The Seminary of Hard Knocks Podcast | Church Communications, Marketing, and Social Media
Episodes
Monday May 09, 2022
Monday May 09, 2022
Before the pandemic, only 5% of the workforce worked from home. In May 2020 it shot up to a whopping 60% and it looks like there will be a lot of people refusing to go back to an office-only model ever again. If you are in a position where your job can be done remotely, then the pandemic has thrust you into a very interesting future.
Before we start calling these fortunate few “lazy,” you should know that a two-year study by Great Place to Work® of more than 800,000 employees at Fortune 500 companies found that most reported stable or even increased productivity levels after employees started working from home.
On this episode of the podcast, I talk with my Church Comm Team partner Paul Fleming. Paul has launched numerous successful businesses like Church Ink and Church Swag: all fully remote.
He has a ton of insight about how church leaders can utilize remote workers and contractors to fill in the gaps for skilled jobs you need asap! (or you could hire Church Comm Team, but that's whatever). :)
LINKS
Church Comm Team
Church Ink
Church Swag
Tuesday May 03, 2022
Tuesday May 03, 2022
In 2021, Ryan Wakefield and the Church Marketing University team did something bold. Instead of continuing to talk about what a hybrid worship service would look like, they decided to create one and see for themselves.
Because everybody knows that when it comes to hybrid worship services and vegetables, your mom wants you to try it because you might like it.
What would it look like if both the digital space and the face-to-face worship were seen as equally important on Sunday mornings?
Imagine that no one can tell you "no" and suddenly, you DO have the money and manpower to make it happen. What would you do? Get rid of that organ, that's what. But then what?
Well, we did it and we learned a ton. In this episode, Ryan and Seth talk about what went well and not so well in our test of all these theories in real-time.
LINKS
Church Marketing University
CMU Facebook Group | Instagram
Church Comm Team
Tuesday Apr 26, 2022
Tuesday Apr 26, 2022
What would it take for your church to embrace the digital space just like you do the face-to-face as a legit ministry? How would you even do it?
If you're kicking those kinds of questions around, this episode with Jason Moore will help you process the practical side of running a hybrid ministry. He calls it "Both/And" and his new book by the same title lays out the framework.
We talk about Both/And (physical and digital) ministry, church communications, and more in this episode of The Seminary of Hard Knocks!
LINKS
Jason on Facebook
Both/And Book
Both/And Workshop
Church Comm Team
Tuesday Mar 22, 2022
Tuesday Mar 22, 2022
You don't want to miss this! Ok, maybe you do, but you shouldn't. In fact, we may be contributing to a major problem in the church and culture with that simple phrase and ideology: the inability to observe Biblical rest.
Rhythms and patterns in our lives help regulate our physical, emotional, and psychological health. In this episode, James Kelly, CEO of FaithTech, the creators of Digital Sabbath helps us understand how to incorporate rest in our routines, especially taking rest from technology and social media.
What if the church led the way in helping people practice Sabbath? Learn more in this episode!
Links
Digital Sabbath
FaithTech
ChurchComm Team
Wednesday Feb 23, 2022
Wednesday Feb 23, 2022
What constitutes Biblical fellowship? Are there any reasons we should break fellowship with one another? I've watched my guest, George Holleway, navigate conversations online as the pastor of his church for the last 2 years.
Fellowship is more than sitting down to eat together. In this episode, I have a very in-depth conversation with a pastor in the trenches of ministry about how to be in fellowship with people who drive you nuts and maybe believe different things than you.
Links
Church Comm Team
George on Instagram
Tuesday Feb 08, 2022
Tuesday Feb 08, 2022
The great resignation is taking its toll on the American workforce and this is one instance where the church is NOT exempt.
This week on the podcast we're talking to Brooke Hodnefield from Slingshot Group about the HR situation as well as how churches can better examine what it means to work and minister today from a practical and Biblical perspective.
From office hours, setting healthy boundaries, and remote work, we look at what is working, what is not working, and where we go from here in this exciting episode of The Seminary of Hard Knocks podcast!
