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December 31, 2008
2008: The Year in Ads
(Filed under: Advertising)It's that time of year--2008 roundup lists are everywhere. All year, we get articles like Seven Ways to Turbocharge Your Productivity Output Efficiency and Twelve Optimized Brand-Solution Strategies. But for a few sacred weeks, in the vacuum between Christmas and New Year's, everyone lets us know their "best of" lists. So all you church marketers, here's AdAge's best advertising of 2008 and Media Bistro's 10 worst ad spots. Sadly, no churches made the "best-of" list. But they didn't make the "worst-of" either!
My personal list? I'm so glad you asked:
If you're tempted to not go watch them, please overcome. All three are very inspiring.
Posted by Joshua Cody at 12:57 PM
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December 30, 2008
Interview with a Church Planter: Joe Boyd
(Filed under: Interviews)This is part three of a four part series where Church Marketing Sucks discusses marketing with successful church planters. For part 1 we talked to Pete Hixson of Vinings Lake Church and in part 2 we talked to Don Record of actionchurch. In part three, we will be talking with Joe Boyd of Aviator Church.
Church Marketing Sucks: Hey Joe, it's great to have you join us for a little bit. Give us a quick, two-sentence intro of who you are and what you do.
Joe: Hi, I’m Joe Boyd, the founding pastor of Aviator Church, a church plant that reaches out to the people who live in the Air Capitol of the U.S., Derby, Kan. My wife and I parachuted into our community in January 2008, built a launch team of 50 people and launched September 2008 with 200 people. Within ten weeks we experienced 80 salvations and have have continued to grow every week since our start.
CMS: Wow, lots of growth fast. How did you get the word out about your church plant?
Continue reading "Interview with a Church Planter: Joe Boyd"
Posted by Joshua Cody at 2:34 PM
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Santa Claus Marketing Poll Results
(Filed under: Poll Results)
As Santa Claus was flying through your neighborhood to deliver the latest and greatest goods, we were curious how many of your churches have used the jolly fat guy in your marketing.
It looks like most of you shy away from the modern update on Saint Nicholas. Over half of you stick to tiny baby Jesus and away from the overgrown Santa Claus. And another 9% of you go even further to call him Satan Claus. Overbearing Grinches? Christmas re-thinkers? A new offshoot of Christianity with an aversion to the color red? There's no telling why you hate Santa, but surely you have a good reason.
18% of you invite Santa in anytime and see him as an opening to talk about the real meaning of Christmas. While another 21% of you invite him in, but only in the format of something small -- a Santa hat or a "Ho Ho Ho!" from the pulpit, perhaps. You like good ol' St. Nick, but only in limited doses.
This week, we're looking to find out: What would you most like the Center for Church Communication to give you next Christmas?
Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:08 AM
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December 23, 2008
For the Love of God Rethink Christmas
(Filed under: The Christian Walk)We recently talked about God's bailout plan, and I brought up the point that some churches are doing some pretty dumb things, especially in relation to Christmas. The one that really hit a chord with me was this: an archbishop who gave churches "some pastoral insights and suggestions about how we might prepare to celebrate Christmas this year when economic conditions are so grim."
At first glance, it seems benign. At second glance, however, there is a deep, deep issue. How far off do we have to be if the celebration of a baby born in dirt and straw can be impacted by economic conditions?
I think Jesus would be heartbroken (or even angry) that churches so often remain silent on the frivolity of Black Friday or having a fully-stocked living room on Christmas morning while so many are in such desperate need.
Sometimes, I worry that we're more committed to Santa Claus than Christ himself around this time of year.
Continue reading "For the Love of God Rethink Christmas"
Posted by Joshua Cody at 11:35 AM
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Q Conference Discount
(Filed under: Events)Just a quick reminder about the upcoming Q Conference:
Who: Thinkers and doers.
What: The non-hipster Q Conference.
When: April 27-29, 2009
Where: Austin, Texas
Why: Check out the knowledge dropped at previous events.
Discount? Save $150 over the current rate if you register by December 31, 2008 using the code "CFCC09".
And don't forget about the CFCC meetup as well.
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 5:47 AM
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Bickering Issues Poll Results
(Filed under: Poll Results)
Last week we asked how disagreements are handled between the lead pastor and other communicators. This can be a sticky point (and churches aren't the only organizations who experience this), as evidenced in the reaction to our 'You Know You're in Church Communications If...' PDF from a few months back.
