Avoid Christian jargon or slang, and refrain from using words and phrases that may be confusing to a target audience unfamiliar with church culture. Always be more positive than negative.

Length

Length will vary depending on your chosen communication channel (social media vs. blog postings). Your target audience is more likely to engage with concise content. Once you write a piece, see how much you can eliminate without losing meaning.

Biographies

When writing bios, inspire first, then inform. Include a friendly, authentic and up-to-date photograph. Keep content brief and engaging; less is more. Avoid a list of attributes that aren’t applicable to the subject. Give context to the person by adding their job title but eliminate any unnecessary or extra titles. When crafting a bio, think of a sound bite rather than a resumé.

Emails

Even in emails your written voice is very important (see tone of voice section above). Every email you send or respond to represents you, your local church, and the Pentecostal Church of God. Be professional, while still connecting relationally. Double check spelling, grammar, and motive. And remember: We are a global church representing many different cultures, so your communication may be received differently than you might assume.

Grammar

Proofreading

The more pairs of eyes the better. We recommend selecting at least one person on your team who can ensure that all copy is devoid of any spelling and grammar mistakes. Also, be aware of any cultural differences when writing copy or translating languages.

Quotations

Place the quotation mark after commas and periods. For question and exclamation marks, the quotes follow only when the punctuation is included as part of the quoted material. Colons and semicolons always follow the quotation marks.
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Do: She said, “We’re going to the conference.”
Don’t: She said, “We’re going to the conference”.

Exclamation Marks

The exclamation mark is emphasis enough. Avoid emphasizing with more than one.
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Do: Call Today!
Don’t: Call Today!!!

Spacing

Avoid double spacing after a full stop / period. Only one space is needed. When writing an article, paragraphs should be single spaced with a .25-inch indentation. Extra line spacing between paragraphs is unnecessary.

Dates and Times

Be aware that other countries express time differently. America uses mm/dd/yy, while UK and Europe use dd/mm/yy, and much of Asia uses yy/mm/dd. For that reason, it is sometimes best to write out dates and times as shown here: Monday, December 15, 2020 from 9:45 am-11:00 am.

Numbers

For numbers one through nine, we spell out the word. For numbers 10 and above, we use numerals. But when assigning possession to a number, we use numerals regardless.
‍
Do: One, two, three; 10, 11, 12; two-week series, 12-week course; 4th grade
Don’t: 1, 2, 3; ten, eleven, twelve; 2-week series, twelve-week course; fourth grade

Capitals

For those ambiguous cases of reverential capitalization within the field of religious studies, we prescribe to the following:
‍
Deity: Always capitalize reference to the Judeo-Christian God: God the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, Almighty God, Heavenly Father, etc. Do not capitalize "godly" or adjectives before God or Jesus (e.g. miracle-working God and servant Jesus). Also capitalize personal pronouns such as His, Him, Himself. Capitalize Heaven, Hell, Satan, and the Devil (but lower-case "devils" and "a devil").

Titles: Capitalize a title when it precedes a name. Do not capitalize a title when it follows a personal name. For example: District Bishop John Smith and John Smith, district bishop. When no reference to a name is included, do not capitalize the title. When referring to someone as brother, sister, or reverend, you may use an abbreviation but only when it precedes a personal name (e.g. Sis. Smith; Revs. Doe, Johnson, and Thomas).

Biblical References: Capitalize all names for the Bible and its divisions, as well as the names of various versions and editions of the Bible. However, while "Bible" / "Scripture" is always capitalized, "biblical" / "scriptural" is not. Examples include: Exodus, Old Testament, Gospel of John, Sermon on the Mount, New King James Version, Major and Minor Prophets, the Word of God.

Theological Terms: Capitalize terms used with definite application, such as Ark of the Covenant, Garden of Eden, Messiah (when in reference to Jesus), Sabbath, Scripture, Pentecost / Pentecostal, Kingdom (when in reference to the Kingdom of God), and Gospel (when in reference to the Gospel of Jesus Christ). Church is only capitalized when in reference to the universal Body of Christ, not a local church (unless it is part of a name). Do not capitalize generic theological terms such as salvation, baptism, sanctification, etc.

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