The Workman Is Worthy of Their Hire
Good Design Is Good Ministry, Article 1
By Libby Clarke, Stoneroller Cooperative
Introduction: Scripture Says What It Says
“The laborer is worthy of their hire.”
— Luke 10:7
Jesus said it plainly: if someone is doing the work, pay them. This wasn’t just about field laborers or shepherds. This was instruction to the early church as it grew in power and reach—treat your workers well, because how you honor people is your witness.
And yet, here we are. In many congregations, those doing creative ministry—graphic designers, web folks, photographers, illustrators, musicians—are expected to donate or heavily discount their labor “for the Kingdom,” often without a full understanding of what that labor actually involves.
This isn’t usually out of malice or stinginess. Often, it’s simply because the scope of creative work is invisible to those outside the field. A finished logo or brochure may look effortless—but behind it is a deep well of research, discernment, revision, and prayerful attention. Recognizing that process is the first step toward valuing it.
Creatives Are Co-Laborers in the Gospel
A good designer in ministry is not just “making things pretty.” They are interpreting the Gospel for your community—visually, digitally, and liturgically. Their work shapes how your parish is seen, heard, and understood in the neighborhood and beyond.
When I create for a church—whether it’s a stewardship campaign for St. Martin’s, a Holy Week identity suite for St. Mark’s, or a justice-rooted gala for Christ Church—I’m not dabbling. I’m practicing theology with my hands and heart. This is spiritual labor. It deserves spiritual respect and fair compensation.
I love the Church. I believe in its mission. And I’m not alone. Many of us who design, write, or build for congregations feel called to this work. But we’re also navigating a culture that sometimes forgets what it takes to sustain that calling.
When creative work is seen as a gift or a joy, it can be easy to overlook it as labor. Yet those who most believe in the Church’s message are often the ones who give the most—quietly, consistently, and sometimes unsustainably.
The joy of ministry doesn’t make it costless. Creative labor deserves care.
Valuing that labor, through support, clear expectations, and fair compensation, is more than a kindness—it’s a theological commitment to mutual respect and wholeness in the body of Christ.
Canva Is a Tool, Not a Substitute
Good branding in ministry isn’t just a polished logo or a well-designed bulletin. It’s a cohesive, prayerful expression of your church’s identity across every touchpoint. It reflects who you are, whom you serve, and how you live the Gospel—and that takes more than templates.
Tools like Canva are helpful, especially for small teams. And it’s not the tool that’s the problem—it’s how the tool is used. Too often, churches cycle through generic templates with no consistent visual strategy, gradually eroding the very identity they worked so hard to build. When every Sunday’s bulletin looks like it could belong to a dentist’s office or a community rec center, something holy is being lost.
This isn’t about gatekeeping design. I’ve seen churches create beautiful things with Canva—but only when they use it as a tool in service of a clear, intentional brand. And that’s something worth preserving.
Designers in ministry don’t just make things pretty—we help make them true. Brand consistency isn’t a luxury; it builds trust, credibility, and emotional safety for the viewer. When people see coherence in a church’s visual voice, they’re more likely to engage, to believe it’s well cared for, and to feel welcomed into something intentional.
A Practical Theology of Pay
Here’s a truth worth preaching:
Paying church creatives fairly is not a luxury. It’s a form of liturgical integrity.
When Jesus sent out the seventy-two, he told them to accept food and housing—not as charity, but because “the laborer deserves their wages” (Luke 10:7). When Paul wrote to Timothy, he doubled down: “You shall not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker is worthy of their wages” (1 Tim. 5:18).
This isn’t about hustle culture or capitalism. It’s about care. Compensation reflects value. And in a dominant culture that already devalues artists and creatives—accustomed to extracting labor without pay or credit—the Church has a chance to offer a different witness. We are enculturated to see creative work as dispensable, even as we depend on it to communicate, inspire, and move people.
Churches are often surprised by the costs of creative labor, especially when working with people from their own communities. But designers, like everyone else, carry mortgages, taxes, and caregiving responsibilities. We also need time—real time—to do the work well.
Too often, we’re asked to compress both our budgets and our schedules. That’s a recipe for burnout and mediocre results. Asking for a living wage and a manageable timeline is not selfish—it’s faithful. The Church can choose to be a witness for justice by honoring the time, labor, and sacred imagination that creatives bring.
How We Can Do Better (A Call to Co-Labor)
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Clergy: Budget for design. If you don’t know what it costs, ask—and listen. Make design part of your strategic vision, not a last-minute ask.
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Vestry & Stewardship Teams: Compensate creatives as you would guest preachers or consultants. Don’t treat brand identity as a one-time logo, but as an ecosystem that needs nurturing.
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Creative Ministers: Know your worth. Build handoff agreements. Offer ministry discounts only when you choose—and make sure they don’t become ministry expectations. Be clear about the time and effort your work requires. Where possible, cultivate teams or train volunteers who can carry on your design standards. And get savvy about budget constraints: sometimes a well-chosen template, a limited color palette, or a strategic print schedule can make good design more feasible.
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Everyone: Recognize that creative labor is not a bonus—it’s part of the body.
Sometimes it's enough to admit: we may not be able to pay for excellent design right now. That honesty can open the door to new solutions. In those cases, instead of asking a designer for full delivery at a fraction of the value, consider inviting them into a conversation about how to do what’s possible, well. That might mean co-creating a basic framework, developing a volunteer-friendly toolkit, or setting up a phased approach. But don't waste a creative person's time—or your own—by pretending something is feasible when the conditions simply aren’t there. Respect is a form of stewardship, too.
Final Word: A Hopeful Witness
This is a hard moment. Many churches are doing their best with limited resources. Faithful, generous staff are being asked to take on creative work they were never trained for. Designers, too, bring deep love to the Church while navigating a culture that too often disregards their contributions.
Still, there is hope. Through honest, grace-filled conversation, we can grow together. With care and collaboration, the Church can honor beauty and stewardship—and treat creative work as sacred work. We don’t have to choose between practicality and reverence. We can build something more sustainable, more faithful, more true. Because creative work is ministry.
Series Note
This piece is part of Good Design Is Good Ministry, a six-part series exploring how churches can honor, plan for, and faithfully engage creative work. Written for clergy, staff, and lay leaders, the series invites congregations to rethink how design, strategy, and storytelling serve the Gospel—and how they can support those called to that work.
About the Author
Libby Clarke is a designer, educator, and postulant for the Episcopal priesthood. Through her studio, Stoneroller Cooperative (https://stonerollercoop.com), she and her collaborators help churches, schools, and justice-driven organizations create design that tells the truth beautifully. Their work is rooted in both liturgical rhythms and punk-rock ethics. Libby lives in New Jersey with her wife, daughter, and an abiding sense of creative purpose.Free Resource
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Explore the Full Series
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The Workman Is Worthy of Their Hire
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Why That Logo Costs More Than You Think
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Creative Labor Is Ministry, Too
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Budgeting for Beauty
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When the Budget’s Tight
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Design You Can Use Today
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