Something Just For Church Communicators

Steve Fogg has a heart for church communicators. This is obvious by just looking at the topics on his blog. Not only are many of his posts written specifically for the church communicator, on Thursday, February 12, he is launching a brand new live Twitter feed that will cover everything a church communicator cares about; ranging from the professional: preparing for Christmas and Easter, to the personal: self-development and self care. Fogg is currently the Communications Pastor at Crossway Baptist in Melbourne, Australia and formerly held jobs as a creative director and graphic designer. 

His new Twitter feed, #CMSChat, is a part of Church Marketing Sucks and will be every Thursday at  9 p.m. Eastern | 8 p.m. Central | 6 p.m. Pacific | 1 p.m. Friday in Australia.

To kick off his new Twitter chat, we asked Steve a couple of questions about it and his life:

MonkDev: I’ve read that you have a “burden” for church communicators. Can you explain that to our audience? How did that lead to the partnership with Church Marketing Sucks and now the live Twitter chat?

Steve Fogg: When I moved roles from a Creative Director in the creative services industry to a church communications role here in Australia, I felt like I was stranded on a deserted island all by myself. Since then, I’ve had to work hard locally and online to connect with the community. I now feel a sense of responsibility and I have a heart to help others. They remind me of myself back when I started as a church communicator and I want to help them find their place among this community. It’s not just about a person’s social placing, I blog because I want to help those who need some peer support with their strategy and tactics.

The Twitter #cmschat is an extension of that open hand for others. People normally have to attend a seminar or conference to connect or learn from others. Here’s an easy opportunity to get to know others and learn. For free. I pitched the idea last year with the team at Church Marketing Sucks and I’m pleased that we can do this.

MD: What are you most excited about related to the chat?

SF: I’m most excited that disconnected folks will find connection amongst their peers. Whether you are connected or not, we will all learn from each other. We are all experts at something and can take insights away from one another to put into practice in our own space.

MD: Can you share a story of how your blog has been able to help church communicators?

SF: It’s been amazing to be honest. People who I’ve never met come and tell me how my blog has helped them in what they do. Just in the last week a person starting out in another city in Australia contacted me and asked me to help him get started, because they found my blog. How cool is that? Others have taken away the tactics and strategy I’ve written about on my blog and implemented them. Afterwards, they contacted me thanking me for helping them do better. I particularly love it when they express it with a sense of surprise because it actually worked!

MD: That’s great! Now, I have an offbeat question for you. You’re from Melbourne, Australia and claim to live in the most liveable city in the world. What does that mean to you? And what’s something everyone must do when they visit your city?

SF: I was born in England and emigrated to Australia in my early twenties. Melbourne is simply a lovely city to live in. Low crime rate, dry hot summers, mild winters, good education, amazing cafes, top wine region and scenery. It is tree lined and still a young city, the coffee culture here is the best I’ve encountered. If someone was to come and visit Melbourne I would say to explore the food culture which is very good and also see more of the state, especially The Great Ocean Road, which is in my opinion some of the most stunning scenic driving you'll ever do.

MD: Okay, one last question. One year from now, what do you hope people take away from your church communications Twitter chat?

SF: I hope they have a sense of community and honing of their specific craft not constrained by geography or budget. No matter what denomination or church size you are from, there will be a nugget of gold for you to take away.

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