Church Marketing Sucks: October 2008 Archives

« September 2008 | Main | November 2008 »

October 31, 2008

Building Momentum for Building a Church

If you've ever been in the midst of a building campaign for your church, you know that raising money for it sucks about 83% of the time. You have to do a sermon series on giving, have a crying child come on stage with broken crayons to talk about their old building and kick it up to two offerings a week (one with a cheesy name like "Miracle May" or "Generous January.")

Well, Superstition Springs Community Church had a better idea for their "All In" campaign. They created a well-designed blog, made plans and information about their new building easily accessible and even included things like download-able wallpapers for your computer. That way, before you click "Buy it now" on that $700 juicer/meat grinder/espresso machine on eBay, you could think about how that $700 could be used for the church.

They make a good point with their campaign. Nothing is really groundbreaking. They still named their campaign, they just made it less cheesy. They still told stories to inspire people, they just did it with more clarity. They still let people know what the new building plans were like, they just did it with more openness.

They took all of the elements of traditional fundraising, and they thought, "How can we do this better?" And their output was great marketing that's already seeing big results.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 2:17 PM
| Comments (1) | TrackBack

Church Marketing Lab: Copyright Time

(Filed under: Peer Review)

In the Church Marketing Lab, we've got a call for copyright questions. Lots of people don't really have a great understanding of copyright, from designers to pastors to volunteers, and we have the opportunity to ask some questions to copyright experts. So if you've ever had something on your mind regarding copyright, right and wrong and where to draw the line, get it in the thread over there or e-mail us. But as usual, we've seen some great work this week that hasn't been copied. Here is just a tiny taste of what we've seen this week:

These are graphics for an upcoming series called "Then and There."

Continue reading "Church Marketing Lab: Copyright Time"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 2:31 AM
| Comments (3) | TrackBack

October 30, 2008

Church Metrics

(Filed under: Resources)

Those digerati geniuses at LifeChurch.tv have created a free, web-based application to track church statistics, ChurchMetrics. It's a pretty simple tool that only tracks four core areas: attendance, giving, salvations and baptisms. It creates charts and reports for the infographic geek in all of us and also has a mobile version.

They pitch it as "ChurchMetrics is here to take care of the numbers, so you can focus on taking care of people." You can read more about the launch from Bobby Gruenewald.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:00 AM
| Comments (5) | TrackBack

October 29, 2008

Getting Involved in Local Labs

(Filed under: News & Updates)

At Church Marketing Sucks, we love Local Labs. You might have a couple questions:

What are they? They are groups of church communicators in a specific area who get together to sharpen one another's skills.
How can I get involved? Visit our growing list of Local Labs to find one near you (if we're missing your Local Lab, let us know).

To talk a bit more about Local Labs, we asked Lisa Bauer to join us. She is the director of marketing and communications at First Christian Church in Springfield, Ohio, and she is passionate about connecting communicators locally. Here's what she had to say about Local Labs:

CMS: Thanks for taking the time to join us, Lisa. I guess the first topic should be a bit about how you are involved in connecting communicators in local groups.

Lisa: I am currently leading a group called the Miami Valley Ministry Communicators (MVMC). We're in southwest Ohio and meet on a bi-monthly basis to support, connect and boost each other in our quest to bring others to know and love Christ. My primary role in the group is to bring in local professionals to speak on a variety of relevant topics, coordinate the host church for each meeting, and align communications with our network and local media groups.

As our group continues to grow, we will begin to form more structured leadership roles and "give the ministry away" to those who are willing to play a key role in its development.

Continue reading "Getting Involved in Local Labs"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 10:39 AM
| Comments (2) | TrackBack

Halloweening Poll Results

(Filed under: Poll Results)

It's only a few days until that strange time of year where churches get all riled up on opposing sides of the debate and argue until they're blue in the face. No, not the election. Halloween. So we naturally took to the streets of the Internet to figure out how your church celebrates H-day.

