March 20, 2009

Reacting When the Recession Hits Hardest

NPR has the story of one church's reaction to the recession.

Despite being themselves affected by layoffs and cutbacks, one church decided what really mattered was making a difference in the lives of others affected by the economic downturn. The pastor decided to take the parable of the talents very seriously.

He offered up a wad of $100 bills, one to whoever wanted it, with one condition: they needed to multiply it. Some held dog washes or sold jewelry. One person even used their $100 to hold a game night that raised $12,000 for a 6-year-old with brain cancer.

The article ends with a sort of off-hand comment that is actually pretty profound: "Fair Haven expects to give more money to the poor during this recession than it's ever given before."

Sound like a great way to recession-proof your church. Luckily, we have a God who is not participating in the recession, and we should make that very clear in the way we market during difficult times.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:02 AM
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March 12, 2009

Lose Your Job, Get Your Offering Back

Generous News has the story of one church who is making a guarantee: If you lose your job, we'll give your offering back. It's reminiscent of the Hyundai Assurance, if you've seen those commercials. They say, "Buy a car, lose your job, return your car for a full refund."

Car buying and giving to your church are two totally different things, and there's certainly an element of, "You gave that money to God, shouldn't you be trusting he'll take care of you?" But nonetheless, it's a very interesting way for one church to show that it cares about the financial future of its members.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:45 AM
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February 25, 2009

How Would Your Church Respond to a Drunk Pastor?

Monday Morning Insight has been covering compassion on all cylinders recently. We talked about the church that cut off their electricity for missions, but have you heard about the pastor who wanted to test his congregation's grasp of compassion?

Pastor Tommy Jackson disguised himself in raggedy clothes, reeking of alcohol, and he meandered around his church during a Sunday service. The idea was to test how much his church was grasping the current series on love and compassion. A local TV station has the video from the morning. And from the looks of things, it seems they passed. His members took time to help the man, talk with him and pray with him on their way into church.

Oh, and he's planning more surprises in the future ... no telling where this will lead, but it has us interested.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:55 AM
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February 10, 2009

The Strip Church: Not Your Average Church

The newest project of Fireproof Ministries (the guys behind XXX Church) is The Strip Church. As in the Las Vegas strip (though Vegas and the other kind of strip kind of go hand in hand). And perhaps you know of some, but I've never heard of another church of its kind.

As XXX Church ministered at pornography exhibitions, they constantly got the question, "Where is your church?" And that eventually got them to thinking, "Why don't we start a church?" So they decided to start a church, not just for the pornography business, but for all of Las Vegas.

The idea is that people are constantly coming through the city for conventions or working in the city at conventions, so if they have a presence at all conventions, not just pornography, they can reach tons of folks. With such a transient population, a big part of their ministry will be giving people another, more wholesome option for their weekend, then connecting them with churches back home.

You can read more about them at their about page.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 9:48 AM
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December 17, 2008

Church Sucks

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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December 8, 2008

Christmas With the Churches Advertising Network

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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November 17, 2008

Denominational Marketing Campaigns

Across the nation, denominations are finding themselves in financial and ethical trouble. As they look to maintain a centralized model of connecting individuals with local churches, they face problems ranging from finances to what stances to take on hot-button issues. So a couple of denominations are turning to advertising campaigns.

We looked at this idea over the summer with the Episcopal Ad Project, but will either of these new initiatives go down in history like the pithy copy of the Episcopal Ad Project?

We are Southern Baptists.
The plan: exude confidence and communicate, "Hey! We're not so bad! Look at what we're doing!" Throw in some ugly font treatments and that commonly-used "We are" advertising starter, and you've got all the makings for an ad campaign to reinforce the status quo. We Are Marshall was inspiring. We Are Southern Baptists? Not the same.

Rethink church.
The United Methodist Church is launching their campaign in the spring, but it will center on the question "What if we began thinking of 'church' as a verb instead of a noun?" The campaign will roll out on World Malaria Day, April 25th. This is actually a new idea to most people who have been turned off by churches, and I think it will complement their "Open minds. Open hearts. Open doors." campaign well. Only time will tell if denominations will struggle when they let the cat out of the bag that churches are not actually buildings.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:34 AM
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October 21, 2008

Paying Couples to Date

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
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August 27, 2008

Falling for God

All right, all right. I'm sorry for the lame title pun. Westchester Church decided to do something crazy--go skydiving. This church had a message to communicate: We are not boring; we are not safe; we chase lions.

