Episoder
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What’s your question about communications?
This week on the podcast we dig into the difference between imagination and innovation. Often confused, but very much not the same. If we get the balance wrong, we'll actually make our message much harder to hear.
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Lunchtime Heroes exists to help you build a healthy creative ministry. Here's how:
Grow with Group Creative Mentorship on Skool
Learn how to bridge the gap between creatives and leadership with the book, Watch Your Language!
Find out how your team is doing with the Creative Ministry Health Assessment.
Build a communications ministry that is on mission with the Healthy Communications Ministry Blueprint.
Pursue health in a small group with the Healthy Creative Ministry Cohort.
Get in-the-trenches help for critical seasons with Interim Communications Leadership. -
What’s your question about communications?
Imagination, simply put, is the quality of ideas coming out of your communications ministry.
Why are we doing this?What are we trying to accomplish?What are our goals?Is this the best way to accomplish it?Who will be impacted by this?
Clarity is CRITICAL for your creative ministry to perform well. Some questions to ask (or answer if you are a ministry leader) that clarify the problem that needs to be solved:- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Lunchtime Heroes exists to help you build a healthy creative ministry. Here's how:
Grow with Group Creative Mentorship on Skool
Learn how to bridge the gap between creatives and leadership with the book, Watch Your Language!
Find out how your team is doing with the Creative Ministry Health Assessment.
Build a communications ministry that is on mission with the Healthy Communications Ministry Blueprint.
Pursue health in a small group with the Healthy Creative Ministry Cohort.
Get in-the-trenches help for critical seasons with Interim Communications Leadership. -
Manglende episoder?
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What’s your question about communications?
My trade convinced me that tactics were the mission. But tactics have never been the mission. And they never will be. The mission of the church should always inform our tactics.
Shifting the from leading with trade will transform how effective you are in your ministry.
Go from: "[trade] will help [mission]", to "I think I know a way we can accomplish [mission]. [trade] can help."
Don't do this alone! Grow in the new Group Creative Mentorship community on Skool.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Lunchtime Heroes exists to help you build a healthy creative ministry. Here's how:
Grow with Group Creative Mentorship on Skool
Learn how to bridge the gap between creatives and leadership with the book, Watch Your Language!
Find out how your team is doing with the Creative Ministry Health Assessment.
Build a communications ministry that is on mission with the Healthy Communications Ministry Blueprint.
Pursue health in a small group with the Healthy Creative Ministry Cohort.
Get in-the-trenches help for critical seasons with Interim Communications Leadership. -
What’s your question about communications?
This week we dive into the Four Creative Cores by unpacking Heart.
Heart looks at what’s going on inside the creative. It encompasses things like walk with God, interpersonal relationships, attitude, reputation (of the creatives and creative team), behavior, and your alignment with the mission of your church.
Connect with other creatives looking to build a healthy communications ministry in the Health Creative Ministry Facebook group.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Lunchtime Heroes exists to help you build a healthy creative ministry. Here's how:
Grow with Group Creative Mentorship on Skool
Learn how to bridge the gap between creatives and leadership with the book, Watch Your Language!
Find out how your team is doing with the Creative Ministry Health Assessment.
Build a communications ministry that is on mission with the Healthy Communications Ministry Blueprint.
Pursue health in a small group with the Healthy Creative Ministry Cohort.
Get in-the-trenches help for critical seasons with Interim Communications Leadership. -
What’s your question about communications?
Success as a creative in ministry comes from building trust, not from having the most skill. This truth feels uncomfortable for creatives that value their trade, but building trust doesn't mean you can't be good at your trade. It just means that your skills won't have a way to impact the ministry you serve if you haven't built trust, too.
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Lunchtime Heroes exists to help you build a healthy creative ministry. Here's how:
Grow with Group Creative Mentorship on Skool
Learn how to bridge the gap between creatives and leadership with the book, Watch Your Language!
Find out how your team is doing with the Creative Ministry Health Assessment.
Build a communications ministry that is on mission with the Healthy Communications Ministry Blueprint.
Pursue health in a small group with the Healthy Creative Ministry Cohort.
Get in-the-trenches help for critical seasons with Interim Communications Leadership. -
What’s your question about communications?
Healthy conversations are the foundation of any meaningful relationship. But if you've been employed for more than a few days, there's a good chance you've had some conversations that didn't go well. For the conversation between creatives and non creatives serving in ministry, the communications gap can be particularly big.
This week on the podcast, Matt breaks down the formula that will help your conversations lead to healthy change.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Lunchtime Heroes exists to help you build a healthy creative ministry. Here's how:
Grow with Group Creative Mentorship on Skool
Learn how to bridge the gap between creatives and leadership with the book, Watch Your Language!
