# Houston's First: Writing Style Guide

> **For AI agents:** These are the mechanics of Houston's First copy: names, contact info, dates, times, capitalization, and punctuation. Treat every ✅ as required and every ❌ as wrong. How copy should *sound* is in [`voice-and-tone.md`](voice-and-tone.md). If a case isn't covered here, follow the nearest pattern and flag it. Don't invent a rule.

| | |
|---|---|
| **Source** | Brand Experience Guide v1.0 (May 2024), Communications Style Guide (pp. 28–32) |
| **Content authority** | Communications Team |
| **Maintainers** | Nguyen Nguyen, Yesu Chum (Development Team) |
| **Last reviewed** | 2026-10-02 |

---

## Church name

| ✅ This | ❌ Not this |
|---|---|
| Houston's First Baptist Church | Houstons First Baptist Church |
| Houston's First | Houston First Baptist Church |
| | HFBC |

### Website

| ✅ This | ❌ Not this |
|---|---|
| HoustonsFirst.org (always capitalize the H and the F) | houstonsfirst.org |
| | hfbc.org, HFBC.org |
| | http://www.HoustonsFirst.org, http://HoustonsFirst.org |
| | www.HoustonsFirst.org |

HoustonsFirst.org is the official destination for every link and CTA. See [brand guide §7](brand-guide.md#7-digital-destination).

### Vision phrase

| ✅ This | ❌ Not this |
|---|---|
| relevant biblical community | relevant, biblical community |
| Relevant Biblical Community | relevant Biblical community |

---

## Contact information

| ✅ This | ❌ Not this |
|---|---|
| Firstname.Lastname@HoustonsFirst.org (e.g., Gregg.Matte@HoustonsFirst.org) | firstname.lastname@HoustonsFirst.org |
| | firstname.lastname@houstonsfirst.org |
| | firstname.lastname@HFBC.org, firstname.lastname@hfbc.org |
| 713.681.8000 | 713-681-8000, (713) 681-8000, 7136818000 |

## Campus addresses

| Campus | Address |
|---|---|
| The Loop Campus | 7401 Katy Freeway, Houston, TX 77024 |
| Cypress Campus | 11011 Mason Rd., Cypress, TX 77433 |
| Downtown Campus | 1730 Jefferson Street, Houston, TX 77003 |
| Sienna Campus | 4309 Sienna Parkway, Missouri City, TX 77459 |
| Houston's First en Español *(ministry of The Loop Campus)* | 7401 Katy Freeway, Houston, TX 77024 |

### Faith Center addresses

From HoustonsFirst.org (retrieved 2026-10-02). Hours and appointment details change, so link to [the Faith Centers page](https://www.houstonsfirst.org/missions/faith-centers) instead of repeating them.

| Faith Center | Address |
|---|---|
| Faith Center–Harwin | 5860 Ranchester Dr., Houston, TX 77036 |
| Faith Center–Spring Branch | 8009 Long Point Rd., Houston, TX 77055 |
| Faith Center–Spring Branch Food Pantry & Clothes Closet | 8244 Long Point Rd., Houston, TX 77055 |
| Faith Center–Timbergrove | ⚠️ Confirm. The website lists 8009 Long Point Rd., the same as Spring Branch, which looks like an error |

---

## Dates

| Rule | ✅ This | ❌ Not this |
|---|---|---|
| Day abbreviations | Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat | Tues, Thur |
| Month abbreviations | Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec | Sept |
| June and July are spelled out | June, July | Jun, Jul |
| Single dates include the day of the week | Mon, June 17 | June 17 |
| No ordinals | Mon, June 17 | Mon, June 17th |
| Multi-day ranges drop the day of the week | Rush Week (July 22–28) | |
| Recurring events include the day of the week | Wednesdays, Oct 5–26 · Tuesdays, Aug 7 & 14 · Mondays, Sep 12 & Oct 10 | Every Wednesday, June 5th–26th |
| Consecutive-day ranges | July 7–11 | July 7th–11th |

Days and months may be spelled out on more formal pieces if requested.