What better way to communicate who you are than to jump out of a plane from thousands of feet in the air?

And in a church with a weekly attendance of 150, forty people signed up. And they saw God do incredible things that day. Here's a little bit from their pastor about one person who was particularly impacted:

He’s not a Christian and admits he is not a very religious man but he wanted to tag along with a bunch of crazy Christ followers to risk his life to skydive. To me that is amazing in itself. I think he was more nervous hangin’ out with us than jumping. Not sure about that but he looked a little nervous when he met us in the parking lot for prayer prior to leaving.

Continue reading "Falling for God"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:54 AM
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August 18, 2008

Name a Church Contest

Here's a new and innovative way of going about naming your church -- ask your whole country to help. And give them a Wii if they're right.

[Insert name here] church of Australia took that route. They held a competition, which has since closed, in which anyone from Australia could submit as many ideas as they would like to name their church. A simple site allowed anyone to submit a church name and tagline, and the church is now deciding among the submissions for a winner.

You can sign up to find out more about the church -- details of the winners, info about the community and ongoing updates about the community. Seems like a genius way to draw a community to your new church. Keep your eyes peeled for the winning entry, and best of luck to the church to be named later!

Update: A winner has been named! CitySoul is the new name of the church. Read on for the full emailed press release.

Continue reading "Name a Church Contest"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:01 AM
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August 7, 2008

Death to the Church Bulletin

Tim Schraeder writes "June 22 was a sad day at Park Community Church, we lost a dearly beloved friend ... our weekly program."

The choice might not fit every church to throw out the bulletin, but the exercise they went through to come up with the decision would be good for any church. Often we do things for one simple reason--that's what we've always done. By taking a closer look at the people that make up Park Community Church and the pros and cons of the bulletin, the team at Park realized there was a better way. They didn't just get rid of the bulletin, it was replaced with something that worked better for the church.

My guess: this new option will be read and passed around much more than their old printed piece. Read Tim's blog entry for a blow-by-blow account.

Posted by Michael Buckingham at 6:27 AM
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August 4, 2008

Jesus for President

Superstition Springs Community Church gets the prize here. They were the first link we received of a church to tying a marketing campaign to the presidential campaign, and thus the deluge begins.

Beginning now and running through the election, they're running a "Jesus for President" series (not to be confused with Shane Claiborne's Jesus for President), along with a microsite, anewplatform.com. Their premise is simple: "A new platform, a new set of issues, a new way to live ... delivered on a mountainside 2,000 years ago." It's a look at Jesus' run for office on the agenda of the Sermon on the Mount. Sounds like a pretty great idea.

One of the most interesting facets of this story, however, is an article in a local paper. If you read the article online, you can view readers' reaction to the campaign. Some is positive, but a lot is negative. Is the negative reaction to church marketing here a vocal minority or a bellwether of public opinion?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:47 AM
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July 16, 2008

Semiautomatic Assault Rifle--Free at Church!

Only one thing comes to mind when I heard this story: Uh oh.

I don't want to be sensationalist or over-report this. It's pretty tough, though. From KOCO in Oklahoma City:

Windsor Hills Baptist had planned to give away a semiautomatic assault rifle until one of the event's organizers was unable to attend.

The church’s youth pastor, Bob Ross, said it’s a way of trying to encourage young people to attend the event. The church expected hundreds of teenagers from as far away as Canada.

In the church's defense, I'm sure this giveaway is much more relevant, practical and functional in their own town in Oklahoma and loses a lot in the translation to the national stage. Also, I feel fairly confident that they're only giving the gun away to someone responsible and legal.

All that considered, what on earth are they thinking? if this gun giveaway were to go sour, the consequences would be grave. The moral of the story is you have to think one step ahead in your marketing, and be prepared to deal with the repercussions of any way you market yourself.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:17 AM
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July 15, 2008

How the Catholic Church Markets World Youth Day

Sometimes it's fun to see what others say about church marketing. Here's a blog entry talking about how the Catholic church is marketing World Youth Day 2008. The initial thought is that the Catholic church isn't very good at marketing, but then the author explores some of the strategies for World Youth Day and points out that they're pretty smart. And they're simple things, like:

• Handing out orange and yellow jackets and backpacks to visitors so they can both be seen and find one another.
• Each visitor's badge includes the flag of their country and
• each visitor is encouraged to wave their country's flag.