To begin, there was a notable omission in the possible answers. "Nothing." Without even pausing to realize my own church does nothing, I forgot to include that as an answer, so that's probably a big chunk of you 22% something else-rs.

Almost half of you have some sort of creative way to celebrate that which much not be named without actually naming it. Maybe a "Fall Festival," "Trunk or Treat," "Harvest Hoedown" or a "Pumpkin Party." But surely you use alliteration to promote this event and keep elementary children off the streets.

Another 21% of you actually promote trick-or-treating out in the neighborhood. In an increasingly litigious society, you're running the risk of being sued you when a kid gets a stomachache from eating too many Sour Patch Kids.

Among the rest of you, 5% choose to celebrate All Saint's Fest instead, 2% wig out and try to exorcise the trick-or-treaters and a whopping 0% give some sort of presentation to scare the kiddies away from Hell or give them hope on a holiday from the dark side.

I can't believe there are no offerings of "Tribulation Trail" or "Judgement House [sic]." (Editor's note: I actually saw an incredibly well-designed ad and logo for a church's event called "Judgement House." Apparently after good design, spell checking was out of the budget.)

This week, we are looking to find out, how is your church approaching the upcoming presidential election? Forget Fox News and CNN for election results, check back here next week for the poll results on that pressing question.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:38 AM
| Comments (7) | TrackBack

October 28, 2008

The Mystery Worshipper Phenomenon

(Filed under: First Impressions & Beyond)

Mystery shoppers for churches seem to be the latest rage. There was the recent Wall Street Journal article, we mentioned it last week, the Tennessean covered it Sunday and Anne Jackson blogged about it yesterday.

Of course you can't talk about Mystery Worshippers without mentioning the UK site Ship of Fools. They practically started the trend and have reviewed more than 1,600 churches in the past decade:

"We all need to remember what it is to be an outsider in an environment in which we are comfortable and secure," [one of the site's founders, Simon] Goddard said.
"Mystery worshipper can be a wake-up call for the smug and self-satisfied."

Of course they're not selling it as a marketing service.

Continue reading "The Mystery Worshipper Phenomenon"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:19 AM
| Comments (6) | TrackBack

MinistryCOM 2008 On Audio & Video

(Filed under: Events)

If you’re new to this conversation about church marketing and communication, one of the great resources available to us is MinistryCOM. This annual event started in Houston four years ago and quickly became the meeting of the minds for people who want to help improve church communication. MinistryCOM is a not-for-profit organization that also hosts the annual MinistryTECH conference.

I was unable to attend MinistryCOM in Oklahoma City last month but it sounds like I missed out on some great conversations. If you missed it, you can get your hands on the recently-released DVD set of workshops and keynotes. You’ll get audio for all of the main sessions and workshops, as well as video for the four main keynote presenters. I received my DVD set last week and copied files to my iTunes and caught up on some of what I missed. I was particularly interested to learn from Jon Acuff, a newer voice I had not heard before. In addition to his Skittle-tossing during transition segues, Jon poised a question that stuck with me. “Are we trying to make our stories bigger with God or just better to ourselves?” Our tendency as communicators can be to focus on the stories that move people instead of on the stories that move God. The stories that move God will certainly move people. But the stories that just move people, often because it’s about building our ego, or brand or church, are really not that big at all. Good stuff.

Our friends at MinistryCOM are running a 50 percent discount on the purchase of the DVD set when you order before November 15. Just enter promo code "CFCC" to get the discount. Enjoy!

Posted by Brad Abare at 6:43 AM
| Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 27, 2008

The Illusion of Community, Part 2

(Filed under: First Impressions & Beyond)

Church building This is part two in a series about the illusion of community. Part one was about online community networks. Today, let's talk about how we're doing at building community in our weekend gatherings. Yet again, not as good as we should be.

Based on part one, you already know I take issue with the 'Christian' bubble. So it's no surprise to see that so many weekend church gatherings are not conducive to building community. We park, we play, we pray, we partake and we say peace out before heading to lunch. I know small groups have been struggling to answer this community-building challenge facing churches, but in general, it all seems very insulating and isolating from the very people who need community with God and with others.

