What are the responsibilities and job description for the Staff Writer (Temporary) position at The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod?
**This is a temporary job**
Organization Profile
LCMS Communications serves the Synod and is responsible for informing, reporting, and interpreting, in consultation with applicable officers and boards, the Synod’s purpose, program, and positions to its members, and for promoting an increased understanding of the confession and work of the church to the members and public.
Reporting Relationships
- Reports to the Director of Editorial and is a member of the editorial team.
Essential Job Functions
- Takes on general writing as well as editing and copyediting projects, as assigned by the Director of Editorial.
- Responsible for editorial quality in terms of copyediting, proofreading and fact-checking.
- Special emphasis on writing marketing copy and materials for the various ministry units throughout LCMS, Inc.
- Writes and/or edits brochures, training manuals, ministry resources, marketing and advertising copy, web content, press releases and official statements, etc., to support various LCMS ministries and share in the editorial workload of the department.
- Contributes to the writing and editing of The Lutheran Witness, Reporter, Reporter Online, LCMS e-News, Lutherans Engage the World, and LCMS ministry resources and promotional materials.
- Serves as a reporter as assigned, sharing in the “beats” of the department, covering various board meetings, ministry news, conferences, events, etc.
- Some travel in the U.S. and around the world to cover stories as assigned, including documenting active disaster response, short-term mission teams, and shadowing missionaries and ministry leaders in remote and challenging environments.
Education and Experience
- 1-2 years’ experience in a communications field or as a freelance writer/editor.
- A bachelor’s degree in communications or a related field.
- A layman or woman who is well-versed in Lutheran theology will be considered in addition to ordained clergy and commissioned ministers of religion.
- Member in good standing of an LCMS congregation.
Competencies (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities)
- A highly competent, creative and smooth writer capable of multiple styles of writing—news writing, social media, business writing, feature writing, video script writing, marketing/PR writing, headlines, subheads and captions, brochure copy, blurbs, etc.
- The same versatile capabilities in terms of editing and copyediting.
- Thoroughly well-versed in English grammar and usage.
- Ability to work alone and on deadline.
- Ability to juggle multiple assignments and due dates.
- A team player who contributes ideas and collaborates well with others.
- Receptive to critique and suggestions for improvement.
- Fully familiar and experienced (or willingness and ability to become so) in writing and editing to the standards of the AP Stylebook and the supplementary LCMS Stylebook.
- Articulate in the theology, doctrine and practice, positions, history, structure and governance of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
- Dependable in meeting deadlines.
Supervisory Responsibility
- None.
