Featured Member of the Week: Owen Scott

Name: Owen Scott

Where do you serve, what is your title and how long have you served there? Alliance Community Church, 4 years, currently in transition.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t go to church? I do all the internet things. And the youth things.

What were some of the things that you experienced that shaped the way you approach your work? The Church Communications group has been so formative for me. It helped me find resources, learn and grow in ways that I never would have otherwise. And really sent my career on a path I didn’t anticipate but has been so good for my soul.

What’s the one thing you wish people knew about your job? The hustle. It never stops with Communications, and most people don’t see it. And that’s okay, but it. never. stops.

What is the one tool for your job that you can’t live without and why? Photoshop. If I could breathe, eat, and drink Photoshop I would.

What is the biggest mistake that you see churches making when it comes to communications and marketing? Invitation spam and poverty porn.

Invitation spamming where we don’t realize that the things we’re communicating are actually asks. We think telling people about a free event we’re doing is a “give” but it’s actually an ask. We need to communicate more genuine gives, providing actual value.

And poverty porn. We need to learn how to tell the stories of the under-resourced and marginalized in ways that honor and lift them up, rather than exploiting their stories for emotional gain. It’s incredibly convoluted and tricky, but we’ve got to do better in this. The people we serve internationally are already exploited in so many ways, we don’t need to exploit their stories.

Who is someone that you look to up in the church communications world? Joe Cavazos. He will hate that I’m mentioning him, but he’s the sleeper car of the Church design world. There may be some other designers that have a slightly higher skill set, but Joe consistently is on point producing an immense amount of high-quality design. And he’s an inconspicuous trendsetter. Joe will design something and a few weeks later all the creative church accounts and agencies are following the trend without even realizing where it comes from. And he’s got THE biggest heart in the industry. Love that guy!