Pohtaytoe Pohtahtoe

They didn’t cover this in grade school. Should “messiah” be capitalized in the middle of a sentence? What about reference to “the Gospels?” And does “Abba” only refer to a 70’s pop band? Unlike the potato-pronunciation issue, there are more than personal inclinations which point out answers to a church worker’s questions.

I went to my trusty ELCA Style Guide several times while writing Christmas greetings last month. It occurred to me that not everyone in our congregations may be familiar with this useful reference tool!

Use the ELCA Style Guide liberally and often if you want consistency using many terms common in the course of our church work. Who’s done their homework will show whose church keeps the page bookmarked!*

* I keep the who’s/whose distinction on a slip of paper next to my laptop for frequent reference, lifted from page 41 of the Style Guide. I am clearly mistake-prone. Your recognition of my grammatical and other foibles in print and post remains humbling but welcome!