Create a Church Style Guide in One Afternoon

5 min read

Your bulletin says "Men's Group." The website says "Men's Ministry." The email says "Guys' Night."

Same thing, three names. It looks sloppy—and it confuses people.

When multiple people create content, inconsistency creeps in. Different fonts, different logos, different ways of writing the pastor's name. None of it is wrong, exactly. It just doesn't feel like one church.

A style guide fixes this. One page that answers the most common "how do we write this?" questions.

You don't need a 50-page brand book. You need a cheat sheet you'll actually use.

Voice and Tone

Start with how you want to sound.

Formal or casual?

Formal: "We would be honored to have you join us for worship."
Casual: "We'd love to see you Sunday."

Most churches land casual-but-warm. Friendly without being flippant.

First person or third person?

First person: "We're excited to launch new groups."
Third person: "First Baptist Church is excited to launch new groups."

First person usually feels warmer.

Exclamation points?

Pick a rule and stick to it. A common one: one exclamation point per piece of content, max. Or: use them sparingly and never in headlines.

Too many exclamation points feel desperate. None at all can feel cold. Find the balance.

Write 3-4 example sentences in your voice:

We're so glad you're here.
Join us this Sunday at 9am or 11am.
Questions? Email us anytime—we're happy to help.
We believe everyone has a place at the table.

These examples become a reference point. When someone's not sure how to phrase something, they can match this tone.

Naming Conventions

This is where inconsistency hurts most.

Your church name:

Full name: First Community Church
Acceptable abbreviation: FCC or First Community
Never: 1st Community, First Comm, FC Church

Pick your official versions and stick to them.

Your pastor:

Formal: Pastor Michael Johnson
Informal: Pastor Mike
In casual contexts: Mike

Decide which format for which context. The bulletin might use "Pastor Mike" while a formal letter uses the full name.

Ministry names:

Create an official list:

Official Name	Not This
Men's Ministry	Men's Group, Guys' Group, MM
Women's Bible Study	Ladies' Study, WBS
Student Ministry	Youth Group, Teens, Student Min
Kids' Church	Children's Ministry, Sunday School

When someone creates content, they check the list.

Capitalization:

Church (capitalized when referring to your specific church)
pastor (lowercase unless before a name: Pastor Mike)
sunday school (lowercase unless your program is named "Sunday School")

Pick a style and enforce it.

Formatting Standards

Dates:

Spelled out: March 15 (not 3/15 or March 15th)
Include day of week for events: Saturday, March 15

Times:

Format: 9am (not 9:00 AM or 9 a.m.)
Include end time when relevant: 9am-noon
If online: note timezone

Addresses:

When to include: events off-campus, community invitations
Format: 123 Main Street, Anytown, TX 75001

Phone numbers:

Format: (555) 123-4567

Links:

Full URLs in print: firstchurch.org/events
Hyperlinked text in digital: "Sign up here"

Consistency here prevents the "wait, is this 9:00 AM or 9am?" mental stumble.

Visual Basics

You don't need a design degree. You need consistency.

Logo:

Which version to use where (full color, single color, icon only)
Minimum size (don't shrink it too small)
Clear space (don't crowd other elements against it)
Where to find it: [link to shared folder]

Colors:

Primary: #3B5998 (the blue one)
Secondary: #FFFFFF (white)
Accent: #F5A623 (the gold one)

Include the actual hex codes so designers (and Canva users) get it right.

Fonts:

Headlines: Montserrat Bold
Body text: Open Sans Regular
Where to get them: [Google Fonts links]

If you don't have official brand fonts, pick two and standardize. Any clean, readable combination works.

Photography:

Use real photos from our church, not stock photos when possible
Photos should reflect our community (diverse ages, authentic moments)
Avoid: blurry images, unflattering angles, empty rooms

The One-Page Version

Here's your complete style guide on one page:

First Community Church — Style Guide

Voice:

Warm and casual. First person ("we"). One exclamation point max per piece.

Name Usage:

Full: First Community Church
Short: First Community
Never: FCC (except internal shorthand)

Pastor:

Pastor Mike Johnson (formal)
Pastor Mike (standard)

Ministry Names:

Men's Ministry (not "Men's Group")
Women's Bible Study
Student Ministry (not "Youth Group")
Kids' Church

Dates: Saturday, March 15 (not 3/15)

Times: 9am (not 9:00 AM)

Phone: (555) 123-4567

Colors:

Blue: #3B5998
Gold: #F5A623

Fonts:

Headlines: Montserrat
Body: Open Sans

Logo files: [Shared Drive Link]

Print it. Pin it somewhere visible. Send it to anyone who creates content.

Making It Usable

A style guide nobody reads is useless.

Keep it short. One page. If someone needs to hunt for the answer, they'll just guess. Store it somewhere accessible. Google Drive, Dropbox, pinned in your Slack or Teams channel. Not buried in a folder. Reference it in onboarding. When a new volunteer joins communications, walk them through the guide. Update it when needed. New ministry launches? Add the official name. New pastor? Update the naming section. Review annually at minimum.

Enforcement Without Policing

You're not the style police. You're trying to help everyone look professional.

Catch errors in editing, not publicly. When you see "Youth Group" instead of "Student Ministry," fix it quietly in the draft. Explain the why. "We standardized on 'Student Ministry' so our communications look consistent" is better than "You did it wrong." Lead by example. If your own content follows the guide perfectly, others will start matching it.

Over time, consistency becomes habit. The guide becomes unnecessary because everyone just knows.

When to Skip the Guide

For small churches with one person doing all communications: you might not need a formal guide. You're the style consistency.

But the moment a second person starts creating content—even a volunteer posting to social media—the guide becomes valuable.

It's not about being rigid. It's about looking like one church, not a collection of disconnected ministries.

Want consistent, on-brand communications across every channel? bltn keeps your bulletin, email, and website unified. Try it free.