I’ve advised and consulted with so many churches and ministries over the years that I often think I’ve seen it all. But whenever that happens, something new always pops up. One time, I watched a pastor berate his communications team for not “capturing his good side” in their photos and social media posts. Another time, a ministry leader screamed at his production team for leaving dark shadows under his eyes.
Photo by René Ranisch via Unsplash+
I was actually hired by one major ministry leader for casually commenting that I thought his media crew could film him in a more flattering way. He pointed at me and said to his team, “Whatever that guy costs, we’re hiring him!”
Needless to say, that relationship didn’t last long.
Now don’t get me wrong. I want all pastors, evangelists, and ministry leaders to put their best foot forward for every media outreach. In today’s distracted, cluttered culture, people decide in seconds — so every video, social media post, or other outreach needs to grab attention and make its point with clarity and conviction.
That means presenting the pastor, leader, or host confidently and positively. Sometimes that means better lighting, no slouching, watch the shadows, and for goodness sake, smile a little!
It also means encouraging that leader or host. A national media ministry invited me to direct a series of television programs, and on the first day in the studio we filmed the ministry leader introducing the series. Afterward, I simply told him, “That was terrific. Really well done.” The ministry leader looked stunned and said, “Wait a second. I’ve been filming in this studio for more than 10 years, and this is the first time anyone on the crew gave me any encouragement or compliment.” He was so pumped; we sailed through the rest of the filming.
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So yes, being featured in video, social media, or TV programming of any kind is difficult, and we always need to support men and women sharing the gospel through those platforms.
But over the years I’ve also seen too many church communications and media teams quietly drift into becoming personal PR departments for the senior pastor. Every decision gets filtered through one question: How does this make the leader look? That’s the wrong question.
The real question is: Does this help people understand why we exist?
Healthy ministries put the mission ahead of the personality. Strong leaders know that their role is to serve the mission, not become the mission. When communication revolves around one person, credibility fades, and opportunities to tell life-changing stories get pushed aside.
The best communications directors spend more time finding stories of transformed lives than creating promotional pieces. Those stories remind people why the ministry matters. They build trust in ways no polished headshot or platform announcement ever will.
I’ve also noticed something about the healthiest organizations. Their communications leader has permission to occasionally tell the pastor, “No.”
No, that announcement doesn’t belong in the service.
No, that video is too long.
No, this message isn’t clear.
That’s not disrespect. That’s leadership.
Creative people bring their greatest value when you invite them into strategy before you make decisions. They see blind spots, understand audiences, and know how people receive information.
Treat them as trusted advisors, not order takers, and your communication will become clearer, stronger, and far more effective.
This article originally appeared at philcooke.com. For more recommendations on sharing the gospel in today’s digital age, check out Phil’s book, “Maximize Your Influence: How to Make Digital Media Work for Your Church, Your Ministry, and You.”