Who, Me? A Leader?

Who, Me? A Leader?

July 5, 2017 by

What goes through your mind when you see the word leader? If you’re like a lot of new-ish church communicators, your first thought is, “Not it!”

Well, I beg to differ. I don’t care what your title is or if you’re a team of one or 21. As a church communicator, you are a leader. I mean, think of how many people you affect each and every week through your church bulletin and e-newsletter. Now add your website and social media accounts!  You’re a mover and a shaker, I’m tellin’ ya.

I don’t care what your title is or if you’re a team of one or 21. As a church communicator, you are a leader.

Of course, I get why you hesitate to use the word leader. You don’t feel like a leader because it seems like you’re often just implementing what someone else tells you to do. You’re in meetings, but you’re not running the meetings. But just because you’re not floating around the top of the org chart doesn’t mean you don’t have influence—and influence is what leadership’s all about.

This month’s Courageous Storytellers resources are designed to help you own your role as a communications leader in your church. They’re practical, inspiring and, to be honest, a little kick-in-the-pants-ish. Even the best of leaders can use that every once in awhile.

Here’s what you’ll find on the site this month:

  • A message about bridging the gap of understanding between pastors and creatives.
  • A conversation with a church comm’er about how she’s embracing leadership opportunities.
  • A nine-week plan to hone your leadership skills in specific areas.
  • A list of ways to get buy-in on your communication strategies.
  • A guide for discerning how to respond when you’re told “no.”
  • Suggestions for leading your volunteers.
  • Practical tools to help you lead up by getting ahead on sermon series planning.
  • A leadership vocabulary lesson.
  • Ideas on how to handle it when pastors pull rank.
  • Six leadership lessons from a volunteer’s perspective.
  • Keys to creating a cooperative working environment.
  • Four key strategies for leading up.
  • Tips for leading creative people.
  • Some real-talk about expectations and priorities.
  • Plus, ready-to-use social media graphics.

Not yet a Courageous Storytellers member? Watcha waitin’ for? Every month we publish useful content centered on a specific topic church communicators have asked for help with. And you always have access to the full archive. Learn more about membership today.

Post By:

Kelley Hartnett


Kelley Hartnett spent more than a decade working in established churches and helping to launch new ones. She recently launched Tall Tree Collective, which helps nonprofits craft messages that inspire people to get behind their cause. Kelley formerly served as the membership director for our Courageous Storytellers Membership Site and is the author of You've Got This: A Pep Talk for Church Communicators.
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