## Times

| Rule | ✅ This | ❌ Not this |
|---|---|---|
| On the hour | 9a | 9 a.m., 9 am, 9 AM, 9:00 a.m., 9:00 am, 9:00 AM |
| With minutes | 2:30p | 2:30 p.m., 2:30 pm, 2:30 PM |
| Noon | Noon | 12p, 12 p.m., 12 pm, 12 PM, 12:00 p.m./pm/PM |
| Midnight | Midnight | 12a, 12 a.m., 12 am, 12 AM, 12:00 a.m./am/AM |
| Range within one period: a/p once, at the end | 9–11a · 6:30–8p | 9a–11a · 6:30p–8p · 6:30–8:00p |
| Range that crosses or includes noon or midnight: both a and p | 8a–10p · Midnight–10a · 9a–Noon · 7p–9:30a | 8–10p · 12–10a · 9–Noon · 7–9:30a |

## Dates and times together

Use **" @ "**, with a space before and after.

| ✅ This | ❌ Not this |
|---|---|
| Mon, Nov 28 @ 9a | Mon, Nov 28@9a · Mon, Nov 28 @9a |
| | Mon, Nov 28 - 9a |
| | Mon, Nov 28, 9a |

---

## Divine and biblical terms

| Term | Rule | ✅ This | ❌ Not this |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pronouns for God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit | Capitalize | "God sent His one and only Son." · "Jesus never contradicts His Word." | "God sent his one and only Son." · "…his Word." |
| Spirit (Holy Spirit) | Capitalize | "The Spirit was moving." | "The spirit was moving." |
| Bible | Capitalize when referencing the actual Bible | "Bring your Bible." | "bible". Lowercase is correct only in secular use: "That cookbook is the bible of outdoor grilling." |
| Word | Capitalize when referencing the Bible | "His Word" | "word". Secular use stays lowercase: "Grease is the word." |
| Gospel | Capitalize when referencing the message of Jesus Christ | "Share the Gospel." | "gospel". Secular use stays lowercase: "My grandmother's rules were the gospel in her house." |
| biblical | Always lowercase | biblical truth | Biblical |
| godly | Always lowercase | godly wisdom | Godly |
| church / Church | Lowercase for the building; capital C for the Body of Christ | "Jesus is coming for His Church." | "We went to Church last Sunday." |

---

## Ministry names

| ✅ This | ❌ Not this |
|---|---|
| Life Bible Study · Life Bible Study groups · Life Bible Studies | Life Bible Study class (redundant) · Sunday School |
| LBS (after first reference; use sparingly) | |
| First Friends Preschool Ministry · First Friends (after first reference) | |
| Heartland (First Friends' preschool worship ministry; one word) | HeartLand · Heart Land |
| First Kids Children's Ministry · First Kids (after first reference) | FirstKids |
| Kids' Worship (First Kids' children's worship ministry; plural possessive) | Kids Worship · Kid's Worship |
| The HUB Student Ministry · The HUB (after first reference) | The Hub Student Ministry · The Hub · Youth |
| Thru the Roof Special Needs Ministry · Thru the Roof (after first reference) | Thru the Roof Ministry |
| Summit Young Single Adults · Summit (after first reference) | Summit Ministries |
| Impact Single Adults · Impact (after first reference) | |
| Married Young Adult Ministry · MYA (after first reference) | Married Adult Ministry · married young adult ministry |
| Single Parent Family Ministry · SPF Ministry (after first reference) | single parent family ministry · single parent ministry |
| Women's Ministry | women's ministry |
| Men's Ministry · Band of Brothers Men's Ministry | men's ministry · mens ministry |
| Men:Serve (no space after the colon) | Men: Serve · Men's Serve |
| Legacy 68:5 Adoption, Foster & Orphan Care Ministry · Legacy 68:5 (with a space) | Legacy 685 · Legacy685 |
| Houston's First en Español (a ministry of The Loop Campus) | Español Campus · Houston's First Español · Houston's First Español Campus · HFBC Español |

> Updated 2026-10-02: the printed 2024 guide lists "Married Adult Ministry." The current name is **Married Young Adult Ministry** (confirmed by Nguyen Nguyen). "MYA" may be used after the first reference.

