C. The Communication Council

Purpose

A communication council helps priesthood leaders communicate with key audiences. The council’s primary purpose is to help priesthood leaders build genuine relationships with community leaders who can help us follow the Savior’s invitation to “let [our] light so shine” (Matthew 5:16).

Developing relationships with government, academic, media, faith, and community leaders opens doors to understanding. We can demonstrate that Jesus Christ Himself is “the light which [we] hold up” in communities around the world (3 Nephi 18:24). These efforts can clarify misunderstandings about the Church, its doctrine, and its members.

Communication councils can also help you share meaningful messages with Latter-day Saints and the broader public. We communicate through channels such as print media and social media and show our desire to serve our communities through public outreach. Our relationships with people who are not of our faith are crucial in ministering to the needs of all of God’s children. We can best help our communities when we are willing to learn from others and seek common ground.

The efforts of communication councils provide opportunities for the Church to interact positively with the community. As communication councils follow the example of Jesus Christ in how they communicate, they will help others feel God’s love and have a desire to learn more about the Savior and His gospel.

Church Communication Organization

The structure of communication councils allows everyone to receive training and support at all levels. Communication councils are collaborative. Council members pray, counsel, and set goals together. They seek inspiration to help the work of the Lord move forward and adapt their efforts to local needs and circumstances.

Headquarters: The Church Communication Department operates under the First Presidency with direct oversight from members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and an assigned General Authority who serves as the executive director. The department offers training and support to the area communication directors.

Area: The area communication director works under the direction of the Area Presidency. This communication council provides outreach opportunities for the Area Presidency and other senior leaders. They help communicate global and area initiatives and identify relationship-building and service opportunities. This council helps coordinate efforts and events that cross multiple national or coordinating council boundaries. They help train and support communication councils in their stewardship.

National or Coordinating Council: Communication councils at the coordinating council or national level are under the direction of an Area Seventy and are led by a communication director. This council helps coordinate efforts and events that cross multiple stake boundaries. They help train and support stake communication councils, manage multi-stake events, and maintain regional or multi-stake opinion leader relationships.

The geography and structure of the Church in your area will determine if communication councils function at the coordinating council level, the national level, or a mixture of both. For example, when a coordinating council includes multiple countries, each country could have its own national communication council. In a country where there are multiple coordinating councils, there may or may not need to be an additional national communication council. In Church areas that cover only one country, such as Mexico, Brazil, and the Philippines, there would not be a national communication council. There would, however, still be communication councils at the area and coordinating council levels.

Stake/District: The stake communication director and council help stake leaders build relationships with community leaders. The council also helps stake leaders communicate effectively with external and internal audiences. The council helps carry out Church, area, and coordinating council or national initiatives. In a district, the district president may decide if there are sufficient members to create a communication council.

Utah: In the Utah Area, the communication council structure differs. Utah Area Seventies can provide stake presidents with details about this structure.

Council Structure

The structure of Church communication councils is the same at every level. This graphic illustrates the basic structure:

Priesthood leaders should call a communication council with skills and qualities that will help meet local needs. Church communication callings are available for men, women, and young adults. A council should have at least a director and two additional council members. Where the Church is small or newly established, this structure may be adjusted.

The communication director or others in the Church communication organization can recommend staffing for councils. For example, a stake president looking for a new stake communication director could seek recommendations from the communication director at the coordinating council level. An Area Seventy could also consult with the area communication director.

Ideally, people serving on communication councils should remain in their callings for many years. This will promote consistency in relationships and the continuation of valuable experience and knowledge. When possible, a communication council calling should be a person’s only calling.

Roles and Responsibilities

Below you will find an overview of communication roles. For more details, please refer to the article “Church Communication Callings—Roles and Responsibilities” on the Global Communication Network (GCN). Visit GCN.ChurchofJesusChrist.org and log in with your Church credentials. Click on Topics, then About Church Communication.

Priesthood Adviser

• Area: A member of the Area Presidency

• National or Coordinating Council: Area Seventy

• Stake: Stake president or assigned counselor

As the council’s priesthood adviser, you provide a vision for Church communication efforts. You establish inspired goals and initiatives for outreach to community leaders in your stewardship, service opportunities, and messaging to Church members and the public.

Regardless of your background, you have been set apart and given or delegated keys to bless all who reside in your area of stewardship. The Lord has prepared you and will help you fulfill your Church communication responsibilities.

General Responsibilities

• Call the communication council director.

• Introduce a newly called communication director to the communication director at the area or national/coordinating council level for support and training. See Helpful GCN Resources.

• Organize, support, and preside over a communication council.

• Provide spiritual guidance, vision, and priorities to the communication council.

• Review and approve the annual communication plan drafted by the communication council. See Strategic Annual Planning.

• Work closely with your communication director. Meet regularly to support the council’s annual plan.

