You’ve heard it a thousand times, and it’s probably nails on a chalkboard at this point. But here goes, anyways: everything’s bigger in Texas. One church is doing their best to prove the old platitude true. They gave away a million bucks in swag for Easter Sunday under the assumption that if you build it, they will come. From Fender guitars to TVs to Jaguars.
So what do you think, great marketing strategy or ridiculous scheme?
Well, 40% of you were downright offended. You think this is a ludicrous way of getting people to church and likely worry about what will happen once they get there. And just slightly less, 28%, are a little cautious of approaches like this. You aren’t ready to say that it’s an outright shame, but you’re not sure it’s a good idea.
The last of the disagreers? That’d be the 19% of you in the fundamental disagreement pile that think you should try and go to others instead of luring them to you.
Only a meager 13% of respondents were in favor of the mega-giveaway. Split right down the middle, half of these were feeling fairly laissez-faire about the whole thing, and another half just wish they could have won the Audi.
This week, we’re exposing the copycats and asking the question: Where does your church get its marketing ideas from most often?
Reformed Catholic
May 11, 2010
I’m wondering how many showed up, and how many came back the next few weeks ??
Eric Granata
May 11, 2010
Seems like you could have done a lot more good with one million dollars than appeal to the masses’ consumerist tendencies.
On the other hand, maybe those cars really helped some families out?
Paul Clifford
May 11, 2010
In related news, inner city missions were criticized for giving poor people food and clothing.
If the prizes were donated, why not? The prizes appeal to a different demographic (that Jesus loves too).
Is it right? Should they have done it? Maybe or maybe not, but I’m going to judge.
Neal
May 11, 2010
These are the expected results. You getting responses from mostly Christians. The best way to measure if that Sunday was successful is in a few months to see how many of those $2 million guests are still around & and find out what KEPT them coming.
doug
May 11, 2010
I think we might be missing the crux of the problem here.
It doesn’t matter if the new “guests” come back or not or how many prayed a prayer. Ultimately, Jesus was concerned with making Disciples. I think you could make an easy argument that the biggest hindrance for people becoming disciples in the West is consumerism…and this 100% reinforces this.
Alan Hirsch wisely said: “We cannot consume our way to discipleship.”
It sounds a little harsh…but this church only made it more difficult to disciple both the people they have AND the people they may have attracted. Two years down the road they are going to be asking, “Wait, why are these people thinking church is all about them? Why are they so selfish? Why do they always expect us to feed them?”
Well…you gave out cars! lol.