### Ages and grades

Applies to First Friends, First Kids, The HUB, and Thru the Roof.

| ✅ This | ❌ Not this |
|---|---|
| birth | newborn |
| PreK | PK |
| 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, etc. | grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, etc. |
| 6th–12th grades | 6–12th grades |

---

## Campus and location names

| Campus | ✅ This | ❌ Not this |
|---|---|---|
| **The Loop** | The Loop Campus · The Loop Campus of Houston's First Baptist Church · Houston's First Baptist Church – The Loop · Houston's First – The Loop · "sending campus" (when explaining The Loop's role in the multisite model to external audiences) | the Loop campus · the Loop Campus · Main Campus · main campus · Houston's First Loop · Houston's First Loop Campus · Houston's First at the Loop · the Mother ship |
| **Cypress** | Cypress Campus · Cypress Campus of Houston's First Baptist Church · Houston's First Baptist Church – Cypress Campus · Houston's First Baptist Church – Cypress · Houston's First – Cypress Campus · Houston's First – Cypress | Cypress campus · Houston's First Cypress · Houston's First Cypress Campus · HFBC Cypress |
| **Downtown** | Downtown Campus · Downtown Campus of Houston's First Baptist Church · Houston's First Baptist Church – Downtown Campus · Houston's First Baptist Church – Downtown · Houston's First – Downtown Campus · Houston's First – Downtown | Downtown campus · Houston's First Downtown · Houston's First Downtown Campus · HFBC Downtown |
| **Sienna** | Sienna Campus · Sienna Campus of Houston's First Baptist Church · Houston's First Baptist Church – Sienna Campus · Houston's First Baptist Church – Sienna · Houston's First – Sienna Campus · Houston's First – Sienna | Sienna campus · Houston's First Sienna · Houston's First Sienna Campus · HFBC Sienna |
| **Faith Centers** | Faith Center–Harwin · Faith Center–Spring Branch · Faith Center–Timbergrove · Faith Center–Spring Branch Food Pantry & Clothes Closet 🟡 (no spaces around the dash) | Faith Center Harwin · Faith Center Spring Branch · Faith Center Timbergrove · Faith Center-Harwin (hyphen) |

> Houston's First has **four campuses**: The Loop, Cypress, Downtown, Sienna. **Houston's First en Español is a ministry of The Loop Campus**, not a campus. See *Ministry names*. (Corrected 2026-10-02; the printed guide listed "Español Campus.")

---

## Event and initiative names

Names from the Promotion Playbook (July 2026). ✅ = capitalization confirmed (2026-10-02); 🟡 = as written in the playbook, not yet confirmed.

| Name | Status | ❌ Not this | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **PATHMAKER** | ✅ | Pathmaker, PathMaker | All caps |
| **Beyond the Cup** | ✅ | Beyond The Cup | Lowercase "the" |
| **Make Space for More** | ✅ | Make Space For More | Lowercase "for" |
| Easter at Houston's First · Christmas at Houston's First · Leadership at Houston's First | 🟡 | | Pattern: *[Event] at Houston's First* |
| Kickoff Sunday · Day of Baptism | 🟡 | | |
| Make It Your Church | 🟡 | | |
| World Mission Offering | 🟡 | | |
| America250 | 🟡 | | No space |
| Marriage Matters · Burgers & Bros · The Gathering | 🟡 | | |
| Equip classes | 🟡 | | |
| WSA (Worship Service Announcement) slide · LP (Main Lobby presence) · Quick Links · Message Notes | Internal terms. Spell out "WSA" and "LP" on first use; avoid in public copy |

---

## Punctuation: dashes

| Dash | Character | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Hyphen | - | Compound words |
| En dash | – (width of an "n") | Ranges: dates, times, grades, page numbers. Also the separator in campus names ("Houston's First – Cypress") and Faith Center names ("Faith Center–Harwin") |
| Em dash | — (width of an "m") | Sentence breaks, asides |

> The printed guide labels the Faith Center separator "hyphen" but typesets it as an en dash ("Faith Center–Harwin"). Follow the typeset form: **no spaces**, en dash.

---

## Quick checklist

- [ ] Church name: Houston's First Baptist Church / Houston's First. Never HFBC
- [ ] URL: HoustonsFirst.org (capital H and F, no www)
- [ ] Phone: 713.681.8000 · Email: Firstname.Lastname@HoustonsFirst.org
- [ ] Single date: Mon, June 17. No ordinals; June and July spelled out
- [ ] Time: 9a, 2:30p, Noon, Midnight. Ranges: 9–11a, 8a–10p
- [ ] Date + time: Mon, Nov 28 @ 9a
- [ ] Divine pronouns and Spirit capitalized; biblical and godly lowercase
- [ ] Ministry and campus names match the tables above
- [ ] En dashes for ranges