From time to time, we hear arguments that church marketing is bad, evil or sinful. Most of these folks posit that marketing is inherently a bad thing as it supports structures of greed and consumerism. When we get into referring to our faith as a product, the cost of life change as the price and Christians as consumers, the bag of worms fully opens. But what do you think? Can we use these worldly, business terms without short-changing the gospel?
48% of you think we can, but we need to be careful. It’s not the most descriptive answer–careful in what way? How could you see this going wrong? Have you ever seen it going wrong?
Next up, 20% of you think we should have free reign to use these words. It’s just providing context and a common language, which is actually pretty doggone useful.
Just a few less of you, 19%, aren’t so sure, and the idea of using these words makes you rather uncomfortable. Lump in the 7% of folks who are still deciding for themselves, and that’s a quarter of our respondents who aren’t quite sure how they feel about all this marketing talk. The good news is, you’re certainly at the right place to be having these conversations and wrestling with this.
Finally, 7% of you offer a stern “no,” arguing that using such words is near-blasphemous. We can respect that, and some people are certain to be there. We’re glad you’re here to provide a voice to that group and keep the conversation alive.
So there you have it: a whole bunch of you are a-OK with this, a handful are still deciding and a vocal minority are in staunch opposition. Next up? What is your number one church marketing fear?
Mark
March 12, 2009
We must not fall into the trap of believing in ‘advertising’ as the solution to our ‘church problem’ (attendence, money, growth). I have been personally involved in a church plant whose pastor thought that if he did everything just like the guys at Saddleback, or Flamingo Road, the church would be successful just like them. WRONG… God’s Church must strive for success as measured by God’s standards, not man’s.
If people in our community are not seeing the power and love of Christ in our members/attenders, we have just completed our most powerful advertising plan…The Bad Example! God already has a plan, and only by allowing God to market His (not our) Church through us will He (not we) accomplish eternal results. Marketing is a strategy, a process by which we communicate God’s (not our) message of hope, and as servants of God we must have a plan that is as effective as we can make it.
We have no product to sell, but we do offer a relationship with God through repentance, forgiveness and faith in Jesus, the Christ! When all the canned, false advertising used by cookie-cutter churches fades away, people see what the real church is…imperfect people serving a perfect God. It’s not about us, and it’s not about others…IT’S ABOUT GOD!!!!