WITNESSING IN A CYBER WORLD: TYLER MITCHELL (WC ’09)

Mitchell finds a special calling as Grace Polaris Church’s communications director

Tyler Mitchell said the internet has provided a new doorway to Grace Polaris Church. As the church’s communications director, Mitchell (WC ‘09) said his job is to make sure that door is always unlocked.

“(Social media) plays a very important role in informing and inspiring our audience,” Mitchell said.  “It’s been said that a good website might be the front door to your church, but social media is the kitchen or the foyer.

“It is a way for us to inspire not only our congregants but the community. It’s a way for us to tell others about what God is doing.”

Mitchell has been working as the church’s communications director since January 2015. However, it seems like he may have been destined to work there for a lot longer. While attending The Ohio State University for graphic design, Mitchell landed an internship with Grace Polaris Church.

A month after he graduated, he started working there full-time as a communications coordinator. Six months after that, Mitchell’s then-boss Bill Palameter took another job in Atlanta and, boom, Mitchell was named as the director of his department.

“I was really surprised it happened that quickly,” he said. “Bill did what he could to bring me up to speed in a month’s time before he had to move. It was a pretty quick transition, but it was one I felt as prepared for as I could’ve been.”

Mitchell spends a lot of time working with the church’s executive pastor Tim Augspurger and lead pastor Mike Yoder to find out what is coming up with the Sunday service as well as any special event the church might be having.

Mitchell and a four-person staff then try to coordinate the best ways to get the church’s message across, designing print pieces, videos, websites, and social media posts.

“One of the things I really enjoy about my job is that I get to do so many different types of design,” Mitchell said. “I’m not shoehorned into one type of medium or one particular style. I get to work with videos and traditional graphic designs as well as social media and websites.

“It’s really exciting to cross over all of those platforms and not be restricted to only one. I think flexibility and adaptability are two of the skills I’ve developed over the years.”

Each medium does require solid writing skills, according to Mitchell. He started to hone his writing talents at Worthington Christian.

“My love of writing was really fostered at Worthington Christian through talented teachers like Peggie Bell, Michael O’Donnell, and many others,” he said. “That skill has become very essential in my line of work.

“I often have to put together proposals with briefs and descriptions of upcoming events. Without having that skill, it would take a lot more work to explain the idea behind things.

“It’s been fun to work with Worthington Christian School and see how each of our organizations complement each other and yet how distinctly different we are in going about our Kingdom work.”