Ask most people about marketing and they’ll talk about advertising. Why? Because advertising is the end result of a long marketing process and the only part that is actually observed by the general public. Behind the scenes, though, there are hundreds of people and thousands of hours of marketing work involved in every product you see advertised.
This becomes problematic…
What is Marketing?
ccombs
February 27, 2007
Bless you for this site. I’ve spent hours with my pastor discussing how to ‘make diciples’. I am frustrated with the common tools used today and decided to look for something ‘different’. I am not a professional marketer, just a believer trying to do as Jesus commanded. I have come to this site to learn how to communicate the message of Jesus Christ effectively in today’s world. I’ve read through the above comments and IMHO, putting butts in the pews is a by-product of saving souls.
Also regarding the name of this site – when I saw the word sucks in the title, I thought of my vacuum. The name for this site is totally appropriate – Most current church marketing appears to have been developed in a vacuum with no outside influence whatsoever.
Grace be with you, and peace
junaid
April 4, 2007
I am in business of Textile Machinery. So i want to get progress in marketing of Machineries at higher level.
mobileziggy
June 26, 2007
…when i think of church marketing (or fleecing)i think of “Christian Book Stores”…i understand reasonable business practices, and 350% margins are a bit over the line…with Amazon and other resources available, it seems they’re targeting their own feet
KiwiMedia
September 20, 2007
Love what you are doing. I can’t believe so many people take it the wrong way. Its all about effective communication, and not just tryng to make a noise out in the world. This is the way we should be thinking. I don’t always like the way people market their churches because it makes it more about people worshipping their church and not God. But done correctly we can attract people and have them in a close relationship with God. I think if we constantly apply these sort of questions it deepens our own relationship with Christ, rather than it being something we just do because we thinks its good!
bryan
January 29, 2008
I have come to the conclusion that most everything in the Christian world sucks. We are always a few steps behind. Our graphics suck, our movies suck, our music sucks, our tv shows suck, our websites suck, our clothing sucks. I could go on all day about specific things in the Christian culture that suck. However, I am not here to bash on it, but to help others understand that we, as Christians, need to be excellent in all we do. I believe whole-heartedly that this site exists for the same reason. Almost every type of communication that comes out of the Christian culture is boring and mundane. We are called, as Christians, to represent Christ (Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus..”)
Stop making horrible designs, lame movies, boring music, cheesy slogans and awful website. Don’t know how? READ THIS SITE. This site serves as a means to understand how to not be lame, and take back our duty to lead by example and in excellence.
bryan
January 29, 2008
I have come to the conclusion that most everything in the Christian world sucks. We are always a few steps behind. Our graphics suck, our movies suck, our music sucks, our tv shows suck, our websites suck, our clothing sucks. I could go on all day about specific things in the Christian culture that suck. However, I am not here to bash on it, but to help others understand that we, as Christians, need to be excellent in all we do. I believe whole-heartedly that this site exists for the same reason. Almost every type of communication that comes out of the Christian culture is boring and mundane. We are called, as Christians, to represent Christ (Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus..”)
Stop making horrible designs, lame movies, boring music, cheesy slogans and awful website. Don’t know how? READ THIS SITE. This site serves as a means to understand how to not be lame, and take back our duty to lead by example and in excellence.
Cornelius
February 5, 2008
I have translated this article into german. http://cor.neli.us/index.php/2008/02/05/was-ist-marketing/
peter
May 31, 2008
Hey guys, wonderful ideas and wisdom. We appreciate that you are taking the lead with something that is so amazingly needed. This has been on my heart for years.
I cannot remember exactly where it was on your site, but you made it clear that the core of your vision is to “connect people.” THAT’S THE WHOLE BALLGAME WITH MARKETING IN THE CHURH! We simply must learn to leverage cutting edge techniques that currently exist (IE: twitter, etc) in order to connect, communicate, and love one another.
In the end, so much of loving others is communicating — and communicating well.
Please: be encouraged. You are on the edge of something the Spirit is doing!
Peter
Erin
November 26, 2008
This is no one outside the church takes it seriously. Bickering and arguing about things that don’t matter while people are dying in the streets. Be like Jesus, roll up your sleeves, shut up and get to work. If this site was catchy enough to get you to stop and read, it has proven the point that the marketing strategy put forth works. Love this site. It’s helpful, well organized and helps those who want to make a real difference. Thank you for your efforts.