You're Invited
I have visited a lot of churches throughout my short life, and in the last 10 years, I can recall only once when a couple I did not know came up to me after a service and invited me and my wife to a meal with them. Even more appalling, I have never once invited someone I didn't know to a meal after a service. And that's the problem folks. It's not that I think church leadership lacks ideas or commitment to getting people to connect outside of a service, it's that we as the church are not being the church.

Continue reading "The Illusion of Community, Part 2"

Posted by Brad Abare at 7:54 AM
| Comments (4) | TrackBack

Welcome to the Ad Network!

(Filed under: News & Updates)

We're very happy to welcome three new members to the CFCC Ad Network. If you keep your eye on the right sidebar on our family of sites, you'll see them come up to greet you, but here's a little more about them:

Parachute Band are five Kiwis with guitars who would love the opportunity to lead you in worship.
Clover provides simple, sharp web sites for churches who need flexibility but don't want to break the bank.
SkyCMS is a simple and robust content management system for either template-based or custom church site designs.

They join Unifyer, Faith Highway and Fellowship Technologies in our Ad Network.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:21 AM
| Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 24, 2008

Church Marketing Lab: Discuss!

(Filed under: Peer Review)

One of the most frequent requests we get is, "What do you think of [blank]?" And our reply usually is a gentler form of "Go to the Church Marketing Lab!" That's because the discussion board there is a wonderful way to discuss anything related to church marketing. It can range from sharing what different church communicators' desktops look like to technical discussions of file sizes and types.

Here's a taste of the discussions that have been going on this week:

It's a lot more than people sharing their graphic design. It's a community of over 2,500 members ready to help one another out and move towards better communication. So however you get involved in church communications, get over and discuss in the Church Marketing Lab.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 12:29 PM
| Comments (1) | TrackBack

This Week in Church Marketing

(Filed under: Link Round Up)

A few stories have run across the figurative desks here at Church Marketing Sucks over the week, and you've probably caught them at other places on the ol' Internet. But just in case you made it through the first part of the week without catching these, we have them for you.

New atheist marketing campaign on UK buses.
The British Humanist Association is going to start running ads on the sides of buses reading, "There's probably no god. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." I've never personally understood evangelical atheism, but here's a bit of the response so far: AdFreak says, "Probably? Way to hedge your bets there." And the Methodist church has thanked them, saying it "will be a good thing if it gets people to engage with the deepest questions of life."

Church mystery worshipper for hire.
There's a former Oklahoma pastor who is offering himself as a new form of church consultant. Essentially, he'll come and act like a visitor at your church, letting you see what a visitor would see in their first visit to your church. Maybe you don't hire this guy, but some sort of idea like this sounds like a great step for your church.

The Apple brand and religion.
These folks are saying that they have proved via neuroscience that Apple is a religion. The movie looks at the tie between commercial branding and religious branding--specifically at Apple's brand and how it impacts "followers." The trailer certainly looks interesting, and maybe it can explain the strong overlap between church leaders and Apple products. Just maybe.

Update: It looks like atheist marketing is catching on in the US as well. Check out the latest campaign from Washington, DC.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 9:39 AM
| Comments (6) | TrackBack

October 23, 2008

The Church Logo Scorecard

(Filed under: Off the Wall)

Jon Acuff at Stuff Christians Like has posted his guide to creating the holiest church logo possible. It's very funny, as usual from him, and it's particularly pertinent to church marketers.

Here's how he starts:

Everyone knows that if you have the letter "t" in your church name/logo, it better be spelled out in the shape of a cross. I know through Christ we are free from the law, but the "t law" is still in effect. If you refuse to adhere to that, a team of Christian graphic designers come to your church and confiscate your copy of Photoshop and Illustrator and take all your fonts except for Comic Sans.

And from there, you need to read on to see how many points you can get for other elements, including losing points for a chalice that is blinged out.

