2024 has been a monumental year for Influence Women! With chapter groups in Hollywood, Orange County, California; Atlanta, and Nashville, Influence Women expanded this past year, adding three more national chapter groups in Baton Rouge, Houston, and Dallas. Each chapter group has cultivated close relationships with media and leadership professionals— exponentially increasing the impact of Influence Women across the nation.
Influence Women hosted 25 in-person and online events in 2024!
Through the combined efforts of the chapter groups, Influence Women hosted 25 events in 2024, both online and in-person. The Influence Women weekly journal and monthly webinars
and podcasts continue to bring professional instruction and inspiration, enabling a global community of women to Connect, Collaborate, and Create for Christ’s Kingdom (The 4C’s).
To help accommodate the growing needs of the organization, the Influence Women Advisory Board shifted Kathleen Cooke’s leadership position from Hollywood Chapter Director to Global Director. She now oversees the expanding global need and mission of Influence Women: uniting and supporting women to change culture through the effective use of media, entertainment, music, art, and leadership.
Looking Ahead to 2025 With the ongoing surge of AI, Influence Women believes that supporting women who create artistic endeavors focused on a biblical worldview is essential to populating what is and will be seen and heard on our screens in the future. We believe a diverse and empowered community of women in the creative industry fields will positively influence the narratives and perspectives shaping our society.
The Hollywood Chapter of Influence Women is going strong!
“The harvest is ripe!” states Kathleen Cooke. As we look to the new year, the focus of Influence Women is to continue to grow, unite professionals online and in their local chapters, and establish new chapter groups in the United States and abroad as we…
* Provide dynamic professional speakers, educators, and tools for connection and empowerment for artistic endeavors. * Provide collaborative opportunities for creative media, entertainment, music, art, and leadership endeavors in communities and global cities. * Establish an ongoing global community of diverse ages and ethnicities with a biblical worldview to influence culture with creative projects and productions.
Your partnership with The Influence Lab and Influence Women is significant! Your generous gift today impacts generations to come as we work to change culture through media.
Founded by media experts Phil and Kathleen Cooke, The Influence Lab mobilizes a powerful strategy to teach the global Church how to use media to share the gospel in today’s digital age, with Influence Women creating a pathway for Christian influence in entertainment and media. Find out more about Influence Women here.
With the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, one of the most significant ways to counter Russia’s aggression is from within. That’s why The Influence Lab is excited to announce a new Russian translation of Phil Cooke’s book, Ideas on a Deadline—How to Be Creative When the Clock is Ticking. The book strengthens pastors and churches by sparking creative ways to share the gospel across Russia.
Sergey helped spearhead the translation of Phil Cooke’s “Maximize Your Influence.”
A project spearheaded by our friend and publisher, Sergey Martyunichev, the translation work is complete and the manuscript has been sent to the printers. Ideas on a Deadline equips Christian communicators and creatives with proven techniques to boost creativity—a necessary component to effective outreach and evangelism in the digital age. It will be a prime resource for Russian pastors and ministry leaders to design a creative culture within their teams.
“Phil Cooke’s books have become reference books for people of influence in our country. He is known in Russia as an author who reveals the practical side of life in church ministry and the marketplace.”
At The Influence Lab, we’re empowering the church to transform culture through media. As an extension of our mission, we’re pleased to present Ideas on a Deadline—How to Be Creative When the Clock is Ticking to our Christian brothers and sisters in Russia.
Your support can help us strengthen the church in Russia. Will you partner with us in bringing this translation project to life? Your financial support of The Influence Lab helps us with ongoing projects like translation projects and training opportunities worldwide. Give your gift here.
Special offer! Give a gift – get a book as our “thank you” for your partnership. Find out more here.
THANK YOU, INFLUENCE LAB PARTNERS!
Thank you for helping strengthen pastors by sparking creative ways to share the gospel across Russia. (Phil and Kathleen pictured with key people in the Russian translation projects.)
Prayer is a critical part of the mission at The Influence Lab and Influence Women. This month, Kathleen Cooke, co-founder of Influence Lab and global director of Influence Women, was invited to pray at the She Leads America Election Day National Prayer event. Joining 85 of the She Leads America honorees, including Dr. Alveda King; Ginger Howard, Former Republican National Committeewoman for Georgia; and Eve Nunez, the Vice President of Networking for National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; she was honored to be a featured prayer leader.
The event gathered leading women together online for early morning prayer to lift up the United States as the polls opened nationwide. As an honoree of She Leads America, Kathleen prayed for professionals in the media industries within the U.S. to exercise their civil liberties and vote.
“Leadership matters, and leaders supporting leaders turn the dial.” —Kathleen Cooke
Liz Doyle, founder and executive director of She Leads America, reports, “We took off our shoes because each spot we were praying from was ‘holy ground’ as we petitioned the commander of the Lord’s army for the sake of our nation.”
