United Methodist Communications, which includes United Methodist News Service, has a vast collection of professional images taken by our photographers and church partners available for use by United Methodist churches and agencies. The photographs, include church news and events, General Conference, images of worship, spirituality, nature and more.
We offer two ways you can access and use photos for your ministry. The United Methodist Media Library, a collection of United Methodist photographs, logos, video, graphics and more, was set up for internal use by members of The United Methodist Church. If you are a church pastor or administrator, a conference communicator, or an employee of a United Methodist agency, you may register to access these digital files.
The photographs in the United Methodist Media Library are for non-commercial use and you must register, but this resource provides a wonderful way to illustrate ministries or enhance seasonal communications or worship.
To sign up, just register on the United Methodist Media Library home page to set up a username and password.
Sunset captured via phone camera in Carlisle, Ohio, Photo by Darby Jones, United Methodist Communications.
Our second repository of images can be viewed by anyone publicly on our Flickr account. The images are not a part of the Creative Commons and are copyright protected, but they are available for use by The United Methodist Church or to illustrate United Methodist-related stories. All you need to do is request permission for your non-commercial usage at newsdesk@umcom.org.
A few notes:
- We invite you to read the full description with each file to make sure the image is being used in the proper context and that it is not restricted for any reason. (Any special guidelines for use are noted in the description, editor's notes or usage rights field).
- There is a "best practices" document available here for download or you can access it in the Media Library as file #3816.
- If a photo is tagged as "stock" it may be used in a greater variety of situations than those shot for a news story or in an editorial situation.
- If you have a question about using the Cross and Flame or logos, they are addressed in the brand standards document on the left column of the Media Library home page and with our Branding Toolkit.
Have any questions? You may contact us at newsdesk@umcom.org.