Church Marketing Sucks

During the Easter season, those of us who work as church communicators or on church communications teams probably feel pulled in every direction. Church members still aren’t sure what to do with the invitation cards handed out three Sundays ago. The band wants to change a song, which means altering or creating new slides for ProPresenter. The graphic designer has absconded with the coffee pot and given it a new home next to their computer. (You’re pretty sure it’s a fire hazard, but you know better than to disturb that particular peace.)

The rest of your team seems to be swimming in commas and end stops. You know—you just know—you’re going to miss a typo or make some grammatical error that will haunt the team for the next five Easters. And the kids… you hope someone, preferably a responsible spouse or aunt, is overseeing the Easter egg dye and has tucked away the new Easter outfits. (Please, no grass or mud stains before Sunday, kiddos. Please, please.)

Gah! It’s too much, isn’t it? It is. The details matter, but they aren’t the ultimate point. Print materials, background images, signage, welcome messages, website content, and other elements can facilitate a worship environment and put guests at ease. However, we should not focus so exclusively on them that we miss the glory of the gospel.

But it’s hard to quiet the details. They murmur and screech in our sleep. Emails are piling up like some sort of springtime snowstorm. Slack dings a notification every 2.36 minutes. Text messages and phone calls abound.

Can we just silence those things for five, 15, or 60 minutes? You decide on the time limit, but set a time in which to sit and remember. Specifically, remember three things:

1. Remember Jesus’ Life

Jesus never launched a marketing campaign to attract people to his sermons and parables. (Word of mouth? Sure, but Jesus wasn’t out there trying to figure out who the influencers were.) Jesus spoke, and people listened. He told a paralyzed man to rise and walk, and the man did. He commanded people to quit sinning and follow him. They obeyed. Jesus didn’t come with pomp, circumstance, and public relations. He came as a humble servant, speaking and demonstrating the words of God. He was the Word made flesh (John 1).

2. Remember the Body and the Blood

We walk and work differently when we remain mindful of Jesus’ body and blood. His willingness to suffer in our stead provides comfort when we face struggles—even struggles of the print shop variety. The way Jesus approached death should inform how we approach life. He never complained, reacted in anger, or said, “It’s not fair!” To the end, he cared for people, even the people piercing his side and pounding the nails into his wrists and feet. He accomplished his Father’s will regardless of the cost to himself (John 4:34).

3. Remember the Resurrection

The darkness of Holy Week transforms to light on Easter. The stone rolls away. Jesus arises from the dead to live forevermore! Easter morning brings to life the words, “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5). Train yourself to look for that joy. For you, that could look like setting aside time to reflect and ponder. Others could require the messy art of dying eggs with the kids while sharing why Easter matters. Whatever aspect the training takes, take it. It rewards us with an overflowing abundance of joy and delight in the Savior who lived, died, and rose again.

Back to the Heart of Worship

A popular worship song talks about coming back to the heart of worship. May we all return to that heart this Holy Week. May we let the music—the notifications and work assignments and to-do lists—fade. May we strip away the signage, slides, and print collateral so that we remember Jesus and the great love that the Father bestows on us (1 John 3:1).