June 30, 2009

Denominational Campaign Poll Results

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:53 PM
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June 24, 2009

Cussing Pastors Poll Results

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

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

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

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

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

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

Church Marketing Sucks Books Poll Results

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:45 AM
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June 9, 2009

Your Advertising Poll Results

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted by Joshua Cody at 12:14 PM
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June 2, 2009

Being Sticky Poll Results

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

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

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

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

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:05 AM
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May 26, 2009

Search for Church Poll Results

Some hear "SEO" and adrenaline starts pumping, veins pulse and palms sweat in excitement as you dream of rising to Google's top result. More of you probably hear "SEO" and think "huh?"

For you, Wikipedia is a great start.

But you know the poll drill--we wanted to know how our readers' churches handle SEO. And the results were split pretty evenly.

By a slight margin, with just over a quarter of you, those of you who have talked about it but taken no action are in the lead. It's time to get with it and do what you can to make your church easier to find online.

Then, neck-and-neck are the quarter of folks who are prioritizing search engines and the other quarter who haven't thought of search engines. Maybe these two groups should get together for some sort of search engine pow-wow.

Nearly 20% of you declared that you only worry about it if by "search engine" you mean "Sunday morning automobile." Undoubtedly, some of you were joking, but this is indicative of a wider problem. There are still a ton of churches who aren't doing what it takes to reach their communities.

This week, we're wondering: How do you follow-up with first-timers to be sticky and close the back door?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 3:14 PM
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May 19, 2009

1,500 and Going Poll Results

As we passed 1,500 posts on Church Marketing Sucks, we thought it was a great time to ask you, the reader, what you wanted to see more of in the next 1,500 posts. Looks like this is how posts 1,501-3,000 should break down:

The next 750 posts will be about churches doing it right. It looks like this is what you guys want the most. Keep your eyes peeled as we've got a couple of these coming up in the next week or so.

After that, we should run about 465 posts on marketing theory and philosophy. We'll count on our in-house guru Brad Abare for more great stuff in this category, like his story on the Heath Brothers yesterday.

And we'll round it out with 285 posts on church marketing that sucks. After all, we have to earn the right to keep our name, yes?

Let's get technical in this week's poll: Does your church ever consider their position in search engine rankings?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:15 AM
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May 13, 2009

Tweet Tweet Poll Results

Recently, my mother asked me, "Do you twit?" I'll give you a little context for why this matters. I've never even heard her use the term "Facebook," although once, after watching Dateline, she did demand I delete my MySpace account, despite my never having a MySpace account. She has never, and likely will never, have an e-mail address or turn on a computer. When mom starts mentioning technologies, it means they've been beat into obsolescence and it's time to move on, leaving Oprah, Ashton Kutcher and CNN holding all the blame.

It seems Twitter is so prevalent that pastors are asking congregants to post updates during services.

21% of you are sick and tired of being sick and tired of hearing about Twitter all the doggone time. You don't care what the pastor wants you to do, but you wish he'd shut up about Twitter.

Congratulations, only 6% of you chose the snarky answer on this issue. And another 22% of you are genuinely unsure how you feel about getting all a-Twitter during church. It seems a bit ... distracting.

The biggest chunk of you? Those are the ones who say that churches ought to be doing anything to engage people--Twitter or not. At war with them are the 25% who think you can take your Twitter and put it where the stained glass window don't shine.

I feel like there has to be some point where we do a little bit of focusing without going off and spewing 140 characters every six seconds, but hey, I'm just a codgy old 22-year-old who can't keep up with the kids these days.

This week, we're asking: Church Marketing Sucks recently turned 1,500 posts old. What would you like in the next 1,500?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:38 AM
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May 6, 2009

Church Violence Poll Results

Is your church ready for the unthinkable? Unfortunately, church violence has happened more than once, with incidents making the news too often. So it's probably a pretty good idea to make sure your church is ready for the worst case scenario, but let's see if you are.

19% of you are ready for any situation. You've got a disaster manual in case of fire, violence or screaming babies, and nothing is going to throw you off your game.

29% of you are a little bit less sure. You've got a plan in place, but you're not sure everyone has a great grasp of it or that it's thorough enough for the worst of scenarios.

Another 28% of you keep putting it off, even though you plan to make one. Fortunately for your marketing, your name isn't published here, but it could bring great peace to some attenders knowing you already have a plan in place.

And a final 24% just believe God will protect you, and there's no need for a plan. Which is why you keep your money in a big stack on the altar and don't check the background or credentials of staff members, right?

Most of our articles, rants and discussions take a turn towards light-heartedness, but this isn't one of those times. This is a serious subject, and just as you have the responsibility to protect your finances, staff and vision, you have a charge to protect those who attend your church. We'd love to hear about some of your stories and plans in the comments.

This week, we're turning to Twitter. Do you support pastors encouraging attenders to use Twitter during services?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:30 AM
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April 28, 2009

Best Publicity Poll Results

Recently, Seth Godin lauded the advantages of YouTube over traditional advertising. (We assume he was motivated to write this after seeing our poll question this week. Thanks, Seth!) And it seems like the new measure of success these days is YouTube views. All this online video got us to wondering just how much churches have hopped on the bandwagon of "viral videos."

There are still 41% of you who would prefer the lead story in a local or regional newspaper about your church over a YouTube hit.

But a whopping 59% of you would prefer tons and tons of views on a YouTube video done by your church.

You have to ask yourself questions of target audience, end goals and, in these days, whether you're all right with people being a part of your church only online. All in all, these were some surprising findings. Let's just hope your YouTube aspirations don't end up like this.

This week we're asking if your church has an emergency plan to deal with tragic situations.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 3:10 PM
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April 22, 2009

Seth Godin Says Poll Results

A couple weeks ago, Seth Godin said some things about design capabilities that set off a firestorm in the Church Marketing Lab. So we wanted to know what kind of design skills our readers have.

30% of you are better than Average Joe. But after all, that's why so many people have lakefront property at Lake Wobegon. Kidding of course, I'm sure those 30% of you are truly better than 50% of the population.

A solid quarter of you are mediocre by admission, but you're on the up-and-up. And another 18% of you are subpar, but you want to get better. For both of those groups, the Church Marketing Lab could be a great place for you to hone your skills.

23% of you have no worries because you're a design professional. You need Seth Godin talking to you about graphic design about as much as you need another pastor telling you to "grunge it up a bit."

A final 4% of you admit that you suck, and you're all right with that. And we're proud of you for admitting it and being all right with it.

This week, we want to know, which of these two sources of publicity would you prefer for your church? A viral YouTube video or a lead story in a local paper?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:48 AM
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April 15, 2009

Holy Week Poll Results

Last week, we asked which of the Holy Week festivities your church would be observing this year. Here's what you had to say:

Coming up first was, of course, Easter Sunday. A third of you celebrated Easter in some way, shape or form that was different from your normal services. Maybe you had a play, maybe it was a "Resurrection Sunday" or perhaps you just did that whole "He is risen/He is risen, indeed!" thing a bunch of times.

In a virtual tie after that were Palm Sunday and Good Friday. About a quarter of you broke out the palm fronds, and a quarter of you observed Jesus' death, likely with a side of grape juice and a cracker.

After that is Maundy Thursday, where you might have chosen some feet-washing, ringing of the bells or a good old-fashioned "last supper" feast.

5% of you also celebrate Holy Saturday, which I'll admit, I didn't know existed except for Wikipedia. Even the Big Picture, in all their Holy Week photography glory, failed to mention this one. It's the forgotten Holy Week holiday.

A tiny sliver of you don't celebrate any of the week's festivities at your church, and an equally tiny sliver only celebrate Mardi Gras. (Or you're just picking the smart aleck option.)

This week, we're asking you the following question: Seth Godin thinks you should have some design competency. What's your skill level?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:29 AM
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April 7, 2009

Pastor in a Box Poll Results

At the risk of igniting another comment firestorm, we asked you if you were ready to put your pastor in a box. In our earlier article, comments ranged from thought-provoking and well-intentioned to simplistic and pugnacious. Hopefully, things will stay nice here as we visit this subject once more.

6% of you are sitting on the fence. You're not sure exactly what you think of this, and we'd love to know if you're still there or if the comments on the entry have swayed you.

Another 6% of you are willing to do anything to shut your pastor up, including putting him in a box. We won't tell your pastors you said so.

Just over a quarter of you think this idea is a ridiculous joke. It crossed some sort of line, and you aren't ready to cross it with them. Perhaps you have a well-thought response to explain yourself, or maybe it just feels wrong.

And the winners are ... the 60% of you who give a resounding yes to boxing pastors, so long as it brings people in the doors. You're big fans of going the extra mile and doing whatever it takes to expose people to the gospel--a noble goal indeed.

This week, we'll be a bit more tame by asking: Which Holy Week holidays does your church observe?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:38 AM
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April 1, 2009

Your Role Poll Results

We're always curious to know exactly what you do as we plan and discuss our scope and content. We've asked this question three times before, and we wanted to see what this looked like in 2009. Here's what you had to say:

Over half of you are church staffers. After all, if you weren't, you couldn't justify reading Church Marketing Sucks on company time. We'd love to keep getting feedback on how we can serve your churches.

38% of you volunteer at your church, and therefore you volunteer your time to read Church Marketing Sucks. For that, we're incredibly grateful.

The final two groups of you are handfuls. You either keep the pews warm and think about church marketing just because it crosses your mind (or you cross paths with us via Google) or you don't know what church has done for you. We're glad to have these two groups stopping in as well. We'd love to hear more from you or have you join us via RSS.

This week, we want to know, Are you ready to put your pastor in a box?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:57 AM
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March 24, 2009

Passing the Plate Poll Results

Treasurers love it, and visitors dread it. There are tons of problems with passing the plate: what the heck do you do to fill that time from the stage? What if people feel unnecessary pressure? Who gets to pass the plate? How do we protect that money sitting in the plate free for the stealing?! But there's also one huge problem with not taking an offering: what if we can't afford to keep the lights on?

So, like we love to do, we turned it over to you and asked if your church passes the plate.

A whopping 61% of you are still passing plates! Looks like this is the clear winner in terms of quantity, but is it the winner in terms of quality? I'm a skeptic here.

There are 32% of you who pass the something or another. I've seen plastic buckets, paint cans and felt baggies, but nothing else readily comes to mind. The comments are a great place to answer the question, "What are you passing around during church?"

Lastly, 6% of you have abandoned the "giving time" approach altogether. Your giving is done online, by mailing it in, going to a kiosk or dropping it in on your way out. Have you seen a huge drop in giving doing this? Have people given you a good response?