In 2022, Kathleen received the She Leads America Award and a Certificate of Congressional Record for her outstanding work in the media and entertainment industry at a ceremony held in Washington, DC. This year, on special invitation, she joined 50 nationally recognized women of distinction from the U.S. and U.K. at Windsor Castle to explore faith-based solutions to counterbalance the attack on biblical values within both cultures.
Kathleen believes “Leadership matters, and leaders supporting leaders turn the dial.” Her leadership talent is what has helped expand Influence Women into major film and television production hubs in the U.S. Dedicated to seeing Christian women take their place as faith-filled leaders influencing media and the arts, chapters can now be found in Hollywood, Orange County, California; Atlanta, Nashville, Baton Rouge, Houston and Dallas.
Pray for The Influence Lab and Influence Women! Partner with us in prayer as we equip pastors and leaders around the world in digital and media strategies to share the gospel effectively.
Partner with us financially! Support the work—make a difference! Media is a powerful way to affect change. Add your gift to support the mission here.
Available now! It’s been a whirlwind year for The Influence Lab as we impact culture through media… but there’s more on the horizon in 2024! Launching today, October 8, 2024, Phil Cooke presents a new online masterclass.
Church on Trial – Crisis Management Masterclass with Phil Cooke The digital age, and especially social media has put extra pressure on churches around the world. It’s not if a crisis will happen—it’s when—and the way a crisis is managed can make or break a church or ministry organization.
Announcing Phil Cooke’s new masterclass! Church on Trial – Crisis Management Masterclass with Phil Cooke is a new online course that offers pastors and leaders the insight they need to avoid a crisis plus equips them with the skills to navigate a crisis if it comes.
Phil shares, “I never imagined being involved in ‘crisis communication,’ but as the years went by, I saw the importance of helping churches and organizations survive a crisis—particularly when the crisis wasn’t their fault.”
The new masterclass puts the opportunity to gain crisis management skills in the hands of pastors, board members, elders, and ministry leaders in the U.S. and around the world.
“For the most part, seminaries, bible schools, and universities don’t train church or nonprofit leaders in crisis communication or media strategy,” Phil adds. “While we all hope that we never have to face a crisis—if one does happen, this masterclass will equip pastors and leadership teams to respond to a crisis thoughtfully, appropriately, and positively.”
This is something Phil has never done before and we’re excited about the opportunity for uplifting pastors and leaders in this new way. Available now! Get more information and sign up today at PhilCooke.com/Masterclass.
GROUP RATES AVAILABLE! Is your team prepared for a crisis? The more people you have on board, the better off you will be to weather the storm of any crisis. Contact us at masterclass@philcooke.com to find out about group rates and special group perks!
*Special bulk pricing!Many pastors and denominational leaders are buying in bulk to share Church on Trial with their teams. Contact us to find out about special pricing for a case of 32 books for your staff, elders, and other key leaders.
“A crisis does not have to break your church. Rather, it can be an opportunity to strengthen your church to weather the storms.” —Phil Cooke
How creative are you in sharing the gospel? Missions have changed in the digital age. Being creative and using innovative strategies can help us reach more people more effectively!
While our Influence Lab team was in Ghana, West Africa,they visited a remote village to see outreach in action using a media strategy that was unique for this people group. In this video, you’ll see a Bible Listening Group facilitated by TheoVision International that offers illiterate villagers an opportunity to hear the Bible in their own language, discuss what they’ve heard, and then explore ways to practically apply scripture to their daily lives.
Watch Phil’s report and consider a new way of thinking about missions!
The need truly is great in countries like Ghana and other nations around the world for media training. What we take for granted in the United States in the way of teaching and training on current media and digital strategies, the pastors and Christian communicators in other countries hunger and thirst for.
That’s where the Influence Lab steps in. We bring the training and inspiration that these leaders need to reach their nations for Christ in current and effective ways. And that’s where YOU step in.
When you support The Influence Lab, you support the mission to train pastors, leaders and Christian communicators in emerging media and digital strategies to effectively communicate the gospel. Want to help?Click here to give your gift today!
SPECIAL OFFER!Give a gift today and get Phil’s new book, “Church on Trial” as our thank you. Partner with the Influence Lab here.
Thank you, Influence Lab Partners!Together, we are transforming cultures through media.
Influence Lab co-founders Phil and Kathleen Cooke and a team of media experts traveled to Ghana in August to conduct 3-days of intensive media training in the capital city. The media summit was attended by leaders from across West Africa.
At The Influence Lab, we believe it’s possible to transform culture through media! Our team of media experts just got back from a whirlwind trip to Ghana.
