Church...marketing?

Often in making decisions about how to best use the resources of time, talent and offerings, churches are hesitant to "advertise," opting instead to rely on word-of-mouth marketing to grow membership. It's true that most people visit a church for the first time because someone invited them personally, but as one minister friend pointed out, it may be because that is the most commonly used method.

On the other hand, a growing number of churches are wholeheartedly embracing the idea of marketing. They have "branded" themselves at every opportunity and seek to set themselves apart in dramatic ways. (One local minister was introduced to the church by rappelling from the rafters of the stadium-sized sanctuary.) Some are even hesitant to use the word "church." Down the road from my house is a "worship center." A mile from that is a "life center." Worship services are multimedia experiences, both internally and externally through highly produced television programs.

Although my religious leanings are more traditional, I think there's something to be learned from both ends of the spectrum.

* First, we shouldn't shy away from being bold about proclaiming who we are--and, more importantly, whose we are. When I first mentioned marketing the church of which I'm a member, one person told me he was a little uncomfortable with that term, and he was also uncomfortable with the idea of "advertising" the church.

A common mistake is not seeing that, in many ways, church marketing is evangelism. Christ commands us to "go to all the world and teach the Gospel." We can't effectively shout it from the mountaintops, although you're welcome to try. Shouldn't we use the best means possible to spread the Good Word?

* Beyond marketing, I prefer to think in terms of church communication. Just as evangelism does not stop when a person visits the church, the need for effective communication also continues throughout the life of the church.

You can carry out this communication on as grand a scale as your budget will allow, but many churches--especially those most desperately in need of a communications plan--have relatively few dollars to devote to this cause. That means planning, prioritizing and careful implementation to make sure every resource committed to church communication is used as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Here we'll explore what you can do in your own congregation to reach both prospective members, current members and the community at large.