There's no right answer to this question, but you should dare to ask the question: For 94% of us, is a Sunday morning giving time really the best option? And how are we defining the "best option"? In my opinion, I wouldn't define best as the most short-term week-over-week giving. Best is what will get you the most returning visitors, best long-term givers and more sacrificial, joyful givers. I'm sure for your church, best is something very specific as well.

This week, we've got a simple one for you. What do you do for your church?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 3:10 PM
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March 18, 2009

Church Marketing Fears Poll Results

Many of you who are reading this are involved in churches where marketing isn't ever approached. And when it is approached, it's with about as much caution as is humanly possible to muster. But why are folks so scared of marketing? We asked you to help us get to the heart of the issue, and here's what you said:

A quarter of you are afraid that you'll end up depending on cool sermon graphics, tricky ideas and other fancy whirlygigs instead of God. Along the same lines, 22% of you are worried that you'll nail the marketing end but come up a bit short on the ministry end, leaving people disappointed. These are certainly valid fear, as churches have fallen into these traps before.

A big chunk of you also worry about convincing people to come to church instead of experiencing God. You're worried that the end goal marketing communicates isn't the end goal you have in mind. And there are 17% of you who are just plain horrified by the thought of Comic Sans. Very funny guys.

The final handfuls of you are worried about two things: falling into the trap of people pleasing and communicating that you're the "right church" for everyone. I've seen churches end up in both of these situations frequently, so I'm surprised they didn't turn up more frequently.

Now it's your turn, you 9% of "Something else"-ers let us know in the comments what scares you. And everyone else weight in on this week's poll: Does your church follow the tradition of passing the plate?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 11:10 AM
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March 11, 2009

Worldy Words Poll Results

From time to time, we hear arguments that church marketing is bad, evil or sinful. Most of these folks posit that marketing is inherently a bad thing as it supports structures of greed and consumerism. When we get into referring to our faith as a product, the cost of life change as the price and Christians as consumers, the bag of worms fully opens. But what do you think? Can we use these worldly, business terms without short-changing the gospel?

48% of you think we can, but we need to be careful. It's not the most descriptive answer--careful in what way? How could you see this going wrong? Have you ever seen it going wrong?

Next up, 20% of you think we should have free reign to use these words. It's just providing context and a common language, which is actually pretty doggone useful.

Just a few less of you, 19%, aren't so sure, and the idea of using these words makes you rather uncomfortable. Lump in the 7% of folks who are still deciding for themselves, and that's a quarter of our respondents who aren't quite sure how they feel about all this marketing talk. The good news is, you're certainly at the right place to be having these conversations and wrestling with this.

Finally, 7% of you offer a stern "no," arguing that using such words is near-blasphemous. We can respect that, and some people are certain to be there. We're glad you're here to provide a voice to that group and keep the conversation alive.

So there you have it: a whole bunch of you are a-OK with this, a handful are still deciding and a vocal minority are in staunch opposition. Next up? What is your number one church marketing fear?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:06 AM
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March 4, 2009

Sunday Blunders Poll Results

You guys are passionate about screwing up on Sunday. Well, not screwing up on Sunday that is. Nearly 400 of you let us know what irks you most when churches drop the ball on Sunday morning (or whenever your services are). And here's what you had to say:

Not a single one of you fears cold coffee, stale muffins or leftover donuts. Whether you haven't experienced it or just don't mind, I can't answer. Only a hair more of you, 2%, are aggravated by the nightmare known as the parking lot.

The next most aggravating blunders are long services, no words for the music and not having an altar call. Each one is just a handful of you, and each has its place. I've heard people go so far to argue that long services indicate a character issue with the staff, bad parking lots have been the subject of entire sermons, and Craig Groeschel gives a great defense of the "no altar call" group.

After that, we get into the big groups. 18% of you are most troubled by unfriendly greeters. A great example of your vote is in the What if Starbucks Marketed Like a Church video. Bad greeters can seriously dampen a church visit.

Another way to irritate 18% of you is to keep those "Were glad your hear" and "I know that my Redeemer lies" in your bulletin or on your screens. If it looks like the Chick-fil-A cows wrote your Sunday materials, you've got a good one in five people irritated.

But the clear winner? An irrelevant, rambling sermon. Even after all these year and Sunday inventions, folks are still coming back for the sermon. And if you're lasting an hour and a half on your sermon about the biblical evidence against dancing, you're losing your crowd.

This week, we're pushing a hot topic: Can church marketing issues be put into worldly business terms--consumers, product, price, sales, etc.?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:35 AM
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February 24, 2009

Web Weight Poll Results

Yes! Only 4% of you don't have a web site! Amen.

Excuse me. What I meant to say was: Last week, we were wondering how important you would say your church's web site is. Is it just a level above your families in importance? Could you live without it? Is it worthless? I had a hunch there would be a lot more of the latter than the former, but thankfully, I was wrong.

The biggest chunk of you say that it's absolutely essential to your church's function. You're tapping the full power of the web to bring people in and keep them connected, and we support that.

Slightly less of you would describe your site as "helpful" but not "essential." Maybe people can figure things out there, but they could certainly live without it. It's just a hair above the next option of "auxiliary," both of which hover around 25% of you.

16% of you still say it's useless, so there's still some work to be done (Hint: Church Marketing Lab and Freelance Lab). But hey, at least you have a site, that's a start. Right? Right?

For this week's poll, we would love to know, which Sunday blunder irks you the most?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 9:28 PM
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February 17, 2009

If You Had a Free Conference Poll

Last week we asked which conference you'd attend if you had a free ride. The clear winner was the Catalyst conference with 25% of the vote (Don't forget about 10% off to Catalyst West).

Next came the famous "Somewhere else" conference at 19%--wait, that's not a real conference. So where else would you rather go? NRB? CSC? SXSW? WOA? OK, SXSW, totally. But let us know in the comments what conferences you think are worth attending.

Up next was the HOW Design conference at 17% (our own Michael Buckingham will be there again this year). The whole "I'm rethinking conferences" idea came in next with 15%. Considering we were asking about a free trip and not just your favorite conference, maybe it's not just the cost and people are serious about conference overdose. Next came the Q conference at 12% (Don't forget about the CFCC meetup, though you missed the discount deadline), Innovate at 6% and MinistryCOM at 5%.

You can always check out the Events Lab for a complete list of upcoming church communications-related events. This week we're asking about the importance of your church's web site.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 5:31 AM
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February 10, 2009

MLK Day Poll Results

Each of the last two years, we've hit on our perceived importance of MLK Day. And we're big believers that it's a holiday about giving, not receiving (unlike that big red and green one that's close to the shortest day of the year in America), and churches can make a lot of headway by leveraging the natural momentum of the holiday. But what's important is what your churches are doing, so let's check that.

59% of you don't necessarily share our ideas. You don't do anything for similar holidays, so you don't go out of your way for MLK Day. You're all about second-tier holiday equity, lest anyone feel left out.

8% of you did take some time to reflect on Dr. King, and we'd love to hear what that looked like. Another 9% of you just didn't feel like it, and you don't want to hear about it. I feel like Dr. King would be a-OK with you having that right.

Just over one in ten churches seemed to go with a pulpit shout out for the good doctor, giving him some form of a mention. And the remaining tenth either aren't sure what MLK Day is or aren't from around these parts.

All in all, it looks like our love for MLK Day is far from being espoused by most churches, but hey, there's always next year. As for this week, let us know, if you could have a free conference trip, where would it be?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:32 AM
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February 4, 2009

The Church and Hooters Poll Results

A few weeks ago, Rice Temple Baptist Church met Hooters. And their community saw great dividends from their partnership. You might originally be taken aback if you heard a Hooters was moving in next to your church, but we wanted to know how you think your church would actually respond. Here's what you had to say:

Over half of you think your church would welcome them and work with them, just like Rice Temple did--joining with them for Bible studies if possible and looking for any opportunity to share God and do life with them.

Another third of you would "love them from a distance." You know, the way you love a friend who can't stay out of trouble or a family member you've already had to forgive 490 times.

The final 17% of you would stay away--far, far away. You don't want your husbands and children being corrupted with the lustful lure of death-tinted orange shorts. For you, it's better to stay away than to risk the trouble that comes with a Hooters.

This week, we want to know: Did your church do anything special for MLK Day?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:25 AM
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January 27, 2009

Church Burnout Poll Results

Recently, we talked with Anne Jackson about her new book Mad Church Disease. She was involved directly in church communications when she found herself in the hospital dealing with stress-related illnesses. Most of you probably haven't wound up in the hospital, but we wanted to know if you've experienced church burnout.

A whopping 12% of you are now former church employees due to burnout. That's over 25 in our meager little poll; I think that says something about how big this problem is.

45% of you have seen the burn victims, and it's not pretty. We've seen them too, and we agree. But another quarter of you say that these burns are no worse than those you've seen in secular offices.

The blessed 7% of you are lucky enough to have an amazing staff culture that hasn't sent you reeling. And a final 8% of you get burned out just from being stuck at church for an hour or two on Sunday mornings.

We'd love to hear in the comments how your church has successfully fought against burnout or things that have really left you empty. If you want a more professional prescription, make sure to order a copy of Anne's book.

This week, we want to know how your church would respond to a Hooters moving in next door?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 3:58 PM
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January 20, 2009

Mobile Site Poll Results

More and more churches have been going mobile with their web sites. It seems that even kitchen spatulas have built-in wifi now, and just about everyone is browsing the web while they drive or talk to friends. So has your church gone mobile yet?

The biggest chunk of you are still working on your stationary web site, so you can't get too much done on your mobile version. There's nothing wrong with that, and a stationary site is definitely more important. If you don't give a rip about your stationary site or a mobile site, you have some issues. There's a third of you who do care and wish you could get working on a mobile site, but it's not in the budget or plans.

Two slivers of you are on the opposite ends of the spectrum--either agreeing that being available on the road is critical or that it's hogwash. You folks let us know in the comments either how you've seen mobile sites working or why you think they stink.

This week, let us know: Do you think burnout among church workers is a problem? (As addressed in Anne Jackson's Mad Church Disease)

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:02 PM
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January 13, 2009

Church Copyright Poll Results

Last week we asked about the sometimes prickly subject of copyright and how your church handles it.

The majority of you, 43%, have someone on staff who makes sure copyrights are covered and no one's stealing or getting in trouble. Good for you. Another 12% are super careful and consult lawyers and the what not. That's great, but it only amounts to 55% who are making sure they're legal.

Almost a third (29%) are just going with their gut and hoping they don't get sued. Yikes. Is this just the easiest path to take? Do you not know where to go for help (Hint: The Church Marketing Lab is a great place to ask questions)?