It was a non-stop schedule, packed with TV and radio interviews, training sessions with church and ministry media teams from TheoVision International and Perez Dome (one of the largest churches in Ghana), and visiting a remote village to view Bible translation work in action, with a focus on the main event: an intensive three-day Church Media Summit held in Ghana’s capital, Accra.
Each attendee was awarded a certificate of participation, which will propel them forward in their media ministries and careers.
The first of its kind in Ghana, almost 300 pastors, media teams, communications directors, and TV/Film producers attended the Summit from multiple nations across Africa. At the end of the Summit, each attendee was awarded a certificate of participation, which will propel them forward in their media ministries and careers.
Here’s a sampling of thegood reports pouring in from the Summit: “I’m writing to express my heartfelt gratitude and that of my team from Daystar Christian Center, Lagos, Nigeria, for the incredible impact you made at the Ghana Church Media Summit….
The experience was truly transformative, and we’re confident that the takeaways will be instrumental in transforming cultures. Thank you for being vessels of change!” —Benjamin Abejide Adeniran
“I’m very much privileged to be part of this historic event. May God bless our God-fearing and dedicated facilitators led by Phil Cooke.” —Kwabena Gyan
“It was indeed amazing. We are grateful for pouring out so much knowledge into us.” —Godfred Twamasi-Ankrah
Team member John Ondo captures a “selfie” as attendees gather.
“Thank you for the great impact of wisdom. Church summit in Ghana was amazing.” —@klufio
Also, one media director confided he felt so alone and depressed in his work that he had written his resignation letter. After attending the summit, he was so inspired that he has decided he is not quitting! Instead, he plans to build his media team with the tools he gained in the summit workshops.
TheoVision International, the organizer and host of the summit, adds, “The knowledge gained here is set to empower and revolutionize church media work across Africa.”
Content Creators Seek Learning Opportunities Part of the Influence Lab team, John Ondo (President/Founder, Ondo Media) taught on video production with interactive sessions on camera, as well as editing demonstrations. He shares, “We have a world of content creators hungry to learn the techniques to share the Gospel, and they want us back.”
Dan Wathen, John Ondo, and Phil Cooke meet with the media team at Perez Church.
More and more African nations are requiring ministry leaders to show proof of education. “It puts a smile on my face to see several hundred attendees walk out with certificates,” shares Dan Wathen (Executive Producer, Cooke Media Group), another Influence Lab team member who led the training on church live streaming and documentary filmmaking.
Phil Cooke (Co-Founder, Influence Lab/Cooke Media Group) led the Influence Lab team, chosen for their areas of expertise. In addition to John Ondo and Dan Wathen mentioned above:
Kathleen Cooke (Co-Founder, Influence Lab/Cooke Media Group) taught on acting for the camera and directing;
Laura Woodworth (Development Executive, Cooke Media Group) taught on writing, strategic content development in the digital age and screenwriting;
Falonee Naidoo (Content Manager, CV Africa & Middle East) from South Africa taught on the strategic use of social media.
Kathleen shares:
Kathleen inspired attendees to gain as much as they could from the Summit.
“I was overwhelmed with the need for training and encouragement from the sold-out event audience that attended. Our team went above and beyond to meet the needs that were asked of them. The Ghana team is already asking if we can come back again.”
For our Influence Lab partners she adds, “The Bible reminds us that ‘the harvest is ripe and the workers are few.’ We are so grateful for the support that many of you gave and for your prayers for protection and provision.”
A Highlight for Our Team One of the highlights of the trip for the Influence Lab team members, outside of the Summit, was a visit to a remote village to experience a Bible Listening Group. In an area where there is no written language, TheoVision International is reaching out with Bible translations in oral languages.
The experience of a Bible Learning Group in a remote village was a highlight for the team.
After a 2 ½ drive through rugged terrain, it was impactful to see a village of 30+ men, women and children gathered to listen to a chapter of the Bible and then discuss it in their mother tongue. (If you’d like to find out more, visit TheoVision International here.)
The International Need for Media Training The need truly is great in countries like Ghana and other nations around the world for media training. What we take for granted in the United States in the way of teaching and training on current media and digital strategies, the pastors and Christian communicators in other countries hunger and thirst for.
That’s where the Influence Lab steps in. We bring the training and inspiration that these leaders need to reach their nations for Christ in current and effective ways.
And that’s where YOU, our Influence Lab partners, step in. You make trips like this possible. Thank you.
A bird’s eye view of attendees at the first Church Media Summit in Ghana.
PLEASE PRAY: Also, we ask you to pray for those who attended the Church Media Summit in Ghana that God continues to grow them as a community of media professionals who can influence Africa and the culture.
PLEASE GIVE: It’s only with your financial support that we can continue this work. If you’d like to add your support, give your gift here.
