Previous RCC Conventions

RCC 2011 — Communicating Outside the Box

March 21-April 2, 2011 in Little Rock, Arkansas

Recent technological changes have revolutionized communication. Economic pressures have reduced the number of journalists covering religion and limited the space/time available for religion news. Social media have changed public relations practice. Demographic and cultural shifts have altered the faces of our communities. Political developments have divided the nation into red and blue states.

People have increasingly told pollsters they are "spiritual" but not "religious." The number of Americans claiming no religious affiliation has grown.

How do faith communities – and religion communicators – respond to this dynamic cultural environment? Come to the RCC 2011 Convention and explore Communicating Outside the Box!

Presentations

• Sarah Macharia: RCC2011 Opening Plenary — audio
• Lorri Allen: Communicating Outside the Box — audio
• James L. "Skip" Rutherford: "Education Outside the Walls" — audio
• D. Paul Monteiro, RCC 2011 Plenary — audio
• Matt Carlisle: 10 Things I've Learned About Producing Webinars — slides

News stories from RCC 2011

• WACC programme manager leads opening plenary at Religion Communicators Council Convention
• Christian communicators say women treated unfairly by media
• Thinking and communicating outside the box
• RCC's 2011 Wilbur Awards Recognize Media Excellence
• Webinars are a good fit for communication strategy
• What's brand got to do with it?

RCCongress 2010 — Embracing Change: Communicating Faith in Today's World

April 7-10, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois

RCCongress is a once-a-decade multi-faith forum of all levels of communicators of religion. This extraordinary event brings together hundreds of communications professionals to expand our experience and broaden our perspective on embracing change.

The focus in 2010 was embracing change. Social change invites us to new ministries. Religious change invites us to new dialogue. Technological change entices us to new modes of reaching out.

As communicators, we have ever advancing tools, but we also see a power shift in publishing: through tools such as blogs, everyone has a voice. How do we harness this power for the good of our organizations?

Presentations

• Slides and handouts from workshop and plenary speakers
• Plenary session videos
• RCCongress 2010 web site

News stories from RCCongress 2010

• RCCongress 2010 Highlights
• RCCongress communicators embrace change
• Religion and media increasingly converging, says US researcher
• The future? Think mobile, mobile, mobile, says digital expert
• Islamic society head describes changing Muslim community engagement
• Use of new communication venues necessary to spread message of hope
• Rev. Moss to faith communicators: "Remix your message"
• When news stories that were posted four hours ago are old, how in the world can you keep up?
• Faith and change go hand in hand, Mitch Albom tells faith communicators

RCC 2009 — Identity Amid Diversity

March 26-29, 2009 in Boston, Massachusetts

The Boston Chapter of Religion Communicators Council hosted communicators in the birthplace of so much American religious, cultural and political history.

Celebrating RCC’s 80th anniversary, the annual convention investigated how to brand individual organizations in an age of increasing religious pluralism.

Richard Parker of Harvard University opened the convention charging communicators to help reframe the debate about religious diversity in the public sphere. Workshops, speakers and expert panels addressed the role of communicators in today’s dynamic and diverse religion marketplace.

The annual DeRose-Hinkhouse and Wilbur Awards recognized excellence in the work of active RCC members and the secular media.

News stories from RCC 2009

• Religion communicators can reframe debate
• Nine students explore religion communication
• Religion beat caught in U.S. journalism changes
• Religion communicators moved by screening of Reel Bad Arabs