Creativity Without a Team: How to Lead Well When You’re Leading Alone

“How can I be creative when I’m the only staff member at the church?”

It’s a question many pastors and church leaders ask—especially those who are planting, rebuilding, or simply leading in a season where resources are limited. The pressure to be both spiritual and strategic, both pastoral and creative, can feel overwhelming. But here’s the good news: you’re not alone in this, and you don’t have to do it all perfectly.

In the early days, before there was a full team to support Pastor Chris, he leaned on what was available. He used proven resources and ideas from other churches—not out of laziness, but out of wisdom. His focus was on delivering the message God gave him, not reinventing the wheel every week.

There is no shame in using what works. Whether it’s borrowing a sermon series format, using pre-made graphics, or adapting creative elements from other churches, the goal is not originality—it’s impact. Creativity doesn’t always mean creating from scratch. It often means curating what serves your people best in the season you’re in.

Eventually, as your church grows and your team expands, you’ll have more bandwidth to dream and build unique expressions of creativity. But until then, give yourself permission to keep it simple, stay focused on the message, and trust that faithfulness will pave the way for future creativity.

You’re planting seeds now that will produce a harvest—and the right team—later.