Style Manual
Version 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
Introduction
American 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.
Abbreviations
The 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 [email protected]. The NAMB Style Manual will be posted on miPad for access by NAMB staff.
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I. NAMB references
A. 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 merriamwebster.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)
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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 style
A. 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 addresses
Avoid 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 copy
i. 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 titles
A. 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
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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 titles
A. 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 art
i. 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 episodes
i. 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 groups
A. 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 CaribbeanAmerican. Follow a person’s preference.
B. Caucasians
The preferred usage is Anglo. May also use white and Caucasians.
C. Asian
This 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.
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D. Hispanic
This 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 Nations
When 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. Abbreviations
Avoid 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 States
i. 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. States
i. 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.
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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)
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)
District of Columbia (DC)
Others are: C.Z. (Canal Zone), Guam, P.R. (Puerto Rico), Samoa, V.I. (Virgin Islands).
VIII. Acronyms
An 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/Datelines
A. 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)
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B. Datelines
Datelines 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.Numbers
A. 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.Time
A. 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.).
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XII. Punctuation
A. 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. Brackets
Brackets 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.”
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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.
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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. Bullets
All 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
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XIII. Commonly used words/Phrases
The following is a compilation of commonly used, misused and misspelled words and phrases.
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.
11
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.
12
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., NE
Washington, DC 20002
202-544-4226
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,
use the proper permission lines. Publishers
should be the same as those listed.
Bible references and punctuation
Use 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 5:5-7
Nonconsecutive verses: Matthew 5:5,7
(no space after comma)
Consecutive verses: Matthew 5:5-6
Consecutive chapters: Genesis 1-5
Nonconsecutive 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:
13
Scripture quotation(s) marked DYB is from
DiscipleYouth Bible, New American Standard
Bible. © 1985, Holman Bible Publishers. Used
with permission.
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.
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:
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.
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:
14
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)
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.
15
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)
Dedication
Contents
Foreword
Preface
Introduction
Text Copy
Notes
Appendices
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
Lowercase general references.
book of Genesis; Book of Life (book of
judgment); Book of the Covenant; Book
of the Law
16
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
instructions. But: The purpose is discussed in
Chapter 5.
Child-care (adj.), child care (noun)
children of Israel
Chinese; Chinese-American
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.
Chosen People Capitalize when referring
to the Hebrew people.
church planting missionary
Christian, non-Christian, unchristian
church planting network
Christlike
church planting team member Individual who
serves within a church plant in a strategic role.
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 planting movement
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)
Church Committee/Council/Covenant
clean up (verb) cleanup (noun and adjective)
Church of Christ The Christian church/
denomination.
clinical pastoral education (CPE); Association
of Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE)
Church of Christ, Scientist The Christian Science
church/denomination.
college Give the full title of a college on first
mention: Georgia Southern College. Then can
shorten: Georgia Southern.
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.
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.
church planter missionary Do not use church
planter missionary; use church planting
missionary
committee Capitalize only in using the full
name of a committee.
church planting catalyst An individual who
assists Southern Baptists by guiding and
mobilizing individuals and churches to plant
evangelistic Southern Baptist churches.
congregation (noun); congregational (adj.);
communion Preferred Lord’s Supper
Congregational churches (when referring to
churches of the Congregational denomi-nation);
congregationalize
church planting center
17
construction planner An adult volunteer
consultant to churches that use construction
volunteers.
Convention, Southern Baptist Capitalize
Convention referring to SBC meeting or body.
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
conversational English; Conversational
English Workshop
Customer Service, WMU 205-991-8100 or
800-968-7301, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. CST.
Cooperative Agreement between NAMB
and a state convention.
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)
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
[email protected].
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
18
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,
saviorhood, sonship. Capitalize: Christian,
Christlike, God-fearing, Godlike, Godhead.
natives or residents of certain sections:
Easterner, East Georgian.
devil (but Satan)
Easter; Easter season Easter Sunday is
redundant.
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
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.
19
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 AfricanAmerican 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.
20
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:
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.
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)
Use Arabic numerals with volumes:
Golden Rule
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.
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.
Forerunner Title for John the Baptist.
Good Samaritan
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.
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.
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
Great Commission, the Referring to Matthew
28:19-20.
Greek Orthodox
Guidestone
2401 Cedar Springs Rd. (75201-1427)
P.O. Box 2190
Dallas, TX 75221-2190
888-984-8433
H
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
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 people
gifted/handicapped/talented people
learning-disabled people
mentally 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.
21
(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.
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).
hip-hop
hymnal; hymnbook; The Baptist Hymnal
(specific)
Hispanic(s) Refers to people, speech and culture
of Spain/Portugal/Latin America. Acceptable for
Spanish speakers in the United States.
