Church Marketing Sucks

Are you ready to be a quitter? Every Thursday Bob Goff quits something. 

Once he quit his role on a nonprofit board. Then he quit leaving messages. Another time he decided to quit being afraid.

 Bob’s goal wasn’t to bail out or let people down—it was to simplify, reimagine and rebuild.

“You can’t be open to new opportunities if your life is full,” Goff says.

It’s an interesting thought. Saying ‘No’ to something once a week so you can say ‘Yes’ to something else.

Is Your Church Ready to Quit?

Quitting things might be something you need to do in your church. It could be a funny and inspiring way to shake things up, evaluate what’s really important and carve out more time.

So what are we talking about here? Take a look at some ideas of things your church might want to quit:

Quit Your Bulletin

I know, I know… worst idea ever. You might be saying, “There’s no way!” Actually there is, and we’ve got seven ways to kill your bulletin. If you say no to your bulletin, you might be able to say yes to new ways of communication (and save a tree or two). Consider videos, a couple platform announcements or posting updates your website instead.

Quit Making Excuses

I once worked at a church where the senior pastor swore there was no way for us to attract young adults since we were in a suburb. Meanwhile, the church down the street attracted thousands of young adults each week because they hired a young adults pastor and created an actual ministry for young adults. Say no to excuses. Say yes to opportunity!

Quit Watching the Clock in Worship

Churches take pride in their ability to get people in and out of worship in an hour. The goal of course is to be respectful of time, but what if we shifted the culture just a bit so people instead learned that extended time with God is something to be valued?

Quit Over Programming

Why do you think Bob Goff started quitting things in the first place? Clearly he had too much on his plate and felt like he was missing out on what really mattered. Sound familiar? Say no to one more event, one more Bible study, one more church picnic. Say yes to a saner staff, more accessible options and a counter-cultural church.

Quit Facebook

If you’re actually reaching people with Facebook, then never mind. But for the rest of us, is it actually serving a purpose? Does it loom over your head like a dark cloud because you never take time to update it? If you free yourself from Facebook, maybe you can maximize the other parts of your ministry that are actually bearing fruit. (The same could be true for Instagram, Twitter or any social media where you’re not actually engaging.)

Quit Doing the Same Ol’ Thing

When you read Scripture, you see God interacting with his people in any number of ways. Why do we tend to share the same message in the same ways every week? Quit what’s old—do something new!

Courage to Quit

As summer is winding down and we’re gearing up for fall, we’re going to quit. We’re going to spend the month of August focusing on what our churches can quit.

When we have the courage to quit, God has more room to move. What do you need to quit? What does your church need to quit?

More:

• The inspiration: Bob Goff quits every week.
• It’s time for your church to quit: 30 ways to be a quitter.
• 30 more ways to be a quitter, courtesy of the #cmschat community.
• Check out the book inspired by all this quitting, That’s How We’ve Always Done It: Is Your Church Ready to Quit? 166 Ways to Be a Quitter.
• Learn more about how to fight church communicator burnout. We do important work—sharing the gospel—but that doesn’t mean we can work ourselves to death.