Style ManualVersion 9.18.2013

Contents

This manual contains general style guidelines for NAMB publications and communicating to NAMB audiences.

Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................................1

Abbreviations ...............................................................................................................................................................................1

I. NAMB references ..........................................................................................................................................................2

II. NAMB terms and style .............................................................................................................................................2

III. Internet style ....................................................................................................................................................................3

IV. Job titles .............................................................................................................................................................................3

V. Composition titles ....................................................................................................................................................... 4

VI. Ethnic groups ................................................................................................................................................................ 4

VII. Abbreviations ..................................................................................................................................................................5

VIII. Acronyms ...........................................................................................................................................................................6

IX. Dates/Datelines .............................................................................................................................................................6

X. Numbers .............................................................................................................................................................................7

XI. Time .......................................................................................................................................................................................7

XII. Punctuation ......................................................................................................................................................................8

XIII. Commonly used words/Phrases ........................................................................................................................11

1

IntroductionAmerican English is a richly varied language, full of choices. A style guide is not an effort to anoint one of two or more choices as being “correct.” A style guide is simply a list of the choices that have been made. The choices made in this style guide resulted from participation by staff of the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and other Southern Baptist entities, and with consideration of the preferences, needs and requirements of our audiences.

This style guide notes usages to be followed by authors and editors of NAMB. It encompasses portions of The Associated Press Stylebook, The Chicago Manual of Style and terms related to NAMB or other Southern Baptist organizations. Other references used are Webster’s New World Dictionary of Computer Terms and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.

When in doubt, follow AP style.

AbbreviationsThe following abbreviations are used in this style guide.

adj. adjective

adv. adverb

prep. preposition

pl. plural

sing. singular

This style guide will constantly be updated as terms come into existence or fall from usage.

We hope you find this style manual helpful. If we can help with style questions not included in this guide, please contact the Mobilizaton and Marketing Group at NAMB. Recommendations for change or departure from this style manual should be emailed, with reasons for preference, to Carmon Keith at ckeith@namb.net. The NAMB Style Manual will be posted on miPad for access by NAMB staff.

2

I. NAMB referencesA. The Associated Press Stylebook (latest edition)

NAMB’s first reference for writing, editing and proofreading copy is The Associated Press Stylebook. Refer first to this publication for questions on usage. It also includes guidelines on punctuation, media law, photo captions and editing marks (for editing hard copy text). If an item is not covered in the AP Stylebook, visit AP’s website (apstylebook.com) to search questions previously submitted to their editors.

B. Merriam-Webster’s New World College Dictionary (latest edition) NAMB uses Merriam-Webster’s New World College Dictionary to resolve questions regarding spelling and definition. Always use the first spelling given in the dictionary. When the dictionary lists a word as a variant spelling, the entry that includes the definition is the preferred spelling. To access this dictionary and their thesaurus online, visit merriam- webster.com.

II. NAMB terms and style A. North American Mission Board (NAMB)

Spell out “North American Mission Board (NAMB),” on first reference. Use NAMB on second reference. The following phrase must appear on all NAMB brochures, publications, videos, websites, displays, etc. With NAMB logo: A Southern Baptist Convention entity supported by the Cooperative Program and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering®. Separated from NAMB logo: The North American Mission Board is a Southern Baptist Convention entity supported by the Cooperative Program and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering®.

Back cover copy on printed materials should include: For general information call 770-410-6000, or visit namb.net. To order materials, call Customer Service Center, toll-free 866-407-NAMB (6262), or visit nambstore.com.

B. NAMB official fonts See NAMB Branding Guide.

Note: Font rules do not apply to marketing materials. Also, refer to the NAMB branding guidelines.

C. Annie Armstrong Easter Offering® for North American Missions An element of the annual North American Missions emphasis; 100 percent of all AAEO receipts go directly to the mission field to support missionaries and their efforts. Trademark symbol must appear once per document where the term is used. Trademark explanation must appear once per document: Annie Armstrong Easter Offering® is a registered trademark of WMU®. In news stories, spell out with ® on first reference. Use AAEO on second reference. Incorrect: AA offering, Annie offering.

D. Send North America NAMB’s strategy to assist and mobilize churches and individuals in hands-on, evangelistic church planting. Always spell out Send North America. Do not place Send in all caps. Inserting arrows, as in Send>>North America, is incorrect. Preferred style for Send North America cities is Send North America: [city name]. Correct: Send North America: Vancouver. Incorrect: SEND North America, SEND Vancouver, SNA. Refer to NAMB branding and logo guidelines.

E. Exceptions to AP stylebook When writing for Baptist Press, uppercase the word Gospel.

African American (noun) African-American (adj.)

Web addresses; no http or www (e.g., namb.net)

3

F. NAMB-specific themes/seminar titles Capitalize all principal words. Example: Whatever It Takes

G. Headlines Capitalize the first word and all proper nouns in Baptist Press and news articles. In Web articles and magazine articles, capitalize the first letter of all words except articles, prepositions and conjunctions. Bold headlines in editorial copy; do not bold/underline or bold/italicize headlines. Place subtitles in italics. Capitalize the first word and all proper nouns of subtitles. For subheads place in bold and roman type, capitalize the first letter of all words except article, prepositions and conjunctions.

H. The use of spaces Use one space between sentences instead of two. Use single space between headlines and subtitles or between subheads and paragraphs.

I. Phone numbers Use figures and the form 770-410-6000. The form for toll-free numbers: 800-111-1000. If an extension is needed, use a comma to separate the main number from the extension: 770-410-6000, ext. 2.

III. Internet styleA. URLs

When writing a Web address, do not include “http://” or “www.” in the URL. This is an exception to AP style. (e.g., domainname.org or namb.net)

B. Hyperlink addressesAvoid spelling out Web addresses in any copy, especially when the URL is long. Hyperlink text where possible. The same is true for email addresses—hyperlink the name in electronic publications. Do not use italic type for addresses.

C. Format in editorial copyi. Do not use both bold and underline formatting options on anything.

ii. Bold titles, headlines and subheads only.

iii. Use italics to emphasize word meaning when needed.

D. Titles of books, magazines, reports (see Composition Titles)Capitalize the main words. Use italics for titles of books, movies, plays and periodicals (newspapers, magazines, journals, etc.). Enclose in quotation marks for article titles, report titles and chapter titles.

IV. Job titlesA. Remember to always double-check names, credentials and titles.

B. Capitalize before a name when there is no comma in between. Use lowercase after a name (if the title is below the name it should always be capitalized). Variations include:i. President John Doe

ii. Company Z’s president and CEO, John Doe

iii. John Doe, president of the North American Mission Board

C. Job titles that include functions should be lowercase unless the function is a branded product of the organization. Variations:i. John Doe, vice president, mobilization group, NAMB

ii. Jane Smith, coordinator of human resources, NAMB

4

iii. Matt Jones, disaster relief coordinator, NAMB

D. When listing names and titles in copy, use a semicolon in the series to avoid confusion: Jane Smith, content development coordinator, NAMB; Tom Jones, team leader for communications; and John Williams, church planting catalyst.

E. Other titles serve primarily as occupational descriptions (e.g., editor, author, pastor, missionary, youth worker, church planter): astronaut John Glen, editor Lou Grant, pastor John Smith.

V. Composition titlesA. Seminars, teleseminars, webinars, webcast titles, podcast postings, video blog, blog

postings, books, computer games, movies, operas, plays, television series/programs, lectures, speeches and works of arti. Do not place in quotation marks. Place in italics.

ii. Capitalize an article (the, a, an) or words of fewer than four letters if it is the first or last word of the title.

iii. Capitalize the principal words, including all verbs, prepositions and conjunctions with more than four letters.

iv. Examples: Gone With the Wind, CBS Evening News

B. Newspapers, magazines, websites, blog sites, podcast sites, newsletters i. Do not place in quotation marks. Place in italics.

ii. Capitalize the in the name if that is the way the publication prefers to be known.

iii. Lowercase the before names if listing several publications, some of which use the as part of the name and some of which do not: Time, Newsweek, the Washington Post, and the New York Times.

iv. Examples: Florida Baptist Witness, On Mission, PreachingToday.com

C. Articles, report titles, chapters in books, essays, hymns, short poems, songs, short stories, individual television and radio episodesi. Set in quotation marks

ii. Capitalize an article (the, a, an) or words of fewer than four letters if it is the first or last word of the title.

iii. Capitalize the principal words, including all verbs, prepositions and conjunctions with more than four letters.

iv. Examples: “I Surrender All,” “The Hallelujah Chorus”

VI. Ethnic groupsA. African American/Black

Use African American as a noun. Use African-American as an adjective. May also use black. People from Caribbean nations, for example, generally refer to themselves as Caribbean-American. Follow a person’s preference.

B. CaucasiansThe preferred usage is Anglo. May also use white and Caucasians.

C. AsianThis is the preferred usage for those whose ethnic origin is from Asia. Better to use a more specific identification when possible, such as Korean, South Asian, Japanese, etc.

5

D. HispanicThis is the preferred usage for those whose ethnic origin is a Spanish-speaking country. “Latino/a” is acceptable for those who prefer that term. Better to use a more specific identification when possible, such as Cuban, Puerto Rican and Mexican American.

E. French Canadian, French Canadians Do not hyphenate. This is an exception to the normal practice in describing a dual ethnic heritage. Better to use more specific identification when possible, such as Québécois.

F. Native American/First NationsWhen possible, be precise and use the name of the tribe: He is a Navajo missionary. Native American is acceptable. When referring to the aboriginal peoples of Canada the preferred terms are First Nations, Inuit and Metis. First Nations refers to Canadian aboriginal groups that are not of the Inuit or Metis. First Nations is also used for the aboriginal people of Alaska.

VII. AbbreviationsAvoid using abbreviations or acronyms that the reader would not quickly recognize. Use a period after most abbreviations: Ave., Dr., Gov., a.m., p.m., A.D., B.C., Ph.D. Avoid using too many abbreviations, and do not use two abbreviations together.

A. United Statesi. As a noun. United States: The prime minister left for the United States. U.S. is acceptable

on second reference.

ii. As an adjective. U.S. (no spaces): A U.S. soldier was killed in Baghdad.

iii. USA abbreviation. There are no periods in the abbreviated form for United States of America.

B. Statesi. Spell out the names of the states in text when they appear alone: Wildfires continued

to rage through southern California yesterday.

ii. Abbreviate state names when they appear in conjunction with the name of a city, town, village or military base: Needham, Mass., Oxnard Air Force Base, Calif.

iii. Place one comma between the city and the state name, and another after the state name, unless at the end of a sentence or in a dateline: Chuy Avila is a missionary serving in Laredo, Texas, where he looks for ways to start churches in the community. Doug Lee lives in North Platte, Neb., where he serves as an associational director of missions.

iv. Use AP Style when abbreviating states for editorial copy. For marketing copy, U.S. Postal Service style may apply: NJ, NY, etc.—no periods between letters.

v. Do not abbreviate Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah (the two states that are not part of the contiguous United States and the states that are five letters or fewer).

vi. Abbreviate District of Columbia as D.C. when the context requires that it be used in conjunction with Washington (e.g., Washington, D.C.). Spell out when used alone. The district, rather than D.C., should be used in subsequent references.

