We’ve got some mixed feelings today as we announce some staff changes for our Courageous Storytellers membership site. We’re saying a tearful goodbye to our current membership director, Kelley Hartnett, and a happy welcome to Matt Ehresman, who steps in to take the reins.
It’s been a pleasure serving with Hartnett on the Center for Church Communication (CFCC) team, and we’re eager to work more closely with Ehresman.
Goodbye to Kelley Hartnett
Hartnett has served as the membership director since May of 2017, giving a voice and leadership to Courageous Storytellers. She truly embodies our desire to serve communicators and offer super-practical resources.
“Church communicators are simply the best kind of people, and it’s been such an honor to pleasure to spend my days working for our Courageous Storytellers members,” says Hartnett. “I feel so lucky to have gotten a chance to connect with so many more folks from our tribe! The team at CFCC are remarkable humans, and I’m so bummed I needed to make this transition just as Mark MacDonald is coming in as the executive director.”
We’re grateful for the incredible work Hartnett has done to grow Courageous Storytellers. It wouldn’t be what it is today without her commitment and hard work. Thank you, Kelley.
Hartnett is stepping down to pursue other opportunities at the end of August, but she won’t go too far. We’re hoping to have her voice as an occasional guest writer, creating resources for both Church Marketing Sucks and Courageous Storytellers. You can continue to keep up with Hartnett on her website.
Hello to Matt Ehresman
Matt Ehresman will be taking over as membership director. He’s a writer, designer, producer, Mountain Dew connoisseur, and Marvel movie nerd living in the bustling metropolis of Wichita, Kan. Ehresman has worked in church communication the past five years where he oversees basically anything anyone ever sees at First MB Church. Previously he worked in the marketing office at his alma mater and briefly wrote for and produced a television show at Focus on the Family.
Ehresman’s writing has been featured in RELEVANT, Boundless, Sunday, Converge, Christian Leader, and of coouurrse Courageous Storytellers. His first book Upstream: Eight Counter-Cultural Ways to Live a Better Life is ridiculously cheap on Amazon. You can follow Ehresman on Twitter.
“Now that I’ve been in church communication land for a while, I get how tough and rewarding and awesome and weird and important this work is,” says Ehresman. “I love that Courageous Storytellers exists to give some pointers and offer a sense of community for those of us who are passionate about helping our churches effectively communicate the gospel through the messy mix of bulletins, emails, websites, and marketing.”
Courageous Storytellers
Launched in the fall of 2016, Courageous Storytellers offers offer easily digestible and super-practical resources to help overwhelmed church communicators get it done. Every month we add fresh content focused on a specific theme, so our library of tips, tricks, and tools gets better all the time.
While we’re always working to improve Courageous Storytellers and offer our members a better experience, we don’t anticipate any major changes with this staff transition. CFCC is committed to our members, and we’ll continue to share great resources in the months ahead.
Because we get it: Church communication is hard. Courageous Storytellers can help.
Learn more about Courageous Storytellers today.
