Creative Bites
92 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsThe Creative Bites podcast is focused on helping pastors and creatives understand each other better so they can serve their church better. Join me as I break down Church Communication into bit sized ideas so you spend less time worrying about comm and more time ministering to your congregation.
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Episodes
The Final Episode
August 22, 2022 14:00 - 10 minutes - 7.21 MBThis is it friends! The end of an era. Thank you so much for joining me along the way. If you'd like to join me as I continue to podcast about Leading Healthy Creative Teams, I'd LOVE to have you. http://lunchtimeheroes.co/podcast All previous podcast content will be removed at the end of September, so if there are episodes you want to keep, download them before them. I also have an archive, so feel free to contact me through the Lunchtime Heroes website.
Why Does Comm Create So Much Tension?
May 02, 2022 09:00 - 18 minutes - 13 MBCreative solutions are often most powerful because of the tension they create. But rarely does a speaker want to leave their audience in a prolonged state of tension. So how can we resolve this?
Hot Takes! What Should You Hire First - A Graphic Designer or Communications Director
April 18, 2022 10:00 - 23 minutes - 16.2 MBMatt and Aaron discuss the different things you get when you hire a Graphic Designer or a Communications Director for your ministry. Which should you hire first? Well, it depends. What do you think? Which hire fits best for your ministry?
What is Good Graphic Design?
April 04, 2022 10:00 - 22 minutes - 15.5 MBIs graphic design really a preference driven industry? Is there such a thing as objectively "good" graphic design? In this episode of the Creative Bites podcast, I talk through that topic. I also provide tips for both pastors and designer to have meaningful conversations about the work that is being produced.
Schedule Change (and an Online Course Announcement)
March 21, 2022 18:00 - 13 minutes - 9.31 MBI wanted to update you on the new schedule for the Creative Bites Podcast. I'm moving it to every other week instead of weekly. I also wanted to share two new resources I've created for anyone spending time doing graphic design as part of their job. The first is a free bundle called: 3 Design Secrets that Will Save Ministry Leaders Hours of Time. In order to get done the workload assigned to me early in my career, I had to develop some strategies to make myself dramatically more efficient....
Hot Takes! Should Social Media Live with the Communications Team or the Pastoral Team?
March 14, 2022 10:00 - 32 minutes - 22.2 MBAs the potential of online ministry becomes more and more clear, should social media move outside of the Communications team and under pastoral leadership instead? Matt and Aaron discuss the pros and cons of each approach.
How to Avoid Getting Overwhelmed with Innovation in Your Church
March 07, 2022 11:00 - 16 minutes - 11.3 MBThe promise innovation never seems to stop. Worse, if you aren't running on the treadmill of what's next, you are declared (by some) to be missing the opportunity of a lifetime. But God is working at His pace and in His way. So how can we balance taking advantage of opportunity while also avoiding becoming overwhelmed?
The Final Episode (Sort Of)
February 17, 2022 19:00 - 16 minutes - 11.4 MBThis is the last episode of the Communicate on Purpose Podcast. What a ride it has been! But the podcasting is going to continue. Here is a bit of the backstory - I've started my own business named Lunchtime Heroes. My goal with it is to help the church communicate clearly effectively, and with integrity. There are two belief that have really stood out to me in my time in ministry. Pastors need to spend their time pastoring people, not managing details. Pastors and comm people need to b...
Navigating Organizational Fear
September 20, 2021 13:00 - 13 minutes - 9.57 MBOne of the most effective ways to implement change in your organization is by building the next solution before you remove the previous one. People rely on the tools you create and the way you communicate. If you transition between tools too suddenly, you stoke fear. But beyond that transition, fear expresses itself in many ways. The communications role has a unique seat to see much of it, and to help others have more peace than they would have otherwise.
You Can Define Success
September 13, 2021 14:00 - 16 minutes - 11.1 MBIn the church and non profit space, we are told to be on board with the mission or get off the bus. This is a dangerous message. It adds stress to our lives, and it ultimately leads to division - more division than we realize. In order for you to be effective in your role, you need to keep balance between all the different responsibilities in your life.
Project Stress vs. People Stress
September 06, 2021 14:00 - 13 minutes - 9.3 MBJobs in the creative industry tend to be pretty high stress. They involve complicated work, tight deadlines, and high pressure clients looking for results. As you spend time in the industry, you develop skills to handle the stress, learn tactics to help get work done, and gain perspective that every emergency isn’t yours. As you excel in the execution, there is a good chance you’ll be given the opportunity to lead people. People stress is different. All the tricks you learned to navigate pr...