The author concludes:

"If nothing else, World Youth Day demonstrates the power and global reach of a church that many perceive to be in decline. The gathering of youth will reinforce the faith of everyone involved and convince them that they are a part of something much larger than themselves--something that, because of the diversity and number of participants, must surely be worthwhile. And that’s good marketing."

It's amazing how such simple ideas can create much larger perceptions.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:56 AM
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July 8, 2008

Stolen Church Trailer Smack Down

We talked before about what to do when someone steals your church trailer. Gary Lamb would beg to differ, however. His church trailer was stolen (perhaps we have a serial church trailer thief on our hands?), and his reaction was a little bit different. From his blog:

First let me say, God loves you. Second let me say we forgive you. We really don’t want to forgive you, but God says we should so we do.

And it continues ...

I am curious what kind of lowlife you must be? Trust me, I have been around some pretty low ones before but never one that would be so low as to steal from a church. I understand you probably need some crack or something like that but stealing from a church would scare me. It would scare me more once I realized which church I stole it from. We are probably the only church you have ever heard of that will honestly break your legs once you are found.

So what do you think, are you a church trailer forgiver or a church trailer leg breaker?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 4:40 PM
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June 23, 2008

Guerrilla Marketing

WebUrbanist is in the midst of an eight-part series on guerrilla marketing. The examples used in the series are phenomenal, and they make me wonder, "Why the heck isn't the church on the bleeding edge of this stuff?" Perhaps because guerrilla marketing campaigns can sometimes be intrusive, offensive or shocking. Or perhaps because we're just not thinking hard enough and sharp enough. Get your creative juices to flowing by following these links to your heart's content and find your favorite guerrilla marketing campaign.

• Part 1 - The History of Guerrilla Marketing
• Part 2 - The Origins and Evolution of Guerrilla Marketing
• Part 3 - Major Corporations Go For Guerrilla Marketing
• Part 4 - Guerrilla Marketing Versus Viral Marketing
• Part 5 - Guerrilla Marketing for Social Causes

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:42 AM
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June 4, 2008

Twitter at Church

We've talked a lot about Twitter lately and some of you are probably wondering what Twitter might look like inside the church. Well, here's a real live example of using Twitter during a church service.

They ran the Twitter feed on the big screen and encouraged people to take part. Some people loved it, some people hated it, some people didn't care. It did give those who weren't physically present a chance to take part and the tweets ranged from light banter to theological reflection.

Some of the positive response included comments like, "I felt like part of what was happening," "I felt part of the community" and "I felt like it was more than just about me."

Organizer John Voelz said: "Bottom line, it is worth it to try these kinds of things. Out of this experience, we came up with a list of 20 other ways to use Twitter." (link via michaelhyatt)

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:18 AM
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June 3, 2008

Put Your Faith to Work: Slice Carrots

The Episcopal Church recently launched an advertising campaign emphasizing community outreach. The "Put Your Faith to Work" campaign includes print ads and videos and emphasizes slicing carrots. They go on to encourage volunteering in shelters, schools, disaster recovery sites, soup kitchens and more. The ads are available free to congregations who can pay for local placement.

I love the idea of equating daily activities with serving God. So much church communication often feels overly spiritual.

I also like the idea of denominations preparing ads that can be used by local congregations. It's a cost effective way to go. I just wish there was more customization available (maybe there is, though the article doesn't hint at it)--the Put Your Faith to Work landing page isn't the url I'd want to send potential visitors to.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:36 PM
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Free Breakfest Fridays

There's probably 718,000 churches in America that offer free breakfast. The catch? You have to come on Sundays, be greeted and stick around for the service.

Westchester Church looked to take a different approach. Every Friday morning before 8:00, you can drop by their parking lot (at the corner of a busy intersection) for some free breakfast. From Stephen Webb's blog:

"We show up at daybreak, set up a table, unload the signs, cones, coolers, and muffins, and invite the traffic. We have about 3-9 people on the street holding signs and waving them in. We have about 2-5 people handing out the free stuff. It takes about 20 seconds to take an order and have them on their way. Every morning we have new people. And we hear each week that “This absolutely makes my day.”