A slim majority think cooler heads should prevail, as 51% said we should be able to talk it out like adults. That's good to hear. Hopefully it actually happens.
Next comes 24% who say the tie goes to the pastor. This isn't surprising considering at some point there needs to be deference to senior leadership. But hopefully everyone is listening and learning from each other. After all, you hire an expert for a reason.
Which leads us to the 13% who think the expert should have the final say. Experts better know their field, but it's ultimately the pastor who runs with the vision.
Finally, 12% think it should come down to a game of paper, rock, scissors. My kind of people.
This week we turn to all things Christmas (sort of), and ask about churches using Santa Claus in communications pieces.
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 5:38 AM
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December 22, 2008
Interview with a Church Planter: Don Record
(Filed under: Interviews)This is part two of a four part series where Church Marketing Sucks discusses marketing with successful church planters. In part 1 we talked with Pete Hixson of Vinings Lake Church. In part two, we will be talking with Don Record of actionchurch.
Church Marketing Sucks: Thanks so much for joining us for a bit, Don. Give us a quick, two-sentence intro of who you are and what you do.
Don: My name is Don Record and I am the pastor/planter of actionchurch. We launched on Sunday Morning, February 10th at Fat Daddy's Nightclub here in York, Penn.
CMS: After starting, how did you get the word out about your church plant?
Continue reading "Interview with a Church Planter: Don Record"
Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:14 AM
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December 19, 2008
Advice From Sages
(Filed under: Link Round Up)You know those people who, when they speak, you listen? For us, two of those are Kem Meyer and Seth Godin. And recently, they each hit the sweet spot on marketing tips that can be applied to churches.
Seth Godin wants copywriting to stop sucking. He breaks down some bad copywriting, explains why it's bad and gives suggestions for a different road to travel. Many, many churches don't know what in the world copywriting is or how to do it, so this is a must-read.
Kem Meyer suggests that random acts of corporate kindness are a great way to market your church. What that boils down to are taking the things you know and providing them to people, for free. This could end in exponential growth for you and your church.
Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:19 AM
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December 18, 2008
When Churches Market Like Airlines
(Filed under: Church Business)For a bit of fun to help you through your week, check out Monday Morning Insight's discussion of what the church would look like if it were run like an airline. Really, it's just a look at what would be some fees the church could charge. Maybe this is a good way for you to weather the economic downturn? (Kidding, do not take that suggestion.)
- All aisle seats are now $10/week. Back row premium seating available for $20 per week
- Cell phone ringing during service: $50 one time charge
- Hit job on the organist (rates vary per city/church)
- Read the full list...
I would go beyond just the fees:
- You would arrive on a Sunday only to find out the service didn't begin until Monday, and if you didn't stick around, you would lose five hundred bucks.
- When you arrived, the greeters would be intensely angry and have already worked 14 hours for slim wages.
- As you entered the bulletin-pickup area, there would be a very, very strangely long waiting time between the bulletins getting to church and arriving in your hands.
- Communion would only be served in long services, and getting wine instead of grape juice would be five dollars.
When you look at airline business strategy, I guess church marketing doesn't seem so bad.
Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:44 AM
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December 17, 2008
Church Sucks
(Filed under: Examples)Perhaps you've heard of the Church Sucks Challenge. It's a site (with a brand strangely similar to our own, but we have had no involvement in the project) where you can submit exactly why you think church sucks. Think unChristian, but without being statistically-minded.
So if the idea has been done before, and the branding has been done before, why do we love it? Because this is different. It's a coming church plant (Courageous Church) that's putting this on, so the context changes completely. It's not just a study or a web site; it's a local church that matters to local people. They've found a way to communicate that they're not fond of church as it is. Now, plenty of churches have done this, but mainly through some variation of yelling "WE WEAR BLUE JEANS! WE HATE CHURCH! JOIN THE REVOLUTION!" Courageous Church has found a way to say, "Church sucks. Let us know how you think we can help." And that matters to people.
But their great marketing doesn't stop there. I first heard about them in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, as they covered his use of Facebook to fund a toy drive for 500 Atlanta children. Thus far, they're generating a lot of buzz by getting in the community and doing good.
Maybe courageous generosity could go much further for your church than mailers or yard signs ever will.
Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:24 AM
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Financial Woes Poll Results
(Filed under: Poll Results)
Many churches are having very difficult times dealing with the financial struggles of many in their congregation. There are tons of options available for how to help your congregation through rough financial waters, but what's the best way? Or at least, what are most churches doing? Here's what you had to say:
27% of you are just turning a deaf ear to the so-called crisis. Maybe this means your church did some great financial planning and isn't feeling pinched at all. Or maybe it means the creditors are calling and you answer and say, "Beep beep beep. This number has been disconnected..."
About 1 in 8 of you are having tear-filled goodbyes with members of your staff, and 1 in 10 of you are having tear-filled goodbyes with your marketing budget. Perhaps another poll is in order to find out which you will miss more.
Knotted up at 6% are those of you who are doing absolutely everything and those of you who are just ramping up those annual tithing messages. Only like .000000000000012% of church-goers tithe, but I'm sure it's just because they haven't ever heard a sermon on it.
After those options, a smattering of you are going with sermons on the evils of Wall Street and some others with creative fundraisers.
But above all, the biggest chunk of you are doing "Something else." So let's hear it in the comments, exactly what is your church doing?
And this week we're asking about conflict resolution. Vote in the sidebar of the site to let us know, How should churches handle disagreements with the lead pastor and other communicators (designers, marketers, etc.)?
Posted by Joshua Cody at 2:32 AM
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December 15, 2008
Interview with a Church Planter: Pete Hixson
(Filed under: Interviews)This is part one of a four part series where Church Marketing Sucks discusses marketing with successful church planters. First up is Pete Hixson of Vinings Lake Church.
Church Marketing Sucks: Pete, thanks for taking a few minutes to talk with us. Give us a quick, two-sentence intro of who you are and what you do.
Pete: We are a two-and-half-year-old church plant in a suburb of metro Atlanta. We have a come-as-you-are, non-denominational feel, and we exist to make disciple-makers of Jesus Christ and to love and serve others in our community and beyond. Our church and our process is simple, so we do not have a barrage of programs to accomplish our mission.
CMS: How did you get the word out about your church plant?
Continue reading "Interview with a Church Planter: Pete Hixson"
Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:12 AM
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December 12, 2008
God's Bailout Plan
(Filed under: The Christian Walk)Things in Detroit are rough, and church leaders are having to decide how to help their congregations through these difficult times. The New York Times tells their stories.
One churches featured SUVs on their stage during services, and another invited members of the United Auto Workers union to speak. Another changed their church sign to urge passer-bys to come in and hear "God's bailout plan."
The real kicker is the archbishop who offered “some pastoral insights and suggestions about how we might prepare to celebrate Christmas this year when economic conditions are so grim.”
SUVs on stage? Another cheesy church sign? Churches needing insight on how to celebrate Christmas without their congregations spending boatloads on gifts?
Looks like even though the economy is tanking, church marketing still sucks.
Posted by Joshua Cody at 9:52 AM
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December 11, 2008
2nd Squidoo Charity Drive: Vote for CFCC
(Filed under: News & Updates)Back in October Squidoo did an $80,000 charity drive. They were giving away $2 per vote to nonprofit organizations, and we spread the word and raked in $800 to help churches not suck.
Now Squidoo is doing the Holiday Twitterdrive for Charity. This time around they're giving away $1 per vote up to $30,000--but it's limited to 21 different charities. And we're surprised and humbled to see that the Center for Church Communication, our nonprofit parent, is one of those 21 charities.
So visit the Holiday Twitterdrive for Charity and vote for the Center for Church Communication. The voting happens through Twitter, so if you don't have an account you'll need to sign up.
It's an easy way to raise money to help churches communicate better. Thanks for your support! (If you run a Squidoo lens did you know you can support to CFCC?)
Update: Turns out you can vote once per day! Awesome. Get out there and vote again.
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 5:15 PM
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Church Marketing: Denied
(Filed under: Advertising)MarketingWeek recently covered a church in Belfast who had an ad pulled for being too offensive.
The Advertising Standards Authority has banned a regional press advert from the Sandown Free Presbyterian Church in Belfast for using strong biblical references to campaign against homosexuality.The ad used biblical references such as "Thou shalt not lie down with mankind, as with womankind; it is an abomination" to convey its opinion on homosexuality.
The article goes on to say that the ASA considered the ad too strong and offensive. Their punishment? In the future, they need to seek approval by the ASA before publishing any advertising.
Continue reading "Church Marketing: Denied"
Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:11 AM
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December 10, 2008
Q Conference Meetup & Discount
(Filed under: Events)The Q conference is coming to Austin, Texas. And we've got your discount. The event is April 27-29, 2009 and you can save $150 over the current rate--if you register by December 31, 2008 using the code "CFCC09". Of course, you'd already know that if you checked out the CFCC site or were signed up for our e-mail newsletter.
