Jeff Miller has served as the staff graphic designer for Traders Point Christian Church in Indianapolis, Ind. for just over a year. Prior to that, he volunteered in the communications ministry. MinistryCOM interviewed Jeff to get his perspective on the church communications world.

MinistryCOM: What do you enjoy the most about church communications?

JEFF MILLER: I enjoy doing work for God to serve the Kingdom. I’m not wasting my life; I’m doing things that matter to people … those who go to our church and those who don’t, hopefully to draw them in.

MC: What’s most challenging about church communications?

JM: Lack of other creatives to bounce ideas off of. It’s hard not to have a group I can brainstorm with. That said, I just started posting work on Church Marketing Lab and I got some good feedback already … feedback that I wouldn’t have gotten here. I’m inspired by people doing similar work. I look at design magazines that are good resources in the design world. But oftentimes those are big design firms with uber bucks to do crazy stuff. That’s not realistic in the church world. The Church Marketing Lab offers more realistic yet creative approaches.

MC: What has been the biggest difference shifting from volunteer to staff?

JM: In volunteer world, you don’t get to see the big picture. But once you’re on staff you can communicate across various ministries and tie everything together. You get to create and maintain a consistent brand for all of our pieces. Not everything has to look the same but they all have to show the same level of excellence.

MC: What advice do you have for a staff person working with volunteer designers?

JM:

  1. Communicate about the project … not just the specifics but how it would fit in overall. As a volunteer you’re not going to get a full picture, but it helps to know as much as possible.

  2. Have faith in the volunteer. To instill confidence, allow them the freedom to do the job you told them to do, then use it … unless there’s something glaringly wrong. Don’t tweak it just to tweak it. Then they feel like they made a real contribution and will be more willing to volunteer the next time.

MC: What is your favorite PMS color and why?

JM: I like the whole last half of the Pantone swatch book. I like muted colors. But if I had to pick one, it would be PMS 130. It reminds me of an orange cream soda.