Links
Slingshot Group
Slingshot on Instagram / Twitter / LinkedIn
Church Comm Team
Monday Jan 31, 2022
Monday Jan 31, 2022
The definition of a Biblical "gathering" today has expanded. We are going to look at the Biblical definition of gathering, also called worship, and see how (or if) it can be applied to online and digital spaces!
Hebrews 10:25 has been the primary Scripture that many have used to push back against church online. Meanwhile, many churches are forced to respond to the realities of the pandemic. Now on the backend of the pandemic, churches are faced with a decision: how do we go forward with the digital expression of the church now that people are starting to come back?
They have responded one of three ways: 1) Go back to prioritizing in-person and simply streaming services to FB/YT, 2) Going all-in with a hybrid approach to in-person and online services, or 3) going back to prioritizing in-person services while attempting an online strategy with no extra resources, manpower, or attention from leadership.
Our Guest today is no stranger to the controversy surrounding the issue of what the future of the online church may look like. After being published in an article by a major news network, the passion of all sides of the issue came out in the comments!
It’s been a long journey for Dave Adamson to today, as we near the release of his forthcoming book on the subject called Discipleclick: How to use digital ministry to reach people and make disciples.
Links
Dave on Twitter / Instagram
Go HERE to learn more about Dave's Discipleclick book
Church Comm Team
Tuesday Jan 04, 2022
Tuesday Jan 04, 2022
It has been a good break over the last several months but we are coming back strong in February of 2022! We are switching our format, focusing on hybrid church strategies, and bringing in the heavy-hitters in the digital church space to help you and your team reach more people in the new era of the church.
Subscribe to this podcast and don't forget to join the email list, where you'll get a free download of our Major Messaging Calendar, the tool we give our Church Comm Team clients to help them organize all their communications, from sermon series to events, to the emails going out each week!
Important links in this episode
churchcommteam.com
sethmuse.com/calendar
sethmuse.com/88ideas
Thursday Jan 14, 2021
Thursday Jan 14, 2021
Whether you're a communication director just starting out or you're starting over, the first 100 days is an important time in the life of your ministry. What do you do first? Where do you start? In this episode, Seth and Meagan will give you some advice for how to execute a solid communications plan by laying out a few milestones and tools to help you activate your strategy!
In this Episode:
Tools you'll need
Ideas for what to do first
How to set a timeline for milestones and goals
A word or two about promotional tiers and handling difficult or high-maintenance departments
LINKS
Project Management: Trello, Basecamp, Monday, Asana
Social Media Scheduling: Buffer, Hootsuite, Later
Automation: Zapier, IFTTT
Email Marketing: Mailchimp, ConvertKit, Constant Contact, ActiveCampaign
Request Forms: Paperform, Typeform, Wufoo, Google Forms
Seth on InstagramMeagan on Instagram
OTHER GREAT LINKS
88 Ideas for Church Social Media Posts
Monday Mar 23, 2020
Monday Mar 23, 2020
THE SEMINARY OF HARD KNOCKS PODCAST with Seth Muse and Meagan RansonChurch Communications | Marketing | Social Media
Leaders are learners, I always say (and so do lots of people smarter than me). Especially in the world of communications where the game is always changing, we have to constantly be evolving our skillset and honing our craft. These are a few things that you can always be working on when you don't have anything in particular you're learning at the moment!
LINKS
Seth on InstagramMeagan on Instagram
OTHER GREAT LINKS
The InstaSummit!
This free online summit will help church communicators master Instagram over three days of intense training! Get your free ticket HERE or upgrade to the Later pass for on-demand access.
88 Ideas for Church Social Media Posts
*Affiliate links mean I may receive a small commission on your purchase at no extra cost to you.
Follow Seth:
Monday Feb 17, 2020
Monday Feb 17, 2020
THE SEMINARY OF HARD KNOCKS PODCAST with Seth Muse and Meagan RansonChurch Communications | Marketing | Social Media
This episode I talk to Phil Bowdle about his new book ReThink Communications. He says that Attendance, Engagement, and Attention have all changed and the church has to make a shift. Find out more in this episode!
