Are you a church communicator feeling stuck? Do you feel isolated in your ministry role? Church Juice's free mentorship program could give you the jumpstart you need.
Through the Church Communications and Marketing Mentorship Program, you could join a select group of like-minded professionals for invaluable training, resources, and, most importantly, a strong and caring support network. Learn from industry experts, collaborate with peers, and gain the support you need to thrive. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to embrace your calling and elevate your church's communication.
As Church Juice launches this new mentorship program, the first cohort will be limited to eight communicators from Canada and the United States. The first five-month cohort runs from August to December 2024.
Interested? We're accepting applications now through Thursday, August 8, 2024.Why a mentorship program?
Look—if you feel overwhelmed, you're not alone; if you have great ideas but feel stuck, you're not alone; and if you feel like nobody understands your role or everything that goes into communicating well, you're not alone.
Or maybe you're just getting started. Or you feel a sudden breath of fresh air breathed into your communications. Or you're excited about the momentum, opportunity, or ideas in your church. Church Juice provides great tools to help you get started, but you may want to narrow in on your skillset to capture that excitement and energy.
Regardless of where you find yourself, Church Juice is here to help with free resources to energize your church's communications. But sometimes, we need more.
To further help provide that jumpstart many communicators need, Church Juice created the Church Communications and Marketing Mentorship Program—or, since churches love acronyms, let's call it CCAAMP (pronounced like you're saying "camp" real slow).
But not really. Please don't actually call it that.
This mentorship program responds to a unique need we hear from communications staff and volunteers: the need to walk alongside peers and experts and to learn and do at the same time.
As part of this purpose-built mentorship program, you'll learn from one another and hear from experts in communications, marketing, and the faith-based space.
Church Juice's producer, Bryan Haley, will guide your five-month program. As a mentor and guide, Bryan will:
- Provide an outside perspective or fresh eyes to help you find creative solutions.
- Encourage and challenge you in your skills and growth.
- Assist you as you consider how to lead, create, implement, and evaluate your church's communication strategies.
- Listen to your ideas and challenges.
How the Church Communications and Marketing Mentorship Program works
The mentorship program is a five-month online learning community offered for free to all participants (a $2,000 value).
Because of the costs and time associated with the program, the number of participants in each five-month cohort is extremely limited. The first cohort takes place August to December 2024 and will include eight participants.
If selected to participate, you'll be in regular contact with your fellow mentors and Bryan (Church Juice's producer). The mentorship program includes monthly content to complete at your own pace, group calls with the whole cohort, and one-on-one time with Bryan. Additionally, the cohort can access an exclusive online community for real-time conversation, sharing, and collaboration.
What to expect from the mentorship program
Introductory call
In the program's first month, you'll meet with Bryan one-on-one. In this virtual meeting, you'll get to know each other and discuss your goals and desired outcomes from the mentorship program.
Monthly training
Each month of the cohort features a different topic, working as building blocks from the previous months. You'll get exclusive access to materials to help you master the topic, including recommended reading, worksheets, and more to help you apply your learning.
Group mentor calls
We'll meet twice each month as a cohort. In these virtual meetings, Bryan or another mentor will provide personalized training for the month's topic, followed by discussion and conversation from the group—a time to share your experience or expertise with the group or to ask for advice and feedback from your peers.
One-on-One calls
Each month, you'll also have the opportunity to schedule a virtual one-on-one meeting with Bryan to discuss anything on your mind—like your progress or concerns, how to apply the content to your context, or how to help you thrive.
Private online community
The cohort will have exclusive access to an online community where they can share ideas, ask questions, and discuss or collaborate in real time.
Core topics covered in the Church Communications and Marketing Mentorship Program
Each month's major topic will help guide the cohort participants toward clarity in their role, including items to implement immediately and set up their church for continued success.
Month 1: Your Foundation
In this first month, we'll focus on articulating your purpose by clarifying your "why." What's your "why?" How do you articulate why you communicate in any part of a strategy? How can excellent communications impact your church?
Month 2: Your Community
After we articulate how to communicate our why, we'll move into helping you know your audience better. If the first month is about "why," the second month is about the "who." Who are you communicating with? Who are you trying to reach in any piece of communication? We'll work to define and understand your congregation and community audiences properly.
Month 3: Your Character
What makes your church, well, your church? How is it different than any other church in your community? In this month's core topic, we'll explore your church's unique character and identify how to craft your distinctive style.
Month 4: Your Messaging
How we communicate is often just as important as what we communicate. Yet, unclear and confusing messaging is a prominent characteristic in many churches. Recognizing the intersection of your church's character and its intended audiences, we'll work to craft compelling messages and clear calls to action for each piece of your strategy.
Month 5: Your Implementation
Now that you have all these concepts, tools, and strategies, we'll work to create an effective communications plan that you can quickly implement, evaluate, and adjust. We'll discuss and consider the platforms, types of content, distribution, a central hub, and more.
Common Questions and Answers
What's the cost?
The program is offered free as a supportive tool to the Church Juice community. But the time and resources to create this program are costly, so we expect that participants be fully invested in the program.
What is the time commitment expectation?
The first cohort will begin in August and end in December. We anticipate that participants will devote about 6-8 hours each month to the mentorship program. Involvement in the mentorship program includes: actively engaging a private online community; scheduled online meeting(s) each month; independent course-style work; regular discussions and meetings with Bryan (the lead mentor and Church Juice's producer) and fellow program participants.
What can I expect?
Our hope is that you will learn creative skills to help you grow in your communicator role, your church communications will have greater clarity because of an expanded toolset, and that you will form meaningful relationships with your peers.
Is this only for Communication Directors?
Your title doesn't matter much, but the program is carefully and purposefully built for the primary person who leads a church's communications and marketing efforts. Ideally, a participant is responsible for marketing decisions and implementations. The mentorship program is designed for a person whose major responsibilities include communication and marketing. Not sure if you fit? Send Bryan and email; let's talk first.
Can others from my church participate with me?
No. The mentorship program cohorts are intentionally limited to a very small group of individuals, and each participant is carefully selected to offer the best experience for everyone involved. If you'd like to host a workshop for your team or communicators in your region, send Bryan an email.
I have a vacation or other trips planned. Will that impact my participation?
We love to encourage working hard and resting well. Plus, you may have already booked your fall vacation or family holiday trip. No worries! We do not expect you to be online, active, and present 100% of the time for the five month cohort. We encourage you to be fully engaged when you are present, entirely offline and disconnected when you're away. Each month, we'll work with the cohort to schedule calls at a time that's as convenient as possible for the participants.