Most church communicators aren't struggling because they lack talent or care.
They struggle because they are overwhelmed, under-resourced, and operating without a playbook.
The role became everything, everywhere, all at once, and no one gave you a manual. This is a resource to help you thrive, not just survive, in church communications.
Yes, the book is free. The Skills Pack is the workbench.
This isn't another productivity hack. It's a better way to do ministry communication and help your church be known for something that matters.”
Mark MacDonaldChurch branding strategist · author of “Be Known for Something”
Written by someone who's been in your shoes (and worn all the hats).
Josh King grew up a pastor's kid, which meant he was on the voluntold setup-and-clean-up crew long before he ever had a title. He spent nearly 16 years leading church communications for small, medium, and large congregations, first as the solo communicator doing it all himself, later leading a team through the same tensions from the other side. From designing the graphics, to writing the emails, to building the systems and having the hard conversations, his heart has always been to resource the local and global Church, especially the teams where resources are stretched (and capacity stretched thinner).
Four progressions. One clear path.
The Playbook walks you through the four things every church communicator needs to build: a defined role, a prioritized message, a working system, and a sustainable culture. The Skills Pack gives you the AI tools to start doing it immediately.
Define the Work
Establish your scope, name your role, and stop trying to own everything while owning nothing.
Chapters 1–2Prioritize the Message
Learn what gets amplified, what gets filtered, and how to help your congregation actually hear what matters.
Chapters 3–4Build the System
Use AI as a force multiplier, equip your ministry partners, and build workflows that don't depend on you doing everything yourself.
Chapters 5–7Lead the Culture
Lead up, lead across, lead your team, and lead yourself, without losing the calling that brought you here.
Chapters 8–9Five frameworks. One shared language.
Each one shows up by name throughout the book, ready to put to use the moment you close it.
The Communicator's Trifecta
Simple. Clear. Consistent.
Own / Influence / Support
Your scope, finally mapped.
The Three Communication Levels
A prioritization framework your whole staff can use.
The Value Filter
Three questions before anything becomes a communication piece.
Integrity, Wisdom & Clarity
The theological foundation underneath all of it.
Short on time? See these 3 first.
The fastest way to see if this is for your church: three real church scenarios, showing the range from a five-minute copy fix to a system that runs your whole Monday.
Announcement rewrite Copy & Editing
A rambling Trunk-or-Treat submission, filtered and restructured into Headline → Next Step → Details.
Request triage Systems & Strategy
Monday's five incoming requests, sorted, drafted, and delegated, with a sensitive one correctly handed to a human.
AI policy Systems & Strategy
A one-page AI policy an elder board can actually read and approve, built from four guiding questions.
What others have to say
Church communicators don't need more tactics. They need clarity! I've read Josh's book, and what impressed me most wasn't just the practical advice. It's the way he gives church communicators the language, frameworks, and systems to move from constantly reacting to confidently leading.… If you're expected to do everything with limited time, limited staff, and limited budget, download this free book. Then invest in the AI Skills Pack. It'll feel like you added a communication superpower to your team.
Mark MacDonaldChurch branding strategist, bestselling author of “Be Known for Something”, founder of BeKnownForSomething.comJosh’s approach to church communications is truly unique as he has the mind of a marketing director and the heart of a pastor. My years of working with Josh at Perimeter Church were years of tremendous growth in the areas of creativity, message clarity, and technological advancement.… Josh is exceedingly gifted in many areas but his greatest talent is coming alongside others in telling the story of what God is doing in and through the local church. I have no doubt that this book and resource will be an integral resource to your church.
Laura StoryGrammy Award-winning singer/songwriter, worship leader, and bestselling authorI can't imagine anyone better or more qualified than Josh to write a Church Communicator's Playbook. I had the pleasure of working closely with him for five years as he served as our church's Director of Communications. I spent countless hours in one-on-one and group meetings with him and observed up close the unique giftings the Lord has given him as a communications expert.… As you read the playbook and use it as an invaluable resource, you will be informed, encouraged, and inspired to lead in your local church on all the various communications fronts. Not only will it serve as a great blessing to you, the reader, but it will undoubtedly be a great blessing to your church and the church at large. This is a much-needed resource, and I can't wait for churches abroad to experience and implement what I was able to experience first-hand!