C. See the chart below for proper state abbreviations. Postal abbreviations are in parentheses.i. When listing states in correspondence and marketing copy, it is acceptable to spell out the

state name or use the postal abbreviation.

ii. For editorial copy, one must follow AP Style.

6

Ala. (AL) La. (LA) N.D. (ND)

Alaska (AK) Maine (ME) Ohio (OH)

Ariz. (AZ) Md. (MD) Ore. (OR)

Ark. (AR) Mass. (MA) Pa. (PA)

Calif. (CA) Mich. (MI) R.I. (RI)

Colo. (CO) Minn. (MN) S.C. (SC)

Conn. (CT) Miss. (MS) S.D. (SD)

Del. (DE) Mo. (MO) Tenn. (TN)

District of Columbia (DC)

Fla. (FL) Mont. (MT) Texas (TX)

Ga. (GA) Neb. (NE) Utah (UT)

Hawaii (HI) Nev. (NV) Vt. (VT)

Idaho (ID) N.H. (NH) Va. (VA)

Ill. (IL) N.J. (NJ) Wash. (WA)

Ind. (IN) N.M. (NM) W.Va. (WV)

Iowa (IA) N.Y. (NY) Wis. (WI)

Kan. (KS) N.C. (NC) Wyo. (WY)

Ky. (KY) Okla. (OK)

Others are: C.Z. (Canal Zone), Guam, P.R. (Puerto Rico), Samoa, V.I. (Virgin Islands).

VIII. AcronymsAn acronym is a word formed from the first letter or letters of a series of words (e.g., NAMB, MSC)i. Spell the term the first time and add the acronym in parentheses: North American

Mission Board (NAMB).

ii. All-capital acronyms are permissible in titles/heads if they are identified in the beginning copy.

iii. It is acceptable to begin sentences with acronyms, such as NAMB and SNA, but avoid if possible or rewrite sentence.

IX. Dates/DatelinesA. Dates

i. Always use Arabic figures, without st, nd, rd or th.

ii. Capitalize months.

iii. When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. (e.g., Oct. 3 is her birthday.)

iv. When a phrase lists only a month and year, do not separate the month and the year with commas. (e.g., February 1980 was his best month.)

v. When a phrase refers to a month, day and year, set off the year with commas. (e.g., Aug. 20, 1964, was the day for which they had all been waiting.)

vi. If the year appears in the title of an event, there is no need to use the year again when stating the month and day of the event. (e.g., The SBC 2014 Pastors’ Conference will be held in Baltimore, June 12-13.)

vii. Never use shorthand for dates (e.g., 2/25/14)

7

B. DatelinesDatelines are primarily used at the beginning of news releases.i. Put the city name in CAPITAL LETTERS, usually followed by the state, country or territory

where the city is located. (e.g., ALPHARETTA, Ga.—NAMB launches new church planting strategy)

ii. Domestic and international large cities stand alone in datelines (see the AP Stylebook under “datelines” for a complete listing).

iii. Do not abbreviate Canadian provinces and territories.

iv. Within stories: Follow the city name with further identification in most cases where it is not in the same state or nation as the dateline city.

X. NumbersA. Spell out the numbers one through nine; for 10 and up, use Arabic numerals.

B. For ages and percentages, always use Arabic numerals, even for numbers less than 10. (See AP Stylebook for exceptions when dealing with ages.)

C. Spell out numerals that start a sentence; if the result is awkward, recast the sentence: Twenty-seven detainees were released yesterday. Yesterday, 993 freshmen entered the college. The one exception to this rule is in a sentence that begins with a calendar year: 1938 was a turbulent year for Leon.

D. For ordinals, spell out first through ninth when they indicate sequence in time or location:first base, the First Amendment, he was first in line. Use figures starting with 10th.

E. Use 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. when the sequence has been assigned in forming names. Principal examples include geography, military and political designations: 1st Ward, 7th Fleet and 1st Sgt.

F. For large numbers, use a hyphen to connect a word ending in “y” to another word: twenty-one, one hundred forty-three, seventy-six thousand five hundred eighty-seven

G. Do not use commas between other separate words that are part of one number: one thousand one hundred fifty-five

H. Spell out casual expressions: A thousand times no!

I. Proper names: use words or numerals according to an organization’s practice: 3M, Twentieth Century Fund, Big Ten

XI. TimeA. Use “a.m.” and “p.m.” after the time. (e.g., 3 p.m.)

B. Use figures except for noon and midnight.

C. Use a colon to separate hours from minutes. (e.g., 2:30 a.m.)

D. Eliminate double zero in times. (e.g., 2 p.m. instead of 2:00 p.m.)

E. Avoid redundancies, such as 10 p.m. tonight (simply 10 p.m. will do).

F. Use an “en” dash (no space on either side) when using time figures (e.g., 2–3 p.m.).

8

XII. PunctuationA. Apostrophe (’)

i. Use “smart” quotes (or curved apostrophes rather than straight apostrophes) when working with a document that will be printed. This feature is generally turned on in Word.

ii. Use in place of omitted figures: ‘60s, the class of ‘81; in contractions: can’t, it’s; and for possessives: a person’s name, girls’ names, but not for possessive of its: We tested its policies.

iii. Use with plurals of numbers: the three’s; or with letters: two A’s, but the three Rs.

iv. Do not use apostrophes for plurals of numbers, or multiple letter combinations: the 1980s, RBIs. No apostrophe for temperatures: the low 20s.

Possessives

v. For plural nouns ending in s, add only an apostrophe: the churches’ needs, the girls’ toys, the horses’ food.

vi. For singular common nouns ending in s, add ’s unless the next word begins with s: the hostess’s invitation, the hostess’ seat; the witness’s answer, the witness’ story.

vii. For singular proper names ending in s, use only an apostrophe: Jesus’ life, Moses’ law, Kansas’ churches.

viii. No apostrophe if more descriptive than possessive: pastors/writers/church planters conference.

B. BracketsBrackets are used mainly to enclose something inserted in quoted material. The Scripture says, “For in this way [baptism] it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15, NASB).

C. Colon (:)Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence: He promised this: The company will make good all the losses. But there were three considerations: expense, time and feasibility.

D. Comma (,)i. Do not put a comma before the conjunction in a simple series: John, Paul, George and

Ringo; red, white and blue. However, use a comma if a conjunction follows the series: I had orange juice, toast, and ham and eggs for breakfast.

ii. Put a comma before the concluding conjunction in a complex series of phrases: The main points to consider are whether the athletes are skillful enough to compete, whether they have the stamina to endure the training, and whether they have the proper mental attitude.

iii. Use a comma to set off a person’s hometown and age: Jane Doe, Framingham, was absent. Joe Smith, 34, started a ministry for Nashville’s homeless.

E. Ellipsis ( … ); ellipses (pl.) An ellipsis is three periods indicating deletion of one or more words. Treat as a three-letter word, with a space on either side: God so loved … that He gave.i. If the words that precede an ellipsis constitute a grammatically complete sentence, place

a period at the end of the last word before the ellipsis: God so loved the world that He gave. …

ii. If copy is omitted at the beginning of the sentence, place quotation marks and ellipsis as follows: “… but have everlasting life.”

9

iii. If a quotation is a complete thought, do not use an ellipsis at the beginning or ending of a sentence: “Present your bodies a living sacrifice.”

iv. An ellipsis may be used to indicate a pause or to separate items: He gave … and he gave.

v. An ellipsis may be used for a deliberately incomplete sentence: My life before I became a Christian was …

vi. When a question mark or exclamation point is in the original, this mark is retained and the ellipsis follows: Why do they turn against me? …

F. “Em” Dash (—) i. Use a long dash, known as an “em” dash to note an emphatic pause or a series in a

sentence. It can also be used for attribution to an author at the end of a quotation. We will fly to Paris in June—if I get a raise.

ii. To get an “em” dash, hold down the Alt key and enter “0151” on the number key pad to the right of the keyboard (Alt + 0151). For Mac users, option+ shift + hyphen key.

G. “En” Dash (–) i. Slightly smaller than the “em” dash, the “en” dash is used mostly to indicate a length in

dates and times. There is no space before and after the en dash: 1857–1900, May 15–June 11, 2–3 a.m.

ii. To get an “en” dash, hold down the Alt key and enter “0150” on the number key pad to the right of the keyboard (Alt + 0150). For Mac users, option + hyphen key.

H. Hyphen (-) i. Use a hyphen for compound adjectives before the noun, except when the first word of the

compound is the adverb very or an adverb ending in “-ly” or when the adjectives follow the noun: well-known actor, full-time job, 20-year sentence; But a very good time, an easily remembered rule. An exception to this rule is when using church planting as a compound modifier: church planting intern, church planting strategy, church planting team.

ii. Do not use a hyphen when the compound modifier occurs after the verb: The actor was well known. Her job became full time. He was sentenced to 20 years.

iii. Do not use a hyphen to denote an abrupt change in a sentence—use an em dash.

I. Period (.)i. Use a SINGLE space after the period at the end of a sentence.

ii. Do not put a space between initials: C.S. Lewis; G.K. Chesterton.

J. Quotation marks (“ ”)i. In dialogue, each person’s words are placed in a separate paragraph, with quotation marks

at the beginning and end of each person’s quote.

ii. Periods and commas always go within quotation marks.

iii. Dashes, semicolons, question marks and exclamation points go within the quotation marks when they apply to the quoted material. He asked, “Will you go?” They go outside when they apply to the whole sentence. Who wrote the tract “Eternal Life”?

iv. Use single marks for quotes within quotes: She said, “He told me, ‘I love you.’”

v. Use “smart” (or curved) quote marks rather than straight quote marks.

vi. Capitalize and put in quotation marks titles of articles, brochures, chapters, essays, psalms, short poems, hymns, themes and tracts.

vii. Obtain written permission from the person or publisher before using quotations. Use proper credit lines. Type quoted material word for word and punctuate exactly as in the original material.

10

viii. Use quotation marks to indicate that material is from another source. Use quotation marks around fewer than six lines of quoted copy. Six or more lines (sometimes called block quotation) should be typed with same margins as other copy; but add an extra line of space above and below quoted lines and delete quotation marks. When copy is set in type, six or more quoted lines should be set in one point size smaller type.

ix. Put quotation marks around a word or term the first mention for emphasis, irony, special effect; or when a technical term is not understood by all. Omit the quotes on any following mentions: She “walked the aisle” during the morning service; but her husband walked the aisle during the evening service.

x. Use quotation marks rather than italics when quoting Scripture.

xi. Do not quote the words yes, no, thank you, hello and goodbye except in direct discourse: His answer was no. “No,” she said, “I will not go.” She said goodbye and left quickly.

K. BulletsAll bullet points and text should end with a period if they are a complete sentence. Default round bullets should be used. Two ways to use bullets include:i. If the lead in and the bullet together create a sentence, there must be a period at the

end of the bulleted item.Example: You’ll learn:• How technology is changing the way we communicate.

• What communications professionals need to know to create a successful strategy for reaching their intended audience.