Finally, 15% think it's the church's right to copy. Talk about prickly. I know there's a whole open source, anti-copyright movement, but this doesn't seem like an approach that has much integrity for churches. I realize others may have an attitude that if it's for ministry it's open game. Again, you're lacking in the integrity department. If you don't like copyright, stick to public domain or the appropriate Creative Commons material.

This week we're asking about taking your church web site mobile.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 5:41 AM
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January 7, 2009

Next Christmas Poll

Last week we asked what you'd most like the Center for Church Communication (our nonprofit parent) to give you next Christmas.

Surprisingly, more than a quarter of you (25%) wanted a podcast. And I thought podcasts were so 2005. Next up two options tied with 18%, one wanting something offline like books or magazines and the other wanting more reports (like You Know You're In Church Communications If...). In the under 10% range we had a number of other options, including organized meetups (like the Local Labs), conferences, consulting and nothing.

Lastly, 13% of you (the 4th most popular option) wanted something else. Let us know in the comments what you've got in mind.

We'll see what 2009 has in store. We can't promise we'll deliver all of these things by next Christmas, but we can tell you that we are working on some of them. This week we're asking how your church handles copyright issuse.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 5:38 AM
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December 30, 2008

Santa Claus Marketing Poll Results

As Santa Claus was flying through your neighborhood to deliver the latest and greatest goods, we were curious how many of your churches have used the jolly fat guy in your marketing.

It looks like most of you shy away from the modern update on Saint Nicholas. Over half of you stick to tiny baby Jesus and away from the overgrown Santa Claus. And another 9% of you go even further to call him Satan Claus. Overbearing Grinches? Christmas re-thinkers? A new offshoot of Christianity with an aversion to the color red? There's no telling why you hate Santa, but surely you have a good reason.

18% of you invite Santa in anytime and see him as an opening to talk about the real meaning of Christmas. While another 21% of you invite him in, but only in the format of something small -- a Santa hat or a "Ho Ho Ho!" from the pulpit, perhaps. You like good ol' St. Nick, but only in limited doses.

This week, we're looking to find out: What would you most like the Center for Church Communication to give you next Christmas?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:08 AM
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December 23, 2008

Bickering Issues Poll Results

Last week we asked how disagreements are handled between the lead pastor and other communicators. This can be a sticky point (and churches aren't the only organizations who experience this), as evidenced in the reaction to our 'You Know You're in Church Communications If...' PDF from a few months back.

A slim majority think cooler heads should prevail, as 51% said we should be able to talk it out like adults. That's good to hear. Hopefully it actually happens.

Next comes 24% who say the tie goes to the pastor. This isn't surprising considering at some point there needs to be deference to senior leadership. But hopefully everyone is listening and learning from each other. After all, you hire an expert for a reason.

Which leads us to the 13% who think the expert should have the final say. Experts better know their field, but it's ultimately the pastor who runs with the vision.

Finally, 12% think it should come down to a game of paper, rock, scissors. My kind of people.

This week we turn to all things Christmas (sort of), and ask about churches using Santa Claus in communications pieces.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 5:38 AM
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December 17, 2008

Financial Woes Poll Results

Many churches are having very difficult times dealing with the financial struggles of many in their congregation. There are tons of options available for how to help your congregation through rough financial waters, but what's the best way? Or at least, what are most churches doing? Here's what you had to say:

27% of you are just turning a deaf ear to the so-called crisis. Maybe this means your church did some great financial planning and isn't feeling pinched at all. Or maybe it means the creditors are calling and you answer and say, "Beep beep beep. This number has been disconnected..."

About 1 in 8 of you are having tear-filled goodbyes with members of your staff, and 1 in 10 of you are having tear-filled goodbyes with your marketing budget. Perhaps another poll is in order to find out which you will miss more.

Knotted up at 6% are those of you who are doing absolutely everything and those of you who are just ramping up those annual tithing messages. Only like .000000000000012% of church-goers tithe, but I'm sure it's just because they haven't ever heard a sermon on it.

After those options, a smattering of you are going with sermons on the evils of Wall Street and some others with creative fundraisers.

But above all, the biggest chunk of you are doing "Something else." So let's hear it in the comments, exactly what is your church doing?

And this week we're asking about conflict resolution. Vote in the sidebar of the site to let us know, How should churches handle disagreements with the lead pastor and other communicators (designers, marketers, etc.)?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 2:32 AM
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December 10, 2008

Mystery Worshipper Poll Results

We've covered mystery worshippers here before. Twice. Some people loved it, others hated it. So we wanted to get your opinion on the idea of asking a stranger how to run your church.

45% of you love this idea. You think it's incredibly helpful to get an objective outsider's perspective on your services. Personally, I'm a huge fan of this kind of breath of fresh air. You don't have to take every suggestion they make, but you should at least be collecting objective data to include in conversations about what your church is doing.

46% of you went with the snarky options. About half of those want to finish surveying their imaginary friends first, and the other half already have a metric--attenders invite friends, and those friends give feedback. I think these answers translates to, "Mystery worshippers are a dumb idea."

The final 8% of you say no, but for different reasons. Half just think it's a ridiculous idea and don't want some shadow person telling them what to do. Another half already have some good ways to measure their success. Maybe those are surveys or town hall meetings, who knows, but feel free to let us know in the comments.

This week, we're asking how is your church responding to the current financial crisis? Let us know in the right sidebar of the home page!

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:36 AM
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December 3, 2008

CFCC Thanks Poll Results

For a little bit of Thanksgiving fun, we thought we would see what offering of the Center for Church Communication you're the most thankful for. Here's what you had to say:

Not surprisingly, over half of you said this blog is your favorite. I think we can chalk some of those up to our poor statistical methods--it's not exactly fair that our sample consists completely of Church Marketing Sucks readers and visitors. Nonetheless, it is our most popular offering, so we weren't surprised to see it take the lead.

Running a not-so-close second is the Church Marketing Lab. Nearly 2,700 members in the CML make up a big portion of the folks who interact with CFCC on a regular basis. We're super grateful to have them, and we're glad 21% of you call the Church Marketing Lab your favorite CFCC offering.

After that, it gets a bit tighter. Well, at least with our two "non-answer" answers. 12% of you don't want to have to choose because you love everything we do. And believe us, we are flattered. Another 15% of you weren't even aware of anything other than our blog. Well by all means, why don't you check out what we offer?

There's a virtual tie between Local Labs, the Events Lab and the Job and Freelance Labs at 0-1%. Those are a bit more niche offerings, but if you're into developing relationships with local church communicators, attending conferences or staffing (either staffing your church or becoming staffed by a church), you'll really want to check those out.

This week, we need to know: Would your church consider hiring a mystery worshipper?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 1:12 PM
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November 25, 2008

Church Marketing Lab Poll Results

85% of you know how fond we are of the Church Marketing Lab. (And another 15% of you are either first-time visitors or a little inattentive.) But we wanted to get a better feel for your thoughts about the Church Marketing Lab, so we decided to ask.

A third of you think it's awesome and love it, and another 15% of you think it's great, but it needs a little help. So that's about half of you who really enjoy the Church Marketing Lab, even though you think it might need a little bit of work. If you have any ideas or suggestions, you can always e-mail us your ideas and opinions. But the best thing you can do is to stay active in the group to encourage the growth and strength of the community.

A quarter of you like the idea of the Church Marketing Lab, but you're too intimidated to get involved. It's a fine line to walk to critique without being too harsh, but we have a great team of moderators to help out with that issue. You'll be able to submit work or add comments without being berated or belittled, but you will get some constructive criticism. So don't be afraid!

Another 10% of you think it's decent, but it isn't your thing, and that's all right too. But the 4% who don't like it and the 15% who don't know about it, you guys have to get your act together.

If you need more convincing about the Church Marketing Lab, just stop in for a visit.

This week, since it's Thanksgiving, we want to know: Which Center for Church Communication project are you most thankful for? Click through your RSS reader to let us know!

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:26 AM
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November 18, 2008

Church Hiring Poll Restuls

Who should we hire? That's a problem churches run in to all the time as they grow. But how to hire isn't a question with an answer that's readily available. And hiring the right person can be a cornerstone of your marketing strategy.

53% of you feel that it doesn't matter where your church gets someone from, it just needs to get the best possible person. You don't care if they're a lifetime church member or if they're from the county jail.

28% of you are strong believers in hiring from within. You think it's a lot simpler to hire from within so you can properly vet new hires and shorten the process of them catching your vision. But it really shrinks your talent pool.

A meager 9% of you think hiring from outside is the best bet. There are seven billion people in the world, and you think there might be a factory worker in China with the gifting and ability to be the best possible worship leader at your church. There's nothing wrong with that.

And a final 11% of you are in churches who only have the budget to fire, not hire. Well, should you end up on the losing end of that deal, we'd have to recommend the Job Lab and Freelance Lab for you.

This week, let us know what you think of the Church Marketing Lab. RSS folks can click on through to the main site and vote in the right sidebar.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 1:02 PM
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November 11, 2008

Church Communication Pro Poll Results

We're all communicating something, but a question we want to answer is, "Who are you paying to do it?" We took to the polls, and here's what you let us know:

The biggest portion of you, 31%, actually have someone that your church pays to take care of communication-related business. That's pretty impressive!

Another big chunk of you treat communication as an extra hat for someone else to wear. For 8% of you, it's the senior pastor. For 12% of you, it's another staff member. This is a step in the right direction, at least you have one person trying to present a fairly coherent message.

Then comes some shady business. 30% of those that responded either have a patchwork of volunteers or your entire staff pitching together to execute a strategy. Sounds kind of like when you get too many people helping to cut up the vegetables and someone ends up losing a finger if you ask me. A motley crew trying to communicate a coherent message leaves everyone in trouble.

And then there's the 19% of you who had a wake-up call with this poll as they'd never realized that someone should manage communication. Well for the record, they should, and go ahead and get off on the right foot--pay someone who is a gifted and devoted reader of Church Marketing Sucks. And use the Job Lab to find them. You'll thank us later.

This week, we'd like to know, How do you feel is the best way for churches to hire?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 3:21 AM
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November 6, 2008

Election Angle Poll Results

The election is over! Hooray! Now that we no longer have to see campaign commercials every six seconds explaining how the other guy wants to raise your taxes 78% or sell your children into slavery, let's take a final look at how churches handled the election this year.

A true majority of you, 51%, are just encouraging people to vote. Some churches registered people during services or nagged their attenders on a weekly basis, but their goal was merely to have their people be voting people.