Hymn titles should be enclosed in quotation
marks, but long musical compositions should
be italicized.
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.
hymns, permission to reprint
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,
22
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.
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)
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.
inch Sometimes written with figures and
symbol: 1”.
judgment
index An alphabetical listing of topics treated in
a particular writing. Usually located at the end of
a book or other writing.
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.
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.
Judgment Day
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
interagency
Koinonia Greek word for fellowship.
International Mission Board, international
missions, international mission work,
international mission field
Koran Alternate spelling. Preferred spelling
is Quran.
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.
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
23
and wife mentioned in the same story, use their
first names.
lord, Lord; lordship Capitalize name for Jesus
or God.
Last Supper, the
Lord’s Day; Lord’s Prayer; Lord’s Supper
Latter-day Saints (LDS), Church of Jesus Christ
of Group based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Also
known as Mormons.
Lottie Moon Christmas Offering® (LMCO) for
International Missions Spell out with ® on first
reference. Use LMCO on second reference.
latter prophets; Latter Prophets Lowercase
when individuals; capitalize section of Bible.
LoveLoud NAMB strategy to connect mercy
ministries with missional living in support of
church planting and church strengthening.
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.
-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.
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.
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.
Lent (noun) Lenten (adj.) Period of religious
fasting from Ash Wednesday to Easter.
Maundy Thursday Thursday before Easter.
less See fewer, less.
megachurch
letter of James, Paul’s letter to the Romans
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
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.
24
megacity City with 1 million or more population.
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 Seminary
2095 Appling Road
Cordova, TN 38016
901-751-8453
Middle America; Middle American Region
includes Mexico, Central America and
sometimes the Caribbean.
missions activity/assignment/awareness/
director/endeavor/fair/involvement/need/
opportunity/project/task/work
Midwest Region
missions education
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.).
Missions Mosaic Flagship magazine of WMU
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 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 AngloAmericans, 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.
25
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/Jesus
The following terms are treated as LifeWay
Christian Resources treats them:
Advocate
Lord of lords
the Almighty
Man of Galilee
Almighty God
Master
Anointed One
Messiah
Baby Jesus
Miracle Worker
Bread of life Most High (but
Christ most high Son
Christ child
of God)
Comforter
One
Counselor
Paraclete
Creator Prince of Peace
Deity Promised One
divine Savior
Providence
El Redeemer
eternal Word
Savior
Father Servant
Godhead
Son
God’s Son Son of David
Good Shepherd
Son of God
Great Physician
Son of man
Heavenly Father
Sovereign
High Priest sovereign Lord
holy Father suffering Savior
Holy Spirit Suffering
Jesus
Servant
Judge
Supreme Being
King
third Person of
King of kings the Trinity
Lamb Trinity
Lamb of God
true Vine
Light of the
Water of Life
world
wise Creator
living Bread
Yahweh
Capitalize nouns used to refer to God.
26
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 70126-4858
800-662-8701; 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)
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: 770-4106000. If a number was selected for easy-to27
remember letters, follow with corresponding
numbers in parentheses: 800-554-PRAY (7729).
permission before quoting from published
works unless they are in public domain
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.
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.
prophet(s); the prophet Isaiah; major/ minor
prophets (people); Major/Minor Prophets
(sections of Old Testament); the prophesy
of Isaiah
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
Protestant
resurrection, the; Christ’s resurrection
proverbs (general), Proverbs; book of Proverbs
(in Bible)
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.
Promised Land; Land of Promise (Canaan)
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
28
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
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.
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; Seventhday 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
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary,
New Orleans, La.
Southern Baptist Conference of the Blind
(SBCB) Organized in June 1990.
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary,
Wake Forest, N.C.
Southern Baptist Conference of the Deaf (SBCD)
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary,
Louisville, Ky.
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary,
Fort Worth, Texas.
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.
29
Southern Baptist Messianic Fellowship SBC
fellowship of messianic Jews, organized June
1990.
remember letters, follow with corresponding
numbers in parentheses: 800-554-PRAY (7729).
Southern Kingdom (Judah)
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.”
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: 770410-6000. If a number was selected for easy-to30
televangelist
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)
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
31
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 830010
Birmingham, AL 35283‑0010
205-991‑8100
Fax: 205-991-4840
Customer Service 800-968-7301
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 199095; 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)
Woman’s Missionary Union organizations:
youth evangelism; youth Evangelism events
Women On Mission ages 18 and up
Youth for Christ (YFC)
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;
youth-led; youth minister; minister of youth
Mission Friends, preschool children, birth
through age 5
Zen; Zen Buddhism
32
Youth Week (specific); youth work (general)
Zealot Member of a Judean fanatical sect in
the first century.
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.
33