• The best tools for creating content and reaching your audiences.

ii. If the bullets are listing out items, do not include a period.Example: Whom do you represent?• church

• association

• state

11

A

Annie Armstrong Easter Offering® (AAEO) for North American Missions An element of the annual North American Missions emphasis; 100 percent of all AAEO receipts go directly to the mission field to support missionaries and their efforts.

acts of the apostles (deeds); Acts of the Apostles (Bible book)

A.D. Abbreviation for anno Domini, meaning “in the year of our Lord.” Precedes the year: A.D. 2000. Redundant: sixth century A.D. or the year A.D. 2000.

ad; advertisement NAMB logo or the words North American Mission Board, should be on all ads. Customer Service Center and AAEO lines are not necessary on small ads.

addresses Use the following street abbreviations only with full addresses: Apt., Ave., Bldg., Blvd., Cir., Ct., Dr., Expy., Fwy., Hts., Hwy., Jct., Lk., Ln., Mdws., Pkwy., Plz., Rd., Rdg., Riv., Sq., St., Sta., Ter., Tpke., Twp.

Use a period after a direction when part of a street name, but no period after a compass direction following a street name: 356 W. Peachtree St., NE

Spell out and capitalize streets when not preceded by numbers: First St., Ninety-Fifth St.

Always use figures for address numbers: 1350 Spring St., NW

Use two-letter post office abbreviations of states only in addresses. Otherwise, use regular state abbreviations.

adult Lowercase when referring to people. Capitalize the name of a class, department, division or other church organization: All adults in the Adult Class.

Adventist; Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church

African American Use as a noun. May also use black. (Exception to AP style.)

African-American Use as an adjective.

African American Fellowship of the SBC Organized by Southern Baptists June 1992.

affect, effect: Affect, as a verb, means to influence: The game will affect the standings. Affect, as a noun, is best avoided. It is occasionally used in psychology to describe an emotion, but there is no need for it in everyday language. Effect, as a verb, means to cause: He will effect many changes in the company. Effect, as a noun, means result: The effect was overwhelming. It was a law of little effect.

afterward: Not afterwards

ages Use figures for ages except at the beginning of sentences: Two is the girl’s age, 12 is the boy’s age and 40 is the mother’s age. She is 2, he is 12. The aged (adj.) man crossed the street. Spell out plurals for ages: forties.

Allah Arabic term for God; the supreme being of Muslims.

agencies See entities.

America Avoid using referring to the United States of America.

American ethnic(s) A person identified with an ethnic group, but born and raised in the United States.

ampersand (&) Do not use the symbol in text, titles or display lines unless it is in the official title of a company or publisher. OK to use in bibliographies, footnotes and notes: Jones & Sons Publishers.

Anglo(s) Caucasian inhabitant of the United States of non-Latin descent. Use Anglo-American to distinguish from Spanish-American.

Annual Church Profile (ACP) LifeWay Christian Resources form sent to churches to gather information.

antichrist (adj.), Antichrist (noun) Lower-case, meaning the general spirit or someone or something opposed to Christ. Capitalize the biblical challenger of Christ.

apocalypse, Apocalypse (noun); apocalyptic (adj.) Capitalize the noun, meaning the book of Revelation; lowercase, meaning a revelation. Lowercase the adjective, meaning prophetic or predicting.

XIII. Commonly used words/PhrasesThe following is a compilation of commonly used, misused and misspelled words and phrases.

12

Apocrypha (noun); apocryphal (adj.); apocryphally (adv.) Capitalize the noun, meaning the 14 books included in the Catholic, but not Protestant, Canon of Scripture.

apostle; the apostle Paul; the Great Apostle; Apostle to the Gentiles Capitalize referring to Paul, when his name is not given. Spell out numbers with apostles: twelve apostles.

Apostles’ Creed A Christian statement of belief ascribed to the twelve apostles.

Apostolic Age The first century age.

appointed missions personnel People processed by NAMB and appointed by NAMB’s Board of Trustees.

approved missions personnel People processed by NAMB and approved to receive financial assistance, but are not appointed.

archangel Heavenly being. Michael is called the archangel in Jude 9.

Arian; the Arian heresy; Arianism

ark of the covenant

Armageddon; battle of Armageddon Final conflict between good and evil, referred to in Revelation.

articles of faith (general); Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws of the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (specific)

Ascension, the

Asia; Asian; Asian-American; Asian Indian Asian-Americans are Asian immigrants or refugees who are now American citizens. Use Asian with people instead of Asiatic. An Asian Indian or East Indian is one whose origin or heritage is the India subcontinent. When possible, refer to a person’s country of origin. For example: Filipino-American or Indian-American.

association (noun); associational (adj.) Lowercase unless specific: Atlanta Baptist Association.

Associational Impact Team

B

baby boom A marked rise in birthrate, as in the United States following World War II, 1946-64;

baby boomer One born between 1946-64.

baby bust A marked decline in birthrate, as in the 1970s; baby buster One born in the 1970s.

Backyard Bible Club

Bahá’í, Bahai World Faith, Bahaism religion

Baptist, the Capitalize, meaning John, when his name is not given.

Baptist Association Emphasis Annual denominational emphasis in May on SBC Calendar of Activities.

Baptist center (general); Atlanta Baptist Center (specific)

Baptist Communicators Association (BCA)

Baptist Faith and Message, The Statement and also a brochure. Put quotation marks around brochure title. See full text here: http://www.sbc.org/bfm/bfm2000.asp

Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs (BJCPA) Organization that deals with religious liberty and the separation of church and state.200 Maryland Ave., NEWashington, DC 20002202-544-4226

Baptist Press, BP

B.C. Means “before Christ” and follows the year: 43 B.C.

Beatitude(s) See Matthew 5:1-12.

Believer’s baptism

Beloved Apostle, the Capitalize, meaning John, when his name is not given.

Bible, bible Capitalize, meaning the Word of God. Lowercase when not the Word of God: The dictionary is my bible. Lowercase biblical.

Bible Belt Area chiefly in the southern United States.

Bible books and abbreviations Avoid abbreviating books of the Bible.

Bible quotations

Preferred Bible version is Holman Christian Standard Bible. Quote exactly, word for word, spelling and punctuating exactly as in the Bible translation being used. Place verse in quote marks.Do not type in all caps.Do not print the word Selah that appears in some translations of Psalms.When writing “the Bible states, …” be sure it states that. Do not embellish. In printed materials,

13

use the proper permission lines. Publishers should be the same as those listed.

Bible references and punctuationUse Arabic numerals: 1 John 3:4; 2 John; but spell out the numeral at the beginning of a sentence and in children’s writings: First John

No space after colon: Matthew 5:5-7Nonconsecutive verses: Matthew 5:5,7 (no space after comma)Consecutive verses: Matthew 5:5-6Consecutive chapters: Genesis 1-5Nonconsecutive chapters: Genesis 1; 5 and/or Exodus 5:1; 12:14-17 (semicolons usually divide chapters)Consecutive verses that span chapters: Isaiah 1:5-2:4

Place the end-of-sentence period after the Scripture reference, not at the end of quote: “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). When part of quote is omitted at end of sentence, the first ellipsis period comes at the end of the last word (as if it were the period) and then put space between other ellipses: “For God so loved. . .” (John 3:16).If the quoted phrase ends with a comma or semicolon, add it and then two periods, the reference, and then the third period: “For God so loved the world, . .” (John 3:16).The correct position of the question mark is: “What must we do, to be doing the works of God” (John 6:28, RSV)?

Use a or b with a verse number:Only when the reference is cited and the verse is not quoted: See John 3:16a for a reference to God’s love. But if part of the verse is quoted, use the verse reference only: “For God so loved. . .” (John 3:16).

When referring to a Scripture within the text: In 1 John 4:7 (NIV), we read, “Dear Friends, let us love one another.”When referring to a Scripture, but not quoting it: the Bible has many references to God’s love (see John 3:16).

Bible translations with abbreviations NAMB has permission to quote from the following translations. Include permission lines when using these versions.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)— Use one of the following: Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999,

2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

The Amplified Bible (AMP)—Old Testament (Zondervan), New Testament (Lockman Foundation). But Amplified New Testament (AMP). Use AMP following each Scripture quotation and reference (Matthew 6:10, AMP) and place the following permission lines on the copyright page, inside front cover if not copyrighted, or on the page where the first Scripture and reference are listed:

Scripture quotations marked AMP are from The Amplified New Testament, © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (Lockman.org)

La Biblia de las Americas (BA) Use BA following each Scripture quotation and reference (Matthew 6:10, BA) and place the following permission lines on the copyright page, inside front cover if not copyrighted, or on the page where the first Scripture and reference are listed:

Scripture quotation(s) marked BA is from La Biblia de las Americas, © The Lockman Foundation 1986. Used by permission.

Contemporary English Version Use CEV following each Scripture quotation and reference (Matthew 6:10, CEV) and place the following permission lines on the copyright page or on the page where the first Scripture and reference are listed:

Scripture quotation(s) identified as CEV is taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991, 1992, 1995 American Bible Society. Used by permission.

DiscipleYouth Bible (DYB), New American Standard Bible. Use DYB following each Scripture quotation and reference (Matthew 6:10, DYB) and place the following permission lines on the copyright page or on the page where the first Scripture and reference are listed:

14

Scripture quotation(s) marked DYB is from DiscipleYouth Bible, New American Standard Bible. © 1985, Holman Bible Publishers. Used with permission.

Good News Bible (GNB), Today’s English Version Use GNB following each Scripture quotation and reference (Matthew 6:10, GNB) and place the following permission lines on the inside front cover or on the page where the first Scripture and reference are listed:

Scripture quotation(s) marked GNB is from the Good News—Testament: © American Bible Society 1976, 1992; New Testament: © American Bible Society 1966, 1971, 1976, 1992. Used with permission.

(If quoting only from New Testament, omit the reference to the Old Testament and vice versa.)

Holy Bible: Easy-to-Read Version (ETRV) Use ETRV following the Scripture quotation and reference (Rom. 6:10, ETRV) and place the following permission lines in the front of the piece:

Scripture quotation(s) marked ETRV is taken from the Holy Bible: Easy-to-Read Version © 1987, 1989 by World Bible Translation Center, Inc., P.O. Box 820648, Fort Worth, TX 76182. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

Holy Bible: English Version for the Deaf (HBEVD) Use HBEVD following each Scripture quotation and reference (Matthew 6:10, HBEVD) and place the following permission lines with the materials being quoted:

Scripture quotation marked HBEVD is taken from the Holy Bible: English Version for the Deaf © 1987 by World Bible Translation Center, Inc. Used by permission.

Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV) Use NIV following each Scripture quotation and reference (Matthew 6:10, NIV) and place the following permission lines on the copyright page or at the end of the printed piece:

Scripture quotation(s) marked NIV is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission.

Holy Bible, NEW LIFE Version (NLV) When all Scripture verses are taken from the NEW LIFE Version, the following notice should be placed on the title or copyright page of the publication:

All Scripture verses are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW LIFE Version, copyright 1969, 1976, 1978, 1983, 1986. Christian Literature International, Canby, OR 97013. Used by permission.