15% of you are asking people to focus on advancing the gospel rather than advancing the government. Your hope is in the cross, and whatever happens in the presidential race will happen.

Two groups of you are knotted at 10%. That's the respondents who are telling their candidates who to vote for or what issues to vote on. And another 10% of you are running from politics like it's the plague. The latter is probably the best for those government-fearing nonprofit status-loving churches out there.

A big 7% of you are outside of the U.S., so you couldn't care less. To you, we say "Cheers" or "Namaste" or "Habari" or whatever your nation likes to say. It's great to have you reading! And 7% of you went with "Something else," which is a great reason for you to go ahead and head to the comments.

This week, we want to know: Who is in charge of managing your church's communication?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:30 AM
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October 29, 2008

Halloweening Poll Results

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:38 AM
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October 22, 2008

Re-branding Poll Results

Warning: bad news ahead.

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

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

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

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

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

Posted by Joshua Cody at 2:17 PM
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October 15, 2008

Church Site Ads Poll Results

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

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

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

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

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

Posted by Joshua Cody at 11:12 AM
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October 8, 2008

Scent Branding Poll Results

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

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

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

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

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

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:24 AM
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October 1, 2008

Hard Times Poll Results

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:42 AM
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September 23, 2008

Mass Communication Poll Results

There are a thousand ways to communicate these days. Back when my parents' grandparents' grandparents' parents' were kids, there was only one: hitch up a wagon, get your machete and clear a trail. But in a world where there are more social networks than people and more media than eyeballs, how do you get your news across?

A third of you are using e-mail blasts. Probably through some sort of marketing platform, you send out an e-mail and dance a little jig if you get your click-through above .16%. And another one in five of you are using snail mail letters because you don't know HTML, your members don't have the Internet or you're too embarrassed your e-mail unsubscribe rate will be 100%.

15% of you take snail mail to the next level, designing direct mail to send to your local mailboxes. And tied with that group are the 15% of you who are using gossipy members to spread news. (And the other 85% falsely imply that they don't have gossipy members.)

9% still use a phone tree service to send out bulk calls, and beyond that, we're scraping the bottom of the barrel. 5% are using text messaging blasts (Only 5%!?), and 3% of you are using tin cans and megaphones. Kudos go to you; in the comments, let us know your system for making that work.

Kem Meyer recently discussed this very topic on her blog. Check out more of how Granger Community Church is now delivering their news.

This week, head to the non-RSS version of the site to vote: How are rising costs and the stale economy affecting your church?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 2:16 PM
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September 16, 2008

Freebies Poll Results

Like it or not, we've all been to church at least once before for the free stuff. For me, it was free Chick-fil-a that started my journey of faith. So what freebie would be most likely to get you going to a church?

Holding the number one spot, ever since free fish and bread (and later, blood and body) in the first century, it's free food. Everyone loves free food, so your church ought to be dishing it out.

We have a dead-heat after that. 23% of you are way above free stuff. You will not sell your membership--no way, no how. But another 23% of you will for shiny, new church materials. You want to hear more about the church, and that's the only way you'll decide.

As gas prices go through the roof, and then through the clouds and onwards, 18% of you are clamoring for some free gas. If you paid your way there for week one, the church should pay for week two.

Beyond that are the meager 4% who want cold, hard cash and 3% who want coupons. In real-world tests, I imagine cash would get a much better response than a weak 4%. Shoot, I'd give you a try if the price is right. I've heard of pastors on eBay, but maybe I'll have to put my membership on there...

This week, click through to the site and let us know in our new poll: Which of these ways does your church send messages to all of its members?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 3:59 PM
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September 9, 2008

UnChristian Poll Results

Something you probably don't know is that the folks behind Church Marketing Sucks are huge fans of the book UnChristian. Heck, you might not even know about UnChristian. It's subtitled What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity ... And Why it Matters, and it looks at sociological research (by The Barna Group) into the attitudes of 16- to 29-year-olds towards Christianity.

They found that among these individuals, there were five prevalent perceptions. They thought the church was anti-homosexual, judgmental, hypocritical, old-fashioned and too involved in politics. And we wanted to know which of these five your church is guilty of.

29% of you said these late teens and twenty-somethings were spot-on in calling you out for being old-fashioned. The hymnals with the broken spines and dirt floors in the sanctuary must have given you away.

Another 21% said a visitor would walk away from your church feeling an over-abundance of hypocrisy. Maybe it's in the form of blue-haired ladies gossiping, or maybe your church is just brutally honest that we can't live as high as the standard we would like to. Thanks for your honesty and insight in this answer.

Slightly less of you, 18%, think a visitor would feel your church is judgmental after their first visit. Telltale signs of guilt here: greeters snicker after a visitor walks by, the pastor asking "You guys will never believe what I heard about [name here]" from the pulpit or a church sign that reads "I kissed a girl, and I liked it. Then I went to hell."

Rounding out the rest of the list are 18% of you who think you would be pegged as anti-homosexual. Another 7% of your churches are too involved in politics. And the final slice of you are the perfect 9%.

Conference idea: UnUnChristian 2009. The 9% of you who are perfect can offer classes for all the rest of us to avoid the UnChristian findings. But until then you can vote on this week's question: Which freebie would you most want to receive at a church event?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 3:46 PM
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September 2, 2008

Church Thieves Poll Results

For hopefully the last time we're visiting the different reactions to church thieves. The question is simple, "Would you forgive and welcome like Kinetic Church did? Or would you let the thieves know that you wanted to kick their hind quarters like Revolution Church did?

Well, nearly half of you would welcome the thieves to your church with open arms. If you saw them walking down the street, you would buy them a (non-alcoholic) beverage and a burger and tell them about how God forgives them, and maybe you would politely ask for your things back.

The next biggest chunk of you are the undecided voters. 31% of you aren't so sure how you'd respond, and you're just hoping it doesn't happen to you.

And about one in five would let a thief know how angry you are and that they'd better be scared. Following your threats, if you were serious, you might hire private investigators, rottweilers and the Navy SEALs to befriend the thieves, and the rest would be history.

This week, our poll question is a little bit longer, and it requires total honesty: The book Unchristian found that today's young people, ages 16-29, have a critical view of the church and overwhelmingly think Christians fit five negative perceptions. Which ones do you think a first time visitor would say are true of your church (be honest)?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:07 PM
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August 27, 2008

Bad Marketing Poll Results

We've seen some pretty crappy church marketing lately (not to say we haven't seen some great ideas as well). But which move was the worst of the worst of the worst? Only you could decide, and here's what you had to say:

In a surprise move, you selected the most-hated church marketing move as the Focus on the Family commentator who is praying for rain on Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention. Given their recent history and rocky relationship, praying for rain seems like a compliment compared to what many evangelicals would wish on a Democratic candidate.

My personal pick for the worst marketing move would have to be giving away a free semi-automatic assault rifle at church. And 30% of you agree. It seems that there is nothing positive that can come out of someone walking out of church with a shiny new rifle, provided by your church.

Another 1 in 5 were awestruck by a church who would refuse $600,000 from a lottery winner. For many of you, that's about $600,000 more than your current marketing budget, so it certainly seems like a pretty egregious marketing error. Oh yeah, and there's the "If you're bad, we don't want your money" undertone.

The smallest group of you were most repulsed by Gary Lamb's violent outburst towards church trailer thieves. Judging by the large number of "I can't believe that!" comments on our original entry, it seemed this option would get a big spike. But lo and behold, it sits at the bottom of our responses, with only 14% of the responses.

Speaking of stolen church trailers, this week's poll revolves around that issue. Who do you agree with? Are you a church thief hugger (like Kinetic Church or Oconee Baptist) or knee-breaker (like Revolution Church)? RSS readers, be sure to click through to the site to make sure your vote gets counted.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:40 AM
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August 19, 2008

Future of the Church Poll Results

The future of the church. It's a huge topic, and it's one we need to be ready for. But what is that future?

Well, 37% of you think multi-site churches are the future. More sites, more impact, yeah? Probably the convenience, pooled resources and leadership of multi-site churches lead you to this conclusion (and maybe The Multi-Site Church Revolution). And another 18% of you are looking the opposite direction. Mini-churches are the future in your eyes.

11% of you think there's no change in store. It's 379 more years of the same thing -- some mega-churches, some mini-churches, some middle-churches. 9% of you think McChurches are the future. $1 double cheeseburgers for visitors and McSermons for everyone.

And the lonely group of you are the 3% who thing mega-churches will multiply thousand-fold to become giga-churches. Just imagine, showing up to find 20,000,000 friends for the 9:30 a.m. service. Hopefully, we will also see a revolution in church architecture and parking lot infrastructure.

There's another 21% of you out there who say "something else." So what is that something else? House churches? Internet churches? Twitter churches?

Click through your RSS reader to let us know what your "something else" is, and to give us feedback on this week's question--what is your vote for the worst church marketing move of late?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:18 AM
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August 13, 2008

Church Taglines Poll Results

In the Church Marketing Lab, a discussion fired up on how to choose a church tagline. So we wanted to know just how your church went about it.

The majority of you went with a shrug and admitting that there is no tagline involved in your church's marketing. And just a few less of you left a note on your pastor's desk that said "Need tagline, leaving office, e-mail me tonight." Those two options make up a whole 80% of folks who responded.

Among the rest of you, here's how things shaped up: 9% of you hired a copywriter, communicated vision and let the congregation approve of it. And it only took most of you 7-12 years. And another 5% couldn't hit the 12 year window, and it's still lost somewhere between the Finance Committee and the Senior Citizens' Church Marketing Committee.

5% went with either a rhyming dictionary or the elusive alliterative dictionary to create a cool concept to communicate cause. And a small, small slice of the pie either asked Google or just straight up stole it from another church's advertising. But only after you couldn't find a good tagline on Napster, right?

When the Church Marketing Lab weighed in, here's what they had to say:

"Church taglines should not make churches sound self absorbed ... they should be about the person you're talking to. Taglines should tell the reader how he or she can benefit from interacting with your church."

"You tag line needs to be an extension of who you are. Trying to come at it any other way is a mistake, and will lack integrity when you're done."

"I have no idea. I'm a Presbyterian. Our implicit tagline is 'Come because you were born here.' We don't do marketing. I'm here to learn."

"One of the best church taglines (and description) that caught my attention, and I still remember it is: Vintage 21--a community of God seekers, God followers, and God doubters."

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:09 AM
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August 6, 2008

Special Guests Poll Results

Just how special does your church treat visitors?

