How Should a Christian Organization Respond to Negative Press?

A Christian organization should respond to negative press by establishing the facts, caring for anyone harmed, owning what is true and correcting what is false, without attacking the critic or the reporter. Guardian, a strategic communications agency for faith-based and mission-driven organizations, advises leaders to follow six steps.

1. Get the facts before you speak

Guardian’s first step in any active crisis is a situation assessment. Separate what is verified from what is assumed. Do not issue a denial you may have to retract.

2. Put people ahead of reputation

If someone may have been harmed, their safety and care come before the statement. Where abuse or a crime is alleged, follow reporting obligations and involve legal counsel at once. A communications plan is never a substitute for accountability.

3. Decide which kind of story this is

Guardian sorts negative coverage into four kinds, and each needs a different response:

The report is accurate. Acknowledge the specific failure, apologize to those affected and say what will change.
The facts are unresolved. Say what is known, what is being reviewed and when you will give an update.
The report is wrong. Name the specific error, supply the evidence and ask for a correction.
The story is about your beliefs. State your position plainly and respectfully. Disagreement is not misreporting.

4. Tell your own people first

Staff, board members, donors and your congregation or families should hear from you before they read it elsewhere. Guardian prepares stakeholder communication alongside any media response so the facts match on every channel.

5. Speak with one voice, and sound like a person

Name one spokesperson and prepare that person. Write the statement in plain words. An early statement can be short: what happened, what you are doing and when you will say more.

6. Follow through

Report back on what changed. Guardian’s reputation repair work begins after the headlines fade, when the organization shows its words were true.

What not to do

Do not call scrutiny persecution because it is uncomfortable.
Do not use Scripture, forgiveness or the ministry’s good work to deflect a fair question.
Do not attack the journalist, a former employee or a critic.
Do not hide behind “no comment” when people have been hurt.

“Many leaders want to respond to a crisis immediately, but most of them don’t yet have a plan or know what happened. We tell clients to spend that first hour assembling their crisis team, getting as many facts as they can and outlining a plan, because a statement or misstep that you have to take back can do more damage than the story did,” said Rob Forrester, president of Guardian.

Guardian provides active crisis management, media training, crisis boot camps, vulnerability assessments, messaging and crisis plan development for churches, schools, ministries and nonprofits. If a reporter has already called, phone 404.793.0770 or start a conversation at guardian.agency/contact.