Jeff NorrisSenior Pastor, Perimeter Church, author of “A Lifestyle of Radical Dependence”I've had the privilege of working directly with Josh King on two major capital giving initiatives. What struck me then, and what comes through on every page of The Church Communicator's Playbook, is that Josh never treats communication as separate from ministry — he treats it as ministry itself.… with a rare gift for taking something complicated, a campaign message, a vision cast from the pulpit, and making it clear, compelling, and true to who the church actually is. Josh has turned what he learned in the trenches into a real playbook: frameworks like the Communicator's Trifecta and Own/Influence/Support that give a solo communicator the same clarity a large church staff would have. This is a book written by a practitioner for practitioners, and I recommend it to any church leader who wants their team to move from reactive to trusted.
Jim SheppardChairman & Principal, GenerisWorking in church communications can feel like an exercise in plate spinning. You're constantly balancing deadlines and competing priorities across multiple ministries while keeping the church's vision and mission at the center of it all.… Drawing from years of experience, Josh knows what truly matters, what to communicate, when and where to communicate it, and how to do it well. Even more importantly, he understands how to help every ministry feel valued and supported while keeping the whole church moving in the same direction. The Church Communications Playbook will quickly become a resource you reach for just as often as your laptop or your Pantone color book.
Ruthanne BurchMission to the WorldThe Church Communicator's Playbook is practical, encouraging, and written by someone who's actually lived it. Josh has created a resource that will equip and encourage church communicators for years to come.
Ellis MarylandFounder, Atlanta Church CreativesI had the privilege of working under Josh at Perimeter Church, where building a communications strategy is no small challenge. He didn't just design the strategy; he implemented and led it with rare professionalism.… Josh is theologically grounded and keeps the mission of the church at the center of the work, even as that mission now faces a communications landscape changing faster than ever, with tools like AI reshaping what a small team can accomplish. The Church Communicator's Playbook meets overstretched teams right where they are, with down-to-earth, wisdom-filled guidance for making the most of the tools now within reach. It's a guide every pastor, communications strategist, and creative needs on their desk, and it has a permanent place on mine!
Zach WelliverDigital Design & Content Director, Perimeter ChurchJosh was a joy to work with, and if what we received from 24 hours as a consultant was any indication, this book will be a must-read for anyone seeking to strengthen their ministry through better communication.… He visited our church as a consultant during a season of staff transitions in our Media and Communications roles, right as we were planning a major overhaul of our logo, branding, and website. Despite his experience and expertise, Josh is humble and approachable, spending most of his time asking questions and seeking to understand our situation, our strengths, and our frustration points. He then did an incredible job synthesizing it all into an accurate, unbiased summary of our strengths and weaknesses, paired with highly practical next steps for each area. We were able to move forward with far greater clarity and confidence because of his feedback.
Connor DimickExecutive Administrator, Grace Presbyterian ChurchSunday keeps coming. So does the noise.
Without a shared framework, every request feels equally urgent and every channel gets used for everything. The congregation learns to tune it out, not from apathy, but because the signal got lost in the volume. You keep working hard. The system stays broken. The message keeps getting missed.
If your team is the bottleneck, that's rarely a talent problem. It's usually a systems problem the whole staff can help fix.
What Monday could look like, with a playbook.
You stop answering "what should we promote?" with a guess.
The Communication Levels framework gives your whole staff a shared language for deciding what gets the microphone, before the argument starts.
Your announcements stop competing with each other.
When everything earns its channel, the congregation starts leaning in, because what makes it to the Sunday stage has proven it's worth their attention.
You stop being the bottleneck.
The equip-and-empower framework shifts your role from gatekeeper to guide, so more gets done, with fewer things passing only through you.
The book is the field guide. The Skills Pack is the workbench.
The same decision-making system from the book, whether you're the only one doing this or leading a team. 24 purposeful AI Skills you can plug into Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini, organized, ready to install, and built to put the frameworks into immediate practice (instructions included, no coding required).
