Leading Yourself

You're expected to manage the communications strategy for your entire church, handle the logistics, create the content, and measure the results. Sometimes all by yourself. It's exhausting and overwhelming, and at times it feels like you're carrying the weight of the church's brand solely on your shoulders. But while the pressure feels intense, you don't have to carry it alone.

The key to surviving and thriving as a one-person department is leading through structure, collaboration, and intentional delegation.

Where do you start with a church communications strategy?

Start by anchoring everything to your church's mission and vision. This foundation drives all your communications and your strategy, even when you're the only one crafting the message. Everything you produce needs to tie back to the gospel and the church's overarching goal of drawing people into discipleship. The more intentional you are about that connection, the more effective your communications will be. When you lead yourself this way, you don't just create content. You create content that matters.

Who can help when you're doing church communications alone?

You might not have a formal team, but you likely have staff members or volunteers who are talented in graphic design, social media, video editing, project management, or event planning. Even one person can elevate the work you're doing. Reach out with specific tasks, set clear expectations, and offer constructive feedback. Just because you don't have a large team doesn't mean you can't delegate. It means you need to be more strategic about it.

Leadership isn't just about overseeing tasks. It's about coaching and mentoring others to grow alongside you. This is also a place for you to grow as a leader, letting go of the need for perfection in favor of helping someone else develop their passion and talent. Encourage your volunteers, involve them in appropriate decisions, and give them a sense of ownership. It lightens your load and invests them in the mission.

How do you stop reacting and start planning ahead?

The communications director needs to be a master of planning and time management. A clear editorial calendar is essential. Plan ahead for the full month or quarter so you can prioritize effectively. Block out time for content creation, meetings, strategy sessions, and self-care. The more structure you build around your work, the easier it is to balance everything on your plate.

If you're constantly responding to immediate needs and last-minute requests, create systems. Templates for event promotions, social media posts, and email newsletters mean you can quickly plug in details and have a polished product ready without rebuilding from scratch every time. Build a library of assets, photos, graphics, videos, written content, that can be reused or adapted for different occasions. Less time redoing. More time planning.

How do you set realistic expectations with church leadership?

It's easy to get caught up in trying to do everything for everyone. But as a one-person department you can't be everywhere at once. Communicate clearly with your pastoral staff and leadership about what is and isn't possible within the constraints of your time and resources. If a big project will take longer than expected, say so early. Being transparent about your workload sets clear expectations and builds trust.

Naming your limitations also opens the door for future collaboration and resource allocation. As the church grows and the communications department expands, you'll be able to build a team. Until then, leading solo is a lesson in prioritization, efficiency, and collaboration.

Can AI tools actually help with church communications?

Services like ChatGPT and Claude are useful labor-saving tools, but don't relinquish creative thought to them. They're only as smart as the collective opinion of the internet, so don't expect them to have good theology for writing copy. Use them as idea sparks, outline generators, or research tools for understanding people's objections and opinions on a subject. They're tools, not actual intelligence. A fuller treatment of the ethical use of AI in church communications is coming in a future article.

Running a one-person communications department doesn't have to mean constantly running on empty. Focus on the mission. Collaborate with the people around you. Plan strategically. Be honest about what you can accomplish. And keep asking people to step in. The goal is always to lead people into deeper connection with the gospel and with each other. That's worth investing in, no matter how small the team is.