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June 30, 2009

Denominational Campaign Poll Results

(Filed under: Poll Results)

Recently, Kevin covered the trend of denominations running ad campaigns focusing on branding individuals as members of specific denominations. For example, "I am a Southern Baptist." Or, "We are Episcopalians." But what are your feelings about these campaigns?

Eek, only 4% of you are huge fans. That spells some bad news for denominations looking to build loyalty with possible new members.

A bigger chunk of you are all right with them, but they don't get you too excited. It's not going to make you head down to your local Kingdom Hall with your bicycle because a few folks in a magazine said they were Jehovah's Witnesses.

21% of you are right there with me--laughing your hind end off that these denominations are ripping one another off on a campaign based around individuality.

And, finally, 57% of you think denominational marketing campaigns suck. You think they ought to go back to the drawing board and not come back until they have something better. I feel like there could be potential for a niche site there.

This week, we want to know: How do you feel about the idea of bringing guns to church? Move your mouse over to our right sidebar to cast your vote.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:53 PM
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Church Marketing Lab: Bulletins, Web Sites and More

(Filed under: Peer Review)

When the folks in the Church Marketing Lab haven't been getting together or helping Michael get ready for his presentation at the HOW Design Conference, they've been working hard and getting feedback. Here's just a bit of what we've seen come through the Church Marketing Lab lately:

How to Kill Relationships and Irritate People is an upcoming series about biblical relationships.

Continue reading "Church Marketing Lab: Bulletins, Web Sites and More"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:23 AM
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June 29, 2009

We Are Evangelists

(Filed under: Philosophy)

A recent U.S. World News & Report article we already covered included a quote I'd glossed over. It comes from the director of communications for the Episcopal Church, Anne Rudig, and is a sentiment I'd guess a lot of us share:

"I'm an evangelist, too."

It's a simple and powerful statement that church marketing is evangelism.

It reminds me of the first chapter of Meredith Gould's The Word Made Fresh: Communicating Church and Faith Today, which argues that church communication is ministry.

What we do is not just some business skill for the church. The work you do is not mere work. It is a vital ministry of the church, seeking and saving the lost. We marketers and communicators, designers and editors, volunteers and assistants--we are evangelists.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:01 AM
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June 26, 2009

Hands-On Advice From Servolution

(Filed under: Reviews)

by Phil Prior, Guest Blogger

Having reviewed Dino Rizzo’s book Servolution, it’s clear that there are a number of lessons for church marketers that can be drawn from it’s pages. I just want to highlight four specifics.

1. Who would miss your church?

“A questions I am always asking myself is, If HPC closed down tomorrow, who would notice?”

While advertising, street signs and a full garage on a Sunday are great signs of success for a church, they aren’t necessarily indications of a great impact on your community. As Rizzo points out, a billboard may mean that your community knows the name of your church, but does it mean any more than that?

The ultimate test would be this: if your church closed, would anyone notice? Other than the regulars, who would shed a tear for a moment and then go somewhere else? Would the neighbors, local police, community leaders and schools even notice if you disappeared? Now think, what would change that--another advertisement or visiting the sick and staffing an after school club? That’s the point of Servolution, to be more than a building in a community but a church that exists in the whole of the community.

Continue reading "Hands-On Advice From Servolution"

Posted by Guest Blogger at 6:53 AM
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June 25, 2009

Servolution: Starting a Church Revolution Through Serving

(Filed under: Reviews)

by Phil Prior, Guest Blogger

Dino Rizzo’s Servolution does two things:

First, it tells the story of Healing Place Church (HPC) in Louisiana, and how in 1993, armed with a $400 check, Rizzo and his wife DeLynn started to serve the unwanted people of Baton Rouge. In the book he chronicles the worries and successes, the challenges and the celebrations in the life of a church community that grew from the vision of one couple to having multiple campuses and a range of ministries.

Secondly, Rizzo shares the strategies and resources that have made the ministry of HPC so fruitful. The book concludes with suggestions of things you could do to get your own ‘servolution’ started and a list of connections that HPC have made during the course of serving such a wide range of people.

