Church Marketing Sucks

As we look forward to the Creative Missions 2013 trip to Alaska coming May 17-24 (apply or give!), I got together with some participants from previous years to ask them about what makes the trip special. This time I sat down with Kyna Moore:

Why did you decide to go on your last Creative Missions trip? What prompted you to go?

Kyna Moore: As an alumni from Creative Missions the previous year, I knew this trip would become part of my annual schedule. The experience I had serving the churches in New York was outstanding and I couldn’t wait to meet more pastors and help boost their energy for the creative side of church.

From the first time I read the vision for Creative Missions, I knew I was meant to go and help in any way I could. I have served on several short term mission trips with my church in the past, and found them to be valuable experiences, but I also knew I was not serving with my best talents and skills. Creative Missions has been a chance to give back to the church with the top skills I am learning every day at college and using in my own career.

What did you do while you were there?

Kyna: I produced and edited videos, I helped with tech for a mid-week mini conference, I shot and edited photos, and helped with some live services technician training.

What has that experience meant to you?

Kyna: Creative Missions helps remind me that the church is bigger than Bellevue, Wash., and there are unlimited contexts with which the message of Jesus can be preached, taught and received.

I love that for one week a year, I get to learn from pastors outside my region and denomination how they are sharing God’s love.

I have also really enjoyed becoming part of the Creative Missions network of creatives. We stay in touch throughout the year and help each other out with projects or pray for one another during the year. It can be lonely to be part of the church technical or creative world and serving with other creatives and communications directors and technicians has given me a great community of support when I need help.

Has that experience changed what you do or how you do it at your day job?

Kyna: I am able to more quickly and easily see multiple perspectives to a creative problem now. The Northwest has a lot of designers who are very good at one type of design and there is a definite “look” to NW design. I think being involved with Creative Missions early in my design career has given me the chance to learn early how to integrate multiple design styles and also how to design for and communicate with clients outside my region.

I am also a lot more confident in my own work. My team leaders at Creative Missions have always been great at critiquing appropriately and I have learned tons from just working with some of the best communications directors and designers in the country. It was nice to come into Creative Missions with a clean slate and get the chance to serve in new ways without the history of “that one video” making leadership hesitant. This has given me the confidence to approach my pastor with new ideas and try new things in my own work.

Kyna is finishing up a dual bachelor’s degree in communications and visual communications. She will be flying to Alaska on her graduation day for Creative Missions 2013. “I cannot think of a better way to start off  new career opportunities than through giving away a week of my time to the church, in the exact area I have been studying,” Kyna says.

We’re thrilled to partner with Creative Missions (our nonprofit parent, the Center for Church Communication, handles the Creative Missions finances). Learn more about Creative Missions, apply to go on this year’s trip to Alaska and consider a financial donation to help church communicators help other churches communicate better.