Church Marketing Sucks

Church communication is hard. We get it. Sometimes you feel overworked, overwhelmed, and overloaded. But hey, you’ve got this.

It helps to remember that you’re not alone. A great way to see tangible proof of that is to attend a church communication event.

Find your people.

There are thousands of people just like you, working in churches and trying so very hard to communicate the gospel with excellence.

Attend an event this year and get to know some of your cohorts, learn something new, and take your skills up a notch.

2018 Church Communication Events

• Jan. 12 – Academy of Church Leadership – Chicago
• Jan. 23-25 – That Church Summit – online
• Feb. 9-10 – Can You Hear Me Now: A Social Media Ministry Workshop – Detroit
• Feb. 14-15 – Creative Church Conference – Dallas
• Feb. 26-March 1 – Exponential Conference – Orlando, Fla.
• March 5 – Jumpstart – Vancouver, Canada
• April 11-13 – Q Conference – Nashville, Tenn.
• April 12-13 – Catalyst West – Orange County, Calif.
• April 19-20 – The Big Idea Conference – Nashville, Tenn.
• April 25-27 – The Orange Conference – Atlanta
• May 1-3 – First Impressions Conference – online
• May 18-25 – Creative Missions – Calgary, Alberta, Canada
• May 29-June 1 – Ideas to Impact Conference – Orlando, Fla.
• July 18-20 – Saddleback Church Communications Summit – San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
• Aug. 9-10 – Global Leadership Summit – Chicago & 600+ satellite locations
• Sept. 10-11 – Exponential Regional – Washington, D.C.
• Sept. 20-21 – STORY – Nashville, Tenn.
• Sept. 25-26 – That Church Conference – Atlanta
• Oct. 2-4 – Exponential Regional – Los Angeles
• Oct. 4-5 – Catalyst – Atlanta
• Oct. 10-12 – Salt – Nashville, Tenn.
• Oct. 22-23 – Exponential Regional – Bay Area
• Oct. 24-25 – Exponential Regional – Houston
• Nov. 6-7 – Exponential Regional – Chicago
• Nov. 13-15 – WFX Conference – Orlando, Fla.

(Have we missed any events? Let us know.)

Event Discounts

Discounts? Yes, please. We’ve got discounts for several church communication events in 2018, but they’re for Courageous Storytellers members only. Yes, membership does have benefits. Join now to get discounts for:

• Saddleback Church Communications Summit
• STORY
• That Church Conference

Our Courageous Storytellers membership site is for church communicators looking for help. We love giving our members a leg up, and attending an event is a great way to do just that.

Creative Missions

We should also point out that Creative Missions is no mere church communication event. It’s a missions trip where creative professionals get to put their skills to work helping churches communicate better.

Check out 25 things one Creative Missions participant learned last year.

Local Meetups

If all these church communication events sound awesome but your budget is not quite there, consider checking out local meetups. It’s a way to connect with local church communicators. You’ll probably get more coffee and commiseration than keynotes and classes, but that’s helpful too.

If there’s not an active meetup in your area (which is the case in most places), start your own. Where two or three are gathered, right?

Digital Meetups

OK, we get it. Not everybody is able or willing to meet in person. Sometimes you just don’t have time/budget/energy/whatever for that.

But there are a lot of active digital communities popping up these days. You can connect with people online, ask questions, share stories, and get that same feeling that you’re not in this alone.

• Courageous Storytellers (for members only; join now)
• Church Communications
• Church Communication Strategies
• Church Social Media Managers
• Small Church Communication
• Large Church Communication

And there are lots more online communities. Search for one where you can find the connection you need.

Whether you plan a trip or you connect with locals or meet online, get out there this year and meet some fellow church communicators. You’re not alone.