Be sure not to miss his full post.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:29 AM
| Comments (2) | TrackBack

October 22, 2008

Re-branding Poll Results

(Filed under: Poll Results)

Warning: bad news ahead.

We are all about churches communicating clearly and effectively, in case you were unaware. One great way to do that is through a brand. It ties everything you stand for together and gives it to people in a clear, digestable package. That said, let's see what our readers said when asked how often their church re-brands.

24% of you make an effort to re-evaluate the way you communicate via branding, but you only do it every five-plus years. Perhaps this is because you feel your brand can be effective for over five years, or perhaps you just rethink things when you eventually find your brand has become ineffective.

15% of you are re-branding every two to four years. This seems ideal. You're not letting your brand lose its power before you upgrade--keeps momentum and focus both high. It's also expensive and time-consuming, which is why most churches don't follow suit. And 2% of you go so far as to re-brand at least once a year. Wow. Sounds busy.

The concerning bit are the 60% who either have a brand from long, long ago or don't have a brand at all. Branding doesn't have to be extraordinarily expensive, and it can be outsourced to some degree, so there's really no excuse. Head here to get started on your brand journey.

This week, tell us: How does your church celebrate Halloween? Click through your RSS reader to vote on the site.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 2:17 PM
| Comments (4) | TrackBack

Methodists Go Fair Trade

(Filed under: Social Justice)

It's been awhile since we've heard a good example of churches clamoring towards social justice in their marketing efforts, but it looks like the United Methodists are headed that direction.

With Halloween just around the corner, they're going to be making their chocolate fair trade. They're partnering with a Massachusetts cooperative operation to raise awareness of the importance of providing adequate wages to crop-producers to help them break out of poverty. From the press release:

Susan Burton, director of the United Methodist seminar program at the Board of Church and Society, became interested in the alternatives while trick-or-treating last year with her 3-year-old. While sorting through her daughter's candy, Burton found a postcard encouraging the purchase of Fair Trade Certified chocolate.
"I realized that was another way that I could put my faith into action, and I wanted to make this opportunity available to United Methodists," she said.

Organizers say the partnership offers United Methodists an opportunity to address systems that contribute to global poverty. Ministry with the poor has been identified as one of the denomination's four areas of ministry focus.

(link via MMI)

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:04 AM
| Comments (1) | TrackBack

October 21, 2008

Paying Couples to Date

(Filed under: Examples)

Here's an interesting hook: Come to our church and get free dates with your spouse!

That's what Elevation Church did recently to promote a recent series and encourage husbands to "date their wives," the church gave couples the option to select a restaurant and receive both a $30 gift card and childcare reimbursement. Over 75% of couples participated.

So why on earth does this matter in the realm of church marketing?

This is a basic principle they're communicating: We care about what happens to you beyond Sunday, and we are willing to make sacrifices to help you do what is right. And we're not afraid to think outside of the box to do it.

Lots of people won't go to church because they don't believe there is a church like that out there. Be that church. Loving your community and creatively showing them you care matters even more than whether you sing from the hymnal or print the words in the bulletin this week. (link via Monday Morning Insight)

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:26 AM
| Comments (5) | TrackBack

October 20, 2008

The Illusion of Community, Part 1

(Filed under: Technology)

Online Community Social This is part one in a series about the illusion of community. First up, let's talk about how we're doing at building community online. Not so well in my opinion.

I have serious concerns with online social networks. I take issue even more with Christian online social networks. I am all for redeeming technology, using it for good, and leveraging its potential to deliver the good news of Jesus. However, and I know I'm going to get flack for taking this position, but I am really concerned that too much emphasis is being put on building community online as a substitute for building community offline. The ease and excitement that revolves around online ministry/community is understandable. The telegraph, the telephone and the television all brought similar euphoria.

If ever there was a buzzword for the past several years that the church--myself included--has been in love with, it would be the word "community." And rightly so because community is so desperately lacking these days. People are lonely and isolated. Today, 1 out of every 4 households in the U.S. has just one person living there. In 1950, it was 1 out of every 10. So while we may be more connected than any other generation, we're more detached than ever before.

