Q and A of what you can put in a newsletter

Readers,

Sandi Nolte, administrative assistant at St. Andrew Lutheran Church of Vancouver and wife of the Rev. Chris Nolte of St. Paul Lutheran Church of Vancouver, had this query. I'm reprinting it here with her permission, because I get asked this question quite a bit. My answer follows. — Rachel

Hi Rachel,

I have a newsletter question for you. 

We presently make our electronic version of the monthly newsletter available only to people who have signed up to be on this special mailing list. We would like to make it more accessible to the general viewer of our web site, but are wondering about what guidelines there might be regarding personal information that is included.  What are your thoughts about including people’s names?  Birthdays and anniversaries?

On photos, we already make sure we have parental permission for kids that are included. Is anything else needed?

Any direction you can give us will be greatly appreciated!

Blessings,

Sandi

Hi Sandi,

Thank you for this question. Here is my answer. Almost everything you are including in your newsletter is public record. And a public record is for the public. Therefore, you can write people's names and their birthdays, wedding dates and death dates with confidence. The law in every state is on your side. The information already is resting in the public domain.

The only thing I can think of is some types of prayer requests. Not that those violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) because they do not. With sickness, it's a matter of sensitivity. This is an extreme example, but say you put an item in your e-newsletter about Joe Blow, please pray for him because he's got cirrhosis of the liver. Get it?

But most prayer requests are fine. Lots of our congregational e-newsletters do have named prayer requests. Many use just a general few words, and I think that's a good idea. For Joe Blow, you might write, "Joe Blow, for healing" and leave it at that.

Don't forget prayer requests for military and graduates, too. That's all legal.

Yes, you're right on the kids. Up to age 18, you need to get parents' permission for stories with their names, as well as permission for photos. Nothing more.

It's my strong belief that newsletters are only evangelism tools if you distribute them widely within — but much more importantly outside of — the church community. So start compiling a larger list including anyone outside the confines of your congregation. Think big. The neighborhood. Service groups. Social-service agencies. Nursing homes. Other congregations. Hotels (print some out and take them there). Chambers of commerce. Forget the "special list." I subscribe to many of the synod congregations' e-newsletters and the only thing I've ever been asked is for my name and email. That's when your newsletter really starts working for God.

Good luck, Sandi.

Rachel