LINKS
Phil’s website (sweet branding)Phil’s Book.Phil’s TwitterThe Communications Shift Your Church May Not Be Ready For
OTHER GREAT LINKS
Podcast gear! Seminarystuff.com is live!88 Ideas for Church Social Media Posts
*Affiliate links mean I may receive a small commission on your purchase at no extra cost to you.
Follow Seth:
Tuesday Feb 04, 2020
Tuesday Feb 04, 2020
THE SEMINARY OF HARD KNOCKS PODCAST with Seth Muse and Meagan RansonChurch Communications | Marketing | Social Media
You've GOT to have good photos in this visual society. But putting together a team that can get great shots on a regular basis is tough. Rob Laughter joins us to talk about how you can start a high-quality photography team at your church so you can capture the visual story and get great photos!
LINKS
Photography course at churchphotographers.comChurch Photography Facebook GroupChurch Photography InstagramEpisode 46 about Website trends with Rob
OTHER GREAT LINKS
Podcast gear! Seminarystuff.com is live!88 Ideas for Church Social Media Posts
*Affiliate links mean I may receive a small commission on your purchase at no extra cost to you.
Follow Seth:
Tuesday Sep 03, 2019
Tuesday Sep 03, 2019
The Seminary of Hard Knocks podcast with Seth Muse
Where church communications are fun, Instagram is life, and no one feels like an idiot.
This week I'm talking to my new friend Joshua Breland. He's running a pretty great communications department at College Park Church in Indianapolis and great things are happening there. One of the great things is that his team is working really well with the other departments of his church and I asked him to come and spill the tea on how he's getting that done! Don't tell my 8th-grade daughter I just said "spill the tea" please.
Show Links
Joshua's WebsiteCollege Park Church websiteBook- Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy
Seth's Links
Podcast gear! Seminarystuff.com is live!88 Ideas for Church Social Media Posts
Follow me:
Monday Aug 26, 2019
Monday Aug 26, 2019
The Seminary of Hard Knocks podcast with Seth Muse
Where church communications are fun, Instagram is life, and no one feels like an idiot.
Get one of my new shirts at SeminaryStuff.com!Check out my new YouTube channel HERE!
Here's part 2 of my conversation with Adam McLaughlin, who recently wrote an insightful article about the way overwhelming stress affects communications professionals. This conversation is an important one for pastors and comms directors to start having because our experience is a little different than that of a minister.
Links
Adam's Website (The article in question)Adam on TwitterFresh Idea Marketing 5 Dysfunctions of a Team book Leadership and Self-Deception book
Dreamers vs. Doers podcast
Podcast gear! Seminarystuff.com is live!
88 Ideas for Church Social Media Posts
More Church Comms on my YouTube channelFollow me on InstagramJoin the Seminary of Hard Knocks Facebook group at sethmuse.com/group
Tuesday Aug 20, 2019
Tuesday Aug 20, 2019
The Seminary of Hard Knocks podcast with Seth Muse
Where church communications are fun, Instagram is life, and no one feels like an idiot.
Get one of my new shirts at SeminaryStuff.com!Check out my new YouTube channel HERE!
Adam McLaughlin is a repeat offender on this show. He recently wrote an insightful article about the way overwhelming stress affects communications professionals. This conversation is an important one for pastors and comms directors to start having because our experience is a little different than that of a minister.
Links
Adam's Website (The article in question)Adam on TwitterFresh Idea Marketing
Podcast gear! Seminarystuff.com is live!
88 Ideas for Church Social Media Posts
More Church Comms on my YouTube channelFollow me on InstagramJoin the Seminary of Hard Knocks Facebook group at sethmuse.com/group
Monday Jul 15, 2019
Monday Jul 15, 2019
The Seminary of Hard Knocks podcast:
Tales from the Trenches Edition!
Get notified when I drop a new episode (and other perks) HERE.
This week I tell a story of ultimate humiliation. When does a fun office environment become a toxic one? When does a fun boss become a bully? I'll tell you about a humiliating experience I had at the hands of a boss that you won't believe. Did we fight? Hug it out? You'll have to find out!