Find out how your team is doing with the Creative Ministry Health Assessment.
Build a communications ministry that is on mission with the Healthy Communications Ministry Blueprint.
Pursue health in a small group with the Healthy Creative Ministry Cohort.
Get in-the-trenches help for critical seasons with Interim Communications Leadership. -
What’s your question about communications?
This week on the podcast we take a high level look at the Four Creative Cores and learn about how they can change the way creatives and non-creatives communicate in your ministry.
Heart
Heart looks at what’s going on inside the creative. This core focuses on things like walk with God, interpersonal relationships, attitude, reputation, behavior, and alignment with the mission of your church.
Imagination
Imagination looks at the quality of ideas being created. This core focuses on things like idea generation, maintaining creative health, protecting rest, and training your eyes to find wonder.
Systems
Systems looks at the mechanics of getting work done. This core focuses on the culture-compatibility of systems, prioritizing human-centric processes, creating high-visibility systems, and consistently delivering results.
Skills
Skills looks at the ability of the creative to execute. This core focuses on self-driven development, developing other creatives, developing non-creatives, the long term benefit of craftsmanship, and the importance of growing in creative community.
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Lunchtime Heroes exists to help you build a healthy creative ministry. Here's how:
Grow with Group Creative Mentorship on Skool
Learn how to bridge the gap between creatives and leadership with the book, Watch Your Language!
Find out how your team is doing with the Creative Ministry Health Assessment.
Build a communications ministry that is on mission with the Healthy Communications Ministry Blueprint.
Pursue health in a small group with the Healthy Creative Ministry Cohort.
Get in-the-trenches help for critical seasons with Interim Communications Leadership. -
What’s your question about communications?
This week on the podcast Matt talks about the importance of focusing on what you can control in your ministry. When you do this, you can make a simple shift in language to help your creative ideas become more understood by leadership.
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Lunchtime Heroes exists to help you build a healthy creative ministry. Here's how:
Grow with Group Creative Mentorship on Skool
Learn how to bridge the gap between creatives and leadership with the book, Watch Your Language!
Find out how your team is doing with the Creative Ministry Health Assessment.
Build a communications ministry that is on mission with the Healthy Communications Ministry Blueprint.
Pursue health in a small group with the Healthy Creative Ministry Cohort.
Get in-the-trenches help for critical seasons with Interim Communications Leadership. -
What’s your question about communications?
This week on the podcast we look at the Church Communications Gap. Those of us serving in creative ministry are presented with a tension between our trade and the mission of our church. The more we fight for trade over ministry, the wider the gap becomes between creatives and ministry leaders. But how are we supposed to help our ministries be more effective if we aren't implementing best practices?
A simple shift of language can make all the difference.
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Lunchtime Heroes exists to help you build a healthy creative ministry. Here's how:
Grow with Group Creative Mentorship on Skool
Learn how to bridge the gap between creatives and leadership with the book, Watch Your Language!
Find out how your team is doing with the Creative Ministry Health Assessment.
Build a communications ministry that is on mission with the Healthy Communications Ministry Blueprint.
Pursue health in a small group with the Healthy Creative Ministry Cohort.
Get in-the-trenches help for critical seasons with Interim Communications Leadership. -
What’s your question about communications?
Jargon can be good or bad depending on how you use it. If you are trying to lead change, you it's important to recognize that most ministry leaders you work alongside won't understand any of your industry's jargon.
This week on the podcast, I suggest one simple change you can make that will change the way ministry leaders hear your ideas.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Lunchtime Heroes exists to help you build a healthy creative ministry. Here's how:
Grow with Group Creative Mentorship on Skool
Learn how to bridge the gap between creatives and leadership with the book, Watch Your Language!
Find out how your team is doing with the Creative Ministry Health Assessment.
Build a communications ministry that is on mission with the Healthy Communications Ministry Blueprint.
Pursue health in a small group with the Healthy Creative Ministry Cohort.
Get in-the-trenches help for critical seasons with Interim Communications Leadership. -
What’s your question about communications?
The Four Creative cores is language that helps navigate the tension between creatives and non-creatives serving together in the context of ministry. It's a hyper specific framework that was developed to empower churches to leverage creative ministry well and help creatives partner well with the mission of the church.
As we launch into a deep dive of the Four Creative Cores this season, I wanted to set some context as to where this framework was developed. Throughout my career in creative ministry, I've felt the tension between creatives and non-creatives, but I didn't always know how to address it.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Lunchtime Heroes exists to help you build a healthy creative ministry. Here's how:
Grow with Group Creative Mentorship on Skool
Learn how to bridge the gap between creatives and leadership with the book, Watch Your Language!