Free stuff is always a great way to reach people; so is going out of your way for them. Sounds like a great combination to me.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:06 AM
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May 23, 2008

Know Your History: Episcopal Ad Project

While reading Graphic Design and Religion, I came across the Episcopal Ad Project of 1979. Apparently, Reverend Dr. George H. Martin decided he wanted to venture into advertising, which churches hadn't done much of before. The ads were a work in progress for six years with Fallon McElligott Rice of Minneapolis, and they looked to use contemporary language and ideas to communicate God.

The entire project (which is still being worked on) became the Church Ad Project, and is now available online to order the prints in many different formats. For the quickest browsing, check out their posters. (Editor's Note: Church Marketing Sucks does not endorse web design with so many font colors and "click here" links on the aforelinked site.)

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:25 AM
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May 21, 2008

wethechurch.org and Your Church

There's been a lot of buzz going around about WeTheChurch. It's a quick and easy way to share a prayer or a praise, and it's a great way to spend a few minutes--praying for others and celebrating with them. It grew and grew, then it ran into problems when a lack of moderation opened the door for some miscreants to bring down the site. So what does all this mean to your church?

It means there is something we should all be doing.

Folks are looking to share both their struggles and their successes. There's a place for us to do that with boldness and openness, and there's a place for us to do that with anonymity, trusting God will do the work even when we don't know the names and faces.

Continue reading "wethechurch.org and Your Church"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:20 AM
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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"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 2:17 PM
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August 24, 2007

Church Marketing: What Not to Do

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

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

Continue reading "Church Marketing: What Not to Do"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 9:52 AM
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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."

Continue reading "Free Gas for First Time Church Visitors"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:31 AM
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August 22, 2005

Church Ice Cream Truck

Thanks to the USA Today tip, we heard about New Life Christian Church in Centreville, Va. and their ice cream truck. They spent $10,000 on an ice cream truck and have been driving around their community handing out free ice cream all summer long. Now there's a way to get attention.

They have a blog chronicling the experience, though it hasn't been updated in a while. But the blog does give an idea of the response:

Of course, most people were shocked that the ice cream was free. One lady was so blown away by free ice cream her only response was, "I gotta start coming to a church that gives out free ice cream."

In addition to the ice cream, they're giving out fliers advertising an upcoming movie night, which is a nice, non-churchy way for people to experience the church. It also sounds like they're filming part of the experience (though the best lesson from that story is that the person answering the phone at church knew what was going on).

Free ice cream—now there's an idea that doesn't suck.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:11 AM
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August 9, 2005

The Incredible Shrinking Megachurch

NPR covers the satellite efforts of megachurches, that have them shrinking back to smaller sizes.

"It's our desire to be a local neighborhood church again," says Jim Tomberlin, the regional pastor for Willow Creek Community Church. The idea came when they realized people were driving more than 30 minutes to come to church, which kept them from being involved in the life of the church. The multi-site efforts allow churches to be both big and small.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 5:39 PM
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July 18, 2005

Church Marketing Case Study: The Perfect Job

Graphic designer Corey Witt recently e-mailed us about a church marketing case study he posted on his site. Richfield Community Church in Yorba Linda, Calif. was the client and they received a total image overhaul, everything including logo, identity, letterhead and a web site (though Witt notes that they've departed a bit from the original web design since the project was finished).

The case study chronicles Witt's experience with the church and why he calls it "the perfect job." It should give church leaders a good perspective from the outside.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 4:15 PM
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July 14, 2005

Learning from Churches that Work

Terry Storch (who brought us Church Marketing Sucks, What Works For You?) along with Tony Morgan have put together a list of Top 10 Innovative Churches. Every church's web site is listed so you can check them out and see what makes them innovative (at least what you can gather from the web).

And while we're learning from other churches, Northminster Presbyterian Church in Las Cruces, N.M. analyzes the web sites of the 100 Fastest Growing and Largest Churches in the U.S., as listed by Outreach Magazine. Not everything these megachurches do will apply to smaller churches, but there's still plenty to learn.
(link via Jordon Cooper via Tall Skinny Kiwi)

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 3:43 AM
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June 30, 2005

The Hats That Broke the Church

There's an interesting article over at Christianity Today about a Montana church nearly torn apart by hats. It started when a couple high school students wore ball caps to the Sunday morning service because they got home late from a school sports game and didn't have time to shower. Their hair was messy.

Nothing happened right away, but grumbling started across the congregation. Someone confronted the boys, the pastor confronted the confronter, letters were sent, people seethed, the pastor asked the boys to stop wearing hats, and a family eventually left the church.