You Aren’t The Only Communicator on Staff
August 30, 2021 11:00 - 9 minutes - 6.26 MBThis may seem like a silly realization, but for many years I thought of myself as the communication expert for the organization. I was hired into the communications role, therefore I was supposed to be the final authority on all things communication. The problem, however, is that nearly everyone on a church staff is a communicator. Every department is broadcasting a message. It varies wildly, but emails are sent, volunteers are called, messages are preached, announcements are shared. There ...
The Spiritual Leadership Side of Communications
August 23, 2021 10:00 - 12 minutes - 8.5 MBThe communications role is uniquely positioned to see the little areas where those in your ministry lose sight of what they believe. They announce confidently that God is in charge, but they get frustrated when your promotional strategy isn't yielding the results they want. Obviously we need to be doing our due diligence in our trade, but we also need to be modeling faith even in these little things.
How You Get 'Em is How You Keep 'Em
August 16, 2021 10:00 - 16 minutes - 11.3 MBBeware of how much you are willing to do to get people's attention. While major campaigns aren't always a bad thing, they can create an unsustainable pace. When you stop, people leave - often citing completely different reasons.
When You Are The Target Audience
August 09, 2021 10:00 - 11 minutes - 7.66 MBThere are times in ministry where you are the target audience for a product. While its great that companies are building products for ministry, the sales pitch rarely includes all the factors you need to consider when making a decision. Don't let the bells and whistles keep from looking at the bigger picture!
Innovate for Purpose
August 02, 2021 11:00 - 11 minutes - 8.1 MBIt doesn’t really matter how you feel about technology and innovation. It’s coming regardless of our opinion. But that doesn’t mean we should adopt every change that happens into our ministries. In fact, those that find themselves on the bleeding edge of adoption tend to spend a lot of money and time on things that ultimately don’t stick long term. I’ve been through my fair share of battles around adopting specific innovation tools and I’ve learned that none of them are critical right out o...
Manage Reality
July 26, 2021 11:00 - 10 minutes - 6.92 MBFor years I fought last minute projects. I asked for projects to be submitted two weeks early. Then three weeks. At one point I think I tried one month. Nothing was working and I was frustrated. Inadvertently, the only thing I was doing by asking for more time was making each request seem even later than it already was. I had created a doom loop of sorts. The only way the ministry teams could win with me is if they planned further out. But you know what my rules weren’t doing? Actually c...
What is Effective Communication?
July 19, 2021 11:00 - 10 minutes - 7.25 MBEffective communication moves people in a good direction for them, and it does so with integrity. When you evaluate the effectiveness of your work, look closely at if people are moving. If they aren't, why not? Remember that you are not responsible for changing people's hearts and that you can't force movement. Subscribe to the podcast: https://www.mcurtis.co/podcast Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL53TW6HOlOFAxqem-bc8fETwjWcEjcMZ5
Welcome to Season 3
July 12, 2021 11:00 - 11 minutes - 7.61 MBJoin me this season on the Communicate on Purpose Podcast as I share lessons I've learned over the years serving in the communications role in the Church. Now that I've stepped out of a communications role in my career, I feel like I need to close the book on that chapter somehow. I began writing what may eventually turn into a book, but it doesn't feel like the right time to build that yet. First I want to work through the ideas with you. Welcome to season 3! In this episode: Curse of Kn...
How to Deal with Someone Else’s Problem | s2ep10
April 13, 2020 11:00 - 11 minutes - 7.59 MBThis week I want to talk about how to handle other people’s problems. As our world has been turned upside-down nearly over night, a lot of people are struggling. In a lot of ways we are experiencing an exaggerated response to change that has happened too quickly. As we walk through this pandemic, we can learn a lot about how people respond to change. We can’t know all the different ways people respond to change. There are simply too many variables. But we can hone our ability to be compa...
Dealing with Stress | s2ep9
April 06, 2020 07:00 - 20 minutes - 14 MBThe COVID-19 pandemic is a great time for us as people to negotiate stress in a way that we likely haven’t had to before. I want to talk through a technique I put into practice recently that has helped me apply God’s Word in a way I haven’t before. If you’ve been listening for a while, you know that I believe all need in life, business, and organizational leadership is found in God’s Word. And that the principles of wisdom we find in business books are actually references to truths found i...
