The EFCA’s Style Guide delves into many topics. If it’s too much, here are the most important things to know:

Principles

Our best content is:

• Clear
• Helpful
• Earnest
• Honest

Voice and tone

The EFCA’s voice is:

• Professional
• Educational
• Caring
• Earnest

Tone shifts, but it’s usually formal. Our priority is to provide EFCA pathways for the local church to reach more people with the good news of Jesus Christ, so it’s imperative to supply them with clear and concise information.

Writing about people

Our work communicates the priorities of the EFCA and has the power to welcome as well as alienate people.

Here’s how it gets lived out:

• Seek out sources of direction and counsel to elevate people and ministries from non-majority and underserved groups.
• When possible, use a non-majority voice to communicate on the same topic.
• Respectfully refer to people by their preferred nomenclature; if you aren’t sure, use their name.
• Translate by default.
• Don’t reference age or disability unless it’s relevant to what you’re writing.

Grammar and mechanics

• Keep all demographics in mind when you write. Our work communicates the priorities of the EFCA and has the power to welcome as well as alienate people. Make it easy for people to find information by pairing similar ideas and using headings and subheadings.
• Start with the most important information and funnel down.
• Avoid grouping too many ideas.
• Use short words and sentences.
• Avoid flowery and distracting phrases.
• Use the tips and guidelines included with this style guide.

Writing for accessibility

• Look through a list of resources to provide accessible content.

Evangelical terminology

• There are many terms used by evangelical Christians that are not necessarily found in the dictionary.
• Pay attention to rules of capitalization.
• Disciplemaking and disciplemakers are one-word.
• Use abbreviations on second reference of a book of the Bible.