The Seminary of Hard Knocks is produced by sethmuse.com, where church communications are fun, Instagram is life, and no one feels like an idiot.
Tuesday Jun 18, 2019
Tuesday Jun 18, 2019
The Seminary of Hard Knocks podcast with Seth Muse
Where church communications are fun, Instagram is life, and no one feels like an idiot.
This week I'm trying something new. I want to dive into some of my own leadership experiences from time to time and take a few life-lessons from them. This week's story (a more "Serial" approach to the podcast) is about a few times I've witnessed the church shun me and others. It's a very throwback episode, going back to the reason it's called The Seminary of Hard Knocks!
Links from the Show
That Church Conference - Sign up for the BEST communications conference out there!
88 Ideas for Church Social Media Posts
Follow Seth on InstagramJoin the Seminary of Hard Knocks Facebook group at sethmuse.com/group
Monday Jun 10, 2019
Monday Jun 10, 2019
The Seminary of Hard Knocks podcast with Seth Muse
Where church communications are fun, Instagram is life, and no one feels like an idiot.
Justin Trapp has a sermon-planning tool that will help pastors write clear and compelling messages, which will in turn, give communication directors more time to create slides and graphics for the weekend! It's called Sermonary and we'll tell you all about it on this episode of The Seminary of Hard Knocks Podcast!
Links from the Show
Sermonary.coJustin Trapp on Twitter
That Church Conference - Sign up for the BEST communications conference out there!
88 Ideas for Church Social Media Posts
Follow Seth on InstagramJoin the Seminary of Hard Knocks Facebook group at sethmuse.com/group
Monday May 06, 2019
Monday May 06, 2019
The Seminary of Hard Knocks podcast with Seth Muse
Where church communications are fun, Instagram is life, and no one feels like an idiot.
Stan is a neat guy. His beard is epic. He is a campus pastor using digital discipleship on purpose as a strategy. Our discussion meanders into cage-fighting and the occasional karate demonstration, but most of the time we stay pretty fixed on how you can use the online world to drive the offline world towards Jesus.
Links from the Show
Stan's BlogBlog about Carey's webinar we discussed HERE.
That Church Conference - Sign up for the BEST communications conference out there!
88 Ideas for Church Social Media Posts
Follow Seth on InstagramJoin the Seminary of Hard Knocks Facebook group at sethmuse.com/group
Monday Dec 03, 2018
Monday Dec 03, 2018
The Seminary of Hard Knocks podcast with Seth Muse
Where church communications are fun, Instagram is life, and no one feels like an idiot.
This week, I get to sit down with Brandon Cox who is a former Saddleback pastor, now a church planter and last, an avid blogger! How does he do it? Why does he do it? Listen in and find out how pastors can leverage (and keep up with) a healthy blog.
Links from the Show
Brandon's WebsiteBrandon on TwitterBrandon's Church Blog
Follow Seth on Instagram
Join the Seminary of Hard Knocks Facebook group at sethmuse.com/group
88 Ideas for Church Social Media Posts
Monday Nov 05, 2018
Monday Nov 05, 2018
The Seminary of Hard Knocks podcast with Seth Muse
Where church communications are fun, Instagram is life, and no one feels like an idiot.
This week's episode has the incredible Evan McBroom from Fishhook! We're talking about how dreamers and doers can work together without murdering each other's faces, so check it out!
Links from the Show:
Fishhook.us
Follow Seth on Instagram
Join the Seminary of Hard Knocks Facebook group at sethmuse.com/group
88 Ideas for Church Social Media Posts
Sunday Sep 09, 2018
Sunday Sep 09, 2018
The Seminary of Hard Knocks podcast with Seth Muse
Church Communications and Social Media with a chuckle or two.
In this week's episode, I talk with Stephen Brewster about how to identify and destroy ministry silos within your church's staff and teams. Silos are all about making things easier for you or your department. Stephen brings a lot of experience to the table to discuss how to lead your team away from this model and towards teamwork. We also may or may not have a rap battle in the middle.
