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August 31, 2007

Church Marketing Lab: Painted Cars, the 80s and More

This week in the Church Marketing Lab, we had another great week of logos, series designs, fliers and more. Below, you'll see something that I think might have been a first. We've now moved out of the realm of paper and web design onto automobiles. Check it out below along with a sampling of other things from the photo pool this week.

There's a new premise for a "Best Marriage Ever" series.

Continue reading "Church Marketing Lab: Painted Cars, the 80s and More"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 11:22 AM
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August 30, 2007

MinistryCOM 2007... You Going?

There are only a handful of days until the 2007 MinistryCOM event begins in Nashville. In addition to a bunch of other really cool church communication pros, yours truly has been invited to help temper the tantrums. You gotta have at least one person that "sucks" in the line-up to level the playing field.

If you haven't registered, I hear there are still some spots open. I got an e-mail from Kem Meyer (Granger Comm Guru and Friday afternoon keynote) the other day. She said she was ready with her most brilliant message she's ever delivered in the world, so I'm looking forward to her closing the conference out. I had that same slot last year and the only thing going through your mind is you hope you're not saying something that's already been said, and you hope people aren't thinking they wish they would have booked their flight out early because the last session is a bore.

Actually, Kem was a little more revealing in her e-mail. She doesn't have a clue what she's going to say.

I guess I can't grovel too much, I'm still figuring that out too...

Hope to see you there!

Posted by Brad Abare at 3:55 PM
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August 29, 2007

My Naked Pastor

You can certainly file this one under "Is this for real?" I'll copy from the site, MyNakedPastor.com, here.

The lead pastor, Troy Gramling, at Flamingo Road Church is getting naked! No ... not that kind of naked, a new kind of naked. A nakedness that isn’t embarrassing; a nakedness that God would say is cool.

On 9-9 @ 9PM, Troy will be on a 24-hour webcam for five weeks in four locations: house, car, hotel, and office. Every day, all day, we will see his life in a fishbowl - the good, the bad, the great, the ugly.

Continue reading "My Naked Pastor"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 2:17 PM
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Church Football Poll Results

Only one day until college football kicks off. A week after that comes the NFL. Last week, we asked if your church would use the inherent marketing power of pigskin. Here's what you said:

Surprisingly, the majority of you declined. 39% of you, to be exact, will be missing out creatively pursuing other avenues. It's something to appreciate that you guys are reaching beyond the football crowd.

23% of you will only be footballing for the biggest game of them all. I don't think it's tough to know if you put up a big screen late in January, approximately 250 million people will come.

20% of you are fired up about kicking off your football events. Just make sure you send me an invitation. What sort of marketing ideas are you guys using? Church fantasy football? Just weekend get-togethers?

17% of you probably will, assuming the NFL doesn't sue you. Just make sure to research the broadcast rights if you plan to show games, and you should be fine.

This week, let us know what areas you think the local church needs an extreme church makeover.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:18 AM
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August 27, 2007

The Free Gift of God is ... iPhones and Disneyland Trips?

The free gift of God is an iPhone and a trip to Disneyland.

OK, so that's not the whole story.

We've talked here before about churches partnering with local business. Perhaps it was just due to the title of "Your Church, Sponsored by Crest White Strips," but the idea didn't go over well. This time we wanted to talk about churches using similar tactics, but with a twist.

Continue reading "The Free Gift of God is ... iPhones and Disneyland Trips?"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 9:52 AM
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August 24, 2007

Church Marketing: What Not to Do

I've been collecting a few links over the past few weeks as church stories caught my attention, and in case anyone wasn't quite sure, here are three ways not to market your church.

1. Fall into a scandal resulting in a $600 million payout.
2. Have a member smuggle $28,000 from the collection plate.
3. Embezzle over a million dollars from the church you pastor.

Continue reading "Church Marketing: What Not to Do"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 9:52 AM
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Church Marketing Lab:

It's about time to let you guys know what's been going on in the Church Marketing Lab. Everyone's starting to show us their graphics for their fall kickoffs, and the discussions are buzzing, so make sure you head over and give your feedback.

A flier for the Fall Forward community weekend.

Continue reading "Church Marketing Lab:"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:19 AM
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August 21, 2007

Church Lists Poll Results

Last week we asked what you thought of recent lists like the top 20 church logos and the 25 most innovative churches. From what we've seen, there are people who hate them and people who love them. So the latest in a long series of lists, we present the top 5 answers to this week's poll:

5. I guess some people might like them, but they aren't for me. Bringing up the bottom of the list is the 4% of you who think they might work for others.

