March 21, 2008
Real World Easter Marketing
Here are a couple churches going out of their way to create buzz for Easter. Not everyone should do these things, but we always encourage thinking outside of the box.
Easter fortune cookies - Lifechurch.tv in Hendersonville, Tenn., gave out bags of fortune cookies that include a fortune and a link to their Easter site. Folks may not want to listen to you about your site, but they might check it out after they get a sweet fortune cookie.
Elephants for Easter - Church by the Glades (we've discussed them before) is going to have Judy, a 9,000 pound Indian elephant, at their services this Sunday to promote a message on denial. Sounds like a great idea, and it even comes with the obligatory response to PETA.
Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:59 AM
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February 4, 2008
Church Marketing Lessons From Haiti, Part 3
This is part three in a three-part series about church marketing lessons learned from my recent trip to Haiti.
Preach the Word, Not the Problem
In a post earlier this year, I wrote about getting what you preach for. I was so grateful to learn that pastors in Haiti--at least the ones we were with--are all about preaching the Bible. In a country where the poverty is overwhelming, I thought I'd hear a lot about the physical needs in their messages. Quite the contrary. These pastors are preaching the Word passionately and boldly. The earth is just a temporary landing pad--they know eternity is what matters. And they want to make sure Heaven is crowded! I struggle with how easy it is for me to slip into the mode that says the Bible is all about me and solving my problems when it's really a lot less about me and a whole lot more about God.
Continue reading "Church Marketing Lessons From Haiti, Part 3"
Posted by Brad Abare at 6:45 AM
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January 31, 2008
Church Marketing Lessons From Haiti, Part 2
This is part two in a three-part series about church marketing lessons learned from my recent trip to Haiti.
A Holistic Approach to Church Works Well
Although commonplace in third-world countries, it was refreshing to see the value of having so many key community services stem from a local church. At both churches we worked with--just a few miles from each other--they had a medical clinic, an orphanage and a school connected to the main church. One had a homeless shelter and the other was building a trade school. When churches are the hub for community services, it serves as an excellent way for the Gospel to permeate all areas of life from a common birth canal. It's also a great way for the church community to be plugged into a vocation that really uses their strengths because there are so many options and outlets. I think this holistic approach is really what "church as a community" is all about.
Long Services Are Too Long
The church services in Haiti were really long, sometimes lasting up to three hours. At first I thought this was because it was one of the few big gathering points the community had so they loved being together and time was not an issue. After further inquiry and reflection, the point remains: long services are too long, regardless of the country or culture you're in. People doze off there just like they do here. Butts get tired. The heat gets hot. I realize these services felt twice as long for me because I don't speak Creole and there wasn't any translation, but c'mon friends. Long services are disrespectful and counter-productive.
Posted by Brad Abare at 6:44 AM
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January 30, 2008
Church Marketing Lessons From Haiti, Part 1
I just recently returned from being in Haiti with my wife and family. It was a part of our alternate holiday plans as we continue to re-imagine what Christmas is all about. While working closely with two local--and very different--church congregations in Leogane (just outside of Port-au-Prince), I gleaned many lessons for church marketing. This is part one in a three-part series.
Bring Nothing Less Than Your Best
I was deeply moved by the incredible lengths the Haitian people go to bring their best. Every church service was an opportunity to dress up in the best they had--which was way better than anything I packed to wear. Guys wore suits, women wore dresses. Although the churches do not have a dress code or turn people away based on their appearance, the culture in Haiti suggests that unless you're dressed to the nines, you shouldn't even walk into a church service. The point here is less about external positioning and more about internal posturing toward God. They dress their best, bring their best and give their best because that's what they feel God does for them. How can we foster this in our church communities?
Continue reading "Church Marketing Lessons From Haiti, Part 1"
Posted by Brad Abare at 12:40 PM
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December 20, 2007
When Churches Get It Right
by Margaret Pittman, Guest Blogger
Occasionally churches get it right--they do something so significant that it makes you stand back in awe and amazement. And as a critic of the way most churches operate--as self-serving institutions, the event that occurred at my church did just that.
