What’s your name?
Debbie Grear
Where do you serve, what is your title, and how long have you served there?
Longview Heights Baptist Church, Director of Communications (1 year as Dir. of Comms, 16 years as Associate Music Director)
How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t go to church?
I manage digital and print media including social media channels, website, publicity, brand management, photo and video production, and more.
What were some of the things that you experienced that shaped the way you approach your work?
This role was suddenly thrust upon me at the beginning of the Covid crisis. I had been informally doing some of the related tasks, but our church had never had a comms director before this. It has been the most challenging yet rewarding experience of my life. I have grown more as a person and a leader in the past year than I ever did in the 16 years prior. I have an incredibly supportive lead pastor and leadership team who have encouraged and supported me through all of this. Also, the John Maxwell Leadership Podcast has been one of the greatest resources to aid in my personal and leadership development.
What’s the one thing you wish people knew about your job?
Suggesting that I “just make a video” is much more involved than one would think, especially for my enneagram 3-ness. 😉
What is the one tool for your job that you can’t live without, and why?
We hired a small, local graphics firm to help with our brand launch, new website build, and ongoing content creation. Graphics is not my strongest area. I lean heavily on these guys to keep us moving in the right direction.
What is the biggest mistake that you see churches making when it comes to communications and marketing?
Only ever posting graphics and never posting any real-life photos or videos of real-life happening around the church family. This used to be us. We are getting better, but still have room for improvement.
Who is someone that you look up to in the church communications world?
Katie & Kenny of Course, but also Ryan Wakefield of Church Marketing University.
You are right, Debbie. It is truly important for churches to learn to put out balanced content of graphics and real-life photos & videos. We also admire how you were able to take on a whole new responsibility when the pandemic hit. Keep up the great work!
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