Well, for nearly a third of you, the answer is not special at all. They get a pat on the back, a bulletin and maybe a handshake from the pastor. Then again, so does everyone else at your church. Another 12% of you go just over this low bar for a pulpit shoutout. Low-effort, low-cost for you.

The next 5% of you are where visitors really, really start to get special. Maybe it's a sticker, a pin, standing up in the service or wearing a dunce cap, but you make your visitors do a "subtle" action that screams, "I'm a visitor."

The final group of you (over half) bribe give your visitors something. Whether it's church resources, a gas card, burritos or whatever, it's slightly more than the obligatory pastoral welcome or funny-smelling bulletin lady hug.

This week, we want to know how you came up with your church’s tagline?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:29 AM
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July 29, 2008

Feliz Cumpleanos Poll Results

Church Marketing Sucks launched four years ago last week, and so last week's poll asked how long you've been along for the ride.

Out front are the 46% who've been around for a few years, veterans but not charter members. Next are the newbies with 28% who just found out this place existed. After that are the 18% who've been around less than a year. And finally come the 8% who've been around since the beginning--thanks for sticking with us.

So in the end a majority have been with us a few years or longer, but 46% have found us in the last year. It's cool to see that kind of growth still happening.

Thanks to everybody--no matter how long you've been reading--for joining us in this effort to help churches communicate better. This week's poll asks what your church does for visitors.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:20 AM
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July 23, 2008

9 Must Reads Poll Results

Long, long ago, we gave you nine must-read books on the road to not sucking. So did you heed our advice and read the books?

1 in 5 of you (in our self-sampled and highly statistically accurate poll) said you have read Good to Great. That's our most popular book, followed by The Tipping Point, which 19% of poll respondents have read.

A couple more books sit at 13%--Purple Cow and Church Marketing 101. But after that, it's pretty much a dead heat in the 1-3% range for the rest of the books.

The biggest portion of you are missing out on nine great reads by skipping them. You can go ahead and e-mail this entry to your friends and family so they'll be able to snag these for you for Christmas in July. They'll be a huge help to both you and your church.

We're huge fans of each of these books, and buying them through our links is a great way to support Church Marketing Sucks and the mission.

This week, as we celebrate our 4th birthday, let us know, how long have you been along for the ride?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:58 AM
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July 15, 2008

Clothing Your Flock Poll Results

Long, long ago, I told you a story of a jerk in his corporate shirt who made his company look like a fool. So what about when your church staff are bad tippers, rowdy complainers or law breakers? Are you using them as a billboard so your church's image takes the heat?

8% of you have a church staff that proudly sports your logo day-in and day-out. You're a bold minority who isn't afraid of the way your own people will act in public. Another 10% of you make the option available, but they don't have to if they don't want to.

Over a quarter of you that responded think you're opening Pandora's box by letting your staff wear church shirts. Surely they'll cut someone off in traffic, stub their toe and curse aloud or be spotted dancing in public on their lunch break.

Oh yeah, and there's nearly half of you who don't have room in the budget for church staff shirts. Here's to you, average church staff who is too broke to face these problems.

Want to solve this problem? Never hire someone who would act in a way to muddy your church's name. And hire staff that if they ever do, aren't afraid to apologize for their actions.

This week, we have a question for all our bibliophiles out there. Which of Church Marketing Sucks' 9 must-read books have you read already?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 4:40 PM
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July 8, 2008

Most Important Marketing Poll Results

Last week, we wanted to know which aspect of your marketing was most important. We provided plenty of choices, so let's see what you had to say:

45% of you say the most important part is actually communicating something. Too many folks are talking just to talk, and you think you'd better have the guts to have some meat behind your marketing. One out of five of you think keeping your marketing straightforward and simple is most important.

Apart from those two biggies, there are just a smattering of the rest of you who feel each other choice is most important for you. Whether it be tuning in with popular culture, name recognition, creating buzz or focusing internally, less than 10% of you feel these are the most important parts of your marketing.

Oh yes, and there are 6% of you who feel none of these are the most important--the gospel markets itself.

This week, we're asking, does your church team wear staff shirts?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 10:05 AM
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July 1, 2008

Phone Booking Poll Results

According to Wikipedia, the first telephone book was issued in 1878. So can an idea from 130 years ago still help your church today?

Almost a quarter of you say yes. You still advertise in the local phone book, and it is a big win for you. But the same number of you say that phone book advertising just isn't worth it for you. Not enough people are seeing you in your local phone book to justify the cost.

Over half of you don't bother buying ads in the local phone book, but you are proud to be listed there, right between Jane Doe and Joe Schmo. Probably even those of you who purposely don't advertise are still listed--seems like a silly marketing move to go out of your way to be unlisted in your local area.

Phone book success story? Or a good reason to file to be unlisted? Let us know in the comments.

This week, we'd like to know, what do you think is most important in your marketing?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:04 PM
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June 24, 2008

Inviting Friends Poll Results

File this poll under, "We're curious." It's always a question floating around about how much marketing matters, where you should focus your marketing and whether it's worth it. So we decided to hit the streets and find out, in an incredibly unscientific manner, how many church guests come from personal referrals.

Not surprisingly, 35% of you have no idea what percent of visitors come at the invitation of a friend. Most of us don't have access to church stats and survey responses, so this was anticipated.

And now for the confusion: About 40% of you say at least 50% of visitors come at the request of a friend. Our Church Marketing Sucks official statistician has yet to be hired, but I can tell you this: most of you say most of your guests come because of a personal invitation.

A quarter of you, however, say less than half of your visitors come at the request of a friend. Maybe you are the marketing elite. Your guests come because of your totally awesome marketing campaigns or because you have a really unique and inviting church.

Whether you're getting people in the doors with or without the invitations of friends, we're big fans of more butts in pews (but even bigger fans of seeing Christ in more hearts). So keep on doing what you're doing to get visitors in the door. This week, our question is simple: Does your church still advertise in the local phone book?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:25 AM
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June 17, 2008

Summertime Time Poll Results

Saturday is the first day of summer, in case you were unaware. Here in the southeast, it's a little discouraging that most days are in the 90s, but it's still spring. But hey, despite the hot weather, church marketing must go on. Or must it?

Half of you don't think so. You're already thinking about back to school, endorsing a presidential candidate without losing your tax exemption, Halloween alternatives and getting ready for Christmas shopping. Or the summer has heated up and church marketing has gone to the beach for a needed vacation.

The other half of you, who might or might not be our favorites, aren't missing a beat, just shifting into overdrive. You might be keeping on doing what you're doing, or maybe you're moving to pump up your summer events. But you're taking no prisoners and making sure your whole community knows about your church and what you're doing this summer. It's summer push time for you.

For this week, we're investigating where in the heck all those visitors come from. Click through your RSS reader to tell us: At your church, about what percent of visitors first come when they're invited by a friend?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 10:12 AM
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June 11, 2008

Free Labs! Poll Results

In last week's poll, we wanted to know what impact the freeness of the Job Lab and Freelance Lab would have on you. We were pretty excited to offer them for free, and the number of postings would show that you are too. But what do the polls say?

Well, they say that almost half of you don't know what the Job Lab and Freelance Labs are. Eeeeeek. Maybe you're new around these parts, or maybe you immediately skip posts that say "Job" or "Freelance." I'm not here to interpret the data, just to report it.

22% of you were pumped that they were free, which is what we like to hear. And another 16% of you weren't all that excited. You were willing to pay for the service because you need to fill the positions. If you feel convicted to pay anyways, then we have just the page for you.

And the last little bit of you are the 13% who have better ways to fill your job openings. C'mon, better? I doubt it. All the cool jobs are hanging out with us.

This week, let us know, how does your church adjust its marketing efforts for summer?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:15 AM
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June 4, 2008

Twittering Church Poll Results

We've asked you, "What would Jesus Twitter?" and we've talked about Twitter for churches. But it's time to put you to the test. Is your church Twittering?

The biggest chunk of you, at 34%, aren't Twittering. The poll phrased it as, "What a waste of time," but that wasn't the best phrasing. That's just 34% of you churches who don't yet Twitter and don't plan to

Another 27% of you don't know what a Twitter is or why you would want to do it. Wikipedia is your friend. And 21% of you have it in the works, but it's not up and running yet.

Of the 18% of you who are currently Twittering, there are two ways you're going about it. Most of you have some church leadership who tweet. They pass on church information to anyone who would like to follow them. While a small 5% of you actually have a church-wide account.

So now it's your turn, click through your RSS reader to get commenting. Do you think Twitter is such a waste of time? Do you have a church account and want to share your success? Let us know!

And while you're here, let us know this week, now that the Job Lab and Freelance Lab are permanently free, are you more likely to use them?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:06 AM
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May 28, 2008

Video on Flickr Poll Results

This week, we asked how you are feeling about Flickr adding video awhile back. It was a pretty hot issue back in the day, with sides being drawn and battle plans being prepared. The small number of responses, however, would lead this statistician to believe the furor has died down.

Of those that weighed in, 46% have loved seeing video in the Church Marketing Lab. We even showcased some of the video capabilities and their impact on the Church Marketing Lab awhile back.

A quarter of you think video on Flickr is no big deal. Just a passing trend. While another 10% of you are pretty strongly against it. You're the vocal minority who got my mind running on this question, so I'm pretty disappointed you could only rally one of ten to crusade against video. And a final 19% of you don't give a rip about Flickr.

My conclusions? Lots of church marketers don't care about Flickr. Plenty of you are in the business of speaking, editing, writing and beyond, so Flickr doesn't float your boat. Others of you use Flickr, but you're too wrapped up in deadlines to fight about whether or not they should have video.

This week, click through to tell us, Is your church Twittering?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:23 AM
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May 20, 2008

CFCC and HOW Poll Results

CFCC and HOW Design are official. If you missed out on that news, now you're in the know. At the HOW Design Conference, Michael Buckingham led a session on behalf of CFCC, and we're excited about what the future will bring us. So we wanted to know what you thought of these going-ons.

Most of you aren't fully in the know yet about all this will mean. You're not sure of exactly what HOW is, so you can't be too excited about the partnership. Well, HOW Design is a creativity, business and technology magazine for graphic designers. You can get involved in competitions, their creative tip of the month or tons of other stuff on their site. So for the non-voters and the 68% who aren't sure of what HOW is, you are now equipped to check them out.

Another 8% of you say HOW isn't exactly your thing. That's all right, we're not all graphic designers. Perhaps Forbes or Apple or Krispy Kreme will knock on our door next for a partnership. And for the record, yes, we are interested.

Our favorite Another 25% of you are totally stoked about the partnership. As are we. Maybe some of you were at Michael's session at the HOW Design Conference, and if you weren't, watch for a summary from him soon.