Over hats? Hats!

Now if you actually read the article there's a deep cultural reason why everyone was so up in arms about hats. And to some extent it makes sense, but it just illustrates the difficulty of being the church. Sometimes something as simple as a hat isn't so simple.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:13 AM
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June 10, 2005

What's Working in Church?

Colin Sedgwick is the pastor of Lindsay Park Baptist Church in Kenton, Middlesex and wrote a column for the Guardian suggesting how churches can reverse the decline in attendance. He suggests we simply learn from the churches that are growing and see what works.

So what works?

• Bible-based preaching that has a challenging message ("It is better to be offended than bored").
• Prayer is central to the life of the church.
• Engaging the neighborhood with social activities. "They are not so arrogant as to assume they have a divine right to exist."
• Main services are geared so an outsider can easily understand what's going on: when to sit, when to stand, whether or not to take communion, etc.
• Children and teens are taken seriously.
• Musical diversity reigns: old school hymns and modern worship songs side by side.
• There's no dress code. Suit and tie or sandals and shorts, doesn't matter.

To sum it up, "churches that buck the trend see themselves as communities, or families, not simply as buildings where people gather for an hour and then leave to go back into 'normal' life. God is taken seriously but not solemnly; worshippers are participants, not spectators; there is silence, but also noise and laughter; there is structure, but also informality."

I could have quoted the whole thing, and probably should have, so read it for yourself—it's a quick read. (link via CT's weblog)

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:47 AM
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May 31, 2005

Drive-Thru Church

The Metropolitan Church of the Quad Cities in Davenport, Iowa offered drive-thru church this weekend, offering visitors communion, the day's scripture, a take-home homily and a free gift.

"People will be busy doing any number of activities but we want to allow folks to have a moment or two, if that's what they can spare, to think about worship," said Loretta Gamble.

In keeping with a fish theme, a few members were dressed as anglers, and clowns were stationed on the street to attract attention and bring in the cars.

A drive thru church is nothing new, but offering the service on a holiday weekend when many families will be tempted to skip church is a good idea.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:50 AM
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April 25, 2005

Lessons from Seeker Sensitive Churches

The Toledo Blade covered "seeker-sensitive" churches this weekend and here are a few highlights.

The biggest value to these seeker-sensitive churches is that they're open to the fact that church often turns people off. And they do something about it:

"We try to take out the stumbling blocks," said the Rev. Lee Powell, lead pastor of CedarCreek. "Surveys consistently show that there are four reasons why people don't go to church: It's boring, it's irrelevant, the music is outdated, or they feel we're only interested in money."

Continue reading "Lessons from Seeker Sensitive Churches"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 3:22 PM
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April 22, 2005

The Marketing of Alpha

This article explores the marketing of the Alpha Course, and while it intially seems to mock the "slick, contemporary marketing," by the end you realize the effective story of Alpha wins the day. The real marketing of Alpha isn't their slick brochures or bus ads, it's the way they designed the program. They offer a meal to make it easier for people to attend and they foster an environment that welcomes questions.

Often real success doesn't depend on a cleverly designed postcard or witty tagline—it comes down to all the forethought and planning.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 2:47 PM
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April 14, 2005

Get Involved or Get Out

The Meeting House, a multi-site church in Canada, has a unique approach to encouraging congregation involvement: Purge Sundays. That's the tongue-in-cheek name the staff uses, but it gets to the point.

Teaching pastor Bruxy Cavey admits "purge Sundays" were his idea. "Evangelical Christians can be a trendy bunch, always looking for the good deal and where the action is," he explains. "The more we have grown as a church, the more we have attracted tourists who come to check us out and will attend for some time, but never consider The Meeting House their home church. We don't think that's healthy for them—to be a voyeur on church life, rather than a healthy, active, committed participant in church life.

"So we started to ask them to leave."

It's a bold idea—asking passive congregants to get involved or go find a different church where they can do that—and I like it. They have the necessary exception for people still seeking but not yet committed, and they challenge their people to do what they're supposed to do.

