Our 2025 Workshops

Tracy Simmons serves as a writer and social media consultant to the EPIC project. Tracy is a Scholarly Assistant Professor at the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University and writes for the Religion News Service, as well as The Spokesman-Review. She is also the Executive Director of FāVS.News, a digital journalism start-up covering religion news and commentary in Spokane, Washington.

Workshop Description:

This workshop explores the art of transforming research into compelling narratives for clergy and congregations. Participants will learn to identify key findings with storytelling potential and craft engaging narratives that balance data with human interest. The session covers techniques for extracting stories from research, structuring effective narratives and tailoring content for religious audiences. Through hands-on exercises and interactive sessions, attendees will practice turning research findings into story outlines and receive peer feedback. The workshop also addresses incorporating visual elements and connecting research to spiritual themes. By the end, participants will have practical tools to integrate research-based stories into social media posts, blogs and newsletters.

This workshop will be interactive in that participants will share and critique story ideas. If time allows, there will also be a guided writing session where clergy draft short narrative pieces based on provided research findings, followed by peer review and feedback during the writing workshop.

Who should attend?

writers, editors, marketers,publicists, social media marketers

Ryan Panzer is the author of “Grace and Gigabytes: Being Church in a Tech-Shaped Culture” and "The Holy and the Hybrid: Navigating the Church's Digital Reformation," both published by PCPA member company 1517 Media.

Ryan has spent his career in the worlds of church leadership and technology. He received his M.A. from Luther Seminary while simultaneously working for Google. Ryan serves as a learning and leadership development professional in the technology industry and as a speaker and writer on digital technology in the church.

Ryan also serves as the Theologian in Residence at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Madison, WI where he lives with his wife and two children. For more writings and resources, visit www.ryanpanzer.com.

Workshop Description:

AI is already disrupting content development. What once took days now takes seconds. Yet questions abound about the quality and reliability of AI-generated content. In this breakout, we’ll get hands on with AI tools, exploring the strengths and limitations of this new technology. We’ll then explore three new roles for content development: that of the creator, the curator, and the co-pilot.

Who should attend?

marketers, sales, editors

All tech-backgrounds are welcome! Participants should bring a digital device (laptop or tablet preferred).

Workshop Description:

Who should attend?

Workshop Description:

Who should attend?

Workshop Description:

Who should attend?

Tracy Simmons serves as a writer and social media consultant to the EPIC project. Tracy is a Scholarly Assistant Professor at the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University and writes for the Religion News Service, as well as The Spokesman-Review. She is also the Executive Director of FāVS.News, a digital journalism start-up covering religion news and commentary in Spokane, Washington.

Workshop description:

This dynamic workshop empowers writers and marketers to successfully pitch compelling stories to journalists. Participants will learn how to identify trending topics in faith communities, craft attention-grabbing pitch emails and align their ideas with journalists’ needs, whether they are writing for Christian or secular media. Through hands-on exercises, attendees will practice developing story angles from current events, creating author expert profiles, and writing book review pitches. We'll explore techniques for building relationships with journalism professionals, understanding different faith markets, and timing pitches to coincide with spiritual seasons and cultural moments.

This hands-on workshop will include peer review sessions where attendees will pair up to critique each pitches, offering constructive feedback. Also we will have time for real-time trend spotting where, using laptops or smartphones, participants will search for breaking faith-related news and brainstorm potential story angles in small groups.

Who should attend?

writers, editors, marketers,publicists

Thad McIlroy is a digital publishing analyst and author, and principal of The Future of Publishing, based in San Francisco. He is a contributing editor to Publishers Weekly, covering artificial intelligence, digital innovation and publishing startups. His latest book, The AI Revolution in Book Publishing: A Concise Guide to Navigating Artificial Intelligence for Writers and Publishers, was published in July, 2024.

McIlroy has authored a dozen books and over five hundred articles on digital publishing. He is co-author of the industry-standard The Metadata Handbook, 2nd Ed (co-authored with Renee Register). He is a founding partner in Publishing Technology Partners, a consultancy focused on the broad range of strategic technology issues in publishing.

Workshop description:

“Charting the Course” will be an open forum where participants will have a chance to talk about both their concerns about AI, but also what they see as the AI opportunity. All of us are concerned about AI’s impact on authors and on publishing organizations. But publishers are finding opportunities in workflow efficiencies, marketing programs, audiobook creation, and more.

Who should attend?

any attendees interested in how to use generative AI in their work and how it may impact their organizations.

Ryan Panzer is the author of “Grace and Gigabytes: Being Church in a Tech-Shaped Culture” and "The Holy and the Hybrid: Navigating the Church's Digital Reformation," both published by PCPA member company, 1517 Media.

Ryan has spent his career in the worlds of church leadership and technology. He received his M.A. from Luther Seminary while simultaneously working for Google. Ryan serves as a learning and leadership development professional in the technology industry and as a speaker and writer on digital technology in the church.

Ryan also serves as the Theologian in Residence at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Madison, WI where he lives with his wife and two children. For more writings and resources, visit www.ryanpanzer.com.

Workshop description:

Communities can’t form if nobody can find them. But how can churchpublishers and ministries achieve greater visibility with limited resources? In
this hands-on workshop, we’ll revisit the basics of online visibility through
Google Search Console, Analytics, and Google for Nonprofits.

Who should attend?

marketers, sales, editors

All tech-backgrounds are welcome! Participants should bring a digital device (laptop or tablet preferred).

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 Who should attend?