Continue reading "Servolution: Starting a Church Revolution Through Serving"

Posted by Guest Blogger at 7:40 AM
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June 24, 2009

Megachurches Are Hip, Young and Selfish

(Filed under: Demographics/Research)

It's not marketing news per se, but the Associated Press reported last week on a study looking at the differences in contemporary megachurches and their smaller Protestant counterparts (minichurches?). Anyone interested in churches and marketing will likely be eager to dive into the statistics behind the article. The overarching finding of the study is that megachurches tend to be composed of younger, single adults, while other churches tend to be home for older families.

Among the other interesting findings of the study are that only three in four described the megachurch they attend as their "home church." This could be indicative of some level of Christian tourism, where people visit to see what a given church is like, or it could just be that people are shifting towards visiting more than one church regularly. Megachurches are also the place of worship for more well-educated and wealthy individuals.

The survey seems to present some overwhelming evidence in favor of megachurches, except for one key aspect:

Nearly 45 percent of megachurch attenders never volunteer at the church and 32 percent give little or no money to the congregation.

Continue reading "Megachurches Are Hip, Young and Selfish"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 12:56 PM
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Cussing Pastors Poll Results

(Filed under: Poll Results)

Ed Young's rant about cussing pastors got you guys all fired up. So we figured it was only appropriate to try and get our finger on the pulse of the Church Marketing Sucks community, via a poll.

It looks like the biggest group of you are tired of hearing about all of this stuff. Over a third of you think we ought to be worrying about more important things rather than the diction of authority figures.

Slightly less of you, 29%, think a pastor ought to keep it clean. "Cussing" should never be a word to describe pastors. And another 27% of you think that it should stay as clean as possible, but the occasional, decorative curse isn't so bad.

So who does that leave in the minority? Those of you who love some four-letter words and expect the same from your pastor. You think pastors should be able to use whatever word is best in the situation, regardless of whether children's ears need to be covered.

This week, we'll revisit another post: What do you think of "I Am/We Are [Insert Denomination Here]" ad campaigns?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:17 AM
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June 23, 2009

Quotes on Church Marketing

(Filed under: Philosophy)

The Star Tribune recently offered a take on religious marketing, exploring whether or not religious groups are going overboard. The article has a token quote talking about consumerism and the "slippery slope of theological compromise," but the bulk of the article is money quotes in support of marketing. There's even a shout out to yours truly (though the bulk of our work is described as offering "tips on designing eye-catching web pages").

But let's get to those money quotes from folks smarter than us:

"People see it as too worldly or gimmicky for the church to be marketing itself. But most of the same people who say it is sacrilegious also expect their church to have a website, a listing in the phone book or an ad in the phone book. To me, this is marketing." -John Mayer, executive director of City Vision, an organization that tracks religious demographics.

"They used to look at me as if I'd just said a four-letter word." -Hayim Herring, former rabbi and now executive director of STAR (Synagogues: Transformation and Renewal), on the response he used to get to suggesting synagogues use new technologies.

Continue reading "Quotes on Church Marketing"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 5:44 AM
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June 22, 2009

Build Awareness or Meet the Need

(Filed under: Brand & Identity)

I got a call last week from a husband and wife team who are launching a new business going after people who own RVs/trailers. With boomer mobility on the rise, it's a growing market with tons of potential. The particular product they're selling will be a huge hit. Unfortunately, the market doesn't understand what the product is or what problem it solves. Yet.

This is a classic awareness problem. Great product or service. Huge market potential. Major disconnect between the two. So we try and do both. We attempt to build awareness for the product/service and sell it at the same time. Doesn't work. You've got to pick one.

Churches experience this all the time. New church gets started with many new ways of "doing" church. The community is ripe for new ways of doing church. Major disconnect between the "new church" and those that are looking for new ways to do church because they're having a difficult time finding each other.

Like my friends with the new product, they need to raise awareness for the itch they're scratching. You can't tell people they have an itch and scratch it for them at the same time. When you attempt to do both, your credibility and/or ability to do either is stifled.

So build awareness.
Or meet the need(s) of the aware.
You choose.

