Nearly 150 faith-based communicators gathered in person in Salt Lake City, Utah, and online in late April for the annual meeting of the Religion Communicators Council (RCC).
“Thank you for being here. I’m happy to be able to greet you,” said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, who welcomed the guests to the capital city in the Church Office Building on Temple Square on Thursday, April 24, 2025. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hosted the event at its global headquarters.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
“I hope you’re pleasantly surprised by the diversity that you find here, but it should make sense in a way, because Salt Lake City was shaped by people looking for religious refuge,” said Mayor Mendenhall.
“The Religion Communicators Council is nearly 100 years old, having been founded in 1929,” said Teresa Faust, past president of the RCC. “It is a professional association, a religion. Communicators, often they are public relations people. They can be reporters, journalists, media. They can be students.”
“I really want to highlight the strength that comes when we work together with people of other faith that not only when we work with others of different faiths, but that our reach expands, our network expands, and we have greater impact as a community than we do alone,” said Ryan Koch, a Latter-day Saint who is the new president of the RCC.
Interfaith Efforts Expand Reach
“I think there’s lots of reason today to be very optimistic about what’s ahead for us and for people of faith and for religion,” said Elder Matthew S. Holland, executive director of the Church Communication Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who offered remarks in the opening session.
The religion communicators enjoyed panel discussions and workshops on the latest faith-based communications trends during the three-day convention, including how artificial intelligence is affecting faith-based communications, how to work collaboratively with those of other faiths and how to tell positive stories of faith in the media.
The communication professionals also toured the Church’s Bishops’ Central Storehouse and participated in a humanitarian project on Friday. The group packed 280 meals for families in need.
Sharon Eubank, director of the Church’s Humanitarian Services, gave a presentation to the attendees on faith-based humanitarian aid.
“We love God, and we love our neighbor, and the way we show that we love God is by loving our neighbor,” said Sister Eubank.
“These partnerships, these friends that we’ve worked with for 40 years in some of the hardest places in the world, have become, for me, a testament that God is using anybody who loves Him in His work,” she said.
“When you volunteer and you do good work, and you give a part of yourself … I think you create a spot to then also receive something back, and that’s what makes it so fulfilling,” explained Faust.
During the convention, the RCC also announced the winner of its annual Wilbur and DeRose/Hinkhouse Awards.
Salt Lake Temple Open House
The convention was an opportunity for the Church of Jesus Christ to showcase its upcoming milestones, including the open house for the historic Salt Lake Temple in 2027 following extensive renovation.
“We’re preparing for millions of people to come to Church headquarters to go through [the temple],” said Elder Holland, who invited the religion communicators to return to Utah for the temple open house.
The Salt Lake Temple open house is scheduled to run from April to October 2027.