"Give Back Sunday" could have been a cheesy superficial marketing tool--allowing the congregation to take a little money out of the offering plate instead of giving money to the church. Whoopee. I get to take a buck and buy someone a cup of coffee--but oh wait, I can't even do that with a dollar. I can get someone a stick of gum ... maybe. What can I get someone for a dollar?
Anyway, everyone was invited to participate in taking an unmarked envelope out of the offering plate. There was a sense of palpable skepticism, as well as anticipation, in the congregation before we opened the envelopes. When we finally peeked inside, a stunned silence filled the pews. Wow. $20, $50 and $100 bills were in the envelopes--a total of over $13,500, with the instruction that we could not spend it on ourselves. We were told to bless someone this week because you have been richly blessed.
Continue reading "When Churches Get It Right"
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:07 AM
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August 29, 2007
My Naked Pastor
You can certainly file this one under "Is this for real?" I'll copy from the site, MyNakedPastor.com, here.
The lead pastor, Troy Gramling, at Flamingo Road Church is getting naked! No ... not that kind of naked, a new kind of naked. A nakedness that isn’t embarrassing; a nakedness that God would say is cool.On 9-9 @ 9PM, Troy will be on a 24-hour webcam for five weeks in four locations: house, car, hotel, and office. Every day, all day, we will see his life in a fishbowl - the good, the bad, the great, the ugly.
Continue reading "My Naked Pastor"
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August 24, 2007
Church Marketing: What Not to Do
I've been collecting a few links over the past few weeks as church stories caught my attention, and in case anyone wasn't quite sure, here are three ways not to market your church.
- Fall into a scandal resulting in a $600 million payout.
- Have a member smuggle $28,000 from the collection plate.
- Embezzle over a million dollars from the church you pastor.
Continue reading "Church Marketing: What Not to Do"
Posted by Joshua Cody at 9:52 AM
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May 25, 2007
Chick-fil-A and Church Marketing
Some of you out west might have no idea what I'm talking about. My Church Marketing Sucks colleagues probably don't have a strong idea of what I'm talking about. But down South, it's all about the Christian Chicken.
Within 10 miles of my house, there are 10 Chick-fil-A restaurants. One is open 24 hours a day. Well, almost. It closes at 11:59 p.m. Saturday night and reopens at 5:00 a.m. Monday morning. It's a lifestyle and an addiction--chicken sandwiches, waffle fries, and sweet tea, that is.
As you probably know, I'm a Christian. As you probably don't know, Chick-fil-A's mission statement is "to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A." I love this. They don't evangelize traditionally. They don't impose their beliefs, despite their position as nearly omniscient autocrat of chicken.
Continue reading "Chick-fil-A and Church Marketing"
Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:16 AM
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May 10, 2007
Ownership, Not Membership
Earlier, we highlighted The Church at Pembrook Pines' interesting marketing strategy of church seven days a week. Today, we have a new move for you.
Vintage21, a church in Raleigh, N.C., does some interesting things with their church members. Most importantly, they don't actually call them members. They call them owners. According to their site, this minimizes the exclusive connotations of membership and maximizes the emphasis on ourselves as heirs to the kingdom. Beyond this, they also want to communicate that owners are investing in the church, not only consuming its resources.
Continue reading "Ownership, Not Membership"
Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:26 AM
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May 7, 2007
Church Seven Nights A Week
The Church of Pembroke Pines in Pembroke Pines, Fla. has a pretty interesting strategy. You've heard of multiple services. Sometimes two on Sunday. Sometimes one on Saturday. Heck, sometimes even one on Wednesday. We've got something new and interesting for you though: Seven nights of worship at 7 p.m. That's what the Church of Pembroke Pines does. Every night has a different feel, a different aim, and a different team. It's crazy, but I think I might be sold. (link via Monday Morning Insight)
Update: The Church of Pembrook Pines is now Oasis Church, in case you're looking for it. You can also hear more about the church at Pastor Guy Melton's blog.
Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:19 AM
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April 16, 2007
How To Achieve 277% Growth
OK, so the title isn't fully accurate. But it is how one church did it. Eastpoint Community Church in Middletown, Del. had an incredibly simple, strategic and successful marketing campaign, detailed by Marketing Sherpa (membership required). Here's a quick summary of their story:
A small, young church, they were looking to reach a community saturated by a younger generation with a general disquietude towards the idea of church. They knew that an unobtrusive web site would bring just the proper message--we don't merely want to tally converts, but we want you to discover us. Thus the brainstorming began.
Continue reading "How To Achieve 277% Growth"
Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:28 AM
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February 26, 2007
Amarillo Church Wins Addy Award
An Amarillo, Texas church snagged a best in show (registration requried) at the Addy Awards for the second year in a row. Trinity Fellowship Church won the local division of the highly respected awards competition for creative marketing and advertising, beating out mainstream corporations and organizations in Amarillo.
"Usually what you see is that churches are behind the mark of what the world and other businesses in town are doing. We are doing our best to reach people just as much as Coca-Cola is. Marketing and advertising is the modern language we all speak. It's our outlet to speak the hope of Jesus Christ through a language that everyone understands." -Patrick Kemp, associate pastor of creative ministries
Nice. Keep this up and we'll have to change our name.
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:34 AM
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February 7, 2007
The Anti-Anti-Semitic Church Ad that was Anti-Semitic
Despite our title, it's not often that we rag on specific churches for their marketing efforts. We've yet to offer a 'worst church marketing blunders of the year' list, but if we did this might make the cut:
The First Baptist Church placed an ad promoting the sermon “The Only Way to Destroy the Jewish Race” in Saturday’s Portland Press Herald.
Whoops. Apparently Pastor Phil Andrukaitis' goal was to target those who harbor some small resentment towards Israel and Jews and get them to come to church to hear a different viewpoint. Ah, the ol' bait and switch. It's not an authentic marketing method in the first place, but using something as bait that will offend any normal person is probably a bad idea.
Continue reading "The Anti-Anti-Semitic Church Ad that was Anti-Semitic"
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 11:24 AM
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August 7, 2006
More Lessons in Church Planting
Last week we pointed to Gary Lamb's 21 Lessons from Two Years of Church Planting, and now Russell Knight from Stonebridge Church in Morgantown, W.V. has followed suit with his own reprinted the 21 Lessons Learned from Church Planting.
Update: Thanks to those eagle-eyed readers who noticed the lists where the same. We can't sneak anything past you, can we?
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:38 AM
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August 4, 2006
Fastest Growing U.S. Churches in 2006
We know how much you love lists ranking churches, so how about the top 100 Fastest Growing U.S. Churches in 2006? Outreach magazine offers the list, compiled from a Church Growth Today study.
Some interesting facts about this list:
- 52 of the 100 churches are new to the list (they didn't appear on the 2005 list).
- Texas is the state with the most growing churches at 19. California, Florida and Georgia are tie for second with eight. (Apparently church growth only happens in warm climates. Wimps.)
- The oldest church on the list is 165 years old; the youngest church is 3 years old.
- You can also check out the top 25 churches plotted out on a Google map.
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:50 AM
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August 2, 2006
Greg Boyd, Megachurch Anomaly
Woodland Hills Church in Maplewood, Minn. and its pastor, Greg Boyd, are getting loads of attention from the New York Times article, "Disowning Conservative Politics, Evangelical Pastor Rattles Flock" (registration required). The article covers Boyd's controversial sermon series, "The Cross and the Sword," which argued that Christians should have little to do with politics and typical Republican alliances on issues like abortion, homosexuality and war.
"I am sorry to tell you that America is not the light of the world and the hope of the world," said Boyd. "The light of the world and the hope of the world is Jesus Christ."
Continue reading "Greg Boyd, Megachurch Anomaly"
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:20 AM
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July 12, 2006
50 Most Influential Churches for 2006
The Church Report has released their list of the 50 Most Influential Churches for 2006 (1.9 MB PDF, 9 pages). The list is compiled by recommendations from leaders of 2,000 of the largest churches, so "influential" is a bit fuzzy (yes, we did recently have that debate when we belatedly linked to last year's list).