Posted by Brad Abare at 7:54 AM
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June 19, 2009

A Church You Can Call Home

(Filed under: Social Justice)

This idea has been tossed around from time-to-time, just here on Church Marketing Sucks, so I'm sure it's made the rounds outside of our little world. But churches doing good and being creative is always worth reporting.

Long, long ago we ran a satirical piece about megachurches serving as homeless shelters. Then, we discussed some just ideas in a four-part series, and one part focused on the idea of churches providing a home for the homeless.

Some churches made the news recently participating in the Family Promise program, which looks to provide not just homes, but complete rehabilitation for those experiencing homelessness. The article's final line, a quote from a program participant, sent chills of happiness down my spine:

"I've never met so many people who give."

This is what people should be saying about the church. You can learn more about Family Promise, including how to participate, at their web site.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:27 AM
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June 18, 2009

Marketing Myths

(Filed under: Philosophy)

Recently, Kem Meyer mentioned an article from Chief Marketer entitled 7 Marketing Myths CMOs (and Their Bosses) Gotta Stop Buying.

I think myth numbers five and six hit the closest to home for churches:

Myth #5 - "I don't care what it takes, just get it done!"
Myth #6 - "We can't spare a dime to invest in research."

All too often, we get so connected with an idea (a song, a service type, a TV show, etc.) that we'll stop at nothing to make it a reality. I think the church loses a lot of resources this way, and it's a fine line we have to walk.

And how many times have churches overlooked the value of research? Polls, surveys and research take a back-seat because of their up-front cost, in spite of their long-term benefits.

Make sure to read the full article for even more myths.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 9:48 AM
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June 17, 2009

Church Marketing Sucks Books Poll Results

(Filed under: Poll Results)

A couple of months ago, we asked for some help from book reviewers, and we got a great response. As a result, we've been able to kick up our book reviews recently. And we have more coming down the pipeline for you as well. With that in mind, we wanted to ask which recently-reviewed book your staff most needs to read.

Coming out on top (by a wide margin) was Kem Meyer's Less Clutter, Less Noise. Your church is having a bit of trouble focusing on what matters, opting for the catch-all approach. You want them to know they need to pick one.

Next up was Tribes. Some of you have probably read this book already, and some of you probably just know the name of Seth Godin. Either way, you're ready for your leaders to start taking risks and leading boldly.

In a close third was Reimagining Church. It sounds like some of your churches have added so much clutter that they're losing focus on what the church is meant to be and do. And you'd like them to make a drastic shift.

Only 5% of you would prescribe Flickering Pixels to your church staff. I guess it's not an epidemic that pastors are getting over their head in technology and losing their focus on the message of Jesus Christ.

This week, in what's sure to be a controversial poll, we're asking: Where do you stand on cussing pastors? Navigate on over to the right sidebar to let us know how you feel.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:45 AM
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June 16, 2009

Finding Your Focus

(Filed under: Brand & Identity)

Recently, Brad Abare asked you to pick one. Richard Reising had the same thing to say in different words in a post on Beyond Relevance. The article is a great read, and it exhaustively explores the ideas Brad discussed succinctly. Here's a hair of what he has to say, but take a few minutes to read his entire post. It will be well worth your time.

Every church has strengths at reaching a “type” of people in its community. While that might strike you as unjust, its truth defines both our strengths and the areas we need to grow in. Whether you are a church that is known for young families, old money, the upper-class, the working-class or the struggling-class--whether you are known for deep followers, surface seekers, empty nesters or down-and-outers—there are tendencies to whom you draw.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:07 AM
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June 15, 2009

I am a Christian

(Filed under: Advertising)

The various "I am/We are [fill in your denomination]" ad campaigns that we mentioned last week (Southern Baptist, Foursquare, Episcopal) got me thinking: Who cares?

I understand denominations needing to differentiate themselves and explain who they are. Our own Brad Abare is the communications director for Foursquare and we can blame him for "We Are Foursquare."

Maybe it's the denominational hopscotch I've played throughout my life, but a denomination doesn't define my identity. I'm a Christian, first and foremost. The denominational distinctives are a secondary (or tertiary) concern. Frankly, I think an emphasis on our doctrinal differences only serves to divide us when we should instead find reasons to be united.

