Help and advice for your church magazine
With support from the Association for Church Editors, Rev’d Biddy Wigley went from desktop publishing novice to award-winning church magazine editor. Here, she tells us more about the help on offer
As someone who is always looking for something new to learn, in 2000 I enrolled on a desktop publishing course. On completion I wondered what I might do with this newly acquired skill. It wasn’t long before I learned that our current editor was retiring from the job!
Thus in 2001 I took on the editorship of our parish magazine, ‘Llwynderw’. I had no journalistic background and only a rudimentary understanding of desk top publishing. I had dozens of questions, but no one to ask.
The previous editor had not used a computer – the magazine was a labour-intensive, manual cut-and-paste publication! So, starting from scratch, I decided that I could only progress one step at a time. I asked the one or two contributors to continue to supply me with material and set about creating a template on the computer. Progress was slow, but it was a steady if rather lonely journey.
Thankfully, I soon discovered The Association for Church Editors (ACE). I signed up, and suddenly there was a group of people who had been through the same struggles. And on the committee were people with comprehensive experience of journalism, publishing, editing, computing, use of images and more and a desire to support and guide church editors. And all this for a membership of just £10 per annum!
Having joined, I decided to enter ‘Llwynderw’ in the annual competition, just to see where it stood in comparison to similar publications. It was somewhere near the bottom of the heap which spurred me on to make improvements.
In 2012 I organised and ran a workshop for editors and invited the then Chairman and Vice Chairman of ACE to speak. Through various contacts in Swansea and Brecon and our neighbouring dioceses, together with contacts through Mumbles Churches Together (Cytûn) a large group gathered. The day was encouraging for all of us, and we learned a lot about producing attractive and interesting magazines.
In 2013 I once again entered ‘Llwynderw’ into the annual competition and to my great surprise gained two commendations for Clarity of Christian Message and Use of Graphics and a recognition for excellence for Typography and Creativity of Headlines! Progress had been made! What a wonderful surprise and thank you to ACE. My journey continues and last year ‘Llwynderw’ received the overall Bronze Award.
The Association for Church Editors is a not-for-profit group which exists to provide practical help and advice to those concerned with producing church-based communications. The principle aim of the Association is therefore to foster the highest standards of editorial communication between churches and their immediate communities
So why am I writing all of this? Am I on an ego trip? Indeed not. I would like to commend ACE to all who edit church magazines or are perhaps considering the role. I am aware that in the next few months a number of Ministry Area Administrators will be appointed, some of whom will undoubtedly be expected to produce magazines and other printed communications between the churches in the Ministry Areas as well as across the wider communities that we serve.
At the recent AGM, the keynote speaker was Lord Leslie Griffiths of Burry Port. He is a Methodist Minister, a politician, a journalist and life peer who is also Patron of ACE. He spoke counter to the idea that printed magazines are disappearing and will soon be available only online.
He explained that printed magazines present a pastoral opportunity to move beyond congregations and to make community groups more aware of one another. Moreover, church magazines help us to become more aware of other church communities, this wider dissemination serving to move us away from inward gaze.
Lord Griffiths also spoke powerfully of the written word as gathering round a movement. He talked of balanced reporting that can be trusted and with insights into local issues, such reporting serving to enhance community relations.
Church magazines can and will live on and are a vital means of communication, but editors need support. Members of ACE have access to the Members Area of the website where they will find ‘The Guide to Good Practice’, the monthly ‘Ideas Forum’ with free to use tips, ideas and articles. There is much more on the website, and I encourage interested readers to take a look for themselves.
Rev’d Biddy Wigley, Assistant Curate, Parish of Llwynderw in the Mumbles Ministry Area.