Here's more on the list:
- Church Relevance offers a list of the 50 churches and their web sites, which makes it a little more accessible to check out each one.
- Monday Morning Insight raises some questions about the list and has some good discussion going.
- Community Christian Church's pastor Dave Ferguson blogs his reaction to being ranked #13 on the list.
- Bob Franquiz offers ways he's been influenced by churches on the list
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 2:21 PM
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June 19, 2006
Even Nuns Need Marketing
Lots of folks are coming around to the idea that churches need marketing help, including what is quite possibly the least likely group to use marketing--nuns:
"Whether you're doing branding for nuns or for Coca-Cola, the key is finding out what differentiates them" from competitors, CEO and creative director Mae Skidmore said. "There has been a hesitation among nuns and other religious orders that marketing should be left up to God." ..."I think people think of nuns as being in a sequestered community and that they spend all of their days sitting in pews praying," said Holly Knight, spokeswoman for IMH [Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Monroe]. "Branding is just as valuable for us as it is for businesses. But that's been a tough sale for the nuns to understand."
The Detroit Free Press article also includes a quote from our very own Brad Abare.
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:23 AM
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June 2, 2006
Marketing a Church Plant
Ridge Stone Church in Canton, Ga., has launched Ridge Stone Backstage, a blog to share some of the lessons they've learned as a church plant that held their first service in August 2004. Pastor Gary Lamb (you may remember him for only freaking out a few people during his Buzz Conference panel) shares some of the marketing techniques they used prior to launch:
- Cover & two-page article in local direct-mail magazine.
- Partnered with the city to provide the entertainment (concerts/ inflatables) for a big car show.
- Invite cards.
- 10,000 door hangers.
- Huge neon yellow banners.
- Press release that was picked up by local newspapers.
- T-shirts their people wore all over town.
Lamb reports they did all of this for less than the cost of a single direct mail campaign. They had about 200 new people show up at the opening service.
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 2:48 PM
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June 1, 2006
Would Jesus Discriminate?
2,000 yard signs, four newspaper ads, 650 bumper stickers, 720 T-shirts and 25,000 door hangers have appeared in the Indianapolis area, all promoting Jesus Metropolitan Community Church as a part of a $55,000 ad campaign. And the campaign focuses on homosexuality.
"Do you know someone who is homosexual? Would you give your life for that person? Jesus did," the church's ad says. ...[Pastor Jeff] Miner said a future ad in a Sunday edition of The Star will show a group of Klansmen around a burning cross with a headline, "Remember a time when a symbol of love was used as a symbol of hate?"
In addition to the campaign, the church is also holding a town hall meeting on homosexuality and the Bible.
However you feel about their position, their campaign and approach is an interesting example.
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 10:18 AM
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May 30, 2006
Top 50 Most Influential Churches
The Church Report has released their list of the Top 50 Most Influential Churches. By "influential" they mean the fastest growing churches and those with more than 2,000 in attendance as recommended by 2,000 church leaders in a survey sent last year. 127 churches were nominated for the list.
- Almost half of the top 50 churches and seven of the top 10 are still led by the founding pastor. (seems like we've talked about personality-driven churches before)
- 22% of churches in the top 50 were founded since 1990, 39% since 1980.
- 18 of the top 20 churches have at least one annual conference to share their practices and procedures (which certainly influences recommendation of these churches as influential).
It also sounds like a book is coming out offering profiles of the 50 churches.
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 10:36 AM
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March 9, 2006
Church Newsletter Gone to the Dogs
OK, that title was too easy.
That guy who draws cartoons on business cards, Hugh Macleod, has posted a PDF of a revamped church newsletter. It's called Hotspur and is the parish magazine of St. John's in the UK. Macleod calls the revamped newsletter the most remarkable thing he's seen recently and says he thinks the designer, Jamie Warde-Aldham of the Craven ad agency, "hit the ball out of the park with this one."
I don't get it.
It's a 24-page magazine dedicated to dogs in celebration of the Chinese new year. From a quick glance it looks like only two pages actually talk directly about the church. The rest is about, well, dogs. Don't get me wrong--I like dogs. It's just, well, dogs? It even warranted a mention in The Times.
