An Honest Conversation With Elevation Church’s Copywriter

The Pro Church Tools Show

28 Feb 202447:40

Summary

TLDRNikki Sheerer, who oversees language and messaging for Elevation Church, discusses developing an accessible church voice and style guide to unify communications across a large ministry. She explains tailoring language for different audiences based on familiarity with church culture, strategically using platforms like social media, and practically applying scripture. The goal is extending genuine invitations that meet people where they are, then lead them to a place of greater understanding.

Takeaways

😊 Nikki oversees Elevation Church's brand voice and language guides to unify communication across the organization
📝 Elevation aims for their church voice to be casual, concise, and conversational to be accessible to a global audience
👂 Pastor Steven's direct preaching voice differs from Elevation's more nuanced brand voice tailored to various audiences
🔎 When tragedy strikes, Elevation comments if it connects to their values or local community otherwise they opt out
🎯 For Easter, Elevation focuses messaging on inviting unchurched people rather than using insider language
💡 To give feedback, Nikki references their brand voice values, explains why something is unclear, and makes suggestions
📱 Elevation finds Facebook and Instagram most effective for ads while experimenting cautiously with TikTok
🙌 Nikki aims for ad copy to be approachable yet substantive rather than generic or silly based on the target demographic
❤️ Though not a traditional pastor role, Nikki sees her work as highly pastoral by empathizing and guiding Elevation's voice
👥 Four key questions guide Nikki: who is the audience, what do I want them to hear/do, and how do I want them to feel

Q & A

What is the mission of Elevation Church?
-The mission of Elevation Church is 'We exist so that people far from God will be raised to life in Christ'.
What are the 3 characteristics Nikki uses to describe Elevation Church voice?
-The 3 characteristics Nikki uses to describe Elevation Church voice are: casual, concise, and conversational.
How does Nikki differentiate between Pastor Steven Furtick's voice and Elevation Church voice?
-Pastor Furtick's voice tends to be more direct, while Elevation Church voice aims to provide more context and application for people. Furtick speaks to a wider audience beyond those attending the church.
What does Nikki say is the most important thing for Elevation Church at Easter?
-According to Nikki, the most important thing for Elevation Church at Easter is inviting new people to attend the church service.
What guiding principle does Nikki describe for developing language at Elevation Church?
-Nikki says an important guiding principle is that 'anyone can be a part of our church' - people should not feel excluded by the language used.
How does Nikki decide what Elevation Church should post about national events?
-Nikki says they will comment on events connected to their values, ministry partners, or local areas where they have a campus. They try not to just make token posts about events.
Why doesn't Nikki use the word 'resurrection' when speaking to new people about Easter?
-She says resurrection is not a word used in everyday conversation for people unfamiliar with church. So concepts like Jesus coming back to life can be explained without potentially excluding language.
What 4 key questions does Nikki use to guide her communication?
-The 4 questions are: 1) Who am I speaking to? 2) What do I want them to hear? 3) What do I want them to do? and 4) How do I want them to feel?
What are some of Elevation Church's main advertising platforms?
-Nikki mentions platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Spotify and Amazon. But she doesn't oversee the full strategy.
What closing advice does Nikki give to churches of all sizes?
-Know what you're trying to do, who you're trying to reach, and how you want to communicate clearly. Use tools like Grammarly and AI to aid communication without making things unnecessarily difficult.