Bubble Trouble
Perhaps the biggest issue I have with Christian social networks is that they are following the exact same path churches have been on for 2,000 years. Instead of churches permeating culture, we've created our own culture. We've taken the idea of church and made it a place instead of a presence. For more on this idea, read the late Bob Briner's book, Roaring Lambs.

Continue reading "The Illusion of Community, Part 1"

Posted by Brad Abare at 12:18 PM
| Comments (5) | TrackBack

Church Marketing Lab: Rules Slides, Series Graphics and More

(Filed under: Peer Review)

We just welcomed a whole slew of new moderators to the Church Marketing Lab. What should you expect differently? More feedback, better feedback and an all-around improved Church Marketing Lab. Something that's great is getting even better. Here's a little bit of the work we've seen this week:

Here are eight possible new logos for Bridge Church.

Continue reading "Church Marketing Lab: Rules Slides, Series Graphics and More"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:16 AM
| Comments (1) | TrackBack

October 16, 2008

Marketing Hope through Economic Trouble

(Filed under: Evangelism & Outreach)

by Shane Boyd, Guest Blogger

The economy does not affect Jesus, and churches can grow even if the economy fails. Even if the economy as we know it fails tomorrow, God's church will still grow.

Now friends, I'm here to tell you that the economy does not affect the church negatively. Not at all. If anything, we can use this so-called failing economy as a tool to witness and spread the gospel to others.

Sadly, most of the people in the United States feel that our economy is failing and heading towards a depression. This should not effect how we as believers feel. We still have the hope of Heaven through our Savior Jesus Christ. We know how this story ends.

So to those whose hope appears to be in worldly treasures (our economy), introduce them to One who never fails. Introduce them to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let them know that His love never ends and He will never leave us nor forsake us.

To those who mourn because their bank account may not be as large as they like because of this so-called failing economy, let them know about the unfailing love of Jesus Christ.

This is not a time cry about our economy. It's time to act and reach others in our community. Invite folks in your town to a place the economy cannot touch, The Church!

Here's another tip for you. Host a Fall Festival at your church. Invite everyone. Run an ad in the paper, send flyers to every neighborhood, advertise on local radio stations and post it online. Call it the "The Economy Can't Touch This" festival. Have fun with it.

You want your church to grow? Spread cheer, and leave the doom and gloom for news agencies.

Posted by Guest Blogger at 6:07 AM
| Comments (4) | TrackBack

October 15, 2008

Church Site Ads Poll Results

(Filed under: Poll Results)

I haven't seen many churches running advertisements on their sites, but I have seen plenty of churches scratching their head for a way to raise funds. And being an Internet kind of guy, my natural tendency is to ask the question, "What about ads?" So we turned the question to you: Are ads on a church site a cheap sellout or a great way to add to tithes?

Well, 62% of you think it's a ridiculous idea. You think it communicates that the church is a bunch of sellouts, and you would rather them find other ways to raise their funds.

And the other 38% of you think it just shows that they're willing to think outside of the box for revenue streams.

Perhaps a better question would be just how much it would turn you off to find ads on a church web site. Historically low actual percentages of people who tithe combined with an economic downturn will have churches turning in new directions for income. But only time will tell if they turn to ads or elsewhere.

This week, we want to know: How often does your church consider a comprehensive re-branding?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 11:12 AM
| Comments (2) | TrackBack

October 14, 2008

Ethnography and Marketing Myths

(Filed under: Link Round Up)

A couple stories that all of you church marketers should be sure to enjoy:

Kem Meyer discusses ethnographers--what they do and why it matters. She describes ethnographers like this: "They're investing their life and resources to learn what it is people want and think they need. They're working hard to figure out how they can answer the questions the people are asking. They're finding the space in which people rally, and they're going there." What is your church doing to connect with the needs of the people around you?
And still on the note of community outreach, Outreach magazine looks at four myths about reaching the unchurched and what we should do about them. Just to get your fire burning, myth number 3 is everyone needs small groups. Disagree? Just want some more information? Head over and spend a few minutes reading the article. It will challenge your thinking.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:29 AM
| Comments (2) | TrackBack