I love the idea of a church doing a newsletter that's not all about the church. But I'm not sure if this is the approach I love. Maybe it fits better with British sensibilities. (link via Dave Walker)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:19 AM
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March 6, 2006
MyLameSexLife Follow Up
As a follow up to the billboards of the MyLameSexLife.com campaign of Granger Community Church, you can look to the news articles or to the numbers.
News
The local media loves a good controversy, so they're giving the billboards plenty of coverage, including quotes from concerned parents:
"I was appalled. I couldn't believe that someone would put this up, that you'd be going down the street with your children and there it is. ... They're just really inappropriate. They're extremely provocative. I've never seen anything like it before."
Oh, the inappropriateness of... feet. And apparently this person has never seen the 'gentlemen's club' billboards that dot highways in Indiana and just about every other state.
Continue reading "MyLameSexLife Follow Up"
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:10 AM
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March 5, 2006
Drive-In Church
We've seen drive-thru church before, but a drive-in church, well that's something new. It's the Daytona Beach Drive-In Christian Church in Daytona Beach Shores, Fla. Apparently it goes back to 1953. So it's not new.
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 2:39 PM
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February 24, 2006
Monster Truck Church Ad
"This Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! It's a sacramental showdown at St. Andrew's Episcopal..."
So begins a 60-second ad that's making the rounds among Episcopalians. It advertises St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Birmingham, Ala. But it's not an official radio spot for the church.
Mike McKenzie created the ad for fun. 41-year-old McKenzie is the creative services director for Cox Radio of Birmingham and a St. Andrew's parishioner.
"It wasn't with the intention of making a commercial--I was just goofying around," says McKenzie. "The idea hit me right after 10:30 mass--it's high mass, very formal liturgy. What would happen if you took formal liturgy and combined it with a monster truck rally?"
Continue reading "Monster Truck Church Ad"
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:26 AM
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February 16, 2006
Arizona Church Borrows Xbox Logo
We've received a few e-mails from folks pointing us to a postcard advertising a Phoenix-area church that's raising some eyebrows in the gaming world, thanks to the design that's, well, straight from Xbox.
The comments have been mostly negative from the gaming world, as you could expect with a design like this. We've talked about Christian imitations before and I think this is yet another example of why it's better to come up with something original. There are still ways to play off what's culturally relevant without completely ripping it off.
[We e-mailed the church for a comment on Tuesday evening and so far haven't heard anything.]
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 5:42 AM
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February 15, 2006
My Lame Sex Life Campaign
This entry isn't an apology, but it is all about sex. That famous simply strategic church in South Bend, Ind., Granger Community Church, has launched a new campaign to promote a sermon series: MyLameSexLife.com. People are being pushed to the web site through four area billboards and cinema advertising (and you've just got to love the location of the billboard pictured above).
Granger Communications Director Kem Meyer is talking about the campaign, including how the campaign was produced and the differences between two promotional pages, one for people coming from the advertising, another for people coming from within the church. Fellow GCCer Tony Morgan is also talking about the campaign, though you'll have to wait for the Simply Strategic podcast on Friday for anything more than an admission that those aren't his feet in the billboard picture.
We've looked at a similar campaign in Austin, Texas with a MyLameMarriage.com slogan, but other churches have also done iHateMyMarriage.com and MyBadMarriage.com (the site is down, but it's mentioned in a blurb down the page).
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:47 AM
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February 9, 2006
Lessons in Shortsightedness: Cutting the Marketing Budget
Last week my church had the infamous church business meeting (which I credit with pushing my wife into labor). Before we got to the real issues, we took care of typical business: update on the building project, welcoming new vestry members, thanking departing members, and a presentation of the 2006 budget.
Like many Episcopal churches, we've seen a drop in offerings thanks to the ordination of a gay bishop in 2003. While church leadership continues to struggle with that enormous issue, the reality of it is reflected in the budget as line after line sees cuts from 2005.
One of the cuts I noticed was publicity.