You Can't Do This Alone | s2ep8
March 30, 2020 12:00 - 7 minutes - 5.38 MBDuring a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, we begin to see what is most important. In this episode of reflection, I want to encourage you to think about what you are missing. What matters to you? How can you build that into the next season of life you live when things return to normal?
Shifting Your Perspective to Make Others Better | s2ep7
February 24, 2020 13:00 - 18 minutes - 12.8 MBWhat is it? Focus on creating a environment that stimulates growth. Why is it important? Wanting to grow isn’t the same as actually growing. There are a lot of conditions that need to exist for healthy growth to happen, and those conditions don’t happen randomly How do you do it? Let people jump in Learning is messy. If you don’t let people jump in until they are ready, then you’ll never let people jump in. If they never jump in, they’ll never learn. If they never learn, they’ll never ...
Shifting Your Perspective to Your Unique Role | s2ep6
February 17, 2020 13:00 - 12 minutes - 8.39 MBWhat is it? What is it that you are uniquely best at? Are you a high caliber executor? Are you a developer of people? Are you a teacher and communicator of God’s word? What is the most impactful thing you bring to a team? What are you uniquely gifted or skilled at? Why is it important? As you look toward stepping up into a leadership role, you are choosing to say yes to some responsibilities, and no to others. You want to start understanding better what things you should do, and what t...
Shift Your Perspective To Capital C Church | s2ep5
February 10, 2020 09:00 - 7 minutes - 4.97 MBWhat is it? Understanding that you don’t work for A church, you work for THE Church. Why is it important? If you lose this perspective: You will be mad when people leave your team You won’t trust new people for a while You’ll view other churches in your area as competition. You won’t be willing to invest in others How do you do it? Ultimately you have to accept that ministry success is completely up to God, not you. Spend time learning more about who God is. Spend time reading ...
Shift Your Perspective About Problems | s2ep4
February 03, 2020 11:00 - 9 minutes - 6.74 MBWhat is it? How you discuss problems in your organization matters. Why is it important? Calling out the wrong things in the wrong ways can cause frustration. The four things I see elevated often are: Starting with complaints: "I didn’t like this." Starting with symptoms: "It seems like we keep getting behind on projects from a specific leader." Starting with problems: "This is broken." Starting with solutions: "I think we could solve this by doing something differently." How to ...
Shifting to a New Mindset | s2ep3
December 16, 2019 06:00 - 23 minutes - 16 MBThis week we are going to talk through a couple ways your mindset needs to shift as you take on more leadership responsibility. These may look different depending on the role you are aspiring toward, but these are new challenges you should be anticipating: Helping others grow safely Growing others while growing yourself Leading out of turmoil yourself Setting others up for success Taking their criticism on your chin Three important mindset shifts: God isn’t just providing to you,...
A Conversation about Circumstance with Amy Curtis | s2ep2
December 09, 2019 09:00 - 30 minutes - 20.8 MBIn this week's episode, I wanted to share a conversation I had with my wife, Amy Curtis. Circumstances are often things used by God to "order our steps". Amy provides insight and encouragement for those times in life where our plans and the steps God is ordering don't seem to line up the way we think they should.
Finding Your Calling | s2ep1
December 02, 2019 09:00 - 28 minutes - 19.6 MBProverbs 16:9 The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. The call to Christian living is the foundation of effective ministry–regardless of vocation. If you want to learn more about your calling as a Christ follower, spend more time in God’s word. If you are stuck on a starting point, read the Sermon on the Mount in Mathew 5-7. There you will find a great overview of what Christ has called every single Christ follower to. If you have ambitions to be in vocational min...
The Power of the Pivot
November 25, 2019 03:00 - 18 minutes - 12.4 MB5 things that can help you know when change is needed and actually change. Information Helps You Change Trust Your Gut When Passion is Dying, Pause and Listen Seek Trusted Counsel Let Your Creation Live It’s Life The Courage to Change Season 2 starts next week!
Heart Check: The Assuming Heart | ep30
November 01, 2019 08:00 - 29 minutes - 20 MBThe assuming heart is particularly dangerous because of its tendency to scale in damage. We are too impatient to learn the truth We are scared to address a disagreement We are angry about something else (related or unrelated) We are lazy Where The Assuming Heart typically gets us into trouble is when we make assumptions about the motivations of others. Here are three phases of The Assuming Heart that I have seen. Each of them scale in damage, so our goal is to shut down our assumption...