When only part of the Scripture verses are taken from the NLV, place NLV following the verses (Matthew 6:10, NLV), and place the following permission lines on the title or copyright page of the publication: Scripture(s) quotation marked NLV is taken from the Holy Bible, NEW LIFE Version, copyright 1969, 1976, 1978, 1983, 1986. Christian Literature International, Canby, OR 97013. Used by permission.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT) Up to and inclusive of 250 verses may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic, or audio) without express written permission of the publisher, provided that the verses quoted do not account for more than 20 percent of the work in which they are quoted, and provided that a complete book of the Bible is not quoted.

One of the following credit lines must appear on the printed piece.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved.

The Jerusalem Bible (TJB) Use TJB following the Scripture quotation and reference (Matthew 6:10, TJB) and place the following permission lines on the copyright page, on the inside front cover if not copyrighted, or on the page where the first Scripture and reference are listed:

Scripture excerpt(s) marked TJB is from The Jerusalem Bible, copyright 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday & Company, Inc. Used by permission of the publisher.

King James Version (KJV) of the Bible, Authorized Do not need to underline or italicize; it is in public domain. Do not need to put KJV following a Scripture reference unless quotations from other Bible translations are used in the same piece.

Living Bible, The (TLB) Paraphrase, not a translation. Better not to use in printed materials; but if used, put TLB following the Scripture quotation and reference (Matthew 6:10, TLB)

15

and place the following permission lines on the printed piece.

Verse(s) marked (TLB) is taken from The Living Bible © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189. All rights reserved.

MESSAGE, THE (no abbreviation allowed) Scripture quotations from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)® Use NASB following the Scripture quotation and reference (Matthew 6:10, NASB) and place the following permission lines on the copyright page or on the page where the first Scripture and reference are listed:

Scripture quotation(s) marked NASB is from the New American Standard Bible, © The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. (Lockman.org).

The New King James Version (NKJV) Use NKJV following the Scripture quotation and reference (Matthew 6:10, NKJV) and place the following permission lines on the copyright page or on the page where the first Scripture and reference are listed:

Scripture quotation(s) marked NKJV are taken from The New King James Version. Copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

New Revised Standard Version Bible (NRSV). Use NRSV following the Scripture quotation and reference (Matthew 6:10, NRSV) and use the following permission lines:

Scripture quotation marked NRSV is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission.

Reina-Valera Revisada (RVR) Up to and inclusive of 1,000 verses may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic or audio) without written permission, providing the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor do they account for 50 percent or more of the total content of the work in which they are quoted. Copyright lines should read:

Pasajes biblicos tomados de la Santa Bibila, Version Reina-Valera Revisada (1960) © 1960 Sociedades Biblicas Unidas en America Latina. Usado con permiso de la Sociedad Biblica Americana, 1865 Broadway, New York, NY 10023.

Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Bible Do not need to underline or italicize. However, use RSV following the Scripture quotation and reference (Matthew 6:10, RSV) and use the following permission lines:

Scripture quotation(s) marked RSV is from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyrighted 1946, 1952, 1971, 1973. Used with permission.

biblical lowercase

bibliography List of writings or publications, usually at the back of an article or book.

The correct form for typing a bibliography is to alphabetize by last name of author and indent after first line:

Smith, Hannah Whitall. The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life. Uhrichsville, Ohio: Barbour and Co., 1985.

When two authors, invert the name of the first author, the second is given in its natural order. The conjunction joining the two names is preceded by a comma: Skopec, Eric William, and Laree S. Kiely. Everything’s Negotiable. New York: Harbor Books, 1994.

When three authors, only the first author’s name is inverted. For clarity, especially when many initials are involved, the names may be separated by semicolons, although commas are fine. Either practice must be followed consistently.

In magazine articles, no punctuation is used between the journal name and volume number. If there is an issue number, it may be included after the volume number, following a comma and introduced by the abbreviation no. The date or year of the issue is given in parentheses following the volume or, if it is used, issue number. Page numbers ordinarily follow the date, are preceded by a colon, and abbreviations p. or pp. are omitted: Brown, Joseph H. “The Evangelism Thrust,” Missions 63, no. 3 (May 1992): 10-12.

OK to abbreviate company (Co.) and publisher (Pub.) when the last word of title: World Publishing Co. OK to use the ampersand (&) in bibliographies.

16

See The Chicago Manual of Style: 16th Edition for detailed information.

billion Spell out the word billion and use figures with round numbers: 1 billion; 10 billion; $10 billion, except at beginning of sentences and in scripts. Use all figures in statistical charts. But: Ten billion one hundred thousand sixty-six dollars … (if spelled out, e.g., at beginning of sentence).

bivocational Describes a person who works at secular employment to obtain income to perform a Christian ministry. No hyphen.

black(s) Do not capitalize in reference to race. May also use African American.

blind (adj.); blind people; visually impaired

board, Board Lowercase general references: board of deacons. Capitalize official titles of NAMB and other SBC boards, and capitalize Board referring to same: The North American Mission Board and the Woman’s Missionary Union met at the Board’s offices in Alpharetta.

body of Christ

book, Book Capitalize when referring to the Bible or when part of a title. Book titles, if published, should be set in italics. Do not type titles in all capitals in text, or even a word in a title, though it may be all capitals on the title of a book. Instead, capitalize and lowercase each word. Capitalize and use the following order for parts of books (may not have all these elements):

Cover Title(blank page)Inside Cover Title (with © lines)(blank page)DedicationContentsForewordPrefaceIntroductionText CopyNotesAppendicesGlossaryBibliographyIndex

Lowercase general references.

book of Genesis; Book of Life (book of judgment); Book of the Covenant; Book of the Law

brand names Capitalize brand names and use in proper form. Avoid using brand names if possible. A general term is preferred. (e.g., use tissue rather than Kleenex)

bride of Christ

Buddha; Buddhism; Buddhist

BWA (Baptist World Alliance)

C

Campers on Mission (COM)

Canada Always spell out Canada, even in addresses. Add Canada following abbreviations for provinces: AB (Alberta) Canada

Canada Region

Canadian National Baptist Convention (CNBC)

Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary

Canon Usually means the 39 Old Testament books and the 27 New Testament books. The Roman Catholic Canon adds other writings.

catholic (universal); Catholic(ism); Roman Catholic(ism); Roman Catholic Church (denomination) Lowercase church referring to a local church: The Roman Catholic church next door. Capitalize the denomination: The Church adds writings to its Canon.

census (general); Census Bureau; 2010 Census; the United States Census Bureau (specific); census taker

Centrifuge Summer youth program, sponsored by LifeWay Christian Resources.

cents Spell out cents and use figures when less than a dollar: 99 cents. Keep numbers consistent within the same sentence, the same column and so forth—all figures or all spelled out. Do not use .00 except when other items have cents, in tabulations and on invoices and order forms.

century Lowercase and spell out numbers below 10: 21th century, the first century

(cf.) Abbreviation meaning compare. Usually used in footnotes and parentheses: (cf. with U.S. Census)

Chaplains Commission SBC commission that endorses chaplains; located at NAMB and administered by the Chaplaincy Team.

chapter; tables Spell out and lowercase chapters and tables in text except when used with specific chapters: The first chapter of a book may include

17

instructions. But: The purpose is discussed in Chapter 5.

Child-care (adj.), child care (noun)

children of Israel

Chinese; Chinese-American

Chosen People Capitalize when referring to the Hebrew people.

Christian, non-Christian, unchristian

Christlike

Christological; Christology

chronological Bible storying (this usage both noun and adjective)

church Capitalize when part of the formal name of a congregation or denomination: Rock Baptist Church, Roman Catholic Church. Do not use the church, referring to the Baptist denomination. Church is a collective noun, denoting a unit, and takes a singular verb unless meaning individual members: The church has made its decision. The church members have made their decisions.

Church Committee/Council/Covenant

Church of Christ The Christian church/ denomination.

Church of Christ, Scientist The Christian Science church/denomination.

Church of God, International, The followers of Garner Ted Armstrong.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), The

Church of Satan

church planter Lead planter/pastor.

church planter apprentice A man called by God to plant a church in a specific location or among a specific people group, who spends up to 12 months under the guidance of a coach developing his disciple multiplication strategy and the Contextualized Master Plan for his church plant.

church planter missionary Do not use church planter missionary; use church planting missionary

church planting catalyst An individual who assists Southern Baptists by guiding and mobilizing individuals and churches to plant evangelistic Southern Baptist churches.

church planting center

church planting intern An individual who commits to a developmental internship in church planting to learn and discern his or her future involvement. These men and women will serve in various church planting roles for the purpose of evangelism and disciple-making.

church planting missionary

church planting movement

church planting network

church planting team member Individual who serves within a church plant in a strategic role.

church ministries Capitalize specific church ministries: Evangelism, Family Ministry, Music Ministry, Sunday School, and so forth.

church-type mission

churchwide

cities; towns A comma goes between the city and state and after the state in text copy: Atlanta, Ga., is a big city.

city of Atlanta; City of David (Jerusalem)

clean up (verb) cleanup (noun and adjective)

clinical pastoral education (CPE); Association of Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE)

college Give the full title of a college on first mention: Georgia Southern College. Then can shorten: Georgia Southern.

collegiate/university missionary Individual who serves collegiate/university campuses in their geography to make disciples and connect them to a local church or start a church when needed.

commandment Capitalize and spell out First through Tenth Commandments. Lowercase the first commandment when referring to Jesus’ love commandment in Mark 12:28-30.

commission Lowercase unless exact title: Chaplains Commission.

Commission Stories Publication of the International Mission Board.

committee Capitalize only in using the full name of a committee.

communion Preferred Lord’s Supper

congregation (noun); congregational (adj.);

Congregational churches (when referring to churches of the Congregational denomi-nation); congregationalize

18

construction planner An adult volunteer consultant to churches that use construction volunteers.

Convention, Southern Baptist Capitalize Convention referring to SBC meeting or body.

conversational English; Conversational English Workshop

Cooperative Agreement between NAMB and a state convention.

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) Association of Baptist congregations, generally more liberal in theology than SBC churches.

Cooperative Program (CP) SBC financial plan. One of two major sources of North American mission support. The other is the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering®.

copyright; copyrighted NAMB is publisher, copyright holder and owner of all products published with NAMB funds. Contact the team leader of marketing and client relations for requesting NAMB copyrights and granting permission to reprint NAMB printed materials.

Correct copyright lines for NAMB printed materials are:

© 2013, North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, Alpharetta, Georgia (spell out Georgia and no period)

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission of the publisher. All inquiries should be addressed to Permissions, North American Mission Board, 4200 North Point Pkwy., Alpharetta, GA 30022-4176; or email permissions@namb.net.

CP (Cooperative Program)

CPE (clinical pastoral education)

credit lines Before reprinting another publisher’s works, request and receive written permission. If permission is given by phone, ask the publisher to send it in writing; keep the permission letter in a file. Ask for proper credit lines and type them at the end of the article or product. They should include the source (title, volume and/or date, page number) and the statement: Used by permission. Most publishers request copies of reprinted pieces.

cross; the cross

Crossover events NAMB evangelistic emphasis. The host city of the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting decides if Crossover will be one word or two.

crucifixion, the; Crucifixion Week

Customer Service, WMU 205-991-8100 or 800-968-7301, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. CST.