It sounds kind of abrasive, but it also sounds like they take the right approach. After all, if they lose people as a result of purge Sundays, that's the idea. It's refreshing to hear about a church that cares about more than increased numbers.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:27 AM
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April 6, 2005

Go to Church, Win a Harley

This sounds vaguely familiar, but Crossroads Church in Coronoa, Calif. is giving away a Harley Davidson motorcycle to a lucky first time visitor or church member who brings a visitor. (link via ADHD Dad)

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:15 AM
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April 5, 2005

Porn Weekend @ Westwinds Church

Westwinds Church in Jackson, Mich. held a Porn Weekend this past week. The festivities included a presentation by Craig Gross of xxxchurch.com, a screening of the anti-pornography documentary Missionary Positions, and three billboards that said "Porn Weekend," the dates, and the church's web site.

You can imagine the flack the church received. The Audio Collective podcast covers the Porn Weekend, including statements from Westwinds pastor Vince Beresford during Easter sunday and a follow-up story with several interviews.

Hats off to Westwinds for addressing the issue of pornography that most churches refuse to talk about. You can learn a lot about marketing from the approach Westwinds took (I'll let you debate the "Porn Weekend" billboards), especially the importance of responding to publicity. Westwinds worship leader John Voelz explained that the church received most of the flack from churched people, but didn't receive any suggestions for better ways to confront pornography--suggestions they gladly would have considered. You can check out John's blog for the inside story on Porn Weekend. (link via Todd Rhoades)

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:35 AM
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March 26, 2005

Seth Godin on Church Marketing

According to the New York Times (registration required), Radiant Church in Surprise, Ariz. spends $16,000 per year on Krispy Kreme donuts. And I thought Baptists liked to eat.

Quoth marketing guru Seth Godin:

The health risks aside, this is smart marketing. (And is there anything wrong with a church doing marketing? Churches have always done marketing.)

Marketing doesn't mean advertising.

The NYT story covers the church in exceptional detail, mentioning a lot of their marketing efforts, including xBoxes, billboards, fliers, postcards and more. 147 people showed up for the first service in 1997. Now weekly attendance averages 5,000. Last year 1,055 people checked the box on the pew cards to commit their lives to Christ.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:21 AM
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March 21, 2005

The Seneca Creek Mailers

This weekend Todd Rhoades sent us an e-mail pointing out a series of mailers sent out by Seneca Creek Community Church in Germantown, Md. It's not clear from the images if these are just postcards or full blown fliers, but they all seem to be advertising a specific sermon series and targeting a very specific audience. That's a very smart way to go.

Continue reading "The Seneca Creek Mailers"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:16 AM
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March 14, 2005

The Neon Flier

This 8.5"x11" neon yellow flier (I know the color didn’t scan that well—I’m a writer, not a Photoshop expert) advertises Jehovah Lutheran Church in St. Paul, Minn.

Continue reading "The Neon Flier"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 2:05 PM
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The “Hey, look—a church!” Postcard

This postcard came in the mail today advertising the Holy Week services at House of Hope Presbyterian Church in St. Paul, Minn.

Continue reading "The “Hey, look—a church!” Postcard"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 1:40 PM
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Prophecy Code Flier

Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of real world examples of church marketing and I want to share some of them. Feel free to comment on what works and what doesn’t—though let’s try to be civil. I'm hoping to have some constructive criticism that we can all learn from—not just slam the examples. I would hope if the people involved with these examples came across these comments they would find them helpful.

This flier came in the mail a few weeks ago and I couldn't bring myself to immediately recycle it. It’s just too good. And I mean “good” in the very worst sense of the word. It’s a flier for a Bible prophecy seminar being broadcast to locations nationwide, including one at a church in my city. You can see the complete PDF flier online, including the inside pages (though it doesn’t have “Energy Ball Jesus” like my copy does).

Continue reading "Prophecy Code Flier"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 12:58 PM
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February 22, 2005

The $14,000 Sermon

Loud gasps were heard in the 125-member Newsong Church in Grove, Okla. when Pastor Steve Dyer handed out $14,000 in cash. Adults received $100 bills and children $50 bills, and the congregation has seven weeks to invest the money before returning it to the church to support missionary work (though the church isn't keeping track of who received money).

It's all part of the best sermon illustration ever. Dyer preached on the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-28. Church marketing isn't just postcards and phone book ads, it's anything that helps communicate the message of your church. And a sermon worth talking about can easily spread that message.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 2:38 PM
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February 9, 2005

Youth Group Computer Lab

The youth group at Simi Valley Presbyterian Church has opened a public computer lab to help students with their homework (read the article in the Ventura County Star, registration required). It's part of an after-school study hall to help students with their homework and give them a place to unwind.