For those of you in an RSS reader, make sure to click through this week and let us know, will video in the Church Marketing Lab be of any use to churches in their marketing efforts?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:17 PM
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May 7, 2008

Quiz Time Poll Results

The most recent Barna poll asked about church technology usage, comparing the results across the years 2000, 2005 and 2007. We decided to quiz you and see how well you would be in tune with what other churches are doing. We asked you what percent of churches you thought currently have a web site.

44% of you guessed guessed that 0-50% of churches have a web site. Maybe that number is so high because 0-50 is the biggest range. Or maybe you just don't think many churches have sites.

The numbers go down from there. 21% of you thought that half to 65% of churches have sites. Another 21% of you thought 66%-80% have sites. That's the group I was in, as an optimist.

The really optimistic bunch of you thought either 81%-100% of churches have web sites. That'd be pretty sweet, but unfortunately, only in DreamLand.

Well, if you didn't cheat, the results are in...

62% of churches have a web site. That's up from 57% in 2005 and 34% in 2000. Check out Kent Shaffer's wrap-up for more complete results, including stats regarding e-mail blasts, social networking, projectors and more.

This week, we want to know, did your church do anything to celebrate Earth Day, either corporately or around the office?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:27 AM
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April 29, 2008

Local Labs Poll Results

Local Labs have really been taking off. They've been organic and exponential so far, so we wanted to see how an average reader would feel about a Local Lab in their own city.

It looks like the majority of you are adventurous souls. You would love to check out a Local Lab and see what it's all about if there was one in your city. Well 23 cities nationwide (and one in Canada!) have Local Labs so far, so you might be in luck. That goes for the 36% of you who would go if it were convenient. It very well might be close to you.

That's 86% of people who would go if the conditions were right. Wow!

Another 11% of you don't really need Local Labs. Is that because you aren't a designer or church marketer? Or are you just that good? And a final 3% of you like to keep your friends on the Internet. Maybe that means we need a Second Life Local Lab on our very own Church Marketing Sucks Island?

And if you want a Local Lab, but there's not one in your area, just head over to the Church Marketing Lab, start a discussion thread titled "Local Lab [your city]" to hook up with some people in your area!

This week, it's a quiz time. The results of this quiz are out there on the Internet, so answer before you find them! And we'll post the study next week. So click through from your RSS reader and check our right sidebar to answer, what percent of churches would you guess have a web site?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 10:29 AM
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April 23, 2008

Socially Just Poll Results

As we launched our new Social Justice category, we wanted to know whether your church puts a priority on social justice. Here's the breakdown of what you had to say:

31% of your churches are hit or miss. Some things you emphasize and others you don't. Maybe you drink fair trade coffee but all drive Hummers. There are just some issues that don't resonate with your church.

And slightly less of you, 30%, say your church only has a few issues it emphasizes. Of those of you, what issues seem to be favorites for churches?

17% of your churches are all about the gospel justice, not the social justice. Hey, people need both, so keep bringing that gospel message.

16% of you hit social justice issues most of the time, but not quite always. Are there certain issues you stay away from, or you just can't quite get to all of them?

The final group is the 7% of you who are social justice junkies. If someone shows up in a Hummer without information about the child they sponsor, it's straight to the altar for some laying-on of hands. This is the small, but (probably) vocal minority.

This week, we're looking to find out would you attend a Local Lab meet-up in your area?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 12:54 PM
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April 15, 2008

Survey Says Poll Results

We were wondering this week if your church has ever done a church-wide survey. Tons of churches do them and swear by them, other folks think they're a gigantic waste of paper. Our Church Marketing Sucks readers--an avant-garde bunch, if I do say so--had this to say:

53% of you have done it at least once, but you don't go on a regular basis. Did you have a good experience, or not so much? My church is in the middle of our yearly survey effort, and it's pivotal for us. 12% of you are in the same boat, repeating your survey again and again.

23% of you have it on the drawing board, but you haven't actually done it yet. There's something keeping you from taking the leap into surveying. And a final 13% of you are the anti-survey crowd who don't see the need for it yet.

Thinking of going for it, but not sure how to write it, what to say, or where to go? Sounds like a project for our Freelance Lab if you ask me.

This week, we're looking to find out, does your church put a priority on social justice?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 12:31 PM
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April 8, 2008

Heathen Marketing Poll Results

A few of you were very excited to see the poll results this week, and that's exactly what Tuesdays are about--hanging out at your computer, constantly refreshing Church Marketing Sucks for poll results. Well, we've talked about this before, and we even asked the same question two years ago, but have times changed?

Well, 56% of you are game for any good marketing, regardless of who's doing it. I still assume you'd be a bit discerning and not pay up to some marketer on the run from the law, leading a strange cult or leading a group of terrorists. But all in all, you wouldn't deny a marketer based on faith.

Another 22% of you would have to judge the marketer to make an assessment. If it was a good enough guy or girl that seemed to have values in line with your church and would reflect positively on you, then you'd give it a go. And the final 22% of you think that only a person of faith can market the faith.

How do those numbers stack up with two years ago? Well, then we saw a split of 56%, 18% and 21% (with an extra 5% comedy answer thrown in); so, that's pretty remarkably similar. This one might be stacking up as a timeless debate for churches as they look to hire people to help with their marketing.

This week, let us know, has your church ever done a church-wide survey?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:06 AM
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April 2, 2008

Church Greeting Poll Results

Some people hate to love them; other people love to hate them; still others could care less. Church greeters.

Honestly, to me, it seems like a pretty tough gig. You have to stand out there at the mercy of whatever weather blows in the door, be happy to see each and every person and deal with awkward "I forgot your name" and "Have we ever met?" moments. But apparently some people aren't scared of any of that stuff. At the very least, if you love greeting, you have some job security.

27% of you absolutely love church greeters. Maybe you admire them, are grateful for them or love being one yourself. Either way, it's a Sunday highlight for you to be door-greeted by a smiling face.

48% of you aren't totally sold on greeters, and you judge on a greeter-by-greeter basis. Hilarious greeting experience in the comments would be greatly appreciated!

A final 25% of you don't really get greeting. You think it's a bad idea to have people who are paid to be professional smile, wave and handshakers. Yeah, you probably wear jeans to church and don't comb your hair, either.

This week, throw your opinion in the ring as we ask, would you hire someone who isn't a Christian to help out with your church marketing efforts?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:47 AM
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March 25, 2008

March (Sex) Madness Poll Results

So the 30-Day Sex Challenge is already well under way, and if you were looking to join in, you'll have to wait until next year. We figured we'd wrap up our coverage of it with a poll asking what you thought of it.

Most of you were big fans of the campaign. You like the idea of churches encouraging intimacy within marriage and encouraging singles to abstain. Any British fans of church sex marketing could also check out the new material from the Church of England--"Growing Together." Summed up (probably inaccurately) by British tabloid The Sun as, "Officials at the Church of England have written a saucy good sex guide for their parishioners."

36% of you aren't so sure. Half of you aren't fans of their caveat that singles should also remain celibate. You think this is condoning premarital sex, and churches ought not be in that business. The other half of you could wrap up your feelings about the challenge as, "Meh."

The last 26% of you think it's silly altogether, and there might be a little too testosterone-driven. C'mon guys can make up the marketing campaigns just fine. I mean, what do you propose? Extreme Makeover: Church Edition? (Ed. Note: My apologies for that being the best I can come up with. Comments are now open to 30-Day Sex Challenge Alternative.)

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:19 AM
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March 18, 2008

Sunday Morning What? Poll Results

There's a lot of newfangled names floating around for that thing churches usually do on Sunday mornings. We decided to round up a few of them and see just what everyone is calling their Sunday Morning [blank]. Here's what you had to say, followed by a custom personality analysis of your church.

70% of you are holding strong to tradition and calling it a "Service." I imagine this might be preceded by a word like "Worship," or it might just stand alone. Either way, feel good, because you're in the majority. You like to keep it simple and stick with what works.

6% of you refer to Sunday mornings as celebrations. Again, possibly preceded by "Community," "Worship" or another twist on the term. What does this say about your church? You like to let people know they're in for a good time on Sunday mornings, and they can come party with you.

Another 6% of you call it a gathering. I think this one usually stands alone, but if you refer to yourself as a "gathering," you probably tend to be a bit more free-wheeling, nomadic, and cutting edge. 3% of you go with a Sunday morning "fellowship." I'm not sure exactly what this says about your church. To me, it says that you have donuts and coffee, but that's not so scientific.

And cheers to me for a great poll result, 0% of you call it an "environment." Hey, I've heard of it before. And another 14% of you call it something else. Let's hear it in the comments, what do you do on Sunday morning?

This week, let us know, how do you feel about the "30-day Sex Challenge?"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:21 AM
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March 11, 2008

Give It Up for Lent Poll Results

We put together a little list, and we wanted to know which church marketing move you wanted your church to give up for Lent. Your results were all across the board. Here's what you had to say:

The top two answers were the 46% of you who either most wanted to get rid of bad web design or brand theft. You're tired of web sites that look like this (Pepsi site circa 1996, courtesy of the WayBack Machine) and series called "True Values" and "iGod." It's OK, we feel your pain.

Another 17% of you are tired of every church and their brother plastering billboards that say "Best sex ever" or "[Insert phrase] -Satan" or "God answer knee mail." For the record, we post them here for inspiration and to push the envelope, not for the express purposes of plagiarism. We won't knock it if it gets people in and gets people's lives changed though.

12% of you are fed up with paying for sermons. You want your downloads to be free, otherwise you're about to turn to church sermon piracy. Another 6% of you are ready to be rid of professional greeters. It seems a little bit contrived to you. And a final 3% of you are tired of endless blogging. I wonder if this is because of not too many pastors trying blogging or just a few pastors being great at it.

And then, of course, there's the 15% of you whose church doesn't do any of these. Congratulations! Feel free to vent your frustration with other, unlisted church marketing offenses in the comments. This week we ask what you call your Sunday morning, um, event.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:35 AM
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March 5, 2008

Internet Minsitry Poll Results

This week, we asked how your church most often uses the Internet during ministry. We've certainly seen examples of churches doing all three, but when the vote went to the people, here's what you had to say:

The clear, large and distinct majority use the Internet to augment existing ministries. Maybe you have a Facebook account to go with your youth group, a microsite to go along with a service launch or information on your church's site to promote an event.

Another 25% of you use the Internet primarily as missions and outreach. There are people out there who are yet to be reached, and you see the only way to reach them as the Internet. Maybe gamers. Maybe techies. Maybe even Trekkies?