It reminds me of the days back in high school when I traveled around to churches in the metro Detroit area putting on yo-yo shows with a good friend of mine (Yes, yo-yo shows. Want photographic proof?). After the shows people would often ask what we were--Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran? A bit confused at first, we always responded that we were Christians. Only grudgingly did we reveal that we attended a Baptist church, not out of embarrassment for the Baptist roots, but because we didn't identify as Baptists. Being Baptist didn't matter. We were Christians.

Maybe these "I am/We are" campaigns help. But I'm not so sure. I want to see people become Christians, not Episcopalians, Baptists, Catholics or whatever you call members of the Foursquare Church (Foursquaries? Foursquarites? Foursquares?).

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:58 AM
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June 12, 2009

Church Marketing Lab: Logos, Motorcycles and More

(Filed under: Peer Review)

We see anything and everything in the Church Marketing Lab. Whether your church is hosting a motorcycle ride, a summer-long series or a "bring your gun to church" event, you can get some feedback from the Church Marketing Lab. As a matter of fact, maybe the church who decided to invite everyone to tote their guns to church could have gotten some good advice.

Here's a bit of the work we've been seeing this week:

These At The Movies graphics will promote this summer's series at Lifechurch.tv.

Continue reading "Church Marketing Lab: Logos, Motorcycles and More"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:53 AM
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June 11, 2009

You Can't Advertise Problems Away: Ad Campaigns of the Mainline Denominations

(Filed under: Advertising)

U.S. News & World Report covers the shrinking mainline denominations and their desperate attempts to re-brand. It's pretty much the same story we've heard for a while now, but a few interesting items:

• "The under-35 generation thinks church is a judgmental, hypocritical, insular place." (Jamie Dunham, chief planning officer for Bohan Advertising & Marketing, the firm behind the United Methodist campaign) If that's the case, I'm not sure an advertising campaign is the answer.
• The article mentions a new campaign from the Episcopal Church, I Am Episcopalian. Great, they can join the Southern Baptists and the Foursquare Church. Anyone else want to use the same campaign?
• This quote hurts: "Study after study has shown that religions that grow are the ones that are hard-core in some way. They have something that differs sharply from the culture in which they operate," says Boston University's [Stephen] Prothero. "That's the problem with mainline Protestantism: It's not different enough from mainstream America." (emphasis mine)
• Another money quote: "The brand and character of the Episcopal Church is being driven by a lot of things that came out of 17th-century England," says Robert Putnam, a Harvard University professor who has studied church growth. "You can't change that with an ad campaign."

And perhaps that's the big lesson from this article. The problems in the church today can't be fixed with an ad campaign. Marketing (not an ad campaign, but marketing in the big picture sense) can help to address those problems, but you can't re-brand your way out of trouble.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:19 AM
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June 10, 2009

Pick One

(Filed under: Brand & Identity)

You can't be the urban church and the rural church.
You can't be the men-friendly church and the women-friendly church.
You can't be the advocate and the antagonist.
You can't be the funny preacher and the serious preacher.
You can't be the one-site church and the many-locations church.
You can't be the Lutheran church and the Baptist church.
You can't be the hipster church and the church for people who need hips.

Well, you could attempt to be all these things at once, but it won't work.

Pick one.

And be the best in your community at it.

You can do other things too, but they must support your primary cause, not compete with it.

Pick one.

Posted by Brad Abare at 7:03 AM
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June 9, 2009

Bring Your Gun to Church Day

(Filed under: Public Relations)

Pastor Ken Pagano of New Bethel Church in Louisville, Ky., is encouraging members to bring their handguns to church for an "Open Carry Celebration" Sunday. The event will include patriotic songs, a raffle to give away a free handgun (sounds familiar), viewing gun safety videos, checking guns at the door to make sure they're not loaded and extra security.

"As a Christian pastor I believe that without a deep-seeded belief in God and firearms that this country would not be here," Pagano told ABCNews.com. "I'm not ashamed of that fact. I'm proud of it."

