Creative Department Director

Cornerstone Church; Chandler (AZ); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Cornerstone Church is seeking a Creative Director who can be a builder, idea generator, mobilizer, and executor. You will lead cross‑department collaboration, recruit and empower volunteer creative teams, and oversee ideation through execution for worship experiences and events.

Ideal candidates combine strong leadership with a passion for creating impactful, God‑honoring creative experiences, while managing budgets and timelines effectively.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of brand development or advertising experience.
• Prefer ministry or church experience in a 2000+ congregation.
• 2+ years of management experience.
• Proven leadership, management and team-building strengths.
• Strong problem solving and communications skills.
• Highly organized, self-motivated, and proactive.
• Able to perform duties with urgency and meet deadlines consistently.

Responsibilities

• Lead creative collaboration across departments, bringing together staff, volunteers, and ministry leaders to develop impactful ideas.
• Facilitate brainstorming, creative development, and problem-solving sessions.
• Turn big ideas into clear, actionable plans that teams can execute.
• Build strong relationships across the organization to move creative projects forward.
• Oversee ideation, development, and execution of creative elements for weekend worship experiences, conferences, and events.
• Collaborate with the preaching team to develop practical illustrations, stage props, and visuals.
• Lead projects from initial concept to production and final execution.
• Balance creative ambition with budgets, timelines, and available resources.

Job description

At Cornerstone Church, we believe creativity is a powerful tool to communicate the message of Jesus in compelling, memorable, and meaningful ways.

We're looking for aCreative Director who is equal parts visionary, builder, and collaborator.Someone who doesn't just dream up great ideas but knows how to bring people together to make those ideas a reality.

This role is for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment, loves developing people, and has a passion for creating experiences that make an impact.

Who you are

• A Builder.You love creating something from nothing. You're not waiting for the perfect system or team; you enjoy building both.
• An Idea Generator.You're naturally curious, imaginative, and consistently thinking about what could be possible.
• A Mobilizer.You know that the best ideas require great people. You can inspire, organize, and empower teams to accomplish more together.
• A People Person.You genuinely enjoy working with people, building relationships, and helping others succeed. You value collaboration over personal credit.
• Highly Teachable.You're confident enough to contribute and humble enough to learn. You actively seek feedback and are willing to change direction when needed.
• Comfortable With Fast-Paced Environments.You can manage multiple projects, navigate changing priorities, and remain solution-oriented under pressure.
• A Deep Researcher.You don't settle for the first idea. You ask questions, study references, explore possibilities, and do the work necessary to develop thoughtful, compelling creative concepts.
• Someone Who Can Receive Feedback.You understand that creative work is collaborative. You don't take critique personally, and you're willing to refine an idea until it serves the mission.
• An Executor.You don't just talk about ideas. You take ownership, solve problems, meet deadlines, and make things happen.

What you will do:

Be the Chief Collaborator

• Lead creative collaboration across departments, bringing together staff, volunteers, and ministry leaders to develop impactful ideas.
• Facilitate brainstorming, creative development, and problem‑solving sessions.
• Turn big ideas into clear, actionable plans that teams can execute.
• Build strong relationships across the organization to move creative projects forward.

Build & Mobilize Teams

• Recruit, develop, and mobilize volunteer creative teams.
• Identify people's gifts and empower them to contribute meaningfully to the creative process.
• Create a culture where people feel valued, challenged, and inspired to bring their best.
• Coordinate staff, volunteers, and resources to bring creative concepts to life.

Bring Ideas to Life

• Oversee the ideation, development, and execution of creative elements for weekend worship experiences, conferences, and special events.
• Collaborate with the preaching team to develop practical illustrations, stage props, and visual elements that strengthen message communication.
• Lead projects from initial concept and research through design, production and final execution.
• Partner with Worship, Production, Video, and other teams to ensure creative elements are executed with excellence.
• Balance creative ambition with budgets, timelines, and available resources.

Research, Innovate & Improve

• Research cultural trends, creative experiences, storytelling methods, and innovative approaches to communication.
• Consistently bring fresh ideas and inspiration to the table.
• Evaluate creative effectiveness and identify opportunities to improve.
• Build repeatable systems and processes that make creative execution more efficient and sustainable.

Experiences You Have Had

• 2+ years of experience in brand development, advertising or relative college experience
• Preferable ministry or church related experience in an environment of at least 2000+congregation
• 2+ years of management experience
• Proven strength in leadership, management and team-building
• Good at problem‑solving and communications
• Is highly organized, self‑motivated, and proactive
• Able to perform job duties with a sense of urgency and meet deadlines consistently

What Success Looks Like

• Creative ideas consistently move from concept to execution.
• Staff and volunteers are engaged, equipped, and excited to contribute.
• Weekend experiences, conferences, and preaching elements are thoughtful, innovative, and executed with excellence.
• Creative projects are delivered on time and within budget.
• Strong collaboration exists across ministry departments.
• Creative processes become more effective, scalable, and repeatable.
• The Creative Arts team continues to develop a culture of innovation, ownership, and excellence.

We're not simply looking for someone who can come up with great ideas. We're looking for someone who canbuild the team, develop the idea, and lead the execution.

At Cornerstone, creativity isn't about being impressive. It's about making the message of Jesus impossible to ignore.

Opportunity statement:

Cornerstone’s employment policy is to provide equal employment opportunity for all qualified employees and applicants without regard to race, color, sex, age, or national origin. The Church does however, reserve the right to employ persons who have a Christian background and align with the vision, values, and doctrinal statement of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship. Each employee must be a member of Cornerstone supporting the vision and values of the church.