Links from the Show:
Text Stephen for help here: 615-457-7261
Stephenbrewster.me (Free Social Media Map)
Follow Stephen on Instagram
Follow Seth on Instagram
Join the Seminary of Hard Knocks Facebook group at sethmuse.com/group
88 Ideas for Church Social Media Posts
Monday May 07, 2018
Monday May 07, 2018
The Seminary of Hard Knocks podcast with Seth Muse
Church Communications and Social Media with a chuckle or two.
Find the show notes at www.sethmuse.com/57
In this week's episode, I'm diving into 5 Attitudes of Successful Church Communicators. You can measure your follower growth and reach, but how do you measure your influence? You'll need that to get a lot of things done at your church. Lemme break it down for you real nice.
By the By, I'm Speaking at a Free Conference Soon
Catch me at That Church Summit May 23-25, 2018. Go to thatchurchsummit.com to register for free!
Links from the Show:
Join the Seminary of Hard Knocks Facebook group at sethmuse.com/group
88 Ideas for Church Social Media PostsFollow Seth on Instagram
Sunday Feb 25, 2018
Sunday Feb 25, 2018
The Seminary of Hard Knocks Podcast w/ Seth Muse
Show notes available at www.sethmuse.com/48
Monday Feb 19, 2018
Monday Feb 19, 2018
The Seminary of Hard Knocks with Seth Muse
Show notes are at www.sethmuse.com/47
In this episode, I give you a few ideas for your pastor to post on his/her personal social media accounts that can help get them started engaging online. See the full blog of ideas here.
Tuesday Oct 10, 2017
Tuesday Oct 10, 2017
Church Communications from a Loveable Troll.
Show Notes available at www.sethmuse.com/39
Follow me on Instagram at @theseminaryofhardknocks now!
Tuesday Sep 12, 2017
Tuesday Sep 12, 2017
Welcome to The Seminary of Hard Knocks Podcast! It's church communications from a loveable troll.
The show notes for this episode are found at www.sethmuse.com/37 so check those out.
Meghan Howard is the associate pastor at Fairborn United Methodist in Fairborn, OH. She takes "wears multiple hats" to a new level and you'll hear her story in this episode about how she has battled burnout.
Learn to recognize burnout and combat it from a veteran who has been there! Thanks for listening!
Wednesday May 31, 2017
Wednesday May 31, 2017
Leading Church Communications when You're not in Charge w/ Katie Allred, Ep. 32
Show Notes for this episode are found at www.sethmuse.com/32
On this episode of The Seminary of Hard Knocks podcast...
Katie Allred stops by to talk about how church communicators can lead when they aren't in charge. It's one more way we're helping you win back your day and enjoy what you do!
Katie Allred is Digital Communications Associate at Brentwood Baptist Church in Tennessee and the co-founder of the Church Communications Facebook Group.
Wednesday May 17, 2017
Wednesday May 17, 2017
How to Get Hired in Church Communications with Holly Tate of Vanderbloemen Search Group
Holly is the Director of Business Development at Vanderbloemen, a pastor search firm that knows what churches are looking for when it comes to hiring staff. She shares a lot of great insights for those looking for a job as well as those who already have a job and just need some direction.
She's a ton of fun, so don't miss this episode of The Seminary of Hard Knocks podcast with Seth Muse!
Show Notes are available at www.sethmuse.com/30
Sign up for Seth's super crazy awesome cool fun email list!
Wednesday Apr 19, 2017
Wednesday Apr 19, 2017
Communicating Vision During a Capital Campaign
Adam McLaughlin of ChurchMarketingIdeas.com and his pastor at Life Church in Ft. Meyers, FL, Ryan Deaton stop by to discuss how they communicated their vision to their church during a capital campaign.
Capital campaigns are the WORST! But these guys managed to bring their church through it smiling and giving as much as or more than they were beforehand! Hear their success story in this episode and connect with them using the links below.
