Hey, it’s George.
One of the most common challenges I see in churches is this:
We want to do something powerful creatively… but we’re not quite sure who we are.
So what do we do?
We look sideways.
We compare.
We copy.
We try to reverse-engineer what worked for someone else.
It starts innocently enough—we get inspired by another church’s Instagram, a sermon series trailer, a short film, a merch drop. But without realizing it, we start designing around someone else’s identity instead of asking what’s real and right for our own.
The problem?
Comparison leads to confusion.
And confusion kills creativity.
So what’s the fix?
Here are 3 ways to build creative clarity in your church:
1. Name your church’s actual creative identity—not your ideal one.
Before you decide what to build, you need to be honest about who you are.
Not who you follow.
Not who you admire.
Not who your leadership wishes you were.
But who you are right now.
You might not be a songwriting church.
You might not be a church that goes viral on TikTok.
You might not be the kind of church that makes films, stages elaborate sets, or drops cinematic sermon openers every series.
And you know what?
That’s OK.
Because God doesn’t ask us to be someone else.
He asks us to be faithful.
Like the parable of the talents—some churches have 10 talents, others have 1.
The 1-talent ministry isn’t less valuable. But it becomes unfaithful when it starts imitating the 10 instead of stewarding what it has.
So ask:
What are we naturally good at?
What do people consistently respond to when we create?
What do our pastor and creative leads deeply resonate with?
Because here’s the truth: whoever holds the mic—or the vision—will ultimately drive what creativity flourishes.
If your pastor isn’t passionate about songwriting, it’s unlikely to thrive.
If they’re not interested in visual storytelling, your film ideas may never fully land.
But if your pastor loves teaching deep theology, maybe a longform podcast or YouTube series is your most aligned lane.
If they light up around mission or people stories, maybe real, raw testimonials are your core strength.
Your identity is your strategy.
Build around that—and your creativity will have room to grow.
2. Stop building around someone else’s blueprint.
Before copying a creative concept from a larger church, pause and ask:
Do we actually have the resources to sustain this?
Do we have the people to pull it off without burning out our staff or volunteers?
Will this take away from other essential things our church already does week to week?
The goal isn’t to do one cool thing one time.
The goal is to build something sustainable—a creative culture that grows with your church, not one that drains it.
Even if the idea is good—even if it aligns with your mission—ask:
Is this something we’re truly building toward long-term?
Or are we chasing a one-off that might impress online but collapse internally?
Because here’s the truth:
Someone else’s blueprint was built for their context—their city, their culture, their congregation.
Trying to copy their style and strategy without understanding those variables will rarely produce the same results.
I work in a church in California.
What works here might not work in Alabama.
And what thrives in Atlanta might fall flat in Portland.
Different people. Different pace. Different mission field.
So before you imitate, interrogate:
Is this idea ours to carry?
Because when you lead from authenticity, you lead from strength.
3. Start small—and grow what’s real.
Creativity doesn’t thrive under pressure to perform.
It grows with freedom, alignment, and a willingness to build slowly.
Instead of chasing what’s “cool,” ask:
What’s clear?
What’s consistent?
What’s true to us?
One of the biggest traps of social media is this:
We see another church’s finished product—or their current moment of success—and try to microwave that same momentum into our next quarter.
But creativity doesn’t work that way.
You can’t speed-bake culture.
You can’t shortcut process.
You might be able to imitate results in the short term—but it rarely lasts.
Microwaved creative wins might look shiny, but they’re often low in nutrients.
They don’t build roots.
They don’t multiply.
Real, lasting creativity is built on people, leadership, and healthy systems—and those things take time.
They’re not sexy.
They’re not always exciting.
But they’re how you build something that doesn’t burn out or blow up.
So don’t be afraid to start small.
Build what’s sustainable.
Build what fits your church.
And if you do the right work early—
the results will take care of themselves.
Want more?
In Episode 3 of the City On A Hill Podcast, we dive deep into this idea of creative self-awareness, and how it affects everything from budgeting to burnout. We even talk about how to bring this conversation to your lead pastor or team if you feel stuck.
Thanks for being here. Keep creating from who you are.
—George