Customer Service Center, LifeWay Christian Resources 800-458-2772; 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. CST (for ordering materials in Church Materials Catalog)

Customer Services, IMB 800-999-3113, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. EST

D

Damascus Road; road to Damascus

Day of Atonement; Day of Pentecost

Dead Sea Scrolls

deaf; conference of the deaf (general); Southern Baptist Conference of the Deaf (SBCD); Junior Southern Baptist Conference of the Deaf (JSBCD); deaf people; the Deaf

Decalogue, the (Ten Commandments)

degrees, academic NAMB style is to omit degree designations before and after names, except when needed to establish someone’s credentials or for recognition by a specific group.

Use Dr. only when referring to a medical doctor.

Do not use Dr. before a name and a degree following the name. Incorrect: Dr. Joseph Baker Brown, Th.D. Degree designations, when used, should follow full names and be set off by commas: Joseph Baker Brown, Th.D.

Capitalize full title: Doctor of Theology Degree. Lowercase if shortened: doctor’s degree.

Use apostrophe in bachelor’s, master’s and other degrees.

deism; deist Deism is a movement or system of thought advocating natural religion based on human reason rather than revelation and emphasizing morality. A deist is an adherent of deism.

deity, Deity Lowercase unless referring to God: Most people worship a deity. Lowercase most derivatives referring to Deity, whether nouns or adjectives: fatherhead, godly, lordship, messianic,

19

saviorhood, sonship. Capitalize: Christian, Christlike, God-fearing, Godlike, Godhead.

devil (but Satan)

directions In general, lowercase directions: east, north, south, west when they indicate compass direction; capitalize these words when they designate regions. Compass directions: He drove west. Regions: A storm system developed in the Midwest.

director of missions (DOM) Lowercase except in a display line or signature line. May be associational or state DOM.

disabled people; people with disabilities Do not describe a person as a cripple, an invalid, or a deformed person except when quoting laws or regulations.

Disaster Relief Capitalize when used as a noun or as the name of a disaster relief ministry; Southern Baptist Disaster Relief; Disaster Relief

disaster relief lower case when used as an adjective; disaster relief volunteer

disciples Spell out numbers with disciples: twelve disciples.

Discipleship Training A church ministry, usually on Sunday evening.

display lines Capitalize people’s titles, department/division/section titles and other important words in display lines. Omit commas and periods at the ends of display lines. Omit quotation marks with display quotations or before display initial letters beginning a chapter or section. Avoid breaking words and do not divide proper nouns, at the ends of display lines.

divine; Divine Liturgy

dollar(s) Use figures and the $ symbol except in casual references without a figure: Give me a dollar. Dollars are flowing overseas. The book costs $8. For specific amounts, use a singular verb: The $500 is what he needs.

For amounts of more than $1 million, use the $ symbol and numerals up to two decimal points: $2.35 million, $2 billion.

E

east (E.) East Coast; eastern; Easterner Lowercase directions: east of town. Capitalize geographic regions: the East, the Middle East. Capitalize adjectives and nouns referring to

natives or residents of certain sections: Easterner, East Georgian.

Easter; Easter season Easter Sunday is redundant.

Eastern Cult

Eastern Hemisphere

Eastern Orthodox churches

East Indian An East Indian or Asian Indian is one whose origin or heritage is the India subcontinent.

e.g. and i.e.: Designations: e.g. means “for example” and i.e. means “that is” or “that is to say.” Both abbreviations are generally used within parentheses, but can be set off with commas. Use periods after each letter and a comma to set it off from the text that follows. Example: I like many colors (e.g., red, blue and yellow). Many employers expect their workers to put in a 40-hour week (i.e., to work eight hours a day).

ekklesia Greek word for church. Set in italics or underline on first mention.

El Hebrew name for God.

email Abbreviation for electronic mail. When publishing an email address, use all lowercase letters.

emeritus Lowercase following a name: John Brown, president emeritus. Capitalize in display lines, signature lines and titles: John Brown, President Emeritus.

emigrate One who leaves a country emigrates from it. One who comes into a country immigrates.

English as a second language (ESL) (noun); English-as-a-second-language program/class (adj.); English-language church; English-speaking group; non-English-speaking groups (adj.)

entity, Southern Baptist Preferred over “agency” for legal reasons: NAMB is an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention. Capitalize when full name is used. In shortened version, capitalize only proper nouns: Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; Southeastern seminary.

epistle(s) (general); Epistle(s) (specific) Capitalize books in the New Testament: Epistle of James, the First Epistle of John, General Epistles, Pauline Epistles and the Epistles, meaning Paul’s letters.

20

etc. (and other things) Spell out in text. Abbreviate in footnotes, parentheses and tables. Do not use etc. at the end of a list introduced by including, such as, for example, or similar expressions. Place a comma before etc. when more than one term precedes it. Place a comma after etc., if the sentence continues: He brought apples, oranges, etc., for the fruit bowl. Never precede etc. with and.

Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) The social and moral issues entity of the SBC.

ethnic(s) A person(s) other than an African-American or Anglo-American, who identifies as an ethnic language-culture person.

ethnic American(s) A person(s) who immigrates to the United States and is an American citizen, but identifies with an ethnic language-culture group.

Ethnolinguistic No hyphen

Eucharist (noun); eucharistic (adj.) Capitalize the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.

evangelical(s)

everyday (adj.), every day (adv.) He wears everyday shoes. She goes to work every day.

Evil One Capitalize as title for Satan: The Evil One tempts me.

Exile, the; exilic; postexilic Capitalize the Exile, referring to the captivity of Jews in Babylon.

Exodus, the Capitalize Exodus, referring to the Israelites going from Egypt.

F

faith and work missionary God-called lay persons who desire to utilize their gifts in church planting.

fall; the Fall Lowercase seasons. Capitalize Fall, referring to the sin of Adam and Eve.

Far East; Far Eastern Lands Capitalize geographic regions.

farm system NAMB’s system for developing church planters and church planting missionaries. Categories include student missionaries, church planting interns, church planter apprentices and church planters.

farther, further Farther refers to physical distance: He walked farther into the woods. Further refers to an extension of time or degree: She will look further into the mystery.

Father Referring to God. See God, names and titles of.

Feast of the Passover/of Tabernacles/of Unleavened Bread; Passover feast/ meal/supper

feet, foot Use: 10 feet by 12 feet or 10’ x 12’. Use foot referring to measurement only when it modifies a noun: 10- by 12-foot pole.

Fewer, less Fewer refers to number, the countable; less refers to value, degree or amount. Fewer than 10 applicants called. I had less than $50 in my pocket.

Filipino Southern Baptist Fellowship of North America

finger-spelling (adj.); finger spelling (noun), also called dactylology

First Gospel (book of Matthew)

Flier, flyer Flier is the preferred term for an aviator or a handbill. Flyer is the proper name of some trains and buses.

flood; the Flood Capitalize when referring to the Flood of Genesis 6-8.

follow-up (noun and adj.) follow up (verb).

footnotes; notes Footnotes go at the bottom of the page and when computer generated, superscript is automatic; notes go at the end of the chapter or book. Notes are preferable.

Notes at the end of chapters should give full information for the first listing of each reference.

Footnotes and notes should be set in a type size smaller than text type.

Capitalize the words Footnotes and Notes in titles and when referring to specific titles in text copy: The Notes begin on page 36. Lowercase general references: Not all books have footnotes.

Permission should be obtained from the publisher before using large portions of a work. If permission is obtained by telephone, request the publisher to send written permission; keep the permission letter on file.

Use the full title of a work and author’s name as printed on the work.

1. John B. Brown Jr., Evangelism Is Alive (New York: New Life Co., 1989), vol. 1, pp. 100-102.

After the first full reference (as above), second and subsequent listings may be shortened to the author’s last name, shortened title and page number:

21

2. Brown, Evangelism, p. 105.

This shortened listing eliminates the use of ibid., op. cit., and loc. cit. However, Ibid., with period and roman type, may be used to refer to the immediately preceding work:

3. Ibid., p. 105.

Neither the author’s name nor the title of the work should be used with Ibid. Preferably, do not use op. cit. and loc. cit. in NAMB printed materials.

Use Arabic numerals with volumes:

1. John B. Brown Jr., Evangelism Is Alive (New York: New Life Co., 1989), vol. 3, pp. 10-24.

foreign words Isolated words and phrases in a foreign language should be set in italics (first mention) if they are unfamiliar: quirat.

Forerunner Title for John the Baptist.

foreword Statement by someone other than the author. The foreword comes after the contents page and before the preface and introduction. Capitalize specific title: See the Foreword in this book.

French Canadian, French Canadians Without a hyphen. An exception to the normal practice in describing a dual ethnic heritage.

fundamental (adj., basic); fundamentalism (noun, doctrine); fundamentalist (noun, A member of a group stressing strict, literal interpretation of Scriptures.)

fundraising

G

GA; (Girls in Action)

Garden of Eden; Garden of Gethsemane

General Epistles Section of the New Testament.

gentile (noun and adj.)

geographic areas Capitalize the East, Greater New York, the North, Northeast, the South, South Georgia, the Midwest, the Middle East, the West and other specific geographic areas.

glossary, Glossary A listing of words and terms. Capitalize when a title or referring to a specific section of a book: The Glossary is on page 56.

god; God; Godhead; Godhood; godlike; godliness; godly Lowercase terms referring to false gods: Golf is his god. Capitalize nouns used as names for God, Jesus and the Holy

Spirit: Godhead (meaning the Trinity). Capitalize pronouns referring to deity. But lowercase: godliness, godly.

God’s Plan for Sharing (GPS) Spell out on first reference.

God’s Word Capitalize Word referring to the Bible or to Christ as the Word: God’s Word clearly teaches this.

Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary (GGBTS)

Golden Rule

good news, Good News It should be clear on first reference that this is the good news of Jesus Christ. Capitalize only when unclear it is Christ’s message: He shared the Good News with his friend. He shared the good news of Christ.

Good Samaritan

gospel, Gospel Capitalize when one or more of the four Gospels or when unclear that gospel means good news of salvation. Capitalize for Baptist Press.

Great Commission, the Referring to Matthew 28:19-20.

Greek Orthodox

Guidestone2401 Cedar Springs Rd. (75201-1427)P.O. Box 2190Dallas, TX 75221-2190888-984-8433

H

handicapped Do not use handicapped as a noun. Prefer people with disability. Or use specific description, e.g., blind, deaf. Some special education terminology: behavior disorders blind-visually handicapped peoplegifted/handicapped/talented peoplelearning-disabled peoplementally handicapped people multiple handicapped people physically disabled people

Hanukkah Jewish feast in December.

Hare Krishna A member of a Hindu religious sect dedicated to the worship of the god Krishna.

He; Him; Himself; His; Thee; Thou Capitalize personal pronouns referring to Deity. Do not capitalize relative pronouns: who, whom.