Hmm. Good idea or bad idea?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 2:30 PM
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Your Advertising Poll Results

(Filed under: Poll Results)

I originate from the deep south. The suburbs mind you, but I'm only about 10 miles--or two generations--from south so deep that even the word "south" has three syllables. Down in these parts, you can't spit without hitting an advertisement for one of the countless little (or big) churches. Lots of churches around here would have the honorable distinction of checking all the options in this week's poll. But what about your church? Let's see...

The most popular option is for the 20% of you who have advertised in your local paper. Despite papers being a dying breed, there's nothing that feels quite as "local" as your town's paper. But the Internet is moving in on the local paper's territory. (Haven't we heard that before?) 18% of you have advertised online.

Local advertisers round out the double digits with the 15% of you who have tried the yellow pages, 12% who use local fairs and events and 11% advertising on local radio stations. It's nice to see churches staying committed to local advertising.

An aside: It's always blown my mind how many churches advertise on Christian radio. I guess there's lots of competition for the "I'm a Christian who happened to have just moved here and had no churches recommended to me" and "I was converted through Christian radio and haven't found a church yet" groups.

5% of you do yard signs, and 5% do television advertisement. TV is tough because it's so doggone expensive, and yard signs are tough because your church appears to be running for office.

And 14% of you have done something else, so let's hear about that in the comments.

This week, click through to let us know: What recently-reviewed church marketing book does your church staff most need to read?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 12:14 PM
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June 8, 2009

How Technology Can Help Your Church

(Filed under: Technology)

I'm a fan of cool technology. I like Twitter. I watch Lost on my laptop. I don't have a landline. Seeing the church take advantage of new technologies to spread the gospel is pretty cool. It's actually the latest rage (did you see the recent Time magazine article on using Twitter in church?).

But for all the technology, what really matters is people. I like Twitter because it keeps me connected to people. I like watching Lost online because I spend my Wednesday nights when Lost is broadcast with my small group. And the landline? OK, I ditched that because I'm cheap.

As cool as new technology is, what I really like about it is what people do with it to reach others. Online video isn't what makes invisiblepeople.tv cool, it's the way Mark Horvath connects with homeless people and shares their story. An impressive use of social networking isn't what made 5 Days in May work, it's the way people gave up their Starbucks and Pepsi for plain old water and then donated to the tune of $3,400.

Technology is definitely cool. It makes so many things easier. But don't get hung up on the technology. Get hung up on the idea. Get hung up on the people. That's how technology can help your church.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:10 AM
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June 5, 2009

Less Clutter, Less Noise: Beyond Bulletins, Brochures and Bake Sales

(Filed under: Reviews)

By Tammy Burns, guest blogger

As soon as I read the title, I knew that this was a book I needed to read. Kem Meyer, communication director at Granger Community Church, gives practical and simple strategies for communicating clearly in her first book--Less Clutter. Less Noise.

This easy-to-read book is written in small, topical “chunks,” which makes it easy to scan for specific topics or to read in a few short sittings. Kem’s writing style is very conversational, and her book is full of real-life stories and examples that you and your church can actually put into practice!

Less Clutter, Less Noise is all about taking a second look at the things we communicate and seeing what message we are really sending out.

Continue reading "Less Clutter, Less Noise: Beyond Bulletins, Brochures and Bake Sales"

Posted by Guest Blogger at 6:58 AM
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June 4, 2009

Is Christmas Dreams a Church Marketing Nightmare?

(Filed under: Evangelism & Outreach)

It looks like Covenant Community Church is up to some big business in Christmas, Fla. They want to open Christmas Dreams, a Santa-themed park for terminally ill children and their families to visit. Don't believe me? Try the Orlando Sentinel:

The group is trying to raise money to build a theme park for use mostly by terminally ill children and their families.

"We'd be able to say that it's always Christmas in Christmas," said the Rev. Jeff Dixon, a project proponent and pastor at Covenant Community Church in Sanford.

The group's vision is for families to spend several days at the park after taking a "time machine" limo from the airport to Christmas.

