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December 26, 2005

All I Want For Christmas Poll

The results are in for our fun little "what do you want for Christmas" poll, and thankfully church marketing that doesn't sucked squeaked past an iPod for the number one spot. Apparently it's just not the year for peace on earth.

This week's poll asks what kind of special marketing your church did for Christmas. We're going crazy this week and letting you pick multiple answers.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:30 AM
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December 22, 2005

Jesus, CEO

The Economist is talking about Jesus, CEO. I'm a bit too busy to read the article myself, but you can check it out and let us know what you think. Jordon Cooper thought the piece portrayed Willow Creek as "soul-less." Cuz that's what we need--more soul-less church marketing.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:03 AM
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December 19, 2005

What Pastors Need to Know About the Internet

Rick Warren's Pastors.com covers some important ground with 8 Things Pastors Need to Know About eMinistry, written by Terrell Sanders of MinistryCom:

1. Your target audience for church growth is Internet-savvy.
2. Your Web site will be your "first impression" for many people.
3. If you're not on the Web, you don't exist to many people.
4. Seekers will visit your Web site before attending your services.
5. A whole generation exists that will seek "religion" online.
6. The Web site is too critical to be run by a volunteer.
7. You can't afford a cheap site.
8. People are viewing your current Web site right now.

(link via eministry notes)

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:30 AM
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Closed on Christmas Poll

We stepped into the big controversy last week and asked if your church would be closed on Christmas Sunday. And wow, we haven't had this kind of poll activity since the great hat debate of August.

It seems 68% of churches are doing something different on Christmas Sunday, either scaling back their services or canceling them altogether. It's also interesting that only 2% of people attend a church that will be closed on Christmas and are upset about it. That says to me that this whole mess of an issue is mostly people getting upset about what churches that aren't their own are doing. If it's not your church I doubt you can understand all the rationale for their decision. I mean, they're not having a Satan-worshipping service or burning Bibles or anything blatantly opposed to the creedal faith, so lay off. That's my two cents anyway.

That and the fact that a church issue made such a wave in the media--who says church marketing isn't important?

This week we're having a bit of fun and asking what you want for Christmas.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:18 AM
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December 13, 2005

Easter Art Installation Promo

We know it's almost Christmas, but this peer review tackles postcards promoting an Easter art installation. Nothing like working ahead of time. Post your feedback in the comments.

Samples:

Postcard 1:

Postcard 2:

Continue reading "Easter Art Installation Promo"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:33 AM
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December 12, 2005

Che Guevara Ad Poll Results

Last week we asked your thoughts on the Che Guevara Christmas ad. Most people didn't like it (63%).

It just goes to show that ads aren't going to please everyone. And even if you think you have a cool idea, you might want to poll a few people and see what the response is.

This week we're asking if your church is going to be closed on Christmas. It's stirring up quite a bit of debate, even an article in the New York Times, despite the fact that some mega-churches have been doing this for ten years.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:45 AM
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December 10, 2005

Me Church

I got a kick out of this Me Church video about church that's all about me. (link via Jordon Cooper)

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 3:50 PM
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December 9, 2005

This Sermon Brought To You By Narnia

The much-hyped Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe opens in theaters today and for every bit of Narnia marketing you come across it seems you'll also find a corresponding article in the media.

The CT Weblog offers some broad coverage and specifically explores the question, did Disney pay for your sermon? Sermon Central is offering a Narnia sermon contest where you can win a trip to London and $1,000 cash. They're not outright bribing pastors to mention Narnia in a sermon since pastors only need to submit a transcript or outline and it is just a random drawing.

But it is a very small step away from simply handing Pastor Joe a check in exchange for mentioning Faith-Based Movie X in his sermon. It's like those oh-so-sublte Sears placements in Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

And that doesn't make me feel good. Though it could be a solution to the perpetual church problem of the budgeted and actual income lines never matching up.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 12:22 PM
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Church Commercial on Rock Radio

This makes me happy: Today's peer review takes us beyond web sites and print and into the world of radio. Share your suggestions and feedback in the comments.

