Microsoft Publisher is officially gone for Microsoft 365 users, and if your church feels a little behind on tech right now... honestly? That might be the best news you've heard all year.Most of us didn't choose our church software, we inherited it (right along with that casserole dish nobody's allowed to throw away). So let's talk about why being ten or twenty years behind means your church gets to leapfrog straight to the tools that exist right now, which tend to be cheaper, easier, and way more powerful. Plus:New 2026 data on church tech and AI from Barna, Pushpay, and LifewayWhy Affinity opening Publisher files is such a big deal for church bulletinsMy latest software finds, and a couple of duds (looking at you, Adobe)A three-question software audit you can do on the back of an old bulletinLearn Affinity with me in Bulletin Rescue, or come join me in The Commons: studiokons.comShow notes: studiokons.com/podcast

Every October, churches hold their breath, design a thermometer graphic and hope the pledge cards come back. This episode is about everything that should happen BEFORE the thermometer. A stewardship campaign is a storytelling campaign, and the ask comes last. Leslie walks through five ministry stories worth telling (circle suppers, the community meal, your music program, children's ministry and your staff), how to photograph kids and vulnerable neighbors with care, and the vision piece almost every campaign skips. Plus, how to pace it all over several weeks using the Event Ease phases.Event Ease: studiokons.com/eventease

"Churches near me" gets searched over 4,000 times a month. The results show up as a map with pins and the church with the best-looking pin gets the click, not necessarily "the best" church. Leslie Kons walks through exactly what shows up when someone searches for a church in your town, what your Google Business Profile says about you right now (probably not great), and the four things your website needs to answer in the first thirty seconds before a visitor moves on.

You're a pastor, a communications volunteer, or the person who somehow ended up responsible for the church's Instagram. You know your congregation is wonderful. You just can't figure out how to say that on a website without sounding like everyone else. That's what this episode is about. Leslie Kons, digital ministry strategist and church musician, makes the case that specificity is a magnet and that the most powerful thing your church can do online is stop trying to speak to everyone and start saying the real, specific thing that makes you *yours.*

Every summer starts with big plans to get ahead... and usually ends with a September panic. In this final episode before the summer break, Leslie gets real about what summer actually looks like for church communicators, why rest is a legitimate and valuable use of this season, and the few things genuinely worth doing over the next few weeks that will make fall feel different. From auditing your digital presence to building a fall event promotion plan before the rush hits, this is the realistic summer guide your future September self will thank you for.Event Ease: studiokons.com/eventease — build your fall event promotion plan now, while you have the time. $37.Digital Ministry Voice Tool: studiokons.com/dmv — free, takes ten minutes, do it before September.The Commons: studiokons.com/the-commons — church growth through a stronger online presence.

Most church social media skips a crucial step. We invite people to Sunday worship, community dinners, VBS, and special events before they actually know who we are.In this episode, I’m breaking down why your church social media needs more introduction content and less straight-to-the-invitation posting. We’ll talk about the know, like, trust framework, why social media is especially important for new people, and how to create posts that show what your church feels like before asking someone to show up. If your feed is mostly event graphics and “join us” posts, this episode will help you shift toward a more welcoming, strategic, and trust-building church social media presence.

AI can write your church's social posts in five seconds. The catch? Most of the time, it sounds like every other church on the internet.This week, we're getting into why your church needs a voice guide before you hand the keys to ChatGPT. You'll hear why generic AI copy chips away at trust with the very visitors you're trying to reach, why your online voice is doing way more first-impression work than you realize, and what changes the second your team finally has language for how your church actually sounds. Plus, I'm walking you through the Digital Ministry Voice tool, or DMV (yes, the acronym is on purpose, I couldn't help myself), which builds you a working voice guide and AI prompts so your church communications sound like you.Access the DMV here: https://www.studiokons.com/dmv

AI in ministry brings up a lot of feelings, and that makes sense! The good news is that nobody serious is suggesting AI should write your sermons, replace pastoral care, or make theological decisions for your church. Those things belong to you and your community. The administrative and communications work that piles up around ministry though? That is where AI can be a helpful tool.In this episode, I'm sharing what I taught in a room full of Presbyterian clergy about using AI for ministry with clarity, ethics, and confidence. We'll talk about why AI works like GPS (you're still the one driving), where it actually helps with church communications, and where it has no business showing up at all. I'll also walk you through a simple five-part prompt formula you can use for newsletters, event announcements, social posts, and other recurring ministry tasks. The goal is AI that sounds like your church, with your voice and your people in mind.Check out the Digital Ministry Voice tool here: studiokons.com/dmv

A lot of church leaders hear the word marketing and immediately tense up. It feels corporate. Transactional. Maybe even a little manipulative. And honestly? I get that.But in this episode, I want to make the case that while digital ministry and church marketing are not the same thing, there are important things ministry leaders can learn from good marketing principles—especially when it comes to communication, trust, consistency, and helping people feel seen.We’re talking about why audience research looks a lot like pastoral care, why consistency builds trust online, how your church’s digital presence shapes first impressions long before someone walks through the door, and why the best digital ministry is always relationship-driven. I’m also sharing what surprised me most when I studied marketing formally through Harvard Business School Online, and why some of the strongest ministry and marketing frameworks actually arrive at the same place.Because this isn’t about turning your church into a brand. It’s about learning how to communicate your ministry more clearly, more consistently, and more faithfully online.Check out The Commons here: studiokons.com/thecommons

Your email list is the only channel you actually own — and for mainline churches especially, it's your most direct line to lapsed members, snowbirds, and people in transition who aren't ready to walk through the door yet. In this episode, Leslie breaks down why most church email falls flat (hint: "May Newsletter" is not a subject line), the one-person rule that transforms your tone instantly, subject lines that actually get opened, a three-part structure that takes fifteen minutes to write, and why showing up consistently in someone's inbox is its own form of pastoral care. Plus: a callback to last week's sermon episode that ties it all together.The Commons: studiokons.com/thecommons - church growth through a stronger online presence. Founding members join for $17/mo now (as of May 4, 2026), price increases soon.