Previous Conventions
The annual convention of the Religion Communicators Council provides attendees a wealth of information to enhance their professional skills and pick up new ones.
You can explore some of our past conventions and read summaries of our many workshops and plenaries, as well as recaps of the DeRose-Hinkhouse and Wilbur award winners, the RCC annual business meeting, and more.
2023
April 19-21, Chicago
The 2023 convention was full of great presentations and networking opportunities, and was our first time to once again gather in person. Our keynote speaker was Deborah Douglas, director of the Midwest Solutions Journalism Hub – Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University. She spoke about the war in journalism over objectivty, a method that drives how we frame and source stories, how we need to ask questions and craft the narratives that create our understanding of the world.
The 2023 Wilbur Awards
2022
Bridging Cultural Divides: Better Ways to Tell Our Stories
May 10-13, 2022
Storytelling. It’s an art. It’s your passion. It’s also the very thing that will heal a hurting world.
This year’s conference theme, Bridging Cultural Divides: Better Ways to Tell Our Stories, inspired communicators in crafting stories that bring truth-telling to a new level. A variety of plenaries and workshops explored how to weave diversity and inclusivity into powerful narratives across all medium, from traditional print to digital storytelling.
Now more than ever, your words matter—and participants discovered how to make them more powerful.
2021
Opening New Portals, Building Community is designed to help communicators—reporters, editors, publishers, writers, marketers, freelancers, videographers, photographers, graphic designers and more—who work for the religious and mainstream media, denominations, religious and other organizations and non-profits and others to be supported and encouraged as people of faith and to network and develop and improve their skills.
In addition to plenary speakers, panels and workshops, it will include the business meetings and award ceremonies for the Associated Church Press, Religion Communicators Council and the Canadian Christian Communicators Association.
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Awards
- The DeRose-Hinkhouse Memorial Awards
- After year of isolation, 2021 Wilbur Award Winners paint story of resilience
- Master storyteller, media guru and mentor will receive Special Wilbur Award
Other
The convention is sponsored by:
The Associated Church Press, a professional organization brought together by a common commitment to excellence in journalism as a means to describe, reflect, and support the life of faith and the Christian community.
The Religion Communicators Council, an association of communications professionals who work for and with a diverse group of faith-based organizations in the areas of communications, public relations, advertising and development.
The Canadian Christian Communicators Association (formerly the Canadian Church Press), which is dedicated to supporting Christian communicators from across Canada by exploring trends, strategies, challenges and opportunities facing communicators today.
2020
Since 1970, the Religion Communication Congress has been a once-a-decade gathering of professional religion communicators from a wide range of faith traditions. Planned by a diverse team of religion communicators, including members of RCC, Religion Communication Congress 2020 moved to a virtual format in order to deliver a variety of the presentations planned for the physical event. Under the theme of “Communicating Faith in the Public Square,” RCCongress 2020 continued to provide a space to broaden perspectives and foster greater understanding and cooperation for communicating about religion in a multi-faith world.
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Recorded Webinars
- Backpack Journalism: Multi-Platform Story Creation by Gregg Brekke, Visual journalist and Executive Director of the Associated Church Press
- Pew Research – The Decline of Christianity in the United States: An Update on America’s Changing Religious Landscape by Dr. Gregory A. Smith, Associate Director of Research, Pew Research Center
- ΘeoCon (Thee-Oh-Con): Where Theology Meets Pop Culture! by Rev. Shayna J. Watson, Canon Pastor at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Cathedral in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
- Religion Writing: From Pitch to Publication by Adelle Banks, Production Editor and National Reporter, Religion News Service
- Content is Everything. What is YOUR Strategy to Use it? by Lou Ann Sabatier, Principal and Lead Consultant at Sabatier Consulting
- Creating a Third Space: Communicating Across Religious and Cultural Boundaries Through the Arts by Dr. Patrick M. Beldio, Teacher, scholar, and artist
- Pew Research – Americans’ Views on Religion’s Role in Society and Politics by Claire Gecewicz, Research Associate at Pew Research Center
- Storytelling and Media Arts that Spread a Vital Faith by Rev. Dr. Ron King, Founder and Director of Sidebar Stories, and Ken Medema, Musician, Composer, Founder of Brier Patch Music and Ken Medema Music
Awards
- 2020 DeRose-Hinkhouse Memorial Awards videos
- 2020 Wilbur Awards videos
- Stories from around the globe are represented among 2020 Wilbur Award winners
Other
2019
When we consider the time in which we live, as religion communicators and journalists too often we see situations and experiences in the same old ways. During our 2019 RCC-ACP Convention, we strove to see in new ways with new possibilities and perceptions to reach existing and new audiences with a refreshing message of truth, justice, freedom, and hope.
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Workshops
- What we know, how do we know it, what does it mean
- Photo artist leads editors through paces in photography, design
- 7 tips to help find podcast success
- Handling media interviews like a pro
- Clear vision, effective communication woo writers
- How to not be a grumpy data cat
- You will have a crisis so prepare in advance
- Getting faith news into secular media
- Improve skills, earn credentials via APR
- ‘Backpack’ journalism: the new reality
- When it comes to strategic communications, begin at the end
- Engaging on social media – remaining relevant in a crowded newsfeed
Plenaries and Keynotes
- Violence and faith in light of today’s society and reporting on violence
- #MeToo – Bring empathy, passion and conviction to discussions
Awards
- RCC recognizes, awards excellence at yearly convention
- Religion Communicators Council honors 22 for work during 2018
Business Meeting
Other
Photos: 2019 Convention Photos
2018
Religion Communicators Council met in Atlanta to “realize the dream” of promoting peace and justice through communication. Plenary and workshop topics included public relations, branding, crisis management, promoting justice through media, and more.
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Workshops
- From theory to practice: Teaching, learning, and communicating in interfaith studies
- Reframing diversity and inclusion
- Be prepared: copyright, trademark and privacy laws do affect religion communication
- Breaking through noise requires research, planning
- Annual reports tell your story one year at a time
- Building relationships is key in communication leadership
- Enhancing your story with digital media
- To work more smartly in social media, realize it’s not all about you
- Reach your audience with these six steps
- Communicators attend workshop on crisis scenarios
- Reputation management requires planning, evaluation of risks and opportunities
- Ask, decide, and take action: Tips for visualizing expanded media engagement
- Intersectional justice: Gender, race, and religion in the media
Plenaries and Keynotes
- Atlanta convention opens with keynote on “Realizing the Dream”
- Faith groups should recommit to leadership on civil rights, panel members say
- Find commonalities, then go deeper and understand our differences
Awards
- Stories about race in America lead the 2018 Wilbur Awards
- Awards presented to religion communicators
Business Meeting
Other
- Religion communicators explore peace and justice through communication
- RCC members learn about Atlanta’s history
- Religion communicators visit Atlanta’s Center for Civil and Human Rights
Photos: 2018 Convention Photos