Heart Check: The Assuming Heart
November 01, 2019 08:00 - 29 minutes - 20 MBThe assuming heart is particularly dangerous because of its tendency to scale in damage. We are too impatient to learn the truth We are scared to address a disagreement We are angry about something else (related or unrelated) We are lazy Where The Assuming Heart typically gets us into trouble is when we make assumptions about the motivations of others. Here are three phases of The Assuming Heart that I have seen. Each of them scale in damage, so our goal is to shut down our assumption...
Heart Check: The Overcommitted Heart
October 25, 2019 08:00 - 18 minutes - 13 MBYou have things that you have made a commitment to. And many of those are very important. Don’t let them become too important. This week, I want to look at the life of Moses in hopes of helping us recalibrate how committed we are to things in our life. Exodus 18:13-23 You can’t always see that you are overcommitted on your own. Don’t be frustrated when everyone can’t help at the same level. Moses wasn’t the only one capable, and neither are you. When you hear advice, pray about it. ...
Heart Check: The Overcommitted Heart | ep 29
October 25, 2019 08:00 - 18 minutes - 13 MBYou have things that you have made a commitment to. And many of those are very important. Don’t let them become too important. This week, I want to look at the life of Moses in hopes of helping us recalibrate how committed we are to things in our life. Exodus 18:13-23 You can’t always see that you are overcommitted on your own. Don’t be frustrated when everyone can’t help at the same level. Moses wasn’t the only one capable, and neither are you. When you hear advice, pray about it. ...
Heart Check: The Dejected Heart | ep 28
October 04, 2019 09:00 - 21 minutes - 14.8 MBHave you ever had a day at work that left you dejected? Maybe you were turned down for a promotion, or maybe your idea didn’t get approved. Or maybe there was tension on the team that you were a part of. Maybe you made a mistake that cost the organization money. Whatever the situation, it left you down. For me personally, these things come in waves. I have seasons where it seems like I just keep getting lower and lower. As those seasons come, and they will, we can find ourself with A Dejec...
Heart Check: The Dejected Heart
October 04, 2019 09:00 - 21 minutes - 14.8 MBHave you ever had a day at work that left you dejected? Maybe you were turned down for a promotion, or maybe your idea didn’t get approved. Or maybe there was tension on the team that you were a part of. Maybe you made a mistake that cost the organization money. Whatever the situation, it left you down. For me personally, these things come in waves. I have seasons where it seems like I just keep getting lower and lower. As those seasons come, and they will, we can find ourself with A Dejec...
Heart Check: The Doubting Heart | ep 27
September 27, 2019 09:00 - 21 minutes - 14.7 MBThere are 3 things I think we forget when we doubt. In order to look at these doubt, I’m want to to start with what is true, and unpack some of the ways these our doubt expresses itself. 1. We forget who is building the church Matthew 16:18 2. We want our our way Isaiah 55:8 Job 38:4-7 3. We want the entire plan Genesis 22:1-18 God’s plan doesn’t always make sense to us. So often we have these plans in our mind that are so nice and tidy. What a wonderful roadmap! That isn’t usually w...
Heart Check: The Doubting Heart
September 27, 2019 09:00 - 21 minutes - 14.7 MBThere are 3 things I think we forget when we doubt. In order to look at these doubt, I’m want to to start with what is true, and unpack some of the ways these our doubt expresses itself. 1. We forget who is building the church Matthew 16:18 2. We want our our way Isaiah 55:8 Job 38:4-7 3. We want the entire plan Genesis 22:1-18 God’s plan doesn’t always make sense to us. So often we have these plans in our mind that are so nice and tidy. What a wonderful roadmap! That isn’t usually w...
Heart Check: The Distracted Heart | ep26
September 20, 2019 09:00 - 22 minutes - 15.7 MBDistraction is nearly unidentifiable in the moment, but it has incredibly far reaching consequences. It looks different for different people, but it has the same result - it pulls you away from what is important. While distraction shows itself in a lot of different way, I want to focus on four signs of a Distracted Heart, and then look at what we can do about it. We are usually battling against distractions in our personal lives because it can help us avoid folding our laundry or fixing tha...
Heart Check: The Distracted Heart
September 20, 2019 09:00 - 22 minutes - 15.7 MBDistraction is nearly unidentifiable in the moment, but it has incredibly far reaching consequences. It looks different for different people, but it has the same result - it pulls you away from what is important. While distraction shows itself in a lot of different way, I want to focus on four signs of a Distracted Heart, and then look at what we can do about it. We are usually battling against distractions in our personal lives because it can help us avoid folding our laundry or fixing tha...