October 13, 2008

Brand Value Versus Brand Recognition

(Filed under: Brand & Identity)

I got an e-mail from a friend with a quote in it, and then I realized Tony Morgan posted the same thing a few days ago. It's a quote from John Wang, the Chief Marketing Officer at HTC, in an article regarding innovation. Here's what he had to say:

"Let me share with you how we think about brand. There is a very important difference between brand value and brand recognition. Brand value means something to the end user. Brand recognition, all it means is a bunch of advertising to make people recognize the brand name. At HTC we care about brand value, not brand recognition. Building brand value is like earning respect; you have to earn respect, you cannot buy respect. And the way to earn respect is by continuing to deliver innovative products and creating value for the market, and that has to be done time after time again. It is a journey."

That's certainly a challenge to the church. Are you just using brute force marketing, or are you delivering incredible experiences and products that lead people to admire and trust you? Ask yourself and your team this question as you prepare to serve your community.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:07 AM
| Comments (3) | TrackBack

October 10, 2008

Communicating To/With Next Generation

(Filed under: Demographics/Research)

Adweek, one of the trade pubs for the advertising industry, had an opinion piece by Deborah Morrison in their September 29 issue. Morrison is a professor of advertising at the University of Oregon and wrote a great article about the next generation and how they're thinking, behaving and living. Although it was written about the changes the ad industry is likely to experience as a result of the next generation's differences, Morrison's well researched perspective can certainly help the church.

How they live has everything to do with how they work. They time shift. Favorite shows happen online on-demand. News is 24/7. There's not much use for e-mail. Instead, they're YouTubing, Stumbling, Digging, Twittering, blogging, updating. They're Loopted and LinkedIn. Caffeine drives the day and night. In this world, wristwatches and alarm clocks are as necessary as rabbit ears. They grew up IMing, and the cell phone rules. Area-code identity is mobile but long lasting--a virtual network.

Continue reading "Communicating To/With Next Generation"

Posted by Brad Abare at 5:53 PM
| Comments (3) | TrackBack

Church Marketing Lab: Countdown, Golfing, Magnets and More

(Filed under: Peer Review)

This week in the Church Marketig Lab, we've seen some truly great pieces. If you aren't involved over there, you're really missing out. Both in the photo pool and on the discussion board, you'll be stretched and challenged. Here's just four small samples of the great things we've seen this week.

Crossroads Church is working on a new service countdown.

Continue reading "Church Marketing Lab: Countdown, Golfing, Magnets and More"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:03 AM
| Comments (1) | TrackBack

October 9, 2008

Overworked? Drained? Kill Five Birds With One Stone

(Filed under: Church Business)

By Danielle Hartland, Guest Blogger

At one point in the not-too-distant past, my part-time communications position (which is now full-time) got so un-part-time, that I started keeping track of my hours, determined to show my supervisor how crazy it had become. My life felt like it was going by fast--too fast. Some days, I was so scattered, I felt like I was unable to complete simple tasks, let alone full-out design and marketing concepts. I felt completely drained of any creative ability whatsoever.

Then one day, someone said a word that would change my existence. That word was "intern." She had a contact who was a marketing professor at a local college. Long story short, I made that professor my contact and begin talking internships. After a very short wait and interview process, I had selected a candidate. I thought my biggest hurdle would be convincing my supervisors that it was a good thing to "hire" someone who isn't a Christian (gasp, I know). The staff at our church is great. Everyone was 100% on board.

Continue reading "Overworked? Drained? Kill Five Birds With One Stone"

Posted by Guest Blogger at 6:11 AM
| Comments (9) | TrackBack

October 8, 2008

Stop Using Media

(Filed under: Technology)

The Collide magazine blog just began "an ongoing and open-ended series devoted to convincing you, the church leader, not to use media."