• Ensure the council is engaged in planned communication efforts.

• Attend council meetings as your schedule permits.

• Communicate with your ecclesiastical first contact and communication director during crises. For help, see Crisis Communication.

Outreach, Relationships, and Messaging

Represent the Church with opinion leaders within the ecclesiastical boundaries.

• Coordinate with the communication council to build relationships.

• Participate in outreach opportunities and community events as time allows.

• If an opinion leader has influence outside the ecclesiastical stewardship area, inform the appropriate priesthood leaders and associated communication director.

• Consider joining an interfaith council or similar organization, or approve a member of the communication council to join. Before joining, assess whether the group’s objectives align with Church policy.

Support positive media relations.

• Serve as the Church spokesperson in your area of stewardship. Depending on the topic or circumstance, this responsibility can be delegated (see General Handbook, 6.2.1.7).

• If contacted by the media, immediately notify the communication director and your ecclesiastical first contact.

Encourage community service.

• Encourage everyone to keep God’s commandment to love our neighbors. Service may be done on the stake, ward, class, quorum, family, individual, or larger community level. It may also include disaster relief efforts. Utilize JustServe where it is available and applicable.

• Coordinate with other Church leaders and the communication director when deciding if and how community service will be provided and supported.

Be familiar with the Church Communication Guide.

• The Church Communication Guide was created to unify Church communications globally and to encourage a focus on Jesus Christ.

• Approved by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the communication standards are based on gospel principles and have been developed with inspired direction.

• By aligning our efforts with the Communication Guide, we can help all of God’s children feel His love by following Jesus Christ.

• Regularly consult the guide and apply its principles in your communication efforts.

Access the Church Communication Guide.

• To find the Church Communication Guide, go to the GCN, select Topics, then About Church Communication, and then Church Communication Guide.

• Helpful resources for getting started include:

  • Section 1.0: Who We Are

  • Section 1.2: How We Impact Experiences

  • Section 1.3: Communication Attributes

  • Section 2.0: Understanding God’s Children

  • Section 2.5: Values Held by All People

  • Section 2.6: The Power of Attributes and Values

  • Section 3.0: Our Voice

  • Section 3.1.3: Considerations and Alternatives for Church-Specific Words

Communication Director

A woman or man who serves under the direction of the Area Presidency, Area Seventy, or stake president or his counselor in a united effort with the other council members.

The director manages the work of the council. The director implements goals, advises the priesthood leader, and provides training and support. Assistants and specialists assist in accomplishing priesthood objectives.

• Serves as the primary point of contact for the council’s priesthood adviser.

• Leads and coordinates the efforts of the communication council.

• Creates and implements an annual plan for the council to support communication objectives.

• Develops and strengthens relationships with opinion leaders.

• Joins an interfaith council or similar organization, if the priesthood adviser approves.

• Manages council relationships, events, initiatives, messaging, and special projects.

• Informs the priesthood adviser of potential service or donation opportunities.

• Assists priesthood leaders with messaging to both external and internal audiences.

• Serves as a member of the JustServe working group where JustServe is established.

• Develops council meeting agendas.

• Holds regular meetings and communicates frequently with members of the council.

• Provides training to members of the communication council in their stewardship.

• Assumes responsibility for tasks not assigned to other council members.

• Remains flexible during community business hours for communication council responsibilities.

Assistant Communication Directors

Women and men who serve with other council members in a unified effort under the leadership of the council’s director as needed.

Outreach

Assists the director and priesthood adviser in building relationships with opinion leaders.

• Looks for opportunities to build on common ground with local government, community, academic, ethnic, and religious leaders and includes the local priesthood leaders in these opportunities.

• Arranges meetings for the priesthood adviser to engage with opinion leaders and attends meetings as needed, providing post-meeting reports.

• Attends programs and events sponsored by others in the community.

• Looks for ways to collaborate with faith and community groups.

• Joins an interfaith council or similar organization, if the priesthood adviser approves.

• Helps identify, plan, and implement Church outreach activities and events.

• Records opinion leader interactions using the Church’s Connect Community database.

• Shares established relationships with the council’s director and priesthood adviser.

• Remains flexible during community business hours for communication council responsibilities.

Media

Works to increase the visibility of the Church through media relationships and social media outreach.

• Builds mutually beneficial relationships with media representatives.

• Encourages fair and balanced coverage.

• Shares positive stories about the Church or its members with media.

• Responds to media inquiries.

• Informs reporters and editors about Church beliefs and practices.

• With the direction of the priesthood adviser, helps select and train media spokespeople.

• Supports key messaging through a variety of channels.

• May also have responsibilities for social media, including supporting Church search optimization efforts or administering public-facing social media channels.

• Provides training to other media or social media volunteers in their stewardship at the area and coordinating council levels.