Rebecca
December 2, 2008
In a world inundated with sexual connotations that, no doubt, steer even the well-disciplined mind/heart away from Godliness….why do we think we can use such jargon to network with church leaders who are not also affected/weakened in their minds by the same connotation you are providing here? Your shock treatment verbiage, covered up by a vacuum icon, no doubt exposes personal frustration and distaste of the current operations….but even in God’s frustration with us as humans, He doesn’t use foul language or coarse picture words to get His point across to us. God never loses His holiness (maybe His anger on occasion) to make His point across this earth. There ARE other ways! I’m thinking about those dear sons who have been exposed to pornography or whatever, now clean and doing ministry, finding themselves in the battle constantly resisting such picture words, only to network here and have to fight harder even amongst Christian brethren who should be a clean, stable source. Your name is a stumbling block and I’m ‘in your face’ as honest as I can be about it. If you’re going to be Christian, meaning the Word is your standard of living and doing business, then don’t talk like the world trying to reach leaders in the church. Your site has some awesome material that needs to reach more than just the leaders willing/able to turn their heads to your coarse jesting to receive it. I’m just as serious as anyone about releasing people in their creativity and effectiveness for ministry worldwide in every culture; but there is no acceptable substitute to the Bible as our standard. I suggest a name such as Church Marketing Rocks…..I’m sure there are numerous other options/possibilities less offensive. I want to live my life disturbed by what disturbs God and truly make a difference. I know down deep you do, too!
Linas Sablovskis
December 11, 2008
That which is not measured cannot be improved.
nice.
lovemy3dudes
December 16, 2008
if anyone has a problem with the wording of this blog, then talk to some people under 20 years old for a while. We are not preaching or provoking the crowd of the 90′s anymore people…….
I LOVE this site…bring it on :)
Marketing
February 23, 2009
Well I thing marketing problem is which is not measured cannot be improved.
tim
February 23, 2009
This is indeed an interesting subject andhere is my 2 cents..
church marketing can suck.
But if God is in the midst of this and the leaders elders, shepherds, minsiters youth workers, believe God is calling them to try a new method approach why should I judge them?
Love the sinner hate the sin.
I say use the other “P’ s of christianity
1. the power of the cross
2. the power of prayer
3. the power fellowship
remember Gos has saved us and called us..
Each person had a different calling find it and do this
Zoe
May 27, 2009
This argument about marketing reminds me of the age old argument about whether one needs to be trained or educated in the Bible before beginning to preach.
No preacher needs to be educated in the Bible…unless he wants others to listen to what he has to say.
jeff hicks
June 5, 2009
I Pastor a small church (60 members) in Seattle. We opened our doors in October of 09 and want to market our church to our community. We are adding a video link to our website http://www.christsheritagechurch.org and want to reach our area with the message of this neat missional church. We feel we need to enlist a company to guide us through this, do you have any ideas?
Jeff
Kendra
February 18, 2010
Reading all of these comments of who should hold first place in the ‘I am write because I said so and Jesus thinks so too’ comment war – does bring some humor to my day.
Speaking of war – which we are in must I remind all of you – a war to win souls – our opponent ‘The World’ – they do nothing to ‘soften’ or ‘lower’ their voices in their marketing – why should we, if we stay the way – we will never be heard – and people are needing Jesus – badly!
Should we lower our standards and rebel against scripture? No – not at all. But we can very much be in peoples face (not in a condemning way) but a way that brings love and a Savor to their life.
My motto for life is this
“I dont mind stepping on peoples toes, because its a lot better then them being burned off over and over in hell for all of eternity”
But the awesome thing about humans – is everyone has an opinion – which can be super frustration at times, but it brings diversity and awesome blogs!
Evan2Life
August 11, 2010
Can I ask advice as to how to structure our communications/design department in our church? We have three designers and a couple of video guys. We are trying to get a consistent and professional look across the board but have a couple of pastors who want to tell us all how to design and the end results are bad. How do we structure things so that they leave the designs to the professionals?
Mark Holbrook
October 10, 2010
Just spent several minutes reading the comments going back the past five years about marketing and the church. As a marketing professional for a state historical society, I also am the marketing ministry leader for our church. I use the same approaches for both organizations. Most simply put, I try to help each department or ministry more effectively tell their story. The bottom line is this, if we are not speaking to people in a way that they can understand and is relevent to their lives, they just won’t hear us. To define marketing our churchs the same as coporations do is addressing motive – corporations market for numbers, so churchs must being doing it for the same reasons. I would contend that churchs can and should market, but with a motive of reaching out to those who feel they have nowhere to turn. Done with the right motives, church marketing is following scripture by effectively keeping our light out from under the bushel (Luke 8:16).
Toni Barrier
October 12, 2010
I think church marketing is a necessity and that God has anointed His people to do all things with excellence. We must be Holy Spirit led so that we are on track with God and not doing our own thing. Even when it is in something as simple as a creating a website address.