Scott McClellan quickly clarifies, "Yes, Collide exists to encourage the use of media and technology in the Church … the proper use."

And number one is calling you out for using media just for the sake of using media. Keep an eye over there for subsequent posts (like this one with a rather painful picture). It will be a great challenge to church communicators who have gotten addicted to media and can't wait for their next Sunday morning fix.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:31 AM
| Comments (1) | TrackBack

Scent Branding Poll Results

(Filed under: Poll Results)

Some out there are suggesting that scent branding is the future of marketing. Others are suggesting those people are idiots. So we did the only thing left to do--turned it over to you guys.

44% of you think scent branding is ridiculous. You don't want to be the Caramel Vanilla Church or even Seaside Beach Breeze Baptist. Or maybe you're just afraid that after someone visits once, they will throw up if they ever notice your scent on the air again.

27% of you are up for the idea, but only for the right scent. I admit, I'm with you. If the project got in the hands of someone without olfactory prowess, you could end up with something foul. And another 15% of you are already on board with this idea. You've put your order in at the local candle company, and you're ready to guest blog the experience for us.

10% of you don't think this is branding at all, and 4% of you are smelling impaired. I guess for these folks, traditional branding it is.

This week, we'll be shifting gears a bit. What do you think of ads on church web sites? Click through your RSS reader to cast your vote.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:24 AM
| Comments (4) | TrackBack

October 7, 2008

100 Idea Starters From Outreach Magazine

(Filed under: Evangelism & Outreach)

Outreach Magazine The latest issue of Outreach magazine has a 10-page feature with 100 outreach ideas for any church and size. I would link to the feature, but alas, our Outreach friends apparently don't believe in putting content online. Huh?

So If you see a copy on a friend's desk, it's worth browsing through some of the ideas. From rain gutter cleanup to passing out bags of popcorn when people exit your local video rental store (do people still rent videos by driving somewhere?), the list is packed with simple ideas for serving people. It's not flashy marketing or hype-filled hilarity, just kind ways to extend community and Kingdom to the people right in front of you.

Posted by Brad Abare at 6:53 AM
| Comments (4) | TrackBack

October 6, 2008

Free Catalyst Ticket

(Filed under: Events)

Today we've been pitching jobs, talking about church on the cheap and now we're giving away a free ticket. Sense a theme?

Here's the deal: The kind folks at AspireOne ended up with an extra ticket to the Catalyst Conference (including the Labs) which starts on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2008 and runs through Friday. Yeah, as in two days from now.

We want to get this ticket in the hands of someone who can use it. There's no transportation or hotels or anything else included, so it might work best for someone already in the Atlanta area.

If you want the ticket, be the first person to post a comment to this post and it's yours. (Time is short, so we're keeping this simple. Do us a favor and keep it simple for us as well: Only post a comment if you can actually use the ticket. The ticket will be available at will call for the winner. Thanks!)

Update: Four minutes and we have a winner. Congrats, Brad Singleton.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 1:35 PM
| Comments (4) | TrackBack

Church on the Cheap

(Filed under: Church Business)

Times are tough. You need to go no further than the front page of your favorite news site to see that. So what's a church to do?

First things first, head back to the article Lessons in Not Sucking: Cheap Marketing Ideas for Church Planters. You might be thinking, "I'm not a church planter! We've been around for forever!" Well, money is tight, so maybe it's time to act like you just started with your church. And here are a few other rules to keep your ship going straight as the financial water stir:

Just because you do it now doesn't mean you have to keep doing it.
Sure, you've been printing bulletins every single week since forever. And you've always bought coffee for 2,000 people (just to be safe) when your attendance is 500. But just because you offer an event, service or product doesn't mean you have to keep offering it. Re-evaluate where your money is going and your return on investment.

Continue reading "Church on the Cheap"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 1:31 PM
| Comments (0) | TrackBack

Times Tough? Get a Job.

