Advertising and Promotional Policy

Effective October 2026 | Reviewed annually by the Board of Directors

Background and rationale

For over two decades, DisciplesToday.org (DT) has joyfully served as the official communications platform for the International Churches of Christ family. It is our privilege to inform, inspire, and connect our fellowship by publicizing events, sharing resources, and listing ministry position announcements.

To maintain the infrastructure required to reach our global audience, we rely almost entirely on the faithful partnership of our support churches. These congregations annually provide financial contributions to keep our ministry running. However, a growing challenge has arisen: we routinely receive advertising requests and ministry position announcements from churches that do not financially support Disciples Today, yet expect the full benefit of our platforms, reach, and services.

While we love serving the entire fellowship, managing, reviewing, and publishing these listings requires time, staff, and resources. It is not sustainable or equitable to expect these services for our non-supporting congregations. (Please note: This doesn’t apply to news or theological articles or videos but for promotions of fund-generating books, music, events, or ministry advertisements.)

1. Introduction

DisciplesToday.org (DT) serves as the official communications platform for the International Churches of Christ (ICOC). This Advertising and Promotional Policy governs paid placements that promote the sale of books or music, private events or programs, or ministry position announcements across DT platforms.

This policy does not apply to ordinary news, theological articles, videos, or editorial content published under our general Publishing Policies. All advertising arrangements must align with ICOC values, be clearly disclosed to readers, and be approved by the DT editorial team or Board of Directors (BOD) as appropriate. This policy should be read alongside our full Publishing Policies.

2. Advertising options and standard fees

DT offers the following paid advertising placements. All fees are listed in US dollars and are subject to annual review by the BOD.

Placement type	Standard fee	Notes
Sponsored article (website)	$200 per article	Published on DisciplesToday.org; labeled “Sponsored” or “DT Affiliate”
Website article + newsletter placement	$300 per article / newsletter	Website article plus featured placement in one DT email newsletter

2.1 Sponsored articles

• Fee: $200 per article.
• Articles must be submitted by the advertiser and are subject to full editorial review prior to publication.
• Content must comply with DT’s Publishing Policies, including neutrality requirements and review processes for sensitive topics.
• All sponsored articles will be clearly labeled “Sponsored Content” or “DT Affiliate” to maintain reader transparency.
• A maximum of one article per advertiser per month may be published to avoid undue prominence of any single organization.

2.2 Website article + newsletter placement

• Fee: $300 for a website article plus featured placement in one newsletter edition.
• Placement appears in the DT email newsletter distributed to our DT subscriber list.
• Advertisers must submit copy and any associated graphics at least 14 days before the scheduled send date.
• DT reserves the right to edit submitted copy for length, tone, and compliance with publishing standards.

3. Support church leader discount program

In recognition of the faithful partnership of our support churches, DT offers a free, twice-per-year promotion exclusively for ministry leaders from churches that provide ongoing financial support to Disciples Today.

3.1 Eligibility

To qualify for the support church leader discount, the advertising individual or organization must be:

• A recognized leader (evangelist, elder, women’s ministry leader, campus or teen minister, or children’s ministry coordinator) of a church currently listed as a Disciples Today support church; AND
• Advertising services, resources, or content that align with ICOC values and the DT publishing mission.

Eligibility is verified annually by the DT administrative team.

3.2 Application Process

Leaders seeking to access the support church leader discount must:

1. Submit an advertising inquiry via the DT Contact page.
2. Indicate their church affiliation and confirm it is a current Disciples Today support church.
3. Provide a brief description of the content or service to be advertised for editorial pre-approval.
4. Await confirmation of eligibility and discount tier from the DT administrative team before submitting final copy.

4. General advertising conditions

• All advertisers, including discounted or complimentary placements, must comply with DT’s Publishing Policies and ICOC values.
• DT reserves the right to decline, edit, or withdraw any advertisement that conflicts with ICOC principles, contains inaccurate information, or generates substantiated complaints from the community.
• Advertising arrangements do not confer editorial influence. Sponsored content is clearly distinguished from independent editorial content at all times.
• Rates are reviewed annually by the BOD. Existing advertisers will receive 60 days’ notice of any rate changes.
• All advertising fees are non-refundable once content has been published, except in cases of error attributable to DT.
• For-profit organizations without an affiliate agreement may not purchase advertising placements; they may only receive brief mentions as described in the General Publishing Guidelines.
• Want to avoid these fees entirely? We strongly encourage all non-supporting congregations to become a DT support church.

5. Relationship to Publishing Policies

This policy operates alongside the existing DT Publishing Policies. Promotion of books and music produced by ICOC disciples continues to follow the verification and endorsement process set out in those policies. Non-affiliate for-profit organizations remain limited to brief mentions (no more than twice per year) and may not purchase placements. Affiliate agreements, where applicable, are negotiated separately by the Board of Directors.

6. Advertising enquiries

To submit an advertising request or discuss placement options, please contact the DT team via: disciplestoday.org/contact-us. All enquiries will be acknowledged within five business days.

— Inform · Inspire · Connect —