• Remains flexible during community business hours for communication council responsibilities.

For additional information, see External and Internal Messaging.

Communication Specialists

Depending on resources, skills, need, and availability, the following specialists may be called to serve on the communication council. More than one specialist may be needed for any category.

• Secretary: Assists the director and council members with administrative and organizational tasks.

• Social Media: Manages external-facing social media channels and trains members to share their beliefs using social media.

• JustServe or Community Service: Where JustServe is available, serves as the JustServe specialist. For more information, see the JustServe Community Service Guidebook. Where JustServe is not available, a community service specialist may be called to work with other stake leaders, such as the stake Relief Society presidency, to coordinate service opportunities where members can support community organizations.

• Community Resources: Understands and helps share available Church resources that can benefit communities. These can include BYU–Pathway Worldwide, EnglishConnect, Self-Reliance Services, FamilySearch, and so on. The specialist works closely with people who support the resource before offering it to the community. The area communication director can collaborate with the appropriate Church department as needed.

• Interfaith: Helps build relationships with faith leaders. If approved by the priesthood adviser, the specialist can join an interfaith council or similar organization.

• Government Relations: Helps the director with government outreach efforts within the council’s stewardship.

• Community Specialist: Engages in local outreach within a specific geographic area, including relationships with opinion leaders, local media representatives, and nonprofit organizations in need of service. This position is particularly useful in stakes with large boundaries.

• Ethnic Groups: Builds relationships with specific ethnic groups.

• Military Liaison: Builds relationships with local military communities.

• Photographer/Videographer: Provides skilled support to the council.

• Writer: Provides skilled support to the council.

• Temporary assignment: Individuals with specialized talents may be asked to occasionally support photography, videography, special writing, and so on.

If stakes have limited resources, specialists at the coordinating council or national level can assist.

Interacting with Wards/Branches

There are no ward or branch communication council callings.

On occasion, with the direction of the stake president, a stake communication director may invite a bishop or other Church leader to meet or engage with community leaders. However, continual outreach is the responsibility of the council and its priesthood adviser.

With the stake president’s approval, the stake communication director can share information with bishops and ward councils. A bishop may invite the director to attend a ward council meeting to discuss outreach efforts and service opportunities.

The stake communication council should collaborate with ward leaders to understand service needs for classes, organizations, and quorums and help match them with community needs. The council may call a community specialist to assist with outreach within a specific community. They can also gather local member and missionary stories of interest to share with the media. Communication councils can provide training on social media as needed.

The responsibilities of the communication council differ from the role of a ward email communication specialist, who helps bishops and branch presidents send messages to members of their units.

Additional Notes

• Diversity: Having a diverse council brings varied perspectives to the group. It helps communicate God’s love to diverse audiences. Diversity includes gender, age, ethnicity, marital status, disability, or family structure.

• Missionaries: Although missionaries (full-time missionaries, ward mission leaders, and ward missionaries) are not members of the stake communication council, they strive to represent Jesus Christ and His Church. Communication councils and missionaries should coordinate participation in community events and media opportunities.

• High Councilors: Members of the high council should not be assigned as the stake communication director or the priesthood adviser.

  A high councilor may assist a stake president with a specific assignment where needed. This could include supporting an outreach event, providing expertise to the communication council, or facilitating introductions to opinion leaders in the community.

• Participation in stake councils: Stake communication directors are not required to be members of a stake council but can be invited by the stake president to participate as needed.

Helpful Skills and Qualities

Some helpful qualities to consider for people called to serve on communication councils:

• Possesses strong faith and seeks the direction of the Holy Ghost.

• Is comfortable with all types of interactions. This includes face-to-face conversations and written communication, including reaching out to individuals with whom there are no existing relationships.

• Remains neutral while building relationships with leaders of various political parties and organizations.

• Is familiar with government, business, media, academia, nonprofit, and other professional fields.

• Has previous experience in a communication discipline such as journalism, marketing, public relations, or advertising.

• Is aware of current events, social trends, and activities or needs of local leaders of government, academic, and community organizations.

• Is flexible during community business hours, enabling them to build and nurture relationships with opinion leaders.

• Is comfortable with computers and other technology.

• Is willing to monitor and respond promptly to email, texts, and other forms of communication.

• As with all Church callings, communication council members are called by inspiration and can ask the Lord for help to overcome feelings of weakness or lack of professional skills, education, or experience.

• For a more detailed list of helpful skills and qualities for the various council positions, visit GCN.Church­ofJesusChrist.org, log in with your Church credentials, and click on Topics and then Priesthood Leader Resources.

Extending the Call

The Chart of Callings for stake callings in the General Handbook, section 30.8.3, provides information on who recommends, approves, calls, sustains, and sets apart members of a stake communication council.

Contact the Area Presidency for information applicable to calling members to national or coordinating council communication councils.