Church Marketing Myth No. 8: The pastor knows best
If you work in a church chances are you interact with pastors and leaders who are Godly, wonderful men and women. One myth that seems to pervade some church office's around the world is that pastors/senior leader has insight and wisdom on all things marketing/design/creativity in general that everyone else doesn't.
It could be as simple as font selection, layout, or deeper more significant issues.
Now before you slam me. Or leave comments on this post about the lack of respect I have for spiritual leaders, hang on for just one moment. The idea for this post comes from, wait for it, a pastor.
This pastor has said to me that when it comes to communications or marketing, they think that 'religious experts' should listen more and take more advice from 'communications experts'. Not surprisingly, I couldn't agree more.
Here's the deal, its all about leading with your strengths. I know what my strengths are. I know what they aren't. I'm focused on what I do really well, not what I'm average at. Different pastors have different strengths I don't have. I don't claim to have insights into their various spheres of experience or expertise, but for some reason it can sometimes happen the other way around.
My advice for pastors:
Prepare your brief well. If you don't know what a brief is, ask your communications person. Spend time developing and discovering what you are aiming to do. Focus on the 'why' more than the 'how'. Then release your talent to do what they do best. Also, listen to your communications/graphic designer/videographer – they really do know what they are doing, but often out of respect they will defer to your opinion because of who you are.
My advice for communications peeps/graphic designers/videographers etc:
Listen to your pastor, especially at the briefing stage. They have an idea or plan in mind. Get clarity on the direction and agreement before you start creating or communicating. They have invested everything they are into what you are about to start working on. Respect that. Be gentle and humble in your interaction with them. Have courage.
Related posts
Church Marketing Myth No. 1
Church Marketing Myth No. 2
Church Marketing Myth No. 3
Church Marketing Myth No. 4
Church Marketing Myth No. 5
Church Marketing Myth No. 6
Church Marketing Myth No. 7
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