The idea came from the youth themselves who didn't want more activities, but a way to better handle their already busy schedules. Sometimes the best marketing is smart programming--not huge events, but activities that meet the actual needs of your congregation and potential visitors. (What need does a huge event meet in the life of an over-scheduled person?)

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 10:31 AM
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January 14, 2005

Go to Church, Win a Hummer

A Tampa Bay church is giving away a 2003 H2 Hummer. People had a chance to register during 2004 at The River at Tampa Bay Church and those eligible included first-time visitors, members who brought first-time visitors, Bible students, and those who filled out a survey. Other prizes included a scooter and a Play Station, all to be awarded during the church’s Winter Campmeeting which runs this week.

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Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:29 AM
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January 13, 2005

Never Gonna Be As Big As This Jesus

The Beatles can step aside thanks to the 62-foot, $250,000 Jesus statue erected by the Solid Rock Church of Monroe, Ohio. The sculpture towers over the church and nearby interstate 75, serving as a “beacon of hope and salvation.”

"We're living in a day when a lot of people feel hopeless, but we believe that when people see him, they will understand he is the hope for the world," said Darlene Bishop, wife of pastor Lawrence Bishop and originator of the idea.

Nearby roadside attractions include a sign for Hustler of Hollywood, one of Larry Flynt’s largest adult stores and a billboard for an adult club. When it comes to marketing, the “Super Savior” is certainly getting attention, but you have to wonder if going head to head with the tackiest of roadside distractions is the way go.

There is also some debate as to the biggest Jesus ever status as Eureka Springs, Ark. claims to have a 67-foot Jesus.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:19 AM
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January 3, 2005

Churches Speak Out Against Violence

White crosses littered the yard of Highland Baptist Church last month in a stark statement against violence. One cross stood for each of the 68 homicide victims in Lousville, Ohio in 2004. The crosses were removed yesterday in hopes of peace in the new year.

The crosses are part of the "No Murders Metro" campaign which is led by a coalition of ministers and seeks to stop violence. This year they intend to start mentor programs for those released from prison, challenge at least 100 people to get involved in a Big Brothers/Big Sisters program and partner 10 churches in high crime areas with churches in safer areas.

While it seems misconstrued to call it a marketing effort, this is a well-balanced campaign to fight violence and a great example of what churches should be doing. They're making a difference in their local community, standing up for an issue that's at the heart of their faith, and all the while creatively engaging the public. Nice job.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 2:44 PM
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December 22, 2004

Chocolate Works

Remember the Church of England's plan to give away free trade chocolate? It worked.

900 people came back to church. 9 out of 10 people who returned said they'd keep coming.

Sometimes church marketing is sweet.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 11:52 AM
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Custom Brew Brings in the Young Adults

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Washington D.C. offers its own custom brewed beer, Winged Lion Lager, for its weekly pub lunches—and the twenty- and thirty-somethings are coming out in droves.

Yeah, it’s a bit shocking to dry Baptists—but some denominations have no problem with responsible social drinking. The pub lunches have continued at St. Mark’s for 31 years and it’s a smart way to bring in the younger crowd, or anyone for that matter, who considers Sunday lunch a daunting task.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 11:43 AM
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December 16, 2004

Non-Traditional Church Ad

Brian Baute blogs about a non-traditional church ad for Presbyterian Church of the Covenant in Greensboro, N.C. that appeared in a local progressive paper. He quotes the text of the ad (I'd love to see a scan of it) and though he likes parts of it, challenges it as going too far in trying to be relevant. Frankly, I'm less interested in Brian's tangent about accepting/rejecting culture and more interested in the church's ad. Placing an ad in this kind of local paper is a gutsy thing to do (at least knowing the local papers in my area). I'd say if their authenticity backs up the ad, more power to 'em.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 11:37 AM
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The Church Christmas Card

Ben Bell designed this Christmas card for his church, St. Stephen's Church in Islington, London. Every year the church sends out a card to households, shops and offices in their parish. The back of the card has service times.

I'm impressed with the simplicity and attention-grabbing nature of the card. They're taking advantage of the holiday season to remind people about church, but doing so in a very non-traditional way. It grabs your attention. Nice job. (link via Brian Baute)

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 11:26 AM
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December 2, 2004

Church Ad Rejected by Networks

Inflammatory headlines are reporting that the major TV networks have rejected a homosexual church commercial. And those headlines are blowing it way out of proportion. The 30-second commercial promotes the United Church of Christ and features bouncers deciding who can and cannot enter a church. They reject several people, including two men who could be a couple.