4. They're interesting, but definitely nothing worth thinking much about. 13% of you think that they're fun while they last, but they don't carry too much weight.

3. Psh. These lists are ridiculous. The haters of church lists had a disappointing showing, only coming in third with 19% of the vote.

2. The idea is good, but the execution is poor. Let's have something more democratic! 21% of you want something better. Do you have suggestions in the comments?

1. They're great! They give churches something to strive for. 41% of you are big fans of the lists. We'll keep them coming for you guys.

This week, let us know what your church's plans are for football season. The new poll is up, so be sure to weigh in.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:05 AM
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August 20, 2007

Batterson on Marketing

Mark Batterson, a CMS favorite and annual interviewee, had a little to say about marketing last week in his Evotional blog. He said a few things I wanted to point out and share here.

He lets us in on the lens through which his church views marketing:

"The greatest message deserves the greatest marketing ... we don't want anybody in the metro DC area to be able to deny our existence!"

Continue reading "Batterson on Marketing"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:15 AM
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August 17, 2007

Church Marketing Lab: T-Shirts, Fashion Shows and More

Here we are with your weekly roundup of what's been going on in the Church Marketing Lab. Check out some of the work we've seen this week, and then head over and give some feedback of your own.

Here's a poster for a women's luncheon and fashion show.

Continue reading "Church Marketing Lab: T-Shirts, Fashion Shows and More"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:34 AM
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August 16, 2007

Bigger Churches vs. Bigger People

In the July/August 2007 issue of Ministry Today, Jack Hayford had a great column about contemporary communication and its effect on the church today. Having known "Pastor Jack" for the last few years, this subject is something dear to his heart but frustratingly difficult for him to communicate given his obvious seniority among church leadership. I am grateful that he does opine on this subject every once in a while even though he runs the risk of looking irrelevant.

"We're within frightening reach of being able to grow bigger churches while failing to grow bigger people," Hayford says in his column. He warns of the growing number of "enhancements" available to churches today and says that in and of themselves these are not evil, "but it's no substitute for leading believers to take up the disciple's cross and be shaped as his true followers."

"In our version of the bride 'trimming to be pretty,' are we ending with lightweight believers?" Hayford goes on to outline four examples of common service components (music, drama, style and charisma) and instead of damning them, he asks "what do they weight?"

Although the Ministry Today article is only an excerpt, a full version is available on Hayford's quasi blog/news site at Foursquare where he serves as president.

Full disclosure: For those that don't know, I am the director of communications for Foursquare.

Posted by Brad Abare at 6:57 AM
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August 15, 2007

A Content-Centered Internet

Ars Technica reports on a new study on the focus of individuals' time on the Internet. Here's what they found of people's time online:
In 2003:

• 34% of Internet users' time was spent reading content.
• 46% of their time was spent on online communications.

And today:

• 47% of their time was spent reading content.
• 33% of Internet users' time was spent on online communications.

These numbers almost completely reversed in four years. So, "How does this relate to church marketing?" you might ask.

Continue reading "A Content-Centered Internet"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:25 AM
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Summer Marketing Poll Results

Last week 150 of you weighed in to tell us how your summer church marketing is going. We asked you what has been the most successful method for marketing through summer events. Here's what you said:

48% of you haven't had any success. People are gone, momentum is gone, and energy is gone. For the other 52% of you, how do you combat this? What are you doing to keep the energy alive?

23% of you are doing something totally different. None of what we said quite fits. And another 11% of you aren't doing anything summer-specific. You keep the same types of events year-round. Nothing wrong with that; if it works, it works.

9% of you are staying outside in the heat. Heck, it's only summer once a year, so you might as well get out and stay hot, right? Another 5% of you are using the summer heat as an opportunity to cool off by going swimming. Whatever body of water it might be, you're getting in it to keep the momentum high.

Finally, 2% of you are cranking up the AC and staying inside. There's something nice about walking in from the heat into the cold air. A final 1% of you are celebrating Christmas in July. Who knew that was real, anyways?

This week, let us know what you think of the top X lists that come out. Do you trust them? Do you like them? Weigh in.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:10 AM
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August 10, 2007

Church Marketing Lab: Evolution of a Design

This week, we wanted to highlight a perfect example of what we're all about at the Church Marketing Lab. Make sure you follow the link to each specific image to see the comments provided. Here's the evolution of an image, which is our highest goal in the Church Marketing Lab:

Start with the original KidsTown banner.