Samples:

Radio commercial:

"I'm going to a church that doesn't suck..." (260 KB .mp3, 1:06)

Newspaper ad:

Continue reading "Church Commercial on Rock Radio"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:17 AM
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CMS Interview at Godbit

Our very own Kevin D. Hendricks (wait, that's me!) was interviewed over at the church tech site Godbit. Hear me give the same old talk on marketing as well as a little history on Church Marketing Sucks.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:05 AM
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December 7, 2005

Closed for Christmas

There's a little media frenzy today over the fact that several mega-churches are choosing to close their doors on Christmas day. You can take your pick of sources over at Google News, or the CT Weblog has a nice overview.

The arguments go back and forth, but it basically looks like this:

Pro: When Christmas falls on a Sunday very few people come, so rather than mobilize all our volunteers for a minimal turn out, we're choosing to focus our efforts on other extra services, like a Christmas Eve service.

Con: What?! Canceling church?! Because of Christmas?! It's proof that mega-churches are evil! Run for the hills...

Continue reading "Closed for Christmas"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 12:09 PM
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Fear, Threats, and Paranoid Opportunity

The latest issue of Business 2.0 extracts "golden rules" from business big shots. One such example is from Andy Grove, former chairman and CEO for Intel. He quipped that only the paranoid survive. A self-proclaimed chief "paranoid" officer, Grove is a big believer in Murphy's Law--if it can go wrong, it will. This translates into an advantage for Grove, as he uses his paranoia to predict and predicate the impending future looming around the corner.

I started thinking about current industries that are grappling with their uncertain futures. Often the paranoia comes from the threat of new industries that can topple established paradigms. Think 1980s deregulation, when the tel-com industry meant the end of Big Bell.

I am surprised at how many industries seem to be missing the real threat. It's as if they are sidetracked or focused on the wrong fear or fears. Consider:

Continue reading "Fear, Threats, and Paranoid Opportunity"

Posted by Brad Abare at 7:22 AM
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December 5, 2005

Church Plant Mailer

This week's peer review looks at a general mailer to promote an 8-month-old church plant in Northwest Arkansas.

Sample:

Front:

Back:

Continue reading "Church Plant Mailer"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 10:46 AM
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Church Blogging Poll

Last week we asked what churches have jumped on the blog-wagon. 30% have given blogging a shot, and over 20% are still at it. But as expected, the vast majority haven't tried blogging.

This week with Christmas just around the corner we ask what you think of the Che Guevara Christmas ad.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 10:34 AM
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December 3, 2005

CFCC Church Marketing Report

You can score a free 8-page Church Marketing Report over at the Center for Church Communication. And yes, we are a part of the Center for Church Communication, so yes, we are tooting our own horn. But you get a free report out of the deal, so what's the problem?

The report was compiled from an online survey of over 500 churches taken this past summer and has some juicy details, including:

• 76% of churches aren't documenting or tracking the results of their marketing.
• 63% of churches said marketing and promoting their church was important or extremely important.
• 80% of churches spend less than $10,000 on marketing and promotions each year.
• 59% of churches were dissatisfied or ambivalent about their web sites.

It's not Barna material by any means, but it is some interesting stuff.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 1:40 PM
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December 2, 2005

NewSpring Web Site Review

In this week's peer review we tackle the web site of NewSpring Church. Share your suggestions and thoughts in the comments.

Sample:

Screenshot:

(newspring.cc)

Continue reading "NewSpring Web Site Review"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:08 AM
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December 1, 2005

More Lessons for the Church from U2

I admit it: I'm a U2 freak (I have an entire category for U2 on my personal blog). Which means I like to write about the world's biggest rock band. Especially when it comes to what we can learn from them. I covered a lot of this material before, but the New York Times has a few more.

Here are some business lessons the NYT pulled from U2, with some extra application for the church:

Meet the Consumers Where They Live
In the old days U2 had the fanzine Propaganda, but in 2000 they launched a massive web site with subscriber features. The point is to meet the audience where they're at, whether that's mailings, online communication, or whatever works for your audience. For the church that means we need to reach people where they're at. If your community is online, you better be online.

Continue reading "More Lessons for the Church from U2"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:51 AM
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CMS Goes Non-Profit

We're happy to announce that Church Marketing Sucks is now a non-profit. It's not much of a change since we've never made a profit, but now it's official. We're now a part of the non-profit Center for Church Communication, which is kind of an umbrella organization with the goal of helping the church matter.

This won't change what we do on the site and the helpful content you know and [hopefully] love, but it will change how we do business on the back end and the kinds of things we can do.

So welcome to the non-profit Church Marketing Sucks. Same great taste, but now it's tax-deductible.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:40 AM
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