And the Lord answered me: "Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. Habakkuk 2:2

If you've been at Mars Hill for longer than a month or two, you've heard us talk about Air War and Ground War before.

The Air War

The Air War is the visible, public broadcast of the gospel to a large audience, most noticeably through Pastor Mark's weekly sermon podcasts, and the audio one has held a permanent spot in the top 100 podcasts on iTunes for a while now. With such a large public audience, the Air War usually leads in profile.

The Ground War

Yet most of what constitutes Mars Hill Church is the less visible Ground War: people meeting together, loving one another, praying for one another, encouraging one another, doing life and community together in our churches. There are countless stories of Jesus working in the lives of people at our church every day, every week, at every church. And they need to be told and testified to. This is a chance for the Air War to serve the Ground War and tell these stories. And now the Air War is "hiring." We're launching six new volunteer groups this month—editing, writing, publishing, photo, video, and design—all of which will work on the Air War team within our Media & Communications Department to produce stories from the Ground War from our churches and their respective communities, using a variety of media. We rely strongly on volunteers who feel called by God to serve the church with the skills and talents given them by God. Content produced by these teams might include:

• a story on a recent baptisms, with photos
• a profile of a new deaf Community Group
• a video of interviews with children in the Mars Hill Kids ministry about their views on stewardship
• blog series culled from past sermon series and new books from Mars Hill elders
• photo essays that chronicle one Redemption Group’s quarter
• graphic illustrations for the Seven Churches of Revelation

As part of the Air War, you’ll be a key part of our mission to make Christ's name known and to tell the stories of his work in the lives of people in our communities. We need team members to love Jesus, have servants’ hearts, and be highly motivated, committed, and consistent. Additionally, all Air War volunteers should display the following:

Global Qualifications

• Understands and lives out the character of a deacon found in 1 Timothy.
• Displays character that encourages a healthy work environment: patience, humor, discretion, and humility.
• Works to support those on the staff through general care and understanding.
• Maintains a proven track record of professionally developing those under leadership.
• Self-motivated, highly organized and able to work and lead in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Ability to project manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Is currently a member or working toward membership at Mars Hill Church.
• Is able to attend a monthly meeting near the Ballard location, for all volunteers who live in the greater Seattle area, with the exception of editors and publishers.

Teams will coordinate with each other to publish content on the Mars Hill Blog and other local church channels. Those who wish to be considered for one of the six groups within the Air War team should read the descriptions below, and then turn in an application for one of the groups with the respective required materials to blog [at] marshill [dot] com by Wednesday, August 17.

Writing & Editing

(6 editors, 8 writers, 4 publishers)

We believe in a written Word, a living one, but a written one nonetheless. As we participate in our church, it behooves us to record and write down the work we see God doing in our church. We don’t write this-is-what-God’s-been-teaching-me-lately journal-like entries, but stories of his graces so that we can testify to his work, and also so that the stories can encourage those both in the church and outside of it. Members on the Writing & Editing team will serve as editors, writers, or publishers.

Editors

Editors will function as team leads, working to make all media content as effective and strong as possible, editing and preparing 2 to 3 pieces (written, photo, and video) per week for publication. Editors, along with publishers, will be expected to attend weekly collaborative team work sessions on Sunday afternoons by the Ballard location. They will work with team members on their stories, giving a first edit/review for consistency (including theological), follow up to resolve any discrepancies, then copy edit a final version, add relevant links and supplemental resources, and write headlines and subheads for posts before sending the story to the publishing team. They will also coordinate with respective art and publishing team heads as necessary for a given story’s publication. Additionally, when not working on original team stories, editors will help to cull content from previously published material (sermon transcripts, books, e.g.) for blog posts and series. Editors must have demonstrated knowledge of grammar and editing. Familiarity with style guides is required, with Chicago Manual of Style is a plus. Editors who wish to be considered for the Writing & Editing team are asked to send the following by Aug. 31:

1. A list of previous relevant editing experience, including style guide usage
2. If I could magically, eternally correct one common grammatical mistake people make all the time, it would be [].
3. In a paragraph or two please answer the following question: Does editing serve a biblical purpose? Copy editing? You’re encouraged to provide a scriptural basis in your answer.

Writers

Writers must be able to take a simple lead and turn it into a publishable story within a couple weeks’ turnaround, and ideal candidates are comfortable following up with contacts, conducting interviews, taking down details accurately, and putting together a compelling story. Team members must have solid experience (journalism experience highly preferred). Writers will be expected to complete 1 original story per month, and will also be encouraged to pitch stories on their own. Writers will be responsible for covering at least one of the following "beats" of life at Mars Hill, including:

• Events (2 writers) Attend and capture events, particularly church-wide ones, that happen throughout the year, turning them around quickly for timely publication.
• Testimonies (3) Cover stories of lives changed by Jesus at and through Mars Hill.
• Kids (1) Cover stories for each blog series from kids’ perspective.
• Community (2) Cover stories from MH Community Groups and church community events.

