The Religion Communicators Council (RCC) has concluded its highly successful annual meeting, held from April 24-26, 2025, in Salt Lake City.
In addition to the keynote presentations, attendees had the opportunity to participate in a wide range of workshops and panel discussions led by industry experts. Workshop and panel topics included:
With the theme “Bridging Beliefs: Cooperation Through Communication,” the event brought together professionals and practitioners from diverse faith traditions and communication disciplines to explore innovative approaches to religious communication in the digital age. The conference featured an impressive lineup of speakers and engaging workshops, providing attendees with valuable insights and practical strategies to enhance their communication efforts.
Among the distinguished speakers were:
- Tami Pyfer, CEO of The Dignity Index, speaking on the role of communicators in easing divisions and fostering dignity and respect among faith groups.
- An Artificial Intelligence panel consisting Bennett Borden, founder and CEO of Clarion AI Partners; Dr. Zachary Boyd, director of Utah Office of AI Policy; Dr. Nancy Fulda, director of Brigham Young University’s DRAGN Lab; and William Jones, Futures Program Associate at the Future of Life Institute (FLI)
- Sharon Eubank, president and CEO of Latter-day Saints Charities, who shared about the Church’s outreach and mission work through the Bishop’s Central Storehouse.
- Olympians Kenneth Rooks, Conner Mantz, Clayton Young, Whittni Morgan and James Corrigan sharing how faith has played a role in their athletic endeavors.
- “Faith and Entertainment” presentation led by Chet Thomas and Darrin Fletcher, owners and founders of FletChet Entertainment, and producers of the recent hit movie, “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”
In addition to the keynote presentations, attendees had the opportunity to participate in a wide range of workshops and panel discussions led by industry experts. Workshop and panel topics included:
- Media representative panelists Matthew Jones, founder and CEO of Rainbow Creative podcast production company; Daniel Woodruff, anchor for KSL5 TV; and Mark Kellner, the Faith & Family reporter for The Washington Times.
- Interfaith panel discussion with moderator Rev. Dr. Marian Edmunds-Allen and participants Father John Evans, Imam Yasir Butt, Rabbi Sam Spector, and Pastor Jamie White
- Aaron Sherinian, director of global communications for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke on faith and media trends.
- Podcasting workshop given by Steven Kapp and Sam Payne; Kapp is creator, Executive Producer, and host of the “In Good Faith” podcast and Payne is General Manager of BYUradio and host of the long-running podcast and radio show “The Apple Seed.”
- “Telling Powerful Stories of Faith,” led by Kerry Troup, director for Faith Counts and Communications Director for 1st Amendment Partnership; Tim Schultz, president of the 1st Amendment Partnership; and Ryan Burge, Research Director for Faith Counts.
Thanks to sponsorship from a generous donor, university students, organization volunteers (non-professional communicators), and first time RCC convention attendees were able to attend this year’s convention at significant discounts.
The highlight of the meeting was the presentation of two awards celebrations: The DeRose-Hinkhouse Memorial Awards, which honors RCC members for their outstanding contributions to journalism, public relations, marketing, and digital media in service of faith communities; and the Wilbur Awards, which recognize excellence work by secular (non-religious) media in promoting faith-focuses themes and values.
RCC’s 2026 convention will be held April 16-18 in Cincinnati, Ohio; details will be posted to the RCC webpage Convention 2026 | Religion Communicators Council (religioncommunicators.org/convention-2026) as confirmed.