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July 28, 2004

Think Yellow

Advertising in the yellow pages continues to be a worthwhile medium despite the growing strength of search engine sophistication. According to The Kelsey Group, small- and medium-size businesses spend 46% of their ad budgets on yellow-pages marketing, and just 3% on search-engine keywords.

When it comes to finding your church, many will turn to the local phone book. Are you listed? Is your information correct? Have you considered purchasing a small display ad that gives people a little extra taste of what your church is all about? Yellow page advertising is relatively inexpensive and it is also a great way to reach the out-of-town guests and newcomers to the area.

Posted by Brad Abare at 7:31 AM
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July 27, 2004

Ad Slogans Lost in Translation

"It takes a sexually aroused man to make a chicken affectionate." - Purdue Farms
"Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave." - Pepsi
"Suffer from diarrhea." - Coors

These are just a few of the mistranslated ad slogans from mega campaigns over the years. Perhaps you have heard them in their intended form...

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Posted by Brad Abare at 5:04 PM
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July 26, 2004

God Can't Come to the Phone Right Now

In 55% of Protestant churches a human does not answer the phone.

In 19% of Protestant churches the phone goes unanswered, either by a person or a machine.

Ouch. If someone calls your church looking for service times, a good youth group, or God, what will they find? Maybe having a person answer the phone 24/7 is unrealistic, but does your church at least make basic information available on voice mail? Giving Sunday morning service times, basic directions, and a welcoming message are a must, and it wouldn't hurt to throw out a web site for more info. And we shouldn't have to to tell you to return those calls. (Source: The Barna Group, January 26, 2004)

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:18 AM
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It’s Your Church, Now Act Like It

The building where I work is two miles from the heart of downtown Los Angeles, and from the windows in my office, I can see the entire city skyline. This is especially unimpressive after living in the Chicago area and being to New York City on many occasions, not to mention several other large cities around the world. Los Angeles just doesn’t compare to the grandness of urban planning like most of the world cities in its class. This is not a new conversation or frustration; many have opined for many years on this issue.

My reaction to the criticism of downtown Los Angeles was met with a mixture of anticipation and exhilaration. Old buildings are being renovated into apartments, once famous hotels are now upscale condos. Los Angeles is on the path to becoming...

That’s just it; what is it becoming? In a city where “wannabe” and “just like” are the modus operandi for a culture drowning in its own self-interest, what will a new downtown really do?

I think we’re too busy trying to be something we are not.

When it comes to telling others about your church, what are you saying? Do you tell people what you wish your church would be? Do you tell people what they wish your church would be? When will the tag line on your bulletin actually reflect what your church is about? If your church regularly has a special anointing for the Holy Spirit to move – with all its messiness and uncomfortable spirituality – quit toning it down to reach someone who won’t understand. People know genuineness when they see it. If your church does drama and media presentations really well, but people are not responding, quit wasting precious resources on methods that might not work for your church. Just because you can get a good deal on a video projector with cool vignettes to show in your services, doesn’t mean more people will respond.

Be who you are. Let the church be who it should be. And don’t try and promote the church until you’ve figured that out. KFC recently learned this same lesson and it would behoove you to do the same.

As for me, I’m going to continue watching out my window as Los Angeles learns an expensive lesson in becoming and being something it is not.

Posted by Brad Abare at 7:00 AM
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Church Signs Made Easy

Now you can generate your own staple of americana with the online Church Sign Generator. The site even offers photos of the real thing with such witty, crowd-drawing sayings as "Do You Smell Like Jesus?" and "Stop Drop and Roll Doesn't Work in Hell."

What's up with the sometimes clever, sometimes copycat, usually groan-enducing slogans of Christian T-shirts, bumper stickers and church signs? If it's annoying in the commercial world, it might not be a good idea for the church either (telemarketers for Jesus, anyone?). Short, witty phrases may be the bread and butter of the advertising world, but they're also trite and limiting. No form of marketing can effectively deliver the Gospel, but what kind of a glimpse of God should we offer on our church signs? Or bumper stickers, T-shirts, postcards, newspaper ads, etc. ? (link via Nick Ciske)

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:37 AM
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The Church of SpongeBob

SpongeBob Squarepants, a cartoon sponge who lives under the sea, has his own church. More than 700 SpongeBob fans gather for services in New York, California and Texas. The church promotes "simple things like having fun and using your imagination."

Jesus has been replaced by a sponge with pants. That's a sure sign of the apocalypse.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:27 AM
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July 23, 2004

George Barna and the Fat Man

In a recent interview with church research guru George Barna, staff writer for Pentecostal Evangel, Isaac Olivarez, asks a handful of boring questions that probably engaged the senses of Barna as much as rice cakes in front of a fat man. Thankfully, a few of Barna’s answers went beyond the interview questions. If for a minute we think the future of the church is a prayer or prophecy away from where we want it, we must understand that the culture of today is the foundation for the church of tomorrow. Scared?

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Posted by Brad Abare at 7:30 AM
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July 22, 2004

Establishing a Visitor Philosophy

I love well-written pieces. The article by Michael V. Copeland, in the July issue of Business 2.0 titled “Best Buy’s Selling Machine,” is one of the best company write-ups I’ve read in a while. From start to finish I couldn’t put it down. Even the ending had my hopes escalating toward a conclusion that left me smiling.

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Posted by Brad Abare at 7:49 PM
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