Find out how your team is doing with the Creative Ministry Health Assessment.
Build a communications ministry that is on mission with the Healthy Communications Ministry Blueprint.
Pursue health in a small group with the Healthy Creative Ministry Cohort.
Get in-the-trenches help for critical seasons with Interim Communications Leadership. -
What’s your question about communications?
There are three great opportunities to build a healthy creative ministry coming in the next few months.
Cohort launches August 27Sign up here: https://www.lunchtimeheroes.co/cohort
Church Communications Conference
September 19-20, 2024
Compass Church (Dallas, TX)
Sign up here: https://churchcommunications.com/church-communications-conference-2024/I'll be sharing three sessions:
KEYNOTE | FOUR WORDS THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR COMMUNICATIONS MINISTRYThe key to solving a communications gap is developing common language. In this presentation, I will clarify what the gap is in most ministries between creative and non-creative leaders, share language I’ve developed to bridge that gap (The Four Creative Cores), unpack each core for understanding, reveal simple ways for the audience to take their next step of growth, and point them to opportunities to implement The Four Creative Cores in their ministry context. Once you understand the gap, you’ll be able to handle every communications conversation with confidence.
EXECUTIVE GROUP | UNDERSTANDING AND MANAGING CREATIVES
This conversation will be structured similar to a Q&A session and driven around the following talking points:
Where should comm sit in your organization? (Ministry vs. Service)How comm can best be leveraged to drive your mission forwardHow the Four Creative Cores can help leaders understand creativesHow the Four Creative Cores helps with performance managementWays to set comm up for success when they are asked to drive executive level projectsCREATIVE TEAM LEADERS BREAKOUT | BUILDING A CONFIDENT (AND HEALTHY) CREATIVE TEAM
As a creative team leader, your goal is to grow your team into balanced, confident creatives. Using The Four Creative Cores as our framework, I’ll walk through ways you can identify growth opportunities for your team, the benefits of a development plan for each member of your team, and how to hold your team accountable without shaking their confidence
New book launching September 19!
Four Creative coresCovers the role language plays in a healthy communications ministryDigs into the Four Creative Cores (Heart, Imagination, Systems, and Skills)Looks at how you you can apply them in you ministry contextLooks at application for the practicing creative, the creative team leader, and the non creative that work with creatives.It includes impl
The book covers:- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Lunchtime Heroes exists to help you build a healthy creative ministry. Here's how:
Grow with Group Creative Mentorship on Skool
Learn how to bridge the gap between creatives and leadership with the book, Watch Your Language!
Find out how your team is doing with the Creative Ministry Health Assessment.
Build a communications ministry that is on mission with the Healthy Communications Ministry Blueprint.
Pursue health in a small group with the Healthy Creative Ministry Cohort.
Get in-the-trenches help for critical seasons with Interim Communications Leadership. -
What’s your question about communications?
In this episode of the Healthy Creative Ministry Podcast, Matt Curtis discusses how to prioritize unity over fear amid the polarizing context of the upcoming election (or a frustrating day at the office). He offers three critical questions to challenge fear-inducing lies and emphasizes the importance of adhering to God's word.
This episode underscores that political outcomes or personal ideas in ministry should not compromise Christian unity and love for one another. As the 2024 election approaches, let's not forget God call to love God and love others.
Preserving unity is an intentional decision on our part amidst a season where divisiveness is the opportunity. And the only way that I know how to pursue unity effectively is to actually remember the truth of God's word.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Lunchtime Heroes exists to help you build a healthy creative ministry. Here's how:
Grow with Group Creative Mentorship on Skool
Learn how to bridge the gap between creatives and leadership with the book, Watch Your Language!
Find out how your team is doing with the Creative Ministry Health Assessment.
Build a communications ministry that is on mission with the Healthy Communications Ministry Blueprint.
Pursue health in a small group with the Healthy Creative Ministry Cohort.
Get in-the-trenches help for critical seasons with Interim Communications Leadership. -
What’s your question about communications?
As AI continues to become more and more integrated into the tools we use daily to communicate, we need to be intentional about preserving our humanity. Throughout Scripture, we see God work through human relationships. If we offload too much of our ministry to automation or artificial intelligence in the name of efficiency, our ministry will suffer.