This is not a bells and whistles hipster event with big names and games. It's a strategic gathering of thinkers and doers who want to see change and bring change. Our own Brad Abare participated in the last two Q gatherings (Atlanta and New York) and you can visit the Q site's archived talks to see if it's worthwhile.
Our Church Marketing Sucks leadership team--Brad Abare, Michael Buckingham, Josh Cody and myself--is planning to attend and we hope to host a special meetup for the Church Marketing Sucks folks. Drop us a line once you register and if you're interested in connecting. Once we know how many of us will be there we'll determine when and where we meet.
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:51 AM
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Mystery Worshipper Poll Results
(Filed under: Poll Results)
We've covered mystery worshippers here before. Twice. Some people loved it, others hated it. So we wanted to get your opinion on the idea of asking a stranger how to run your church.
45% of you love this idea. You think it's incredibly helpful to get an objective outsider's perspective on your services. Personally, I'm a huge fan of this kind of breath of fresh air. You don't have to take every suggestion they make, but you should at least be collecting objective data to include in conversations about what your church is doing.
46% of you went with the snarky options. About half of those want to finish surveying their imaginary friends first, and the other half already have a metric--attenders invite friends, and those friends give feedback. I think these answers translates to, "Mystery worshippers are a dumb idea."
The final 8% of you say no, but for different reasons. Half just think it's a ridiculous idea and don't want some shadow person telling them what to do. Another half already have some good ways to measure their success. Maybe those are surveys or town hall meetings, who knows, but feel free to let us know in the comments.
This week, we're asking how is your church responding to the current financial crisis? Let us know in the right sidebar of the home page!
Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:36 AM
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December 9, 2008
How Would You Spend $5,000?
(Filed under: Peer Review)Over in the Church Marketing Lab, one church has a problem that lots of you would love to have. How would you spend $5,000 on marketing?
Here's how some folks have weighed in:
"one idea. small flyers, stickers, posters directing people to a separate website offering hope, progress, change (maybe something like AccessHope or AccessChange dot com). create a "movement" beyond religion. soon you'll have closet gays, bible college students, homeless (they'll look you up on the public library computers), young families who just lost their house, people who don't seem to fit in else where."
"Stamp your url on 5000 $1 bills. Start handing them out to people who need them. "
So what do you say? How would you spend the $5,000? Head to the Church Marketing Lab and weigh in.
Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:27 PM
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December 8, 2008
Christmas With the Churches Advertising Network
(Filed under: Examples)
How would you tell someone about Christmas in thirty seconds or less? The Churches Advertising Network in England looked to solve exactly that problem.
They asked people to make their own 30-second radio ads telling the Christmas story. The submitted winners are good, but not great.
The real gold comes in their bus shelter nativity (pictured right) and the radio ads that the CAN themselves designed.
Campaigns like this are glimmers of hope in a world of church marketing that sucks. It's not a repackaging of something some other church has done. It's not cheesy. It's not a pun on a secular concept. It's creative people using their natural talent to tell a story in an innovative way, and that is great church marketing.
Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:55 AM
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December 5, 2008
Church Marketing Lab: Christmas Around the Corner
(Filed under: Peer Review)Christmas comes in a mere three weeks, and you know what that means--living Christmas trees, hand bell choirs and old men in Christmas sweaters! It also means that a lot of people are working on Christmas designs and creating Christmas collateral. Here's a bit of what's been coming through the Church Marketing Lab.
Here is an invitation to Carols by Candlelight if you can make it to Ireland.
Continue reading "Church Marketing Lab: Christmas Around the Corner"
Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:04 AM
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December 3, 2008
CFCC Thanks Poll Results
(Filed under: Poll Results)
For a little bit of Thanksgiving fun, we thought we would see what offering of the Center for Church Communication you're the most thankful for. Here's what you had to say:
Not surprisingly, over half of you said this blog is your favorite. I think we can chalk some of those up to our poor statistical methods--it's not exactly fair that our sample consists completely of Church Marketing Sucks readers and visitors. Nonetheless, it is our most popular offering, so we weren't surprised to see it take the lead.
Running a not-so-close second is the Church Marketing Lab. Nearly 2,700 members in the CML make up a big portion of the folks who interact with CFCC on a regular basis. We're super grateful to have them, and we're glad 21% of you call the Church Marketing Lab your favorite CFCC offering.