Continue reading "Lessons in Shortsightedness: Cutting the Marketing Budget"
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 10:57 AM
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January 18, 2006
Reaching Out to Teen Moms
In the January/February issue of Outreach magazine, Koshy Muthalaly draws our attention to two southern California churches, Soulfarers Community and Epic Church. Each month, 15 to 20 volunteers "shower love and concern on moms as young as 14 years old. The volunteers pamper teen mothers with manicures and haircuts; distribute donated baby basics... and chat over breakfast."
If this isn't a simple, clear example of good church marketing, I don't know what is. What a great approach that puts consoling before condemning–something a lot of people (and churches) could learn from. Including me.
Posted by Brad Abare at 10:08 PM
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January 6, 2006
Go to Church, Win a House
We've seen churches give away Hummers and Harleys before, but a house really takes the cake.
The critics aren't impressed:
- "It's a publicity stunt. It's a gimmick and like most gimmicks, it's ill conceived. The general public is pretty immune to such gimmicks," says J. Gordon Melton, director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Maybe somebody should tell Melton about the lottery--another ill-conceived gimmick very few Americans, and politicians, seem to be immune to.)
- "If giving away homes, cars, or other gimmicks is strictly a marketing device, rather than being born out of a spirit of compassion and love for others, then the tactic is morally questionable. I see little evidence of Jesus manipulating people by sales gimmicks." says Donald E. Miller, executive director of the University of Southern California's Center for Religion and Civic Culture. (Ever noticed that Donald Millers don't seem to like church marketing?)
They just don't get it, says church member Richard Murillo, whose company built the giveaway home: "Our whole intention is just to bless somebody."
Whether it's a blessing or a gimmick, free stuff seems to be a church marketing trend.
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 3:02 PM
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November 29, 2005
Communicating Through Desktop Wallpapers
I love cheap and easy ideas. They don't cost much time or money, and while the benefits may not be enormous, it only takes a small return to make a small investment worthwhile.
Tim Schraeder from Riverside Community Church in Peoria, Ill. shares one of those ideas with his church desktop wallpapers. The church has had desktop images for a while, offering generic wallpapers with the church logo.
But now Tim is taking it to another level, offering monthly wallpapers with the church calendar and upcoming events. It's an especially cool idea for the holidays when there are all sorts of extra services and changing service times.
It's nothing huge. I doubt many people would be willing to change their wallpaper once a month (I hardly change mine once a year), but if it helps just a few people connect with the church and stay in the loop, it's probably worth it.
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:51 AM
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October 8, 2005
Lingerie, Dodgeball and Golf Bring People to Church
More and more churches are turning to creative programming to attract people, trying to offer something outside the Sunday morning worship experience to interest visitors. The Washington Post covers a number of different options churches are offering, including golf ministries, river tubing, an aviation ministry, drama programs, dance programs--even a twentysomethings group called "Theology on Tap" that meets in bars.
It can get even more unique, like a youth group in Billings, Mont. that draws teens with dodgeball or a book backed by a UK bishop that encourages lingerie parties. The book, Open the Door, encourages Christians to use unconventional methods to connect with non-Christians (it also recommends chocolate parties, knitting groups and book clubs, but those lingerie parties get all the headlines).
If a racing ministry or a financial planning class will bring someone to God, more power to 'em. Even something as off the wall as a lingerie party? Hey, Christians can wear lingerie.
I just hope these different groups and strategies have better spiritual connections than the In His Grip Golf Assocation: "In golf, it is key to trust your swing and in life, it is key to trust in the Lord."
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:32 PM
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September 1, 2005
Free Gas for First Time Church Visitors
With gas approaching $3 per gallon (I just paid $2.99 in St. Paul, Minn.) Clearview Community Church in Sioux City, Iowa is offering free gas to get visitors in the door. They sent us a press release yesterday detailing the event: First time visitors get vouchers good for three gallons of gas along with a free Bible and a CD during the month of September.
"We are so confident that our worship service will be the best hour of your week," says Pastor Shawn Raloff, "that we are willing to pay for your gas to get here and back. ..."During hard times church is the first place we need to be," Pastor Shawn explains, "we want people to know that the economy may rise and fall, but God's love remains the same."