Writers who wish to be considered for the Writing & Editing Team are asked to send by Aug. 31:

1. 2–3 clips or writing examples (published preferred)
2. 2–3 story ideas for a hypothetical blog series on redemption
3. At Mars Hill, "it’s all about Jesus." In a couple concise paragraphs, explain how you’d apply this to your writing style in working for the MH Blog.

Publishers

Publishers are responsible for getting completed stories ready for publication on the MH blog and social media channels. This will include fielding 8–10 stories and appropriate artwork (photo, video, and/or graphic) per week (2–3 per teammate), uploading all into a draft blog post, formatting the blog post, adding appropriate headers and footers, checking for overall readability for web. (Note: we currently use a WordPress template for blogging, though this is subject to change in coming months.) Knowledge of basic HTML and an eye for detail are required. Additionally, publishers will put together and draft scheduling appropriate Facebook status and Twitter updates, with appropriate hastags and shortened URLs. Publishers should have a long experience with social media accounts. The team lead will be responsible for tracking incoming posts and assigning them to team members for copy editing and formatting. The team lead will work closely with the M&C managing editor and other team heads. This who wish to be considered for the writing team and/or team lead are asked to send by Aug. 31:

1. A recent resume or list previous experience and blogging formats you’ve worked with.
2. Links to your Facebook and/or Twitter profiles
3. How can it be beneficial for a church to use social media? When is it not beneficial for a church to use it?

Art

(3 photographers and 1 team lead, 3 videographers and 1 team lead, 3 designers and 1 team lead)

We believe in a written and living Word, but we are definitely visual creatures. When we’re telling stories of Jesus’ work in people’s lives at Mars Hill, we need a visual element—whether a photo, video, or graphic—to allow us to connect and empathize with the people in those stories. It’s our goal to have at least some visual element for every story we put out. The Art team, made up of photo, video, and design teams, will be made up of photo, video, and graphic teams, which will work to produce original content, both standalone content and art that accompanies written stories, for the Mars Hill Blog and other channels.

Photographers

Photographers are responsible for providing edited photos for 1 to 2 blog assignments per month (3 to 6 for the team as a whole). Photos will accompany written stories, others will cover events, and some will be photo essays. Photographers will often work in tandem with writers on assignment and are required to have their own equipment and editing software. The photo team lead is responsible for managing the photo team and ensuring that polished and professional photographs are submitted in a timely fashion to the appropriate editor(s). The lead will also actively recruit new team members and will be able to spearhead special photograph assignments the team wants to take on. Those who wish to be considered for the photo team and/or team lead are asked to send by Aug. 31:

1. links to professional website and/or photostream and a list of your equipment and editing software
2. 2–3 ideas for possible photo essays for the MH blog
3. in a paragraph or two, explain why you’re applying for the photo team, as opposed to, for example, the facilities team.

Video

The video team as a whole is responsible for capturing, editing, and finalizing 1 to 2 videos per month. These videos will cover church events, citywide events, upcoming events promotion, and other interviews. Videographers are required to have their own equipment and editing software and will sometimes work in tandem with writers or photographers on assignment. The video team lead is responsible for architecting the pre/post and direction of each video produced by the team, managing team members and assignments, and ensuring that polished and professional videos are submitted in a timely fashion to the appropriate editor(s). The lead will also actively recruit new team members and will also be able to spearhead special video assignments the team wants to take on. Those who wish to be considered for the video team and/or team lead are asked to send by Aug. 31:

1. links to professional website and/or video channel and a list of your equipment and editing software
2. links to 2 of what you consider to be your best videos and a brief paragraph explaining what the goals and requirements were for each and the steps you took to achieve those
3. 2–3 ideas for original videos for the MH blog

Design

Designers are responsible for creating graphics for 1 to 2 blogs posts per month (3 to 6 for the team as a whole). Stories can include profiles of people in the church, church events, or citywide events. Designers are required to have their own design and editing software. They will work in tandem with writers on assignment. The design lead is responsible for managing the design team and ensuring that polished and professional graphics are submitted in a timely fashion to the appropriate editor(s). The lead will also actively recruit new team members and will also be able to spearhead special graphic assignments the team wants to take on. Those who wish to be considered for the design team and/or team lead are asked to send the following by Aug. 31:

1. links to professional website and/or portfolio and a list of your design software and most commonly used resources
2. a sample graphic with the following copy: "Around Mars Hill Church"
3. a sample graphic that would be used to update this Ecclesiastes sermon series graphic

There's a great service to be done. It's our hope you'd get to join us in it.