Podcast Notes

From Order Taker to Influencer:
How Church Communicators Can Earn a Seat at the Leadership Table

If you work in church communications, you may know the feeling of being the last one in the room and the first one to get a request. Make the graphic. Cut the video. Fix the mic. It can feel like a never-ending order window. But according to media producer, author, and consultant Phil Cooke, that doesn’t have to be the story. In the most effective churches, the communications director is often the second most influential voice in the entire organization. In this episode, Phil joins hosts Jason Hamrock and Bart Blair to talk about why that elevation matters, what pastors are leaving on the table when they keep their comms team in a purely tactical lane, and the practical steps communicators can take to shift the perception and earn a strategic role.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why so many church communications directors are stuck in “order taker” mode and how it happens
• What the most effective churches do differently when it comes to their comms team
• How to lead from the middle without alienating the people above you
• The people skills that matter more than your technical skills
• Phil’s four practical steps for elevating your role in the eyes of your pastor and leadership team
• What pastors and executive pastors need to understand about their communications directors
• Why the comms director is really a translator, getting the pastor’s message to the people it needs to reach

Key Insights from Phil Cooke

Get on the pastor’s wavelength, not the other way around.
Pastors don’t think in terms of VU meters and video levels. They think in terms of evangelism, harvest, and church growth. Phil’s advice: start speaking their language, and they’ll start seeing you as a strategic partner.
You can lead from the middle.
You don’t need a title or a corner office to have influence. Phil shares how he learned early in his career to lead from wherever he was in the organizational chart, doing it sensitively and sometimes behind the scenes, in ways that made the people above him look great.
People skills beat technical skills every time.
Phil is direct about this: your ability to get along with people, inspire coworkers, and read a room will accelerate your career far more than any software or equipment upgrade ever will.
Pastors need to give their comms team a filter, not just more tasks.
Without clear priorities, comms teams get buried in requests from every ministry in the building. Phil explains why giving the communications director the authority to triage and filter requests is one of the most practical things a pastor can do for their team and for themselves.
Your calling is just as important as the pastor’s calling.
Phil makes the case clearly: communications and media people are not support staff. They are the interpreters who take the pastor’s message and get it to thousands, sometimes millions, of people who would never walk through the church doors.

Phil’s 4 Steps to Elevating Your Role

• Know the pastor’s vision better than anyone else at the church. Study it. Ask about it. Understand where he has been and where he is going.
• Focus on story, not equipment. Worry less about the newest camera or software. Worry more about how to tell the story of the church and get the pastor’s message out there.
• Understand today’s culture. Many pastors rely on their comms people to keep a pulse on what’s happening in the world. Read, watch, and study so you can be that trusted resource.
• Learn to lead creative people. As your role grows, you will manage a team. Knowing how to motivate and inspire creative people is one of the most valuable skills you can develop.

About Phil Cooke

Phil Cooke is a media producer, author, and consultant who has spent decades helping churches and ministries tell their stories more effectively. He and his wife Kathleen lead Cooke Media Group, whose work spans television programs, Super Bowl commercials, and global ministry productions. Phil is also a prolific author and speaker whose books include Maximize Your Influence: How to Use Digital Media to Expand Your Reach. He will be the keynote speaker at the Church Communications Conference in Kansas City, September 23-25. Visit Phil at philcooke.com or learn more about his team at cookemediagroup.com.
Follow Phil on social: @PhilCooke on Instagram and X (Twitter)
Church Communications Conference
Phil will be the keynote speaker at the Church Communications Conference, happening September 23-25 in Kansas City. This is a gathering built specifically for church communications directors, media directors, and ministry leaders who want to grow in their craft and their influence. Find all the details and register at churchcommunications.com.
Previous Episodes with Phil Cooke
How Digital Media and a Global Pandemic Are Shaking Up the Local Church
Ideas on a Deadline
Protect Your Church During a Crisis

Resources Mentioned

• Maximize Your Influence by Phil Cooke — written for comms directors, media directors, and pastors who want to understand the why behind digital media strategy
• The Six Working Geniuses by Patrick Lencioni — recommended by Jason for understanding team dynamics and communication styles