The Certification Lab, our two-day intensive training event, is coming up June 9-10. We recently took some time to talk with three former Certification Lab participants to get their first-hand experience of the Lab and provide you with a participant’s point of view.
- Jeff is the director of communications and technology at Central Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, Mo. She just celebrated her one-year anniversary on the job.
- Pam is the director of communications at Carmel Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C. and has been working at Carmel in communications and worship since 1992.
- Brooke is the communications director at Connection Pointe Christian Church in Brownsburg, Ind. She just transitioned into that specific role four months ago.
Why did you decide to register for the Certification Lab?
Jeff: I don’t look at a conference as an annual event, but when I come across one that includes topics of interest and experienced, qualified speakers, I investigate. I chose to attend the Certification Lab in Nashville for those reasons—topics that applied to my ministry and very qualified speakers in the area of church communications. And I also liked the idea of a smaller group with more interaction with leaders and fellow learners!
Pam: Though I am not new to communications, my experience is all in a corporate environment. While there are obviously many similarities, there are also significant distinctions about working for a church. I saw the Certification Lab as an opportunity to reduce that learning curve, gain insight into serving my church and its community and sharpen my existing skills.
Brooke: Last fall I knew that I’d be transitioning into our communications director role at Connection Pointe. With the limited experience I’d had in the communications world I was looking for something to help jump-start me in this new role. I’d been following as many communications directors as I could and reaching out to meet with them, but the Certification Lab looked like the perfect place to get hands on training from other people in similar roles.
We covered a lot of content in two days. What was one of your top three takeaways from the Lab?
Jeff: The discussion on branding. We were in first stages of re-creating our brand. Discussions on church identity and consistency in the mission message were very helpful.
Pam: At Central, we were just about to start a complete overhaul of our website when I attended the Certification Lab. Mark McDonald’s talk about web sites and how people interact with them proved invaluable. It affirmed many of the strategic and design decisions we had already made. More importantly, he provided information and data that I used as we rolled out the new site to various constituencies within the church. This info proved invaluable in helping people understand why we made some of the changes we did, and really went a long way to gaining increased buy-in for the new site.
Brooke: Boundaries and processes are important. It’s hard for someone like me who loves freedom to love boundaries, but the Certification Lab taught me the importance of setting boundaries and having a process.
Why would you recommend the Certification Lab experience to someone else?
Jeff: I would recommend the Certification Lab because I found the topics and the speakers were right on target with my questions/needs. I was able to apply some of the things I learned immediately to help introduce a new ministry.
Pam: I would unequivocally recommend the Certification Lab to anyone. It is reasonably priced, your time is extremely well-used, and you will return to your local church equipped and encouraged to elevate your performance as a communications professional.
Brooke: Certification Lab is the first place you should go if you’re new or just starting in church communications. You’ll receive practical and real world advice that you can implement into your ministry immediately. The best part of the Certification Lab is that you will develop a network of people that can relate to you and you can ask questions to long after the Certification Lab is over.
Who would you recommend this experience to?
Jeff: I would recommend the Certification Lab to anyone who wants to improve communication with their church and their community. The leadership was great and the atmosphere was very open and encouraging.
Pam: Anyone can benefit from the Certification Lab. If you are new to church communications, there’s no better way I am aware of to jump-start your career. You’ll gain knowledge to help you in both the strategic and tactical aspects of being a communications leader in your church. Even if you are a veteran of church communications, you can’t help but learn something new from the Certification Lab. You’ll return home with renewed enthusiasm, ideas and best practices.
Brooke: This experience is perfect for anyone who has been in a communications leadership role for two years or less!
Register now for the Certification Lab.