The final 5% of you use the Internet to replace existing ministries. I mean hey, why drive to church on Sunday mornings when you can fly in Second Life? Really though, what sort of ministries have you been able to completely outsource to the Internet? It's an interesting concept.

This week, we're asking you, what church marketing move do you most wish churches would give up for Lent?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:43 AM
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February 26, 2008

Sermon Formats Poll Results

There's lots of different ways to make your sermons available. In a few years, you'll probably just be able to stream them live to a chip in your members' head while they sleep; for now, however, we wanted to know which technologies you currently use to distribute your sermons.

The most common way to share your sermons is an audio download. 30% of you are rocking this method. Digital is fun as costs are cheap and files are portable. I guess the next step is to revisit your payment plans for sermon audio.

Just a few less of you, 29% to be exact, offer your sermons on CD. It'd be interesting to hear if the rise of digital audio has brought CD sales down at all in your church.

The next best thing, and rounding out the audio portion of our poll, is the cassette tape. Wowzers. 10% of you make cassettes of your messages available. Hey, if folks need it, more power to you. The last cassette I can remember buying myself is Ace of Base.

Video doesn't seem to be catching on quite as strongly as audio. 9% of you offer DVDs of messages, and 8% of you offer a video download of sermons. There's other options here, too -- video podcasts and streaming video come to mind. A lot of folks these days just don't have time to sit and watch a whole video.

4% of you offer a text download, and 4% offer a paper copy. It's nice to see that reading isn't totally dead yet.

The final 6% offer a resounding, "Be there or be square." If folks miss out, you don't subsidize their absence, you make them hear it from a friend.

So let us know in the comments, what did we forget? How do you share your church audio? And while you're at it, answer this week's question, in which way does your church most often use the Internet for ministry?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:42 AM
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February 19, 2008

Valentine's Day Poll Results

Cupid has come and gone, chocolate is now on sale and star-crossed lovers are no longer smelling the roses. Last week, we asked how many of you would be celebrating Valentine's Day at church with a love, marriage, dating, sex, etc. series. Here's what you had to say:

25% of you are jumping on the opportunity. You're looking to convince the world that the Bible has something to say about this whole love thing.

Slightly less of you, 22%, are sticking to the liturgical calendar. If the schedule says to celebrate St. Valentine, then by gosh, you'll do it.

But by far, the big winner are those of you who are kicking love to the curb this Valentine's Day. Maybe you don't want to use a series to talk about these things, maybe they just didn't fit in or maybe you just hate love--whatever it might be, we hope you enjoyed your non-romantic Valentine's Sunday.

This week, we're asking you, how does your church make its sermons available to those who want them?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:18 AM
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February 12, 2008

Wifi Sharing Poll Results

So we've talked about your church, the wifi sharer, and last week, we wanted to put stats to our speculation. Here's what you told us about your own church's wifi sharing habits:

Much better than the frequent poll where a single choice gets 90% of the vote, we had a tie at the top this week. Hooray for competition! 28% of you thought, "No way!" on the grounds that folks might end up hacking the Pentagon or viewing inappropriate content on your dime. You either don't want the legal liability or the moral liability of contributing to their shenanigans.

Another 28% of you are silent sharers. You like to keep things looking tight, but if someone asks for the password, they can easily get it. That way, you can profile the person asking for the password and determine whether to give it out to them--kidding, of course.

Next up are the 26% of churches who run a public, open hot spot. You like to keep people hanging around, and perhaps you even serve some coffee or pastries or even something else. How does this work for you? Any run-ins with the law yet?

A final 17% of you ask, "What's wireless access?' I say...well, I don't know what to say to that. You could drop a line to al.gore@algore.com. He should be able to tell you.

Now, with love abounding this week, we want to know, around Valentine's Day, is your church doing a love/marriage/dating/sex series?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:22 AM
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February 5, 2008

Paying for Church Poll Results

As you browse the Internet, you're likely to find tons of church resources. Some are free, some are not. Some are free digitally, but not physically. We asked how you felt about this and what you would pay for, and you let us know.

Those of you happy to buy the digital copy if you miss out on the actual experience are in the vast minority. Only 9% of you would pay for a sermon on a regular basis. I assume this is within the bounds of reasonable costs.

Another 40% of you find yourself in the "maybe" camp. You might try and find a friend who recorded it on their cell phone, look to illegally download it on the Internet or raid the church offices. But if the sermon was great, and there was no other way to get your hands on it, you would pay up.

The majority of you, 51%, wouldn't pay up for a digital copy. You're OK with paying for the physical copy, but digital should be free. After all, the cost to the church is minimal, and you shouldn't be punished for staying home with your sick kids.

This week, we're asking, does your church provide open wireless access for anyone to use?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 1:27 PM
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January 30, 2008

Church Bulletin Poll Results

Last week, we asked exactly what you do with the church bulletin when you get it. You spoke out in big numbers, and it looks like the bulletin is staying.

62% of you may skim it, but you won't be reading every bit. This solidifies the bulletin's place as an effective method of conveying news. Folks will at least look at the bulletin for information pertinent to them.

Another 21% of you will devour every word of it, and you might even save it for bathroom reading material. You're a stalwart fan of bulletins, and you wouldn't have it any other way.

12% of you send the bulletin straight to the floor. If you need to find something out, you'll get it through some way other than the bulletin--word of mouth, email etc.

A final 4% of you won't read it, but you might use it to take notes or make a fan. So the bulletin is useful, just not as a method of conveying information. This is obviously a small minority, so don't just start giving out fans quite yet.

This week, we're wondering would you pay for church content over the Internet?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 10:51 AM
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January 22, 2008

Extra! Extra! Poll Results

There's a thousand ways to distribute news--blogs, mailers, e-mails, Twitter, Bat Symbols, etc. We wanted to know what works for your church and how you distribute your news. Here's what you had to say:

The most popular way to distribute news was through announcements or bulletins. Apparently 19% of you use a weekly bulletin and in-service announcements to distribute news. About 127% of churches I've been to use a bulletin and announcements, so I think we might have had some error in our statistical methodology. Or maybe just all churches I don't attend tend not to use bulletins and announcements--what do you think?

16% of you post news to your web site. This is good, people visit your web site. If you didn't hear, we had a snow storm in the south here recently (about 3/4" of accumulation), and it was refreshing to see churches announce their closing online. It's far better than the endless game of watching the scrolling thing on the news channels.

Another 14% of you depend on your church's pre-game show to announce events. It gets your message across, you can do these pre-service slides attractively and it encourages folks to show up early. Next up are the 12% of you who go for the church-wide e-mail newsletter. Some trouble exists here--folks disable receiving HTML email, it gets caught as spam, it's not designed well, etc. Have you seen success with announcing via e-mail?

9% of you still send out a snail-mail newsletter. It gives a fun, antique feel to church. Then come the bottom dwellers: 3% of you use a blog or RSS (come on readers, we can get this number higher), 3% of you use e-mails from individual departments and 3% go with some sort of automated calling system.

Bringing up the rear are the 2% of you who go with "Something else." What on earth could this be? Twitter? Town crier? Door-to-door? Let us know down below.

This week, we need to know...you walk into church and are handed a bulletin. What do you do with it?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:15 AM
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January 16, 2008

Presidential Marketing Poll Results

If you've kept up with the presidential race at all, you've been bombarded with tricky ploys, clever slogans, crazy ads and a thousand other marketing moves. So we wanted to know which move you would love to pull off for your church. Here's what you thought:

The majority of you wanted the deep pockets of Mitt Romney. A personal fortune lets him do most anything he wants, and you guys think this would be helpful for your church. What are you thinking? Eradicating poverty in your city? A sweet new building? A pastoral Rolls Royce?

The next biggest percentage of you, 21%, would rather launch a church blimp, a la Ron Paul. Then, from hundreds of feet, everyone could see the name of your church. Maybe you could even offer free rides to first-time visitors.

16% of you want a celebrity endorsement. Barack Obama has Oprah, Mike Huckabee has Chuck Norris ... First Community Church of Your Town could have anyone--Britney Spears, George Bush, Church Marketing Sucks. The possibilities are endless.

Another 14% of you want your pastor to be a part of a network TV series, like Fred Thompson of Law and Order. Maybe Extreme Life Makeover or a pastoral karaoke show is waiting in the wings.

Rounding out the bottom, 7% of you want to follow Dennis Kucinich and hype your staff's UFO sightings. Another 7% of you want to take a cue from John Edwards and put some green in your logo, to let folks know you care about the environment.

This week, we want to know, how does your church distribute its news?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:51 AM
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January 8, 2008

Doing Design Poll Results

Last week, we wanted to know how your church goes about doing its design. Full time? Part time? No time? Here's how you broke it down:

34% of you can't afford design. Two and a half years ago, we discussed this to frenzied commenting. Go back in time and check it out.

Almost as many of you have one full time designer on staff. That's 28% of churches that devote part of their budget to keeping someone on staff. I imagine you make sure this person can do both web and print in order to avoid having to pay someone else extra? Rounding out the top three are the 17% of you who don't do design. Eeeeek. Some sort of design is always a good thing. Might I suggest our Job Lab? Even if it's just enough to keep people's attention. You don't have to "wow" anyone, but you shouldn't scare them, either.

8% of you have multiple designers on staff. Wow. Maybe a web person and a print person? Three cheers to being devoted to design, we like that. Another 8% of you mix staff with freelancers to give your staffers a little help--an awfully nice thing of you to do.

Rounding out the list are the 6% of you who only use freelancers. I honestly thought this number would be much higher, it sure seems like freelancers are everywhere. If you're looking to use one, let them know in our Freelance Lab.

Any small churches full of design staffers? How about large churches without a design staffer? My feeling is that, as usual, the group you're trying to reach out to is the most important factor in making this decision.

This week, let us know which presidential marketing tactic would you most like to use for your church?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 12:35 PM
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January 3, 2008

2008 Goals Poll Results

Last week, getting ready for the New Year, we wanted to know your church marketing goals for 2008. Here's what you had to say ...

The largest portion of you, 27%, are looking to improve your web site. Face it, your site might be the key piece to marketing your church. Check out here, here, here, here or here to see that we agree.

Another 23% of you are going for self-improvement. If your church follows God more closely and improves, then marketing will take care of itself. If you need permission from anyone to do this, consider it given. Self-improvement is a must.

14% of you are hoping for less fluff. What fluff will you be eliminating? Will you be replacing it with anything else? Slightly less, 10% of you, are looking for some extra cash. Just remember the group above you and don't use more cash for more fluff. That's no good.