The park would be built inside a large warehouse, where reindeer would fly in the snow to Santa's house. The park would feature a giant Christmas tree, 25-plus feet high.

Continue reading "Is Christmas Dreams a Church Marketing Nightmare?"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:24 AM
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June 3, 2009

Ed Young: The Cussing Pastor

(Filed under: First Impressions & Beyond)

Fellowship Church's Ed Young sparked a conversation about pastors using profanity in this video. Before you get completely shocked, his definition of profanity is pretty broad, including words like "crap," "screwed," "hell" and presumably milder but still scatological (bathroom humor) words like "stinks" and "poopyhead." Oh, and of course, "sucks."

Now we've explained why we use "sucks" before and I've even offered my own personal philosophy of profanity (emphasis on personal--that's my own opinion, not CFCC's). I'm not sure it's helpful for us to rehash that debate. You can watch Ed Young, read our take and decide for yourself.

What I do think is interesting is that Ed starts the video by accusing pastors who "swear" of doing it because they're "chasing cool." They're swearing in order to be cool or relevant or hip. I find that hard to believe. I think it's more likely that younger pastors are using what Ed considers profanity because for their younger generation it's no longer considered profanity. That's my two cents.

But what's really important is this accusation of chasing cool. It's somewhat ironic that the pastor behind a seven-day sex challenge where the congregation was encouraged to have sex every day for a week is accusing others of trying to be cool. The fact is, one person's cool is another person's relevant. One person's relevant is another person's reality. One person's reality is another person's damnation.

Continue reading "Ed Young: The Cussing Pastor"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:41 AM
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Lessons from Stale Lake

(Filed under: Off the Wall)

This video created by Eagle Brook Church in Minnesota watches like a laundry list of church communication screw-ups.

The video, entitled A Visit to Stale Lake, positions itself to poke fun at churches using stale communication tactics--think flannel boards and 80s sound effects. But it doesn't stop there. If your church uses only mainstream Christian worship music, has a worship leader with too-styled hair, looks to "go green" or has an Apple-fixation, then you're going to get roasted as well.

All in all, it's a great way to remind the church to stop being obsessed with cool and start communicating the gospel clearly.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:12 AM
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June 2, 2009

Being Sticky Poll Results

(Filed under: Poll Results)

A while ago, we talked about the book Sticky Church, but we never really answered what churches are practically doing to "close the back door" in the context of guests. So last week's poll was your chance to give us some feedback.

78% of you are interacting with first-timers in a purposeful manner after their visit. We'll run you down first. The majority of you are following up with a phone call. Hopefully this is a personal, human call, not any sort of robo-call with robo-pastor's voice. That's just scary. Another third of those that follow up are doing so via e-mail. It's less obtrusive and easier on your staff, so I could see why you'd go this route. The last two slivers are showing up at doors or sending offering envelopes, which could be a nice, abrasive kick-in-the-pants on their way out the back door.

Our final 23% (which astonishingly adds up to 101%--we don't write the programs, we just type in them.) don't follow up in a specific way. Most of you just plain don't follow up. And a portion of you have no way of knowing whether they're first-time visitors or not. Perhaps you like to let your Sunday be exciting enough that it's sticky, or maybe you just need to get on the ball.

This week, we turn from keeping folks around to reaching new ones as we ask: Where has your church tried their hand at advertising?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:05 AM
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June 1, 2009

Blogging Church Members on Your Site

(Filed under: Technology)

North Haven Church has a blog called Fresh Blog, focusing on daily insights from the Bible and a quick prayer you could offer up to God.

This is a really neat way to provide daily inspiration to folks who might not even think to pick up their Bible throughout the day. Instead, they can drop by your site.

But something I think is even cooler, although I'm not sure how often they're using it, is this:

From time to time, you will be able to read the thoughts of other members of North Haven Church, too.

They've found a great way to communicate that God is moving in the lives of not only pastors, but other members of the church. Not only does this help people connect with God, it helps people connect with one another.

It'd be nice to see them labeling some posts as "from a member of New Haven" or using another way to mark them as "from the community," but I still feel they've got a great idea here that could be useful to other churches.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:43 AM
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