(Filed under: News & Updates)

The economy is down, but people still need a-savin'. And how will they hear without a church communications specialist (Romans 10:14, my translation)? That's where we come in. In case you don't keep up with the Job Lab and Freelance Lab, here are some of the openings you've missed. And there are more than this in the two labs, so head in there to see who is hiring.

From the Job Lab:

Fremont Community Church needs a Graphics and Publications Artist.
Calvary Bible Church is looking for a Communications Specialist.
Cross Timbers Community Church is in the market for a Video Producer.

More jobs...

From the Freelance Lab:

Redesign a new web site for The Honor Academy.
Develop a logo brand for a mission ministry at First Christian Church.
Create a logo for Shiloh Church.

More freelance projects...

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:51 AM
| Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 3, 2008

Church Marketing Lab: Christmas Comes Early

(Filed under: Peer Review)

It's about that time of year. You know, it comes in the beginning of October. Little red hats and elves start appearing on store shelves. That's right, it's the annual "What are Halloween and Thanksgiving? I'm Thinking About Christmas!" event. So here we have the first three Christmas entries of the year (that I've seen) from the Church Marketing Lab.

Here's an advertisement for The Heart of Christmas.

Continue reading "Church Marketing Lab: Christmas Comes Early"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:41 AM
| Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 2, 2008

Invite a Friend

(Filed under: Evangelism & Outreach)

By Shane Boyd, Guest Blogger

This past June, my son turned four. We had a birthday party for him and invited all of his friends (well maybe not all, but a lot) to his party. I cooked hamburgers, hot dogs and sausage on the grill, and the kids were playing games and having a really good time.

We had the party on a Saturday afternoon, which seems to be a normal time to have a birthday party for kids. Funny thing is, the following Saturday my son did not have any of his friends come to the house. There were no grilling and no presents. No cake and ice cream. Nothing. Why not?

Well the reason is really simple when you think about it. Nobody was invited! I did not send out invitations, announcements or make phone call invitations. Simply put, his friends were not invited back.

Continue reading "Invite a Friend"

Posted by Guest Blogger at 8:33 AM
| Comments (5) | TrackBack

October 1, 2008

Vote for CFCC & We Get $2 Per Vote

(Filed under: News & Updates)

Squidoo is doing an $80,000 charity drive. For every vote for a nonprofit they'll give that organization $2 (up to $40,000 total). And you can vote for the Center for Church Communication (our nonprofit parent)!

Vote for CFCC!
(you have to scroll down to find us, but we're there)

Only the first 40,000 votes count for the cash, and they're already up to 6,000 votes, so please vote right now and support CFCC. Thanks!

Update: There are now more than 47,000 votes, which means they're past the cut off point for donations. CFCC ended up with .9%, which is about 424 votes. I don't know how many of those votes came after the cut off point, but it's probably safe to say we can expect a donation of around $800 from Squidoo. So a big thanks for your help!

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:24 AM
| Comments (2) | TrackBack

Hard Times Poll Results

(Filed under: Poll Results)

If you listen to the news and talk around the water cooler, you might just think the sky is falling. The current economic happenings certainly have an impact on your church, but what is it?

Offerings are down for 35% of you. Your budget red is getting brighter and brighter as stocks go down and down. And another 24% of you have had to make budget cuts already. I'm sure marketing budgets are going down, and we're always looking to hear how you're making less money do more work, so drop us a line.

15% of you have seen attendance going down. Gas money, fear of pressure to give and general unhappiness are probably just a few of the culprits in sinking attendance.

A lucky 11% of you haven't seen a single impact of the tough economy. And an unlucky 10% have noticed a big impact--your marketing plan has been reduced to prayer. Prayer isn't bad, but a few dollars certainly give your marketing a kick start.

Then there's the 5% of you whose attendance is on the up-and-up. Do you attribute this to the financial downturn? Be honest, are you paying people to come to church?

This week, click through to the main site to let us know, does branding your church with a specific scent take branding a step too far?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:42 AM
| Comments (2) | TrackBack