The tagline explains: "Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we."

The networks defended themselves by saying it went against long-standing policy not to accept ads that deal with public controversy, some taking issue with the gay couple, others complaining about the implications that other religions aren't welcoming. The ad will be airing on a number of other networks and can be seen online.

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Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:55 AM
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November 18, 2004

Church Sucks Flyer

We got an e-mail the other day about a fun church marketing story. Ryan Haack is involved in planting a new church in Madison, Wisc., the Journey, which will open its doors December 5.

They began plastering the community with promotional flyers (see photo inset for full view) with small lettering across the top that said, "Without love, compassion and tolerance," and then in huge letters: "Church Sucks."

The response came the same day with a call and an e-mail from a local professor, complaining that if they were really Christians they'd take the signs down, according to Ryan. The professor threatened to file a formal complaint and alert the local paper, though commented that more attention is probably what they wanted.

"Uh yeah," Ryan wrote in his email. "That's what a flyer is supposed to do, right? Get attention?"

We haven't received any independent confirmation of the story, so it's best to keep an open mind, but the scenario itself is worth considering.

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Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:30 AM
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October 1, 2004

Chocolate in Church

Apparently chocolate Jesus isn't so far fetched. The Church of England is launching a new program called "Back to Church Sunday" to entice people who have left the church to return. It's more of a temptation really, offering people goodie bags with chocolate bars.

But it's not simple bribery or some lame gimmick. The chocolates are fair trade chocolate bars:

"When people come and receive the chocolate they discover it is not just a gimmick, it's not an ordinary kind of chocolate fondant. This is a piece of fair trade chocolate." says Bishop Nigel McCulloch. "The point then to make is that church isn't just about going to a cosy club, it's about belonging to an organisation which has a job of trying to bring justice and fair trade across the world."

Now there's some marketing with a message. Far from sucking, I'd imagine it's down right tasty.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:35 AM
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September 8, 2004

Church Promo Videos That Don't Suck

The homemade promotional video is a time-honored marketing tool of the church, especially among youth groups with tech savvy teens. But with digital video cameras and cheap editing software, those homemade videos aren't too shabby anymore.

Vintage 21, an emergent church in Raleigh, N.C., has made a number of videos to promote different church functions, including their small group ministry, mid-size group activities, a Super Bowl event, and a four-week series on Jesus. The videos are funny and smart, and in the case of the Jesus series, effective at generating discussion (if not border-line sacrilegious).

Best of all, this style of promotional video can be done on the cheap. The Jesus series videos even took a page from Mystery Science Theater 3000 and didn't require any extensive filming. (link via Nick Ciske)

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:44 AM
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August 26, 2004

The Farmers Market: Is Your Church There?

I've been to a handful of local "farmers markets" around the U.S. and all of them are the same. Blocked-off streets in the heart of a small town, local merchants with chintzy tables selling everything from fresh vegetables and grilled meat to jewelry only found in flea markets. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in a 2002 report, the number of farmers markets around the country has increased 79 percent since 1994.

I was with my wife tonight in San Luis Obispo, Calif. (for a little 4-day getaway a few hours from home). Once we figured out we were in SLO the same night as their weekly farmers market, we understood why parking was nowhere to be found and making a left turn was going to be impossible thanks to barricaded streets.

After a nice dinner together, we strolled the crowded town finding our way through sights, sounds, smells, and people of all shapes, sizes, and colors. The political climate was particularly intense as presidential backers and bashers were on every corner. Toward the end of the street, camouflaged with the rest of the merchants and across from the 500-foot grill cooking every part of a cow you could imagine, was something I have not seen at a farmers market before.

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Posted by Brad Abare at 9:39 PM
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August 18, 2004

After these Messages... from God

Mainstream denominations are turning to TV commercials to bring people back to church. The United Methodist Church, the United Church of Christ, Presbyterians and Episcopalians are all exploring TV advertising, often partnering with local congregations.

The results are already promising: The United Methodist Church is reporting a 7 percent increase in attendance in its five test markets.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 2:02 PM
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Free Valet Parking Doesn't Suck

When construction made parking a headache at Abundant Life Church in Grapevine, Texas, church members started a free valet parking service. It began with the eldery and disabled, but now is offered to anyone. How's that for service?

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 1:35 PM
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