8% of you are in want of a professional designer. Might I suggest our Job Lab? OK, good. You can post your need for a designer there, and they'll come to you. 7% of you are looking for more CMS in the new year. We'll do our best to scratch your itch in 2008.

Bringing up the bottom of the barrel are 6% of you hoping for more events. Parties, services, outreaches, polka masses, potlucks ... the whole shebang. Finally we've got the 5% of you looking for some shock value. But when people sue you, condemn you and riot at your church ... we might not claim to know you.

This week, we're asking a simple question: How does your church get its design done?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:00 AM
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December 27, 2007

Woohoo! Christmas! Poll Results

Last week, as we got ready for Christmas, we asked you what you wanted from CMS for Christmas. Here's what you had to say.

37% of you think money will be just fine. Unfortunately, we're a nonprofit organization, heavy on the nonprofit and light on the organization. If you want our money, you'll probably have to rob us, and you'll probably spend more on the gas to get here than you'll get from the heist.

15% of you have too much free time and want more reading material. We'll do our best to keep sending things your way via entries. Slightly less, 14%, enjoy the series that we do. We're planning on keeping those coming, so don't despair.

Another 12% of you are service junkies. You love the Job Lab, the Freelance Lab and the Church Marketing Lab. What other services could you imagine seeing? Tied with services are the 12% of you guys who are looking for more interviews. Let us know who you would like to see in the hot seat, and we'll see what we can do.

6% of you (Thanks!) are just concerned with what you can do for CMS. The answer of course is on our support page. Rounding out the list are the 3% of you who want less everything and the 3% who want to fire the intern for the sake of better polls. Sheesh, Merry Christmas to you, too.

This week, we want to know, what are your marketing goals to better your church in 2008, in two words or less? (Choose all that apply.)

Posted by Joshua Cody at 9:15 AM
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December 19, 2007

Marketing Gift Poll Results

In the spirit of Christmas, we asked you what church marketing gift you most wanted to give your church leaders this year. Here's what you said:

There was a tie at the top. 34% of you wanted to give them a shiny, new marketing perspective. They just don't get this whole marketing thing, and you hope Santa Claus can convince them otherwise. Another 34% of you want a new web site. If you're web site is all off-kilter, then you probably need to give them a new marketing perspective as well. That one is kind of a two-for-one deal.

9% of you want to give a rockin' awesome old-school CMS tee. Write your Congressman and rally the troops. If we see enough support, maybe that's something that could happen in the future.

8% of you want to pass on all of Brad's nine must-read books. Apparently your church leaders need the gift of a way to fill time, since they have enough to read nine books. Tied up with them are the 8% of you who just want to find a way to make them shut up about church marketing. After all, going overboard with church marketing talk can really put a damper on holiday spirits.

Finally, 5% of you want a link to the Job Lab. Your wish is our command. Copy and paste this: http://jobs.cfcclabs.org into your e-mail client, type in an e-mail address and hit send. Wow, Christmas will come early for some church leaders!

This week, we ask the question, what do you want CMS to give you for Christmas?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:36 AM
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December 11, 2007

Church Marketing Mistakes Poll Results

We all make mistakes. Well, some more than others. And usually it's other people making them rather than ourselves. But still, there are mistakes. Especially in church marketing. Here's what you said when we asked what mistake you've seen your church make most frequently.

At the top, 29% of your churches don't think about marketing, even though marketing exists. Spread the word to other folks in your church!

Second on the list at 23% is "promoting your church rather than generating a response." You're so busy promoting yourselves that you don't do anything that makes people talk about you. Viral marketing trumps self-marketing. Grasp this and maybe one day your church can turn itself into a verb, like Google.

Another 18% of you try to be all things to all people. You have seven services--postmodern, liturgical, contemporary, classical, early, Internet and Second Life. It hasn't taken off yet, but you're trusting it will. Someday.

8% of you are victim of typos. Ahhhh! Just run it by someone else, twice. Tied at 7% we have churches who make promises they can't keep (big trust-breaker) and publicizing competing programs. Folks have to choose discipleship or fellowship, and it leaves them a little overwhelmed.

6% of you think other churches are your competition, and 2% of you don't make mistakes. If that latter group could get in touch with us about some guest blogger pieces, that would be good.

This week, we'll be pretending. If you could give your church leaders a marketing-related gift for Christmas, what would it be?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 12:15 PM
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December 4, 2007

Replacing Christmas Poll Results

Last week we rekindled the age-old debate of keeping the "Christ" in "Christmas." I also collected data for my forthcoming book, "How To Write Awful Polls." Here's what you had to say:

82% of you are willing to put up your fists and fight for the word "Christmas." If a design idea came up that couldn't fit the whole word, "Christmas," then you would scrap it. No "Xmas" or "Holidays" for you.

9% of you would drop the "Christ" in favor of an "X." After all, it is a sideways cross, right?

A final 9% of you would go with the word "Holidays." You can kill two birds, Christmas and New Years, with one stone, and it's non-offensive. Plus it works better with your design.

This week, we want to know which church marketing mistake have you seen your church make most often?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 2:24 PM
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November 27, 2007

Polka Mass Poll Results

Last week, we wanted to know what you'd do when you heard there was a polka mass in town. Despite stuffing yourself with turkey and dressing, you let us know. Here's how you answered:

9% of you are chomping at the bit. Just answering this poll very well might have excited you enough to go out and organize your own polka mass.

Another 20% of you want to do it, but you're not going to go out of your way. If someone will let you borrow their shoes and their favorite Slovenian folk album, then you'll partake.

12% of you are less convinced. You would go, but only as a last resort. Polka is simply your backup plan if all your friends bail on you.

The vast majority of you, 60%, wouldn't be caught dead at polka mass. For the record, I'd be in hiding with you guys. I'm more of a river dance mass guy myself.

This week, we get away from Thanksgiving fun shenanigans like polka, and we ask, when it's time to design Christmas graphics, and the word Christmas doesn't quite fit, you...

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:22 AM
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November 26, 2007

Giving Thanks Poll Results

Happy Thanksgiving! It's only a few days past, but we have the breakdown of how you choose to celebrate at your church.

44% of you tie it in to your Sunday services the week before or after. I get a sense some of those folks just say "Oh yeah, by the way, Happy Thanksgiving!" Others probably go all out and remind folks to be thankful. Either way, you Thanksgivingify your services.

Next up, 29% of you have a special service near that special Thursday. What kind of stuff happens at these special service? I have a tender spot in my heart for this holiday, so these services sound great to me.

14% of you are already on Christmas. You're too busy decorating your tree and donning your Santa hats to think about turkeys and football. Hey, that's good, we won't come down on you for putting extra attention on the birth of Christ.

The smallest number of you, 13%, get together to give thanks on the fourth Thursday of November. (Or the second Monday of October for our Canadian friends.) Are there any bigger churches out there who get together on Thanksgiving Day?

I guess I forgot an option. My church gives thanks by sleeping in the weekend of Thanksgiving. Sorry for anyone we alienated by leaving that one out.

From Church Marketing Sucks to you, we're super thankful to have you guys supporting our mission and working alongside us. It's really an honor for us to do what we do, and we hope we're moving towards working ourselves out of jobs.

As a special thank you this Thanksgiving, we've got...you guessed it. A new poll! This week, we ask, Would you be there for polka mass?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 1:32 PM
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November 13, 2007

Blogging Pastor Poll Results

A little over two years ago, we asked you if your pastor blogs for your church. You weighed in and told us this: 21% did with success, 5% are trying without much success, 4% tried and gave up, 66% of you hadn't tried it out, and 5% had no idea what a blog was. That was then. This is now:

28% of you are blogging away, and folks are loving it. That's up 7%, so more people have tried, and more have had success. Always a great thing to hear.

10% of you have given it a shot, but it's not working out. I think the Church Marketing Lab discussion board could be a great place for this. Ask yourself three quick questions.

• Is my audience aware that I have a blog or would they read a blog?
  
• How is my site design?
  
• Am I blogging material relevant to my audience?

Talk to the kind folks in the Church Marketing Lab, and I'm sure someone would love to help you with your site.

4% of you tried, but you gave up. Let us know your story in the comments, are you a pastor who tried, but it didn't work out Are you an intended reader who helped in the project not working out? I'd be interested to hear why these sorts of things fail.

56% of you still haven't joined the blog wagon. My quick response is, "Good grief! Go blog!" My better response is that maybe this is a great idea. Don't try to do something you don't need. Keep it simple, but consider blogging.

Only 2% of you still have no idea what a blog is. If you're in that 2%, consider being discipled in technology. I don't know that I have a link to help that.

So, you might be wondering whether you should comment on this post. There's a few types of people who should. Are you a SuperBlogger? Tell us why you think it works. Is your blog struggling? Ask for some advice. Are you a blogger feeling rejected? Let us know why you think it didn't work. Anyone else? Heck, just let us know what you think.

In the mean time, this week, we want to know, will your church do a Thanksgiving service? Head to the right and let us know.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 1:52 PM
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November 6, 2007

Church Marketing Support Poll Results

Last week, we asked how much support you could muster up for the idea of church marketing. When you go to your church staff, leadership teams and church friends, what is their reaction to the term "church marketing?"

Good news! 42% of you are a part of churches who are completely supportive of the idea of church marketing. If you go and tell them about what you read on Church Marketing Sucks, they'll probably be a-OK with that.

The bad news? Still 5% of you are a part of churches where you're the only one on board with church marketing. If you go and tell them about what you read on Church Marketing Sucks, they'll probably tell you that Church Marketing Sucks sucks.

In the middle of those two alternatives, 24% of you are part of churches who are getting closer to a grasp of church marketing, but not quite there. Another 16% of you are part of 50/50 churches who ride the fence about the ideas.

11% of you church marketers are a tiny majority in your church. Let us know about your church marketing secret societies and covert-ops in the comments. Finally, 2% of you are just here to pick fights, and you don't even like the idea of church marketing. Welcome!

This week, we're headed back in the CMS time machine and asking a question from a few years ago ... Does your church or church leadership blog?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 9:09 AM
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October 30, 2007

Hire Your Staff Poll Results

Last week we gave you the opportunity to restructure your church marketing efforts with an unlimited budget. The first place you said you would hire is ...

A teaching pastor. It looks like the time-honored tradition of the most important guy being the one with the microphone lives on today, albeit only by a small margin. 29% of you would start here.

The big surprise is that 21% of you would hire a web or graphics guys. You think graphics are the new face of the church. These numbers are way up from the last poll 50 years ago. After all, good teaching is a good thing.

I think the popularity of the first two show the popularity of an attractional ministry philosophy. The third most popular response highlights the popularity of a more missