Church Communication in times of Conflict

Lutheran communicators share stories, photographs and insights about communication during times of external crisis and conflict

Guest speakers Jayne Shimko, Director of Content Strategy and Candice Buchbinder, Public Relations Manager of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and Albin Hillert, photographer and founding member of “Life on Earth Pictures,” and Felipe Sepúlveda Rosales, LWF Council member advisor and member of The Lutheran Church in Chile (ILCH) talk about preparing church and non-profit communications during expected and unexpected world events and conflicts.

During times of pandemic, natural disasters, wars, racial unrest and migration, church communications teams are often tasked with communicating rapid and accurate information to concerned partners, donors and congregation members.

Jayne Shimko and Candice Buchbinder, who are a part of an ELCA communications team that focuses on responding during conflict, share the team’s collaborative process of crafting public responses to conflicts within the United States.

Based in Sweden, Albin Hillert shares how he is often sent by faith-based, non-profit organizations to photograph conflicts around the world. Recently, Hillert was sent by the LWF to witness and document the migration of Ukrainians to Hungary and Slovakia and how the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary and the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Slovak Republic responded quickly with resources and welcome.

Felipe Sepúlveda Rosales, LWF Council member advisor for the communication committee and instructor of Branding and Digital Marketing at the University for the Arts, Sciences and Communication in Chile, will explore the topic of social-political violence and how it affects the church.  

Registration

English with German, Spanish and French interpretation