What's a "skill," really?
A saved set of instructions for your AI. Point it at one and it already knows how to handle that specific task the way this book teaches it, no coding and no clever prompting required.
How soon can I use it?
Right away. Install once, then use it immediately. Most communicators are running their first skill in about 10 minutes, the same day they buy it.
More setup questions? See the FAQ below.
Copy & Editing 4 skills
Rewrite unclear announcements. Simplify Churchese. Edit for the right audience.
Brand Voice 3 skills
Maintain and apply a consistent church voice across every channel.
Story & Campaign 3 skills
Build story-driven communications and full campaign frameworks.
Email & Social 5 skills
Draft, adapt, and schedule content across platforms in half the time.
Web & Weekend 3 skills
Website copy, stage announcements, and slides built for Sunday.
Systems & Strategy 6 skills
Scope, communication levels, request systems, weekly planning, AI policy.
Why is it a separate product?
The Skills Pack is for anyone ready to move from understanding the frameworks to using them today. You don't need the book to use it, but if you've read it, you'll recognize exactly where each skill connects.
Real input. Real output.
If you're curious (or a little skeptical) about what AI could actually do for your church's communication, this is where to look. Every one of the 24 skills, tested on real church scenarios, so you can see exactly what goes in and what comes out, and picture how it would work in your own church, before you buy.
See all 24 skills in action →One-time. No subscription. Yours to keep and use immediately.
Includes 24 skills, a setup guide, and a "Loading Your Church's Voice" prerequisite document.
Works with Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini (free tier works).
Start reading before you download.
A growing set of free, evergreen reference guides drawn straight from the Playbook's frameworks. No email required to read them; each one stands on its own.
AI Tools for Church Communications
The great equalizer for the solo communicator: a four-question ethical framework and real, wise use cases.
Chapter 5 · The Great Equalizer Read the guide →Church Communications Job Description
Own / Influence / Support and the Five Domains: how to finally define a role that grew without edges.
Chapter 1 · Everything the Light Touches Read the guide →How to Write a Church Announcement
The Communicator's Trifecta and the Headline → Next Step → Details structure, with a real before/after.
Chapter 2 · The Communicator's Trifecta Read the guide →Is AI Good or Bad? A Healthy Framework
A redemptive way to think clearly about AI, without fear or blind optimism, grounded in Scripture.
Chapter 5 & The Conclusion Read the guide →Why Your Church Still Needs You
AI can draft and summarize. It can't shepherd a soul. What only a person can give the people in your church.
From the Conclusion Read the guide →Before you download
Is The Church Communicator's Playbook really free?
Yes. The full ebook is free: just add your email and it lands in your inbox immediately. There's no account, subscription, or hidden upsell to read it. The book is free because communicators at small and mid-size churches deserve the frameworks regardless of budget.
What is the AI Skills Pack, and do I need it?
The Skills Pack is an optional $49 companion product: 24 ready-to-install AI skills that put the Playbook's frameworks into practice, including copy editing, brand voice, campaigns, email, social, web, and communication systems. You don't need it to benefit from the book. It's for readers ready to move from understanding to implementation on day one.
Do I need a specific AI account or prior AI experience to use the Skills Pack?
No specific AI account is required. The Skills Pack works with Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini, and the free tier of each is enough to get started. No prior AI experience is required either: the pack includes a setup guide and a “Loading Your Church's Voice” document that walk you through everything step by step.
Who is the Playbook for?
It's for whoever is doing this work: the solo communicator wearing every hat at a smaller church, or the director leading a team at a larger one. The frameworks are the same; only the scale changes. It's also a useful read for the senior or executive pastor who oversees the function and wants shared language with their communications team.
How is this different from other church communications books?
Most church-comms resources either cast vision for storytelling or teach specific software tools. The Playbook sits in between: a practitioner's handbook of frameworks, systems, and team culture for the person responsible for doing all of it. It's also written for the post-2020, AI-enabled landscape, with a companion AI Skills Pack built specifically for church communicators.
What you do in the quiet is gospel work.
This framework helps you keep doing it.