Show Notes at www.sethmuse.com/26
Links
Adam on Twitter // Ryan on Twitter
Life Church
Advancing the Kingdom Magazine
Isn't the Name of Jesus by Covenant Worship
Armed and Ready by Sweet Comfort Band (full disclosure, I chose this song because of the epic album cover alone.)
Tuesday Mar 07, 2017
Tuesday Mar 07, 2017
The Seminary of Hard Knocks helps pastors and ministry leaders make better decisions with confidence and clarity!
In This Show:
- How coaches can help leaders lead well.
- What makes a good coach?
Links:
Seth Muse Coaching
That Church Conference Coaching
Seth's eBook at Download Youth Ministry
Tuesday Feb 28, 2017
Tuesday Feb 28, 2017
Kenny Jahng is an entrepreneur, former church staffer, and church social media guru. He now spearheads a "done for you" church social media company called Church Butler and helps churches understand and utilize online giving at GenerosityLabs.org.
My conversation with Kenny today is about nine ways you can involve your people in church growth. Show notes are available at www.sethmuse.com/19.
Visit SethMuse.com for more on church leadership and communications. Make better decisions with confidence and clarity!
Tuesday Feb 14, 2017
Tuesday Feb 14, 2017
In this episode, I talk with Josh Blankenship about how to continue learning without school. Many leaders are thrown into situations where they must quickly learn something new or it's a bust!
Josh has worked in high-demand churches and some slower-paced ones and he has learned the number one thing they have in common: Leaders must always be bettering themselves.
We talk bout a few hacks that can help you continue learning new tricks, even if you're an old dog!
Get the show notes for today's episode HERE.
Tuesday Nov 08, 2016
Tuesday Nov 08, 2016
Tom Pounder has been in youth ministry for almost 20 years. Just recently he began a transition out of youth ministry and into church communications. Transitions are a part of ministry life and how you handle them can make or break you. My conversation with Tom gives great insight to how pastors should look at transitions and some good and bad ways to handle it. Tom is the host of the YM Sidekick podcast and blogs at www.ymsidekick.com.
Tuesday Oct 25, 2016
Tuesday Oct 25, 2016
Today on the podcast Wes Gay stops by to talk about Millennials, great feedback systems for organizations, and how to cook a perfect steak! Wes is passionate about equipping his generation to become the greatest generation of leaders. Through a process called the Millennial Pipeline, he helps organizations build cultures that create leaders worth following. He's an executive coach, consultant, and Forbes.com contributor, or he finds out what companies do to find and keep great millennial talent. Show Notes can be found at www.sethmuse.com/episode10
Tuesday Oct 11, 2016
Tuesday Oct 11, 2016
One of the most common questions I hear from ministry leaders is how to recruit, train, lead, and even dismiss volunteers. In this episode, I hang out with an old friend to talk about how to go about leading a team of volunteers well. Michael Wallace has been in student ministry for almost 17 years and has led large volunteer teams with excellence during that time. Catch his Creative Student Ministry podcast on iTunes!
Wednesday Sep 14, 2016
Wednesday Sep 14, 2016
I share the worst prayer request I've ever heard on this episode of The Seminary of Hard Knocks Podcast! What could your people really mean when they say that the worship band is "too loud?" Put on your squishy earplugs and let's find out while we headbang to some God of Wonders, dude. If you like what you hear, find more practical ministry insights at www.sethmuse.com.
Tuesday Aug 30, 2016
Tuesday Aug 30, 2016
Seth sits down with friend and youth pastor, Jeff Harding, of Trinity Fellowship Church in Richardson, TX. Seth and Jeff have collaborated on several events with their youth ministries during Seth's time as a youth pastor. Jeff and Seth have a great time in the studio talking about previous events: what went wrong, what went right, and how collaborating enhanced their ministries at their respective churches!
Tuesday Aug 16, 2016
Tuesday Aug 16, 2016
Part 2 of a very insightful conversation between friends about race relations in America today.
Tuesday Aug 02, 2016
Tuesday Aug 02, 2016
Part 1 of a very insightful conversation between friends about race relations in America today.