Church Marketing Sucks

I had a conversation with a pastor friend of mine a few weeks back. He is a big believer in church marketing that doesn’t suck. He doesn’t have a big budget. His church is less than 50 families and the staff numbers a whopping two and a half people. His church council hammers him on nearly every expense, especially when it comes to marketing. Despite the need for several of these members of the council to have effective marketing in their own businesses, translating those principles to reaching people for Christ doesn’t always come through very clear.

My pastor friend manages to pull-off a few direct mail pieces a year (10,000 homes) in addition to some nice branding with weekly bulletins, a logo, 1-page Web site, and a few banners. Nothing big and spectacular, but a very good start for a church of this size.

Working with church councils can be quite a pain when it comes to finding funds for marketing.

May I suggest a few ideas for engaging the wisdom of your church council?

• Don’t come in with a great big plan. Start small.
• Provide resources that will help educate your council on why marketing works.
• Get a few members “in your corner” so they can champion a plan with you.
• Do some test marketing to get a feel for what works and what doesn’t.
• Consistency is key when marketing your church. A one-time mailer will not cut it.
• Do a survey in your church to learn what caused people to come in the first place. Use this info to work on a plan that could use similar methods for inviting people to your church.
• Don’t give up. Church councils are not the enemy. Seek their wisdom and favor.

Proverbs 15:22 says that there is wisdom in the counsel of many. Working with your church council or advisors to craft a marketing plan that works will take energy, time, and talent. Don’t lose heart. You must do it! There are people in your community that may be just an invitation away from meeting Jesus in your church.