See how weekly sync sessions are the secret to keeping our sanity.

At Fishhook, we always have several dozen clients and projects to manage at any given time. We're so thankful for the opportunity to partner with churches in important communications work, but without significant project management to keep our team on the same page, we'd be in trouble with this many plates spinning!

What's the secret to keeping our sanity? Our weekly sync sessions.

What's a weekly sync session, you ask?
It's a weekly internal 1-hour meeting we use to briefly check in on every active project and client (sync meaning to get synchronized). All our sync sessions are led by Shayla Kenworthy. One of her many hats at Fishhook is Director of Workflow Implementation, which means she helps get all the work in and out of the queue.


First, Shayla meets with our Communications Strategists (who manage each project) on Thursdays to see where each project stands and what's needed from our implementation team (design and web folks) the following week. Then on Monday mornings, Shayla meets with our design and web teams to go through what is on their plates for each project that week.

This collaboration between project managers, graphic designers and web developers ensures that we're all on the same page. We love using a shared Google Doc in each of these sync sessions, so we're all tracking where projects are, what the next steps are and when they're due. Out of these meetings, we use Basecamp project management software, update our calendars and assign tasks for the coming days and weeks.

Why do we love our weekly sync sessions?
We all walk away with everyone knowing where we are in the process and what our priorities and responsibilities are to move each client forward that week. These sessions help us keep a bigger picture of what's going on – what's happening now and what's happening next – so nothing falls through the cracks. They are great relationship building times between the team, all coming together and leaving with a plan.


They help us stay on budget and on time, two very important measures in our world. They keep all of us accountable to report on where we are in the project. They are a great time to get input from others on our teams, like quick brainstorming or tips about how to handle a situation. Plus, they limit the need to have side conversations during the week about each project (unless needed) because we already know what's needed.

Typically we only spend about five minutes talking about each project in these sync sessions, so we cover dozens of clients in the hour. For bigger projects, sometimes we spend 10 or 15 minutes. But sync sessions are meant to be quick, so if more detailed discussion time is needed for a particular project, then a separate meeting is scheduled.

How could you implement some kind of sync session at your church?
The possibilities are endless, and you'll want to find what works for your church in terms of frequency and length of your sync sessions. Here are a few suggestions for your communications team and others:

  • The communications team could meet each week to think through their team's workload for the week, what priorities/events are on the horizon and what communications planning and tools are needed.
  • The communications team could have sync sessions with the senior pastor, worship pastor and other leaders to coordinate communications before, during and after worship services (sermon series graphics, worship slides, videos, next steps, etc.) as well as any major church-wide events or initiatives.
  • The communications team could have brief sync sessions with each ministry to hear what's coming up and find ways that your team can support the staff and leadership of that ministry.
  • The communications team could have sync sessions with the First-Time Guest ministry to coordinate first-time guest communications, lobby space/Connect table and next steps/follow up with guests.
  • Ministry teams could have their own weekly sync sessions to discuss the upcoming week, what the sermon is about, how their ministries could support that message and their upcoming initiatives.
How can you get started?
Schedule it on your calendar, so you don't skip this intentional meeting time. Keep it flexible and find your own rhythm to it. The point is you talk about the items that are important for the week (and weeks) ahead, so you're all on the same page.


Bring snacks and coffee to keep it casual and keep your energy up. We'd suggest using Google Docs or something similar, so everyone can collaborate on a shared document, as well as project management software like Basecamp to create to-dos as you talk. And it's important that someone is tasked to lead and drive the conversation to keep it moving as you go down your list.

How might your team use a sync session to get on the same page for the week ahead? Or how does your team already sync up on a regular basis? We'd love to hear what works for you.