Healthy Creative Ministry

What’s your question about communications? You don't have to look hard to find another "expert" telling you how to do your church as a church creative. With so many opinions out there, it's easy to miss the most important voice in making a decision: yours. I don't mean that in some "believe in yourself and your dreams will come true" kind of way. I mean that your...

What’s your question about communications? It may sound too simple to be true, but I've seen the Four Creative Cores transform how church creatives teams function. Sounds like something your church needs? Check out these additional resources to go deeper. Creative Team Assessment: http://healthycreativeteams.com Go deeper with the Four Creative Cores: http://lunchtimeheroes.co/four-creative-c...

What’s your question about communications? There comes a time when you need to change what you are doing in order to accomplish your mission. Sometimes it's because what you are currently doing isn't working, sometimes it's because the way people respond to content has changed. Either way, change can be difficult. This week's episode marks the end of season 1 of the Leading Hea...

What’s your question about communications? The big news across the internet last week was all about Threads. And not just in the tech world, in the church world, too. In the chase to join and "figure out" Threads and how it can be leveraged for ministry, I want to offer a bit of a different perspective.  When we chase trends, we pull our focus away from the plan the we already decided wa...

What’s your question about communications? The transition into a leadership position can be nerve-racking for creatives. The problems, goals, and tools are all different. Because of that, we base much of our early leadership-life on the assumptions we have about what it means to be an effective leadership.  The problem is that not all of these assumptions are right. This week on the Leading Health...

What’s your question about communications? Have you ever wondered why the reputation of your creative team doesn't get better just because your work does? Often it's because the work we do isn't actually helping the relationships you have with the ministry leaders you work with. This week's episode walks through a tool I've created to help identify the impact your projects...

What’s your question about communications? It feels impossible to make things better when you barely have time to survive. This week on the podcast I talk through how you can make a few decisions today that will give you time back. These all start with you building a promotional plan. You can see more about that process, go in depth with previous podcast episodes, and download a template here . -...

What’s your question about communications? Serving in creative ministry can be lonely. If we aren't proactive about addressing that, we put ourselves in a problematic situation–one that can quickly impact our health, capacity, and longevity in ministry. 7 ways you can find community: - Someone inside your organization - Someone outside your organization - Connect with churches near you - Find...

What’s your question about communications? The longer you serve in creative ministry, the more probably it is that someone will leave the team. And with that departure comes a lot of concern. Who is going to pick up the pieces that are left? If you've ever found yourself in a situation like this, you'll know overwhelming it can feel. The good news is that challenges like this can be navi...

What’s your question about communications? In this episode of the Leading Healthy Creative Teams podcast, I wanted to look back at what God has done over the last seven years since I faced burnout.  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lunchtime Heroes exists to help you build a healthy creative ministry. Here's how: Join the Christian Cr...

What’s your question about communications? What do you need: a relational baseline  people who know you before you burned out  people to walk with you through where you are  a willingness to allow a perspective shift  backup and gain some perspective  our gut says “move closer to analyze this problem”. not helpful  vacation in a dramatic way, visit a different church, learn something new, change t...

What’s your question about communications? Three reasons I think the church is so prone to burnout. 1. We carry burdens for problems that don’t belong to us. 2. The mission of the church has nothing to do with what we are good at. 3. Our gifts aren’t needed in the body we are serving. Symptoms of Burnout: you lose your ability to be self aware  You say things like “I’m not capable of anything, let...

What’s your question about communications? In 2017 I quit my job. I was burning out.  That's typically how the burnout story goes. "I'm burning out, so it's time to leave." We leave, find a new perspective in a new environment, learn from our struggles, and hopefully get better.  That's not how my story goes. I left, then came back. Because of this, I was able to iden...

What’s your question about communications? If you work as a creative in the church, there’s a good chance that adding volunteers to the mix feels impossible. How can I ask someone to volunteer to step into the chaos of our last minute culture? How do I know what projects are appropriate to give to a volunteer anyway? What if they miss the mark and leave me with a lot more work to get done in a lot...

What’s your question about communications? It doesn't matter if you are adding staff or volunteers to your creative team, these interview questions will help you learn what you need to know to make the right decision. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lunchtime Heroes exists to help you build a healthy creative ministry. Here's ho...

What’s your question about communications? It's easy for church creatives to get frustrated when the problems of other teams or leaders becomes their problem. This often looks like fast turnarounds on projects, little information to get started, or endless changes as the due date gets closer.  But what if I told you that you can help eliminate problems like this even if the problems aren&apos...

What’s your question about communications? Being successful on social media doesn't mean you have to burnout (though sometimes it feels that way). Join me this week on the podcast as I share five perspectives that will help you create impactful content while adopting a healthy mindset that will protect you from burning out. Sign up for Descript via my affiliate link: https://www.descript.com/...

What’s your question about communications? This week on the podcast we will be focusing on one of the four creative cores: Heart. Busy seasons are often times where our hearts are tested. The pressure of endless projects and far-too-short deadlines can convince us that our worth is tied to getting everything done. Join me as we remember where our worth actually comes from. - - - - - - - - - - - -...

What’s your question about communications? This week on the podcast we look at the pages of Scripture and how the wisdom found there can help us navigate the nagging stresses that impact us as creatives.  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lunchtime Heroes exists to help you build a healthy creative ministry. Here's how: Join the Christ...

What’s your question about communications? Because so much passes through church communication teams, the policies we create often impact far more than just our team. This week on the podcast, I want to talk through some of the ways we can think better about our policies, and how having a mindset of patience will help. The importance of using language well: https://youtu.be/0x2ePi49Ya8 - - - - - -...

What’s your question about communications? In this week's podcast, Dennis and Micah from Real Life Church in Las Cruces, New Mexico walk through their event priority matrix. The conversation covers the benefits of a tool like this for your communications team, but it also looks at how tools like this are often culture shaping tools.  To download the Priority Matrix, visit https://www.lunchtim...

What’s your question about communications? When a communication strategy is built well, it removes one of the most challenging phases of any communications project: the negotiation phase.  You know the story. Ministry leaders want more and the communications team doesn't have time to build 19 custom strategies for all the events happening this month. Now no one is happy! But when you build an...

What’s your question about communications? I'm excited to announce the launch of the Creative Leadership Cohort. Believe it or not, this cohort is very closely connected to my story of burnout. Going back to the organization that burned me out helped me grow tremendously as a leader. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lunchtime Heroes e...

What’s your question about communications? Too many years of my life were spent trying to convince leadership of the WRONG things. I was arguing for creative values to a leadership team that cared about much bigger things. When I changed the way I saw my trade, it changed how much leadership heard me–for the better! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -...

What’s your question about communications? When it comes to making the transition from a creative executor to a creative leader, the focus of who you are helping grow changes a lot. In the process of learning how to lead staff or invest in coworkers, it's easy to lose your own personal growth. If that happens, things don't go well pretty quickly. So let's talk about what it looks li...