Justin Mertes

About Justin Mertes

Hello, I\'m Justin! I\'m uniquely passionate about the following things:• Product and innovation• Facilitation and team coaching• The local churchMy role at Made to Flourish fits snuggly in the Venn diagram overlap between those three spheres, and I find myself grateful to have a foot in each (without being an expert in any). As product lead, I shape the vision for Made to Flourish\'s tool Scatter, which I have lead the build of. I also plan and facilitate 3-day intensive workshops with church leadership teams who want to take a theology of Faith and Work and integrate it into their everyday work as church leaders.My background is in the digital product space, particularly around early-stage product innovation and strategy (with emphasis on intensive cross-functional workshops like Design Sprints). I worked in the agency space for 5 years, working with Fortune 500 companies, world-leading tech companies, non-profits, start-ups, and more. I left the agency life to be co-founder of a multimedia startup, leaning into my background in digital media production. I\'ve been in the digital marketing space as well as communication, media production, education, and more. I\'m thankful for my winding path which God has used to form me and shape me into someone who has a bit to offer and a lot to learn.I\'ve run digital marketing initiatives for many universities (and made some cosmic mistakes), facilitated & crafted strategy sessions for some of the world’s top tech companies (and had to abandon all plans when things went off the rails), created viral social campaigns (and total duds), spoken at national conferences (and been rejected for regional ones), been internationally recognized for his strategy & research methods (and locally recognized for winning a fox-trot contest in cotillion in junior high).I\'m probably working on several other projects, ranging from tabletop games to kids books, from a new Notion database to a new climate sustainability initiative, from learning a new instrument to re-remembering how to write in cursive.My wife and I have five children and even more chickens, and we have a small bowl of cereal almost every night at around 9:15.WIDGET: Invention & Galvanizing, The Evangelizing InnovatorDISC: I/D, The OptimistEnneagram: 3, The AchieverMeyers/Briggs: ENTJ, The ExecutiveStrengthsQuest: Belief, Connectedness, Learner, Communication, Self-AssurancePersonal Values: Stewardship, Grit, Merriment, Messiness, Wonder

Experience

1. Director of Program Engagement

   Made to Flourish

   Oct 2023 — Present · Overland Park, KS, US

   I wake up every day focused on equipping pastors with the tools and experiences they need to help them become vocationally informed—helping them connect their congregants\' faith with their daily work, gifts, and callings. Specifically, I lead the strategic direction of Scatter, Made to Flourish\'s digital vocational insights tool that maps the skills, vocational expertise, and passions of congregants to provide pastors with actionable data for shepherding and commissioning their people in a way that\'s vocationally conversant. I also oversee the Church Practicum, our intensive three-day workshop that that equips church leadership teams to integrate vocational fluency into their worship services, discipleship pathways, and missional efforts.My role spans product, customer success, and team collaboration. • Direct church-facing strategy and ensure long-term value and adoption of Scatter • Translate field insights into platform improvements and product priorities • Oversee sales pipeline strategy, messaging, and church engagement campaigns • Design and deliver training experiences through the Practicum and beyond • Serve as a cross-functional connector between churches, internal teams, and key stakeholders

Education

• John Brown University

  Digital Media Art, Digital Media Art

  2009 — 2013

• John Brown University

  Masters, Business Leadership & Ethics

  2016 — 2017

Skills

• Canon
• Final Cut Studio
• Creative Media Solutions
• Creative Strategy
• Leadership
• Digital Marketing Exp
• Management
• Video Production
• Internet Video Production
• Creative Content Production
• Adobe Creative Suite
• Youtube
• Social Marketing
• Video Editing
• Creative Services
• Communication
• Instagra
• Oral Communication
• Snapchat
• Social Media
• Teamwork
• Advertising
• 360 Videos
• Public Speaking
• Analytics
• Digital Marketing
• Interpersonal Communication
• Scriptwriting
• Microsoft Office
• Final Cut Pro X
• Event Planning
• Presentations
• Google Sheets
• Social Media Marketing
• Microsoft Excel
• Marketing
• Gopro
• Online Marketing
• Facebook
• Creative Problem Solving