Red Flags In Church Creatives

Hey, it’s Brady,

Recently I got asked: “What traits do you look for in a creative?”

Three came to mind. If you’re lacking in these, it’s a red flag for me. 🚩

Trait #1. The Airport Test ✈️

Would I want to be stuck in an airport with this person? And how might they handle a stressful situation like that?

Simply stated, I want to enjoy the company of the people I’m working with.

Trait #2. Reliability ✅

Not everyone has the same skills. That’s okay! But can you follow through on your commitments? Are you trustworthy?

Let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’  and your ‘no’ be ‘no’.

Trait #3. Problem Solving 🤔

Every creative project comes with a slew of problems that need solving. So it’s not just about your skills. It’s about your ability to apply your skills even as things change.

There’s also a difference between problem identifying and problem solving. Because we all know the person that’s quick to point out the issue without proposing any solutions. 😑

I will say…

Some of my favorite creatives to work with are the ‘worker bee’ types. Perhaps not the best problem solvers. But their motors are unmatched.

You give them a task and a system and they just attack it.

Every creative team needs a little bit of that.

What about you? What are your red flags in a church creative? Let me know in a reply to this email. I’d love to hear from you.

Church Social Media Post Of The Week

A few days ago I got this DM from @goodnewschapelmtl on Instagram:

A few very important observations from this DM:

• It took two weeks before this Instagram Reel exploded: Delayed virality is very common nowadays

• One post doubled this churches followers in 72 hours: From 3,660 to 7,650 in 3 days.

Here’s the post that went viral for this church:

Here’s what I like about this post and part of what contributed to its success:

• It’s short: The video itself is only about 4 seconds long. Why does this matter? Because it takes more than 4 seconds to read the text on the screen. Meaning, people are watching the Reel multiple times while they read the text. This sends a positive signal to Instagram. Here’s how I did this same thing on a recent Reel of mine.

• It’s scannable: The text is neatly formatted making it easy for your eyes to scan.

• It’s provocative: Did you catch that punchline at the end? Spicy🌶️

Debating Hot Takes About The Future Of Church

Recently, I asked you all on Instagram to share your hot takes about the future of church. So on this week’s podcast, we're debating what you sent in.

Alex and I debate each other. More importantly, we debate you.

Thanks as always for your time, attention, and trust. Talk to you next Thursday. - Brady Shearer