Charis Gibson - How to be an effective Church Media Rep

I've often heard it said that within every journalist is a would-be novelist. That's no surprise really, because the heart of good journalism, as with a good novel, is finding a gripping story and telling it well.lives are dramatically transformed by Jesus, of sacrificial dedication to others, of help for those whose lives have been devastated, of bravery and creativity and hope.

But all-too-often, those stories are not getting told, because journalists simply don't know about them. And with the recession hitting journalism jobs hard, over-stretched reporters are getting even less time to go out and find these stories.

Here's where a church media rep can come in.

 The good news is that as writers, many of you will already have the main quality you need to be able to build an effective bridge between your church and the media. You will instinctively know when something's a good story - new, unusual, exciting, moving or, as one of my colleagues who works in TV news says, something that will get people talking over the dinner table.

To be an effective media rep, you should make sure you are aware of the stories the media are talking about by reading, listening to and watching the media you would like your church's stories to feature in. As well as giving you a good idea of the types of stories the media like, this will help you decide where to target the stories you find.

 Which journalists are interested in which subjects? Which shows only feature serious stories and which are looking for a quirky tale? Does your local newspaper have a faith reporter who would value knowing that you are around and brimming with story ideas?

 Some reporters will have the time to come for coffee with you to chat about how you can help each other; others will be more appreciative of a quick email or phonecall when you have a story they might be interested in.

You should also have your ear to the ground and be interested in people and the things that are going on around you, where most of the really great stories are to be found. Journalists will not be enthralled by a church fete or official business, but their ears will prick up about a church member donating a life-saving kidney to his brother or an 80-year-old granny who has decided to become a Street Pastor.

Once you've identified your story, think about how to get it out there. Perhaps it's a quick call or email to a single journalist who's particularly interested in the subject, or maybe it's a press release to as many media as you can find.

If that's the case, keep your release short and to the point, with the most interesting angle at the top, contact details for the journalist to find out more information and an offer of a photo if relevant.

As well as proactively sending stories, you might see something already in the media that you want to respond to or encourage others to do so. Maybe you can offer a follow-up, such as telling the reporter who wrote a story on youth crime statistics about a church scheme to support disadvantaged young people.

Or the most effective way of responding may be by sending a letter to the editor - either from yourself or an appropriate member of the church - posting something on the local newspaper's blog or calling into a radio phone in.

Whatever the way, a little bit of effort can have amazing results, with good stories about the church being seen or heard by thousands of people who would never make it to a Sunday service. And that's got to be worth a try.