22

(the) Head; but Christ, head of the Church

Healthcare Chaplaincy and Pastoral Counseling

heaven; heavenly being; Heavenly Father

hell

he or she Not he/she.

her or him; hers or his Not her/him or hers/his.

Hindi; Hindu; Hinduism Hindi is the literary language of northern India. Hindu (noun) is an adherent of Hinduism; Hindu (adj.) is characteristic of adherents. Hinduism is the main religious philosophy of India.

hip-hop

Hispanic(s) Refers to people, speech and culture of Spain/Portugal/Latin America. Acceptable for Spanish speakers in the United States.

historical events and periods Capitalize widely recognized epochs, periods and events: the Atomic Age, the Civil War, the Dark Ages, the Fall of Rome and the Great Depression.

holidays; holy days Capitalize specific holidays and holy days: Christmas, Hanukkah, Easter.

Holy Bible, Holy Scriptures

Holy City Capitalize referring to Jerusalem.

Holy Communion

Holy Father Capitalize name for God.

Holy Ghost, Holy One, Holy Spirit, the Spirit

holy of holies; holy water

Holy Week Week before Easter.

Holy Word Capitalize Word, referring to the Bible.

honorary degrees NAMB style is to omit degree designations and titles—earned or honorary—with names in printed materials.

When degrees are used, they should always be after a person’s full legal name, not before.

Do not use both a title and a degree with a name. Incorrect: Rev. Joseph Thomas Brown, Th.D. Correct: Rev. Joseph Thomas Brown or Joseph Thomas Brown, Th.D.

It is proper to refer to another person as Dr. (last name) in talking, in letters, after giving the person’s full name or when a medical doctor.

It is improper to use D.D. (honorary) after a name. All references to an honorary degree,

when used, should specify that the degree is honorary.

hours Use figures in programs, tables and when minutes are included: I’ll see you at 10:15 a.m. Approximate times can be: about an hour to an hour and a half; not: about an hour to one and one-half hours.

hundred Use figures for exact or rounded numbers: 100, 150, except at beginnings of sentences and in scripts. But: a hundred (when not exact).

hymnal; hymnbook; The Baptist Hymnal (specific)

Hymn titles should be enclosed in quotation marks, but long musical compositions should be italicized.

hymns, permission to reprint

You may suggest the use of a hymn, giving the title but not quoting any part of it, without receiving permission or using the credit lines. In some cases, you should tell where the hymn can be found.

Quoting or reprinting hymns without permission is plagiarism; if done, you and NAMB may be liable. Call the publisher and obtain permission before printing any words of a hymn.

Request permission in writing and ask the copyright holder for proper credit lines. Be sure these lines are typed on the piece being printed or reprinted.

Permission to reprint hymns or other music copyrighted by B&H Publishing Group, Van Ness Press, Inc., or McKinney Music, Inc., must be secured in writing from the legal consultant, Investment and Legal Services Department; LifeWay Christian Resources, 127 Ninth Ave., N; Nashville, TN 37234-3620.

Permission to reprint hymns or other music copyrighted by other publishers must be secured in writing from the copyright holder.

If a hymn is in public domain, it may be used without permission; however, credit should be given to source and author. Print “public domain” after the author and source so the user will know the hymn was not used without permission.

An arrangement of an old hymn may not be in public domain, even though the old hymn is in public domain.

23

I

Ibid. Refers to an immediately preceding footnote when only one work is cited. Use a period following Ibid., but do not italicize.

i.e., (that is) Spell out in text. Use abbreviation in tables and inside parentheses. When used, precede and follow with commas.

immigrate (verb) To come into a country. One who comes into a country immigrates. One who leaves a country emigrates from it. The same principle holds for immigrant and emigrant.

Immigration and Naturalization Service, United States

Incarnation, the (of Christ)

inch Sometimes written with figures and symbol: 1”.

index An alphabetical listing of topics treated in a particular writing. Usually located at the end of a book or other writing.

Indian(s) See Asia; East Indian; Native Americans (in U.S.); and North American Indians.

indigenous church A church that is culturally and linguistically in harmony with its people and has the ability to govern, support and reproduce itself.

initials Capitalize and no space between a person’s initials: J.C. Brown.

interagency

International Mission Board, international missions, international mission work, international mission field

International Mission Board Resource Center: imbresource.org.

Internet When referencing Web addresses use caution to ensure correct spelling. Do not use http or www before the address. Hyperlink addresses for digital use. Do not use italic type. Example: namb.net

iPhone, iPad, iPod

Islam (noun); Islamic (adj.) World religion founded by Muhammad; its deity is Allah. Muslims (not Moslems) is the preferred term for Islamic adherents.

it’s, its It’s is a contraction for it is or it has. Its is the possessive form of it.

J

Jacob’s well

Jehovah Name for God.

Jehovah’s Witnesses A religious group founded by Charles Taze Russell. Witnesses are members of the group.

Jerusalem Council Refers to Acts 15:1-35.

Jesuit Member of a Catholic order for men.

Jew, Jews Use for both men and women.

Jordan River; the river Jordan

Judaism; Conservative Judaism; Orthodox Judaism; Reform Judaism American sects of Judaism.

judgment

Judgment Day

junior (Jr.); senior (Sr.) Capitalize abbreviation and use only with full name: Joe Carl Brown Jr. Do not precede or follow Jr. or Sr. with a comma except in bibliographies or other lists when the last name is listed first: Brown, Joe Carl, Jr.

K

King Capitalize preceding a name: King Herod and as a title for Jesus: King of kings; King of the Jews.

kingdom of God; kingdom of heaven

Koinonia Greek word for fellowship.

Koran Alternate spelling. Preferred spelling is Quran.

Krishna A deity or deified hero of later Hinduism, worshiped as an incarnation of Vishnu.

L

laity Means laypeople.

lady Do not use as a synonym for woman. Lady may be used as a courtesy title or when a specific reference to fine manners is appropriate without patronizing overtones.

Landmark Baptists An independent, fundamentalist group.

language-culture groups

last names on second reference For Baptist Press stories and On Mission, follow AP style when referring to a person on second reference by their last names. When you have a husband

24

and wife mentioned in the same story, use their first names.

Last Supper, the

Latter-day Saints (LDS), Church of Jesus Christ of Group based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Also known as Mormons.

latter prophets; Latter Prophets Lowercase when individuals; capitalize section of Bible.

law, Law; Law and the Prophets (Old Testament) law of Moses; Mosaic law Capitalize the Law, referring to the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible.

lawgiver Meaning Moses.

layman, laymen, laywoman, laywomen, lay person, lay people; lay men and women

LDS (Latter-day Saints) See Latter-day Saints (LDS), Church of Jesus Christ of and Mormon.

leader (noun); leadership (noun, adj.) Use leader for a person; leadership for the quality or position of a leader or the capacity to lead: The conference is to train leaders. He provides missionary leadership. He has leadership ability.

learning-disabled people Or write: people who have learning disabilities. See handicapped in this manual.

Lent (noun) Lenten (adj.) Period of religious fasting from Ash Wednesday to Easter.

less See fewer, less.

letter of James, Paul’s letter to the Romans

lifestyle

lifetime

LifeWay Christian Resources On second reference, use LifeWay.

like, as Use like as a preposition to compare nouns and pronouns. It requires an object: Jim blocks like a pro. The conjunction as is the correct word to introduce clauses: Jim blocks the linebacker as he should.

Litany, the (Anglican); the litany of Saints

literacy; literacy classes; literacy missions;

log in, login: The verb is two words; the noun is one.

logo NAMB logo must be on all printed materials.

long-range plan Statement of purpose, objectives, goals and strategies for a specific time.

lord, Lord; lordship Capitalize name for Jesus or God.

Lord’s Day; Lord’s Prayer; Lord’s Supper

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering® (LMCO) for International Missions Spell out with ® on first reference. Use LMCO on second reference.

LoveLoud NAMB strategy to connect mercy ministries with missional living in support of church planting and church strengthening.

-ly combinations In a compound modifier do not use a hyphen after the word ending in ly: a newly appointed missionary; a widely accepted strategy.

M

magazine Capitalize and italicize title: On Mission.

major prophets (people); Major Prophets (section of Old Testament)

Mariana Islands Baptist work in the Mariana Islands was transferred to the HMB (now NAMB) from the FMB (now IMB) on January 1, 1992. The Mariana Islands are part of the Hawaii-Pacific Baptist Convention.

Mass; High Mass; Low Mass Ceremonies of the Roman Catholic Church.

Maundy Thursday Thursday before Easter.

megacity City with 1 million or more population.

megachurch

megalopolitan (mega) Region of 1 million or more population. Preferred term is megacity. Abbreviate only when meaning is clear. Capitalize when referring to a community and its surrounding region: Megalopolitan Atlanta

Memorial Supper; Lord’s Supper

Messiah (Jesus); messiahship; messianic; Messianic Age

metropolitan Region of 50,000–999,999 population. Capitalize when referring to community and its surrounding region: Metropolitan Louisville.

Mid-America (central section of United States); Mid-Atlantic (middle of ocean)

Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary2095 Appling RoadCordova, TN 38016901-751-8453

25

Middle America; Middle American Region includes Mexico, Central America and sometimes the Caribbean.

Midwest Region

military titles and abbreviations Capitalize military titles when they precede names or when they are abbreviated: General Eisenhower, Gen. Dwight David Eisenhower (full name with abbr.).

millennials; Millennial generation Term used to refer to the generation born from 1980 onward who was brought up using digital technology and mass media. The children of baby boomers, also called Generation Y.

millions, billions Use figures and write out million: 3 million, 50 million. Do not drop the word million or billion in the first figure or a range: He is worth from $2 million to $4 million.

minor prophets (people); Minor Prophets (section of the Old Testament)

minutes Use figures in text copy when time includes minutes: I’ll come at 10:15 in the morning. Spell out fractions except in specifications, parentheses, or tabulations: three and one-half minutes; three- and one-half-minute testimony.

Mishnah Basic part of the Jewish Talmud.

missiologist (person); missiology Study of the church’s mission—nature, purpose and missionary activity.

mission; missions Mission is God’s work of redeeming His creation in Jesus Christ, a task of every church and each Christian. Missions means action or activity that Christians and churches do to carry out the mission. Missions is ministering and witnessing to accomplish a mission bringing people to know Christ. Exceptions: mission action; mission study, to avoid two s’s together.

mission action Term referring to action; groups ministering and witnessing to people who are not church members.

missionary kid, MK, MKs IMB also refers to MKs as third-culture kids (TCK)

Mission Service Corps (MSC) Self-funded missionaries; use self-funded

mission trip

missions activity/assignment/awareness/director/endeavor/fair/involvement/need/opportunity/project/task/work

missions education

Missions Mosaic Flagship magazine of WMU

missions personnel People appointed or approved to serve in missions activities and who receive some or all of their financial assistance from NAMB.

missions volunteer A person who commits to serve in some area of missions, but is not paid for by NAMB.

Model Prayer; Lord’s Prayer, the

Mohammed See Muhammad.

months Abbreviate names of only the following months when used with a specific day: Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. She was born in October 1981. Her birthdate is Oct. 3, 1981. Note: This does not apply to heading in correspondence or to display material.

more than Use with figures. Do not use over with figures. The church gave more than $5,000 to Disaster Relief.