Don’t lose humanity. Three ways you can do that:
1. Effective communication should point people to human relationship as quickly as possible
don’t use communication tools as a way to avoid human interaction2. Most people aren’t all digital
3. Digital is easy but shallow
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Lunchtime Heroes exists to help you build a healthy creative ministry. Here's how:
Grow with Group Creative Mentorship on Skool
Learn how to bridge the gap between creatives and leadership with the book, Watch Your Language!
Find out how your team is doing with the Creative Ministry Health Assessment.
Build a communications ministry that is on mission with the Healthy Communications Ministry Blueprint.
Pursue health in a small group with the Healthy Creative Ministry Cohort.
Get in-the-trenches help for critical seasons with Interim Communications Leadership. -
What’s your question about communications?
If you don't have effective strategies in your communications ministry, there is a very high probability that you will always live a life of crisis management.
You’ll jump from one crisis to the next until you burnout. I’ve lived it myself, and I’ve seen it happen with multiple communication leaders over the years.
I don’t want that for you.
Building and implementing effective strategies will lay the groundwork for a healthy and long-lasting communications ministry in your church.
Want more than a how to? I'm now offering done for you strategy. Get all the details at https://www.lunchtimeheroes.co/strategyFive traits of effective strategies:
An effective strategy sets clear expectationsAn effective strategy is humanEffective strategies are flexibleEffective strategies should make on-mission decisions easierAn effective strategy accomplishes it’s goal- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Lunchtime Heroes exists to help you build a healthy creative ministry. Here's how:
Grow with Group Creative Mentorship on Skool
Learn how to bridge the gap between creatives and leadership with the book, Watch Your Language!
Find out how your team is doing with the Creative Ministry Health Assessment.
Build a communications ministry that is on mission with the Healthy Communications Ministry Blueprint.
Pursue health in a small group with the Healthy Creative Ministry Cohort.
Get in-the-trenches help for critical seasons with Interim Communications Leadership. -
What’s your question about communications?
This week on the podcast, we are unpacking a concept that has the potential to dramatically increase engagement in your church: a rising tide lifts all boats. We'll look at how many WNBA fans are resisting this concept (to their detriment) and hear a story of how this worked in ministry.
When we communicate too specifically, we actually cause people to opt out of participation in our ministry because they don't see an opportunity for them.
"Come join our hunting group" is great if you are a hunter... but it's terrible for everyone who isn't a hunter.
The beauty of this shift is that it is scalable, too. When you communicate your values and mission, it doesn't matter if you have one small group or 1,000. The message remains the same: being in community is important, find a group.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Lunchtime Heroes exists to help you build a healthy creative ministry. Here's how:
Grow with Group Creative Mentorship on Skool
Learn how to bridge the gap between creatives and leadership with the book, Watch Your Language!
Find out how your team is doing with the Creative Ministry Health Assessment.
Build a communications ministry that is on mission with the Healthy Communications Ministry Blueprint.
Pursue health in a small group with the Healthy Creative Ministry Cohort.
Get in-the-trenches help for critical seasons with Interim Communications Leadership. -
What’s your question about communications?
Systems and ministry have a bit of a rocky relationship. Some are adamant that systems remove the human element of ministry while others see a dire need for more.
So which is it?
Believe it or not, having effective systems in your ministry can actually help guard you against mission drift.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Lunchtime Heroes exists to help you build a healthy creative ministry. Here's how:
Grow with Group Creative Mentorship on Skool
Learn how to bridge the gap between creatives and leadership with the book, Watch Your Language!
Find out how your team is doing with the Creative Ministry Health Assessment.
Build a communications ministry that is on mission with the Healthy Communications Ministry Blueprint.
Pursue health in a small group with the Healthy Creative Ministry Cohort.
Get in-the-trenches help for critical seasons with Interim Communications Leadership. -
What’s your question about communications?
Creatives shouldn't miss deadlines.
It's weird to me that this feels like a hot take, but it does. I've met many creatives that are either fine with it or blame everyone else and I've met many non-creatives who assume it's just part of the deal. You want creativity, you get uncertainty.
But that just isn't true. If missing deadlines is the only reliable part of working with creatives in your organization, it's time to solve the real problem.
Go deeper with the Four Creative Cores: https://www.lunchtimeheroes.co/four-creative-coresSome unforeseen circumstances:
Crisis situationsNatural disastersHealth problemsTragediesYou can build a plan for unforeseen circumstances: https://www.lunchtimeheroes.co/disaster-relief-plan
Systems
You missed a deadlineI forgot about the projectYou need better systemsSkills
You missed a deadlineI just can’t figure out how to accomplish this solutionYou need better systemsHeart
You missed a deadlineI have a reason as to why it’s your faultYou need to change your attitudeImagination
You missed a deadlineI can’t think of any ideasFind sources of inspiration or bring more people into the projectDribbleBehancePinterestIf your creative ministry isn’t delivering on time results consistency, try adopting the Four Creative Cores to help you diagnose the problem
Take the free assessment at HealthyChurchCreatives.com to get a head start on what the problem is.
