Creative Services Associate - First Baptist Maryville

Creative Services Associate - First Baptist Maryville

 

Position Summary 

The Creative Services Associate (Communication Specialist) serves as a key partner to ministry leaders, designing top-quality digital and print materials that promote and resource all ministries of First Baptist Maryville. This role focuses on transforming existing creative concepts into polished, platform-optimized promotional materials for web, social media, and print. The ideal candidate excels at written communication, layout optimization, and social media strategy, with a collaborative spirit that makes it easy for ministry leaders to effectively promote their work. Rather than creating original designs from scratch, this position requires strong skills in adapting and refining creative assets for maximum impact across multiple channels, while also managing social media presence and developing growth strategies that expand the reach of our ministries.

 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Print & Digital Production

• Produce the weekly Worship Guide for Weekend Services.

• Produce the weekly email newsletter.

• Edit and optimize graphics for digital and print media.

• Create merchandise for the First Baptist Maryville brand and ministry programs.

• Translate ministry concepts into creative communication pieces for print and online platforms.

Social Media & Content Strategy

• Grow and manage First Baptist Maryville's Facebook and Instagram presence.

• Coach ministry leaders on content development and engagement best practices for social media.

• Lead volunteer team creating content during Weekend Services and live events.

Web & Digital Platforms

• Manage Church Center App content, user experience, and information updates.

• Perform website management and content updates for First Baptist Maryville, Maryville Christian School, and Kids First Learning Center.

• Coordinate with ministry teams to ensure website content supports ministry initiatives.

Content Creation & Brand Management

• Write, edit, and proofread copy for all communication pieces.

• Lead creative briefs with ministry leaders for promotional campaigns.

• Maintain brand consistency across First Baptist Maryville, Maryville Christian School, and Kids First Learning Center.

• Provide photography coverage at Weekend Services and live events as needed.

Qualifications 

Required Qualifications 

• Bachelor's degree in Communication, Graphic Design, Marketing, or related field.

• 2 years of experience creating promotional materials in a professional setting.

• Proficiency in maintaining websites and designing graphics.

• Proficiency with Adobe Creative Cloud, Google Workspace, and Squarespace.

• Strong copywriting and proofreading skills.

• Proficiency with text editing and basic data manipulation.

• Experience managing Facebook and Instagram accounts.

• Ability to be creative and engaging in written communication, especially within the restrictions of social media platforms, while strictly adhering to project guidelines for tone and voice directed by the event and ministry.

• Critical thinker with the ability to distill actionable insights from large quantities of data.

• The desire and ability to stay current with church and industry best practices.

• Ability to work collaboratively with multiple teams and manage concurrent projects.

• Teachable and coachable, with ambition to grow in your craft.

• Born-again follower of Jesus Christ who is theologically aligned with the values and teachings of First Baptist Maryville, as this is a role essential to the religious mission of the church.

Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience in church or nonprofit communications

• Familiarity with macOS

• Photography skills

• Experience leading volunteer teams

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 

• Expert-level understanding of platform optimization (knowing the difference between a high-res print bleed and a social media aspect ratio). Advanced skill in Adobe Creative Cloud (specifically InDesign for layout and Photoshop for editing) and Squarespace or similar CMS for web management.

• Exceptional copywriting skills with the "tonal flexibility" to write a worship guide, a punchy Instagram caption, and a professional email newsletter. Mastery of grammar and proofreading is essential.

• Ability to move beyond "posting" to "strategizing"—using analytics to determine post timing, engagement tactics, and audience growth on Meta platforms.

• Strong "client-service" mindset. Ability to lead creative briefs with ministry leaders, helping them refine their ideas into actionable communication plans.

• Skills in "leading by influence," specifically coaching and mobilizing volunteers to capture content during high-pressure live events.

Physical Demands 

• Extensive periods of stationary work at a computer terminal, requiring high visual focus for layout and proofreading tasks.

• Frequent use of keyboards, mice, and professional camera equipment.

• During weekend services and special events, must be able to move quickly across the campus to capture photography or coordinate social media volunteers.

• Ability to stand for 2–4 hours during services or events while operating a camera or mobile device.

• Occasional lifting of event signage, merchandise boxes, or photography gear weighing up to 25 pounds.

Work Environment 

• A hybrid of a collaborative office environment and "on-the-floor" event coverage.

• Fast-paced with a high volume of weekly recurring deadlines (Worship Guide, weekly emails). Must be able to pivot quickly between different ministry "brands".

• Regular exposure to the typical production environment (loud music, theatrical lighting) during event coverage.

• Full-time role that includes occasional weekend and evening events to facilitate live social media coverage and photography.

• Minimal; primarily limited to local travel for merchandise pick-ups or off-site ministry events.

Disclaimer 

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Duties and responsibilities may change as needed.