Mormon(s); Mormonism The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is head-quartered in Salt Lake City, Utah; also called Mormons.

Mosaic law; Moses’ law

mosaic missions Missions performed in a culturally pluralistic context.

mosque Lowercase unless in specific title.

Mount of Olives (specific); mount of transfiguration (general)

MSC (Mission Service Corps) Use self-funded missionary

Muhammad Preferred spelling for the prophet instead of Mohammed.

multicultural Influenced by several cultures, with no culture prevailing.

multiethnic An aggregation of more than one group other than African-Americans or Anglo-Americans, each of which identifies with a particular language or culture.

multiplying church A church that plays a mentoring role in the church planting process.

music director; music ministry Capitalize Music Ministry when a church ministry comparable to Sunday School.

26

Muslim Preferred term to describe adherents of Islam.

Muslim-background believer

MyMobilizeMe NAMB internal process for missionary support

N

NAMB Do not use “the” before NAMB. Use abbreviation only after first spelling out: North American Mission Board (NAMB).

names In general, use only last names on second reference, except when referring to married couples or children.

names for God/Holy Spirit/JesusThe following terms are treated as LifeWay Christian Resources treats them:Advocate Lord of lordsthe Almighty Man of GalileeAlmighty God MasterAnointed One Messiah Baby Jesus Miracle WorkerBread of life Most High (butChrist most high Son Christ child of God)Comforter One Counselor Paraclete Creator Prince of PeaceDeity Promised One divine Savior ProvidenceEl Redeemereternal Word Savior Father Servant Godhead Son God’s Son Son of DavidGood Shepherd Son of God Great Physician Son of manHeavenly Father Sovereign High Priest sovereign Lord holy Father suffering SaviorHoly Spirit SufferingJesus Servant Judge Supreme Being King third Person ofKing of kings the Trinity Lamb TrinityLamb of God true VineLight of the Water of Lifeworld wise Creatorliving Bread Yahweh

Capitalize nouns used to refer to God.

Capitalize adjectives used with a name for God only when the adjective is part of the name.Capitalize pronouns used for God except relative pronouns (who, whom).Capitalize descriptive phrases used with titles for God only when the noun in the phrase would be capitalized on its own merit.

National Baptist Convention (unincorporated), 1915; National Baptist Convention of the U.S.A., Inc., 1895; National Missionary Baptist Convention, 1988; Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc., 1961 The four black conventions.

Native Americans Acceptable for those in the U.S. Follow the person’s preference. Where possible, be precise and use the name of the tribe: He is a Navajo church planter. People of Alaska and Canada prefer First Nations people.

New Age Movement(s) Groups and individuals whose foundational beliefs relate to Eastern traditions and emphasize self-godhood, unity of reality and altered consciousness.

New Covenant Means the message of the New Testament.

New Hope Publishers Woman’s Missionary Union publishing arm.

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS)3939 Gentilly Blvd.New Orleans, LA 70126-4858800-662-8701; 504-282-4455

newspapers Italicize names of newspapers.

Nobility, titles of Capitalize titles of nobility only when they precede a name: King David; David, the king.

nonbeliever, non-Christian

noon It is redundant to use 12 with noon. Use 12 p.m. or noon.

North American Baptist Fellowship (NABF)

North American Baptist Women’s Union (NABWU)

North American Missions Prayerline (This number can be called to learn of missionary prayer requests, 800-554-7729 (PRAY).

Northeast Region

Northern Kingdom (Israel)

notes (see footnotes)

27

O

occult Includes beliefs and religious practices involving natural and supernatural forces, which followers believe come only to people with special knowledge or power. Five categories are divination, magic, witchcraft, spiritism and Satanism.

OK, Ok’d, Ok’ing Do not use okay.

Old Covenant Means the message of the Old Testament.

On Mission Flagship magazine of the North American Mission Board.

on mission Do not hyphenate when used as a compound modifier: on mission Christian, on mission materials.

outreach; outreach director (in Sunday School)

over Use in reference to spatial relationships: The plane flew over the city. Use more than with figures.

P

page (p. and pp.) In numbering pages, capitalize and use figures: Page 5, Page 25A. In referring to pages for an article or reference lowercase: See article on page 5. Do not use a comma with page numbers: The Notes begin on page 3250. Abbreviate in bibliographies, footnotes and parentheses: p. 58, pp. 10-14. Use a hyphen with adjective combinations: 5-page brochure.

Palm Sunday Sunday preceding Easter.

parable of the Good Samaritan; parable of the talents (and others)

parachurch Christian faith-based organizations that work outside of and across denominations.

paradise (general), Paradise (specific, meaning heaven)

parenthesis (sing.); parentheses (pl.) Use parentheses to set off amplifying, explanatory, or digressive elements. If these elements retain a close logical relationship to the rest of the sentence, use commas: The book, left by Mary on the table, should be returned. But, when more remote, dashes or parentheses should be used: The book (originally belonging to the president and given to him by the pope) is to be placed in the library. The handbook item (see p. 63) thoroughly explains the matter.

partner/partnering church passion (Christ’s suffering); Passion Week (week before Palm Sunday)

Passover, the; the Passover feast/ meal/supper; the paschal supper A week-long Jewish commemoration of the deliverance of the Hebrews from Egypt.

patriarch Lowercase referring to the scriptural forefather of the Hebrew race.

Pauline Epistles; Paul’s Epistles

Pentateuch First five books of the Bible.

people; peoples, people’s; person Use person for one, people for more than one. Peoples are more than one race, culture or language. People’s is possessive.

percent; percentage Spell out except in tabular material. Use figures when using a specific figure with the word percent; otherwise use percentage: The church raised its Cooperative Program percentage to 20 percent.

Percent takes a singular verb when it stands alone or when a singular word follows a prepositional phrase. It takes a plural verb when a plural word follows an of construction: He said 20 percent was high. He said 20 percent of the church was present. He said 20 percent of the members were present.

permission to quote from Bibles, books and other works You may quote from works in public domain (materials not copyrighted or with copyrights expired) without permission. You should also give the source (so it doesn’t look like an original work) and write “public domain.” Policies of publishers vary on quoting from their publications, so write publishers for permission for all quotes except brief portions. Keep written permissions in your file. Ask publishers for permission lines and copy these at the end of the quoted work. For more information, see the Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition, Rights and Permissions.

person Use person for one, people for more than one.

pharaoh, Pharaoh Lowercase general references. Most Bible translations capitalize Pharaoh as a personal name.

phone numbers Separate by hyphens: 770-410-6000. If a number was selected for easy-to-

28

remember letters, follow with corresponding numbers in parentheses: 800-554-PRAY (7729).

p.m. Lowercase, meaning after noon and until midnight: 4 p.m., 7:30 p.m.; not 4:00 p.m.

pope, the (general); Pope John Paul II (specific)

possessives For plural nouns not ending in s add ’s: men’s meeting. For plural nouns ending in s add only an apostrophe: the churches’ needs. For singular proper names ending in s use only an apostrophe: Jesus’ life, Dickens’ novels, Moses’ law. For singular common nouns ending in s, add ’s: the witness’s testimony.

prayer calendar Lowercase unless part of title.

prayerwalk, prayerwalkers, prayerwalking An intentional walk to offer individualized and specific prayer for any place where people live and work.

preface, Preface Capitalize a book section or title: The Preface is on page v. The preface is the author’s introduction to a book or other writing and does not need the author’s name unless there may be doubt about who wrote it.

Prison Epistles Bible books Paul wrote in prison.

Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc., 1961 One of four black conventions.

Promised Land; Land of Promise (Canaan)

prophet(s); the prophet Isaiah; major/ minor prophets (people); Major/Minor Prophets (sections of Old Testament); the prophesy of Isaiah

Protestant

proverbs (general), Proverbs; book of Proverbs (in Bible)

psalm, a (general); book of Psalms (in Bible); Psalm 8; Twenty-Third Psalm; Shepherd’s Psalm (specific book or psalm); psalmist

public domain Status of a printed piece that has not been copyrighted or one for which the copyright has not been renewed. It is helpful to note when a piece is in public domain so the reader will not question whether you have used it without permission.

published works Titles of published books, manuals and booklets of more than 24 pages should be set in italics. Brochures, tracts and booklets of fewer pages should be capitalized and enclosed in quotation marks. Always get

permission before quoting from published works unless they are in public domain

Q

Quran Holy book of sacred writings (scripture) accepted by Muslims. Quran is preferred to Koran.

R

RAs, (plural) Abbreviation of Royal Ambassadors. Spell out on first reference. Note: WMU uses Royal Ambassador.

re: (in regard to) Spell out in most cases. OK to abbreviate in reference lines on letters or in parentheses.

Reformation, the

Reform Judaism

(in) regard to Not: in regards to.

religious titles Capitalize religious titles only when they denote a scope of authority: Pope Benedict XVI.

Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS) This Independence, Mo., group rejects the term “Mormon.”

rescue mission Now called residential center.

Resolutions In resolutions, capitalize and italicize words such as Now, Therefore, Resolved and Whereas; add comma; and capitalize the first word following: Resolved, That the Board of Directors

resurrection, the; Christ’s resurrection

Rev. (Reverend) Abbreviate Rev. except in formal announcements and invitations preceded by the. NAMB style is to omit titles in printed materials. In correspondence, use with the full name on first reference: Rev. Joe C. Brown.

revelation; the biblical revelation; book of Revelation

revised edition When a publication is revised and reprinted, use the following footnote form:

1. John Brown et al., eds., Theology in a Half Shell, rev. ed., vol. 1 (Atlanta: Joshua Publishers, 1990).

river Jordan (general); Jordan River (specific)

Roman Catholic(s); Roman Catholic Church

Romanian (people); Rumanian (language)

Rosh Hashanah Jewish New Year

29

S

Sabbath; Sabbath Day

saint, Saint (St.) Abbreviate only in mailing addresses, parentheses and in statistical materials: (St. Paul).

Satan; satanic; Satanism; Church of Satan Capitalize name and cult.

Satellite churches Groups that meet for worship and Bible study in locations other than main campus.

savior; Savior Lowercase when not Christ. Capitalize name for Christ.

SBC, Southern Baptist Convention (Do not abbreviate on first reference.)

school Capitalize the name of a school in an institution: the School of Religious Education

Scientology A sect founded by L. Ron Hubbard.

scriptural (adj.); Scripture(s) (noun);

Scripture reference Lowercase scriptural: scriptural reason. Capitalize Scripture, meaning the Bible. Use Scripture reference or verse. Put the verse in quotes followed by Bible version in parentheses. Place all within the punctuation. Do not use italic type. Example: “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, HCSB).

Sea of Galilee (specific); lake of Galilee (general)

second coming of Christ; the second coming

sects; sectarian

seminary (sing.); seminaries (pl.) Capitalize full titles of seminaries. After giving full title, can use: the seminary, or abbreviated title: Southwestern seminary.

Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, Mill Valley, Calif.

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Kansas City, Mo.

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, New Orleans, La.