After that, it gets a bit tighter. Well, at least with our two "non-answer" answers. 12% of you don't want to have to choose because you love everything we do. And believe us, we are flattered. Another 15% of you weren't even aware of anything other than our blog. Well by all means, why don't you check out what we offer?
There's a virtual tie between Local Labs, the Events Lab and the Job and Freelance Labs at 0-1%. Those are a bit more niche offerings, but if you're into developing relationships with local church communicators, attending conferences or staffing (either staffing your church or becoming staffed by a church), you'll really want to check those out.
This week, we need to know: Would your church consider hiring a mystery worshipper?
Posted by Joshua Cody at 1:12 PM
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The Fine Line
(Filed under: Reviews)
Next month Zondervan is releasing The Fine Line by Kary Oberbrunner. This 30-something budding author tackles the subject of Christ and culture in way that is not unfamiliar, yet definitely through a different vantage point. Oberbrunner is a middle-America pastor that begins his book at the roller-skating rink in middle school. References to Michael W. Smith would soon follow.
Having also grown up in the Midwest, I can appreciate Oberbrunner’s experience and conclusions. However, having lived the last third of my life on the West Coast, the tone and tenor of The Fine Line may be a little too regionalized for some people.
The book is all about the fine line between being in the world and being of the world. “One thing is certain: there’s a fine line between in and of. In my life I’ve tried to avoid this tension; I’ve pretended this fine line doesn’t exist. But pretending doesn’t make the tension go away. It only makes us go away--one more irrelevant Christian.”
Borrowing from Abraham Lincoln’s address to Republican colleagues during his run for an Illinois Senate seat in 1858, Oberbrunner distills three questions we must ask ourselves in the midst of the divided camps we are living among.
Where are we?
What should we do?
How do we do it?
In 1858, the U.S. was divided down the middle on the issue of slavery. Today, suggests Oberrunner, we’re split down the middle with culture Conformists on one side and culture Separatists on the other. Kary lays out a plan for how we should be neither, and instead pursue the path of culture "Transformists."
Continue reading "The Fine Line"
Posted by Brad Abare at 6:53 AM
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Church Marketing Sucks at HOW, Save the Date
(Filed under: News & Updates)Many of you out there in the design world recognize the name HOW Design. For those of you that don't know the name, they focus on design, creativity and business, and they publish HOW Magazine, a premier design publication.
Others of you might even be so sharp to know that we began partnering with HOW Design last year in an effort to connect the CFCC community with other elite thinkers and designers. And only the most astute reader will remember (or even have experienced) that Michael Buckingham delivered a talk entitled "Design Evangelist" at last year's HOW conference.
And they invited him back.
That means June 24th-27th in Austin, Texas, you can hear Michael at the 2009 How Design Conference. He'll be discussing how we can be creative in a world of blah, why it matters that God is a creator and why Christians ought to be at the forefront of creativity and communication. You won't want to miss it.
If you can't make it to Austin, but you would still like to hear Michael speak, there are a couple more options for you:
- Church Solutions Conference...February 17-19, Phoenix. Michael will be looking at sermon branding.
- National Religious Broadcasters Convention...February 7-10, Nashville. Michael will be a part of two sessions, one on mediocrity and another on reaching the unchurched.
Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:49 AM
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December 2, 2008
Protesting the Church
(Filed under: The Christian Walk)A couple weeks ago more than 1,000 people marched in front of Rick Warren's Saddleback Church to protest his support of Proposition 8, the California ballot initiative that banned gay marriage. I'm not interested in talking about Prop 8, gay marriage or Rick Warren (this is Church Marketing Sucks, not Church Politics Sucks). I want to talk about protesting the church.
When I heard that news report I had two contradictory reactions:
- Churches should act in such a loving, honest and humble manner that no one ever wants to protest us.
- Churches should act in such an outrageous, radical, counter-cultural manner than someone is always protesting us.
Continue reading "Protesting the Church"
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:07 AM
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December 1, 2008
Dear Collide, Thank You
(Filed under: News & Updates)Collide Magazine was kind enough to include us in the category of "Best Ministry Blog" for 2008 in their Reader's Choice Awards. We're flattered to be listed alongside folks like Church Relevance, Evotional and others. If you think we deserve a vote, we'd be thrilled if you make your voice heard. Of course, you can still vote for someone besides us.
Posted by Joshua Cody at 1:11 PM
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