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Lunchtime Heroes exists to help you build a healthy creative ministry. Here's how:
Grow with Group Creative Mentorship on Skool
Learn how to bridge the gap between creatives and leadership with the book, Watch Your Language!
Find out how your team is doing with the Creative Ministry Health Assessment.
Build a communications ministry that is on mission with the Healthy Communications Ministry Blueprint.
Pursue health in a small group with the Healthy Creative Ministry Cohort.
Get in-the-trenches help for critical seasons with Interim Communications Leadership. -
What’s your question about communications?
Micromanagement is a super challenging yet very common in creative ministry.
This week on the podcast we'll look at 6 different reasons micromanagement happens and practical next step to help address it.
1. Sometimes you and leadership aren’t speaking the same language
https://www.lunchtimeheroes.co/four-creative-cores
Go through the Four Creative Cores with leadership to learn how you can speak in a way that both of you understand.2. Sometimes it’s personal preference
https://www.lunchtimeheroes.co/get-your-graphic-design-on-mission
Watch the mini course with your pastor on how to align your graphic design with the mission3. Sometimes it’s not understanding the role of comm
https://www.lunchtimeheroes.co/the-healthy-communications-ministry-blueprint https://www.lunchtimeheroes.co/how-projects-work
Develop a clear project workflow to guide every project. This helps understanding happen.4. Sometimes it’s an inability to delegate (and typically too busy to step into the details)
https://www.lunchtimeheroes.co/mission-minded-critique-checklist
Guide the feedback process to be more focused on mission than opinion5. Sometimes it’s ministry insecurity
https://www.lunchtimeheroes.co/brand-strategy
Consider how your strategies and policies can address cultural or spiritual issues.6. Sometimes it is a control issue
https://www.lunchtimeheroes.co/how-to-set-yourself-up-for-success-when-applying-for-a-creative-church-job
Check out the free mini course on building an effective portfolio for creative ministry- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Lunchtime Heroes exists to help you build a healthy creative ministry. Here's how:
Grow with Group Creative Mentorship on Skool
Learn how to bridge the gap between creatives and leadership with the book, Watch Your Language!
Find out how your team is doing with the Creative Ministry Health Assessment.
Build a communications ministry that is on mission with the Healthy Communications Ministry Blueprint.
Pursue health in a small group with the Healthy Creative Ministry Cohort.
Get in-the-trenches help for critical seasons with Interim Communications Leadership. -
What’s your question about communications?
When you are overloaded with work, the last thing you want to entertain is a project that doesn't move the mission of the church forward. But how can you tell the difference between something being mission critical or personal preference?
Unfortunately, you can't. And to be honest, Comm shouldn't be the judge of that anyway.
But the problem still needs to be solved, so let's solve it.
5 steps to better supporting ministry:
1. Align with leadershipWhere does leadership want you to invest your time–event promotion or event support?
If comm isn’t communicating, no one is. If you aren’t supporting events, the ministry leaders, staff, or volunteers are.2. Land on a plan
Provide event support as part of your promotional plan. Don't have one? Learn how to build one here: https://www.lunchtimeheroes.co/promotion-plan
3. Formalize the planShare the plan with department leaders and anyone else on the team who might be frustrated or stressed about the changes.
4. Support ministry leaders
Equip ministry leaders for success.
- Create a Canva plan for everyone on staff
- Offer regular trainings to help staff learn and grow - Here's one that might help get things started: https://www.lunchtimeheroes.co/3-design-secrets-that-will-save-ministry-leaders-hours-of-time
- Connect them with a list of approved vendors that will help make their creation easier
- Create a merch shop for your church that they can use to order items for their events: https://thechurch.shop/lunchtimeheroes/Evaluate
Check in with ministry leaders every 3-6 months to see how things are working.
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Lunchtime Heroes exists to help you build a healthy creative ministry. Here's how:
Grow with Group Creative Mentorship on Skool
Learn how to bridge the gap between creatives and leadership with the book, Watch Your Language!
Find out how your team is doing with the Creative Ministry Health Assessment.
Build a communications ministry that is on mission with the Healthy Communications Ministry Blueprint.
Pursue health in a small group with the Healthy Creative Ministry Cohort.
Get in-the-trenches help for critical seasons with Interim Communications Leadership. - Vis mere