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, N.C.

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ky.

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas.

Semite (noun); Semitic (adj.) Relating to or characteristic of the Semites, specifically Jewish.

Send North America (SNA) NAMB strategy for penetrating lostness in North America. Avoid abbreviation except in long documents such as manuals.

sending church A church that reproduces itself by taking the initiative to plant a new church in an area of need and takes responsibility until the church is self-sustaining, self-governing and reproducing.

senior adult Lowercase people: The senior adults will meet today. Capitalize a specific organizational unit/program in church: Senior Adult Day/Department.

Septuagint Greek version of Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament) including the Apocrypha.

Sermon on the Mount

Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church; Seventh-day Adventists/Adventism

she or he; he or she Not: she/he or he/she.

Shinto; Shinto religion; Shintoist; Shintoistic Religion of Japan, consisting chiefly of the cultic devotion to deities of natural forces. Shintos do not use term Shintoism.

Sikh; Sikhism

single(s); single adult(s); Single Adult Day/Department

songbook

Son of David; Son of God; Son of man

soul-winner; soul-winning; Soul-Winning Commitment Day Listed on the SBC Calendar of Activities.

South; southwest; southern; Southerner Capitalize sections/regions of country: Deep South, South Georgia, the South. Southerner is usually capitalized. Lowercase directions: south of town.

South Region

Southern Baptist Conference of the Blind (SBCB) Organized in June 1990.

Southern Baptist Conference of the Deaf (SBCD)

Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)

Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) Use full name on first reference, abbreviation on second reference. Lowercase disaster relief when referring to volunteer, unit, etc.

30

Southern Baptist Messianic Fellowship SBC fellowship of messianic Jews, organized June 1990.

Southern Kingdom (Judah)

Spirit, the; Holy Spirit; Spirit-filled

State Convention Capitalize full title: Tennessee Baptist Convention, but Tennessee convention.

states Abbreviate states with cities except in display lines and signature lines. Use a comma between the city and state and another comma after the state unless construction calls for it to be followed by a semicolon or period: Atlanta, Ga. Spell out states without cities: Georgia is in the South. Use two-letter state abbreviations, as required by the post office, only in addresses.

stewardship, Stewardship Capitalize church and associational programs, especially with other programs: Stewardship, Sunday School.

Stewardship Development Association (SDA)

Stoic(s); Stoicism

Student Missionary High school junior or senior, college or seminary student who spends a summer or semester(s), up to one year, in missions service while exploring his or her calling by assisting church plants while serving in church plants or existing local churches that help multiply disciples and churches in North America.

Sunday School

supporting church A church that partners with a church plant through praying, participating and/or providing. Often there will be multiple supporting churches partnering with a particular church plant.

synagogue Lowercase unless in specific title.

synod A council of churches or church officials.

Synoptic Gospels Matthew, Mark and Luke. Synoptic means same-seeing or similar accounts of the good news of Jesus.

T

tabernacle, the

Talmud Writings that constitute the Jewish civil and religious law.

teammate; teamwork

telephone numbers Separate by hyphens: 770-410-6000. If a number was selected for easy-to-

remember letters, follow with corresponding numbers in parentheses: 800-554-PRAY (7729).

televangelist

television; TV Spell out in printed materials. Use TV only as adjective and in informal letters and speaking: The TV repairman just left. Capitalize and put in quotation marks, television program titles: “Duck Dynasty.”

tempter The devil, Satan.

Ten Commandments

that, which (pronouns): Use that for essential clauses, important to the meaning of a sentence, and without commas (e.g., I remember the day that we met.). Use which for nonessential clauses, where the pronoun is less necessary, and use commas (e.g., The team, which finished last a year ago, is in first place.). Tip: if you can drop the clause and not lose the meaning of the sentence, use which; otherwise, use that.

time zones Capitalize full titles of time zones:Atlantic Daylight Time (ADT) Atlantic Standard Time (AST) Central Daylight Time (CDT)Central Standard Time (CST) Daylight Saving Time (DST)Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) Eastern Standard Time (EST) Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) Mountain Standard Time (MST) Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)Pacific Standard Time (PST)

Lowercase all but the region in short form: Eastern time, Pacific time; or use the three-letter abbreviation.

titles Do not use titles, such as Rev. and Mr., in printed materials. It is proper to use them in addresses and letters.

Use Mr. or Mrs. in addressing other people.

Always abbreviate Dr., Esq., Jr., Messrs., Mr., Mrs., Ms. and Sr. preceding or following personal names: Dr. Joe Carl Brown Jr.

A person should not refer to one’s self as Dr. unless the person is a medical doctor.

titles in italics Titles of books, movies, long musical compositions, long poems, magazines, motion pictures, newsletters, newspapers, operas and resource kits should be set in italics.

titles of artistic, literary and musical works In titles, capitalize (1) the first and last words; (2)

31

all nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, verbs, subordinate conjunctions (as, when); (3) prepositions of more than four letters; and (4) the first letter following a colon or dash.

Lowercase articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet) and prepositions of four or fewer letters unless capitalized by one of the above rules.

Lowercase the to in infinitives: Too Busy Not to Pray.

Do not use the ampersand (&) in a title unless it is in the official title of the company or publisher.

titles, quotation marks around Titles of the following should be capitalized and set in quotation marks: articles; booklets of 24 or fewer pages; brochures; hymns; mottoes; short poems; radio and television programs, unless a continuing series, in which case they are italicized (example: the following episode of the Bill Cook Show: “Daddy’s Dilemma”); themes; tracts; video titles and unpublished books.

titles, unpublished works Titles of books, magazines and other unpublished works are capitalized according to titles, set in roman type and enclosed in quotation marks.

titles, use of the in An initial article should be omitted if another article precedes it: The dreadful Old Curiosity Shop character.

When an initial article does not offend the syntax, it should be retained as part of the title: In The Old Curiosity Shop.

Lowercase the initial article the in general text, even when it is part of a title of a magazine, newspaper, or similar publication: the Atlanta Journal. Do not eliminate the and capitalize when part of a title of an agency, board, or other organization: He was a graduate of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

toward Not towards

Tower of Babel

tract A small brochure of political or religious information. Use quotation marks around published tract titles.

trademark Preferably, do not use trademark names. To use them represents commercial endorsement. Use generic names when possible. When a trademarked term is used, capitalize it.

Transfiguration, the

tribes (of Israel) Spell out numbers one through twelve with tribes: They had representatives from the twelve tribes.

trinitarian; Trinity Capitalize Trinity referring to Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Triumphal Entry

twelve apostles; the Twelve Spell out numbers referring to Jesus’ apostles: Which of the twelve apostles was Jesus’ favorite?

twentieth century, twenty-first century Spell out numbers with centuries.

Twitter The verb is to tweet. A Twitter message is known as a tweet.

U

unchristian; non-Christian

unchurched

under-churched communities

under-reached, underserved

unified budget; unified budget system

Uniform Church Letter(s) Now called the Annual Church Profile.

Unification Church, The; Unificationists Followers of the church founded by Rev. Sun Myung Moon. Do not use Moonies.

United States Use periods in the abbreviation, U.S. within texts. In headlines, it’s US (no periods).

unpublished works Titles of books, magazines and other unpublished works are capitalized according to titles, set in roman type and enclosed in quotation marks.

unreached people group

upper room Place of the Last Supper.

URLs Do not use http:// or www.

V

Vacation Bible School (VBS); Bible school; mission Vacation Bible School

verse (v.); verses (vv.) Spell out except in charts, footnotes, parentheses and tables: v. 3; vv. 3,10; vv. 10-13; vv. 7,10,15 (no spaces).

video Italicize video titles.

virgin birth; the virgin Mary

32

volume (vol.); Volume Capitalize a specific volume. Lowercase abbreviation in bibliographies, footnotes and parentheses.

Vulgate Latin version of the Bible. One of several versions authorized and used by the Roman Catholic Church

W

Way International, The Sect founded by Victor Paul Wierwille, stressing Bible study, human potential and speaking in tongues.

website

Week of Prayer; Week of Prayer for North American Missions; Week of Prayer for International Missions Lowercase when not referring to the specific Weeks of Prayer for North American and International Missions.

West Region Lowercase west when used as a direction.

-wide No hyphen. Examples: conventionwide, nationwide, worldwide, citywide, churchwide

Wisdom Literature Capitalize when a section of the Bible.

Wise Men

witch(es); witchcraft; witch doctor; witches’ Sabbath

witnesses; Jehovah’s Witnesses

Woman’s Missionary Union/WMU An associational/church program. Do not use the before Woman’s Missionary Union. Preference is WMU.

Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) Highway 280 E.100 Missionary Ridge (35242-5235)P.O. Box 830010Birmingham, AL 35283-0010205-991-8100Fax: 205-991-4840Customer Service 800-968-7301

Woman’s Missionary Union organizations:

Women On Mission ages 18 and up

Acteens, ages 12-17, grades 7-12; Challengers, boys ages 12-17, grades 7-12; Girls in Action (GA), ages 6-11, grades 1-6; Royal Ambassadors, boys ages 6-11, grades 1-6;

Mission Friends, preschool children, birth through age 5

word; Word of God Lowercase word referring to the message: God had a word for the early Christians. Capitalize Word, referring to Bible, Scriptures, or Christ: We will read the Word of God. Jesus is the living Word.

World Changers A ministry designed for group leaders who want to provide a prepackaged construction missions experience for their groups. Now administered by LifeWay.

World Hunger Day/World Hunger Fund Now also known as Global Hunger Relief

worshiper

XYZ

Yahweh Hebrew name for God.

year(s) Use figures for years: 1998 (no comma).

Use an s without an apostrophe to indicate a decade: the 1990s or ‘90s.

When changing centuries, repeat the full date: 1905–2003.

When not changing centuries or decades, OK to use 1985–90.

When using from or between, use connecting words: from 1990 to 1995; incorrect: from 1990-95; between 1990 and 1995

OK to begin a sentence with a year: 2000 is fast approaching.

Yom Kippur Jewish holiday, also called Day of Atonement, in September or October.

young adult(s) Lowercase referring to people in this age group or church members in general. Capitalize if specific and if it modifies the name of a church program: Young Adult Department.

youth (sing. or pl.), youths (pl.) Lowercase referring to ages 12–17. Capitalize if specific and if it modifies the name of a church program: Youth Sunday School; Youth Discipleship.

youth council (general); Youth Council (specific)

youth evangelism; youth Evangelism events

Youth for Christ (YFC)

youth-led; youth minister; minister of youth

Youth Week (specific); youth work (general)

Zealot Member of a Judean fanatical sect in the first century.

Zen; Zen Buddhism

33

zero(s) Always use cents (.00) with amounts on order forms, expense accounts and other items for the Accounting Unit. Delete the zeros on even-dollar amounts on other materials unless the piece includes some amounts that have cents.

Be consistent. If you use cents (.00) on some amounts, use on all: The books were $5.99; the motion pictures were $20.00. But: The books were $5; the motion pictures were $20.

ZIP (Zone Improvement Program) code ZIP should be all caps, but lowercase code. Usually ZIP is sufficient. Use “Postal code” for Canada.