Continue reading "Church Marketing Lab: Evolution of a Design"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:46 AM
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August 8, 2007

New Labs Poll Results

Last week, we asked how you felt about our new Job Lab and Freelance Lab. Essentially, we want to know where you stand and how we can help you with our new projects. Here's what you thought.

About half of respondents were creative professionals. We love you guys, so thanks for coming around. Of you, 25% are not currently looking for jobs. Not looking for a job is a fun place to be. Then, there are 15% who are looking or a job, and our labs have meant a ton. Keep your eyes open, because there are new jobs everyday. And finally, 2% of you would look for a job somewhere other than the labs.

Another quarter of you are churches. We love you guys, so thanks for coming around. Just 2% of you are churches who are trying to fill jobs and looking at the labs. 15% of respondents are churches who might need the labs one day, and they like their presence. Lastly, 8% of responding churches already have their own ways of filling job openings.

The final group are the 33% of you who aren't in the church marketing job scene at all. We love you guys, so thanks for coming around (Yes, we are glad for all 100+% of your readership).

The moral of the story? Head over to the Job Lab and Freelance Lab and see what's going on there. They just might be the way to get the best work possible for the best price possible--for churches and for individuals.

This week, let us know what the best summer marketing hook has been for your church in our newest poll.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:59 AM
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August 6, 2007

The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More

Wired editor Chris Anderson champions the concept of the long tail in The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More--basically the digital age has ushered in a new economy of incredible choice. Shelf space is no longer limited to the top 1,000 titles, but the top million can easily be sold at a profit. And while individual items at the end of the tail may not make much, the entire tail itself can rival the ultra-popular items at the head of the curve.

This blog is a good example of the long tail. Church marketing is a small market that barely supports its own magazines and books. But the low costs of a blog make it possible to reach that market, discover its potential and ease distribution, making it easier for magazines, books and whatever else to make it. (I'm speaking, of course, of our blog and the many others out there that cover church marketing--I'm not trying to say we defined the marketplace or anything like that)

So what does this have to do with church marketing? Good question.

Continue reading "The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 1:46 PM
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August 3, 2007

Elementary Marketing

This week in the Church Marketing Lab discussions, user 'rawar777' has an interesting church marketing question that doesn't get much attention. They ask:

"I am trying to get in the mindset of what is cool for 5th & 6th Graders, does anyone know a good way to do this? What kinds of things can I browse to see what's happening and how to target that age range?"

So what do you think? Have you had any experience with this?
If you might have any ideas, head over and help 'rawar' out.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:31 AM
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Church Marketing Lab: From Blog Headers to Flying Children

Here's what's new in the Church Marketing Lab this week:

The Therst blog is getting new headers ready.

Continue reading "Church Marketing Lab: From Blog Headers to Flying Children"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 1:24 AM
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August 2, 2007

I-35W Bridge Collapse: A Church Marketing Perspective

You've surely heard by now, that the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed yesterday, killing at least four, injuring 79 and at least eight more are still missing. I live in the Twin Cities and while I don't normally take that bridge I did drive over it with my daughter the day before it collapsed. It's kind of surreal here and I'm having trouble tearing myself from the coverage (I've blogged about it here, here and here already).

I know church marketing and tragedy don't fit well together, but the reality is that churches still need to communicate--especially in times of tragedy. I feel a bit like a broken record trying to talk about churches communicating during tragedy (Virginia Tech, Katrina, Tsunami), but the need is still there and it often happens best through action, either by offering cold water ("We're out here because we think that's what Jesus would do.") or taking part in a prayer walk (Facebook login required) or whatever works. It's that simple.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:13 PM
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August 1, 2007

Job Lab & Freelance Lab Roundup

This week our poll covers the Job Lab and Freelance Lab. Make sure to weigh in on the right side of your computer screen, and check below for the latest listings in the new labs:

Lifechurch.tv is looking for a PHP developer.

There's an opening for a communications director at West End Community Church.

Mariners Church is looking for an outreach graphic designer.

Help Sugar Creek Baptist Church build a website theme.

And that's just a shadow of what's going on in the labs. So make sure you head to the Job Lab and Freelance Labs and check it out!

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:28 AM
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