Heart Check: The Divisive Heart | ep25
September 13, 2019 09:00 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MBScripture is clear about the importance of unity in the body of Christ, but our sinful nature drives us toward disunity. Like all of these heart issues, they aren’t always clear to us, so let’s look through some of the indicators that can help us see The Divisive Heart expressed through our work. You care more about your roadmap than the mission You major on the minors You forget what is at stake You become frustrated that people are getting in the way of your systems. Have you ever bee...
Heart Check: The Divisive Heart
September 13, 2019 09:00 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MBScripture is clear about the importance of unity in the body of Christ, but our sinful nature drives us toward disunity. Like all of these heart issues, they aren’t always clear to us, so let’s look through some of the indicators that can help us see The Divisive Heart expressed through our work. You care more about your roadmap than the mission You major on the minors You forget what is at stake You become frustrated that people are getting in the way of your systems. Have you ever bee...
Heart Check: The Critical Heart | ep 24
September 06, 2019 09:00 - 22 minutes - 15.8 MBSigns of a critical heart: You aren’t happy for someone else You assume any decision leadership makes is a bad one You are quick to become angry about everything You spend your time tearing others down Does any of this sound familiar? Can you see any of this fruit in your life? In a way, I want to encourage you that it probably will at some point. And really, the good news is that these things can change. If this is where you find yourself, it doesn’t mean you are stuck here forever. H...
Heart Check: The Critical Heart
September 06, 2019 09:00 - 22 minutes - 15.8 MBSigns of a critical heart: You aren’t happy for someone else You assume any decision leadership makes is a bad one You are quick to become angry about everything You spend your time tearing others down Does any of this sound familiar? Can you see any of this fruit in your life? In a way, I want to encourage you that it probably will at some point. And really, the good news is that these things can change. If this is where you find yourself, it doesn’t mean you are stuck here forever. H...
Change Your Perspective | ep23
August 30, 2019 09:00 - 8 minutes - 5.85 MBIf you left your job today, what would situation are you leaving behind? Have you made it better? Have you been a positive contributor, or an expectant consumer? 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, [a]he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himse...
Clarity Tools: The Responsibility Matrix
August 23, 2019 13:00 - 21 minutes - 15.1 MBSome of the tools in this series might be difficult to visualize in your mind, so I’ve put together examples of each tool that you can use in your context on my website. Head to mcurtis.co/clarity to find worksheets and examples. What is a Responsibility Matrix? It defines who is responsible for various parts of a project. You may have heard of a RACI. That is perhaps the most well known of the responsibility matrixes. In my opinion, there is one that is better suited to the church space ...
Clarity Tools: The Responsibility Matrix | ep22
August 23, 2019 13:00 - 21 minutes - 15.1 MBSome of the tools in this series might be difficult to visualize in your mind, so I’ve put together examples of each tool that you can use in your context on my website. Head to mcurtis.co/clarity to find worksheets and examples. What is a Responsibility Matrix? It defines who is responsible for various parts of a project. You may have heard of a RACI. That is perhaps the most well known of the responsibility matrixes. In my opinion, there is one that is better suited to the church space ...
Clarity Tools: Eisenhower Box | ep21
August 16, 2019 09:00 - 11 minutes - 8.11 MBSome of the tools in this series might be difficult to visualize in your mind, so I’ve put together examples of each tool that you can use in your context on my website. Head to mcurtis.co/clarity to find worksheets for each tool as each episode is released. What is the Eisenhower Box? A simple structure that helps you understand the urgency and importance of each task on your list The basic analysis is broken into four categories Urgent and Important: Stuff you should get done right aw...
Clarity Tools: Eisenhower Box
August 16, 2019 09:00 - 11 minutes - 8.11 MBSome of the tools in this series might be difficult to visualize in your mind, so I’ve put together examples of each tool that you can use in your context on my website. Head to mcurtis.co/clarity to find worksheets for each tool as each episode is released. What is the Eisenhower Box? A simple structure that helps you understand the urgency and importance of each task on your list The basic analysis is broken into four categories Urgent and Important: Stuff you should get done right aw...
Clarity Tools: PEST Analysis | ep20
August 09, 2019 09:00 - 21 minutes - 15 MBThis week, we continue our Tools for Clarity series by looking at the PEST analysis. Some of the tools in this series might be difficult to visualize in your mind, so I’ve put together examples of each tool that you can use in your context on my website. Head to mcurtis.co/clarity to find worksheets for each tool as each episode is released. What is a PEST Analysis a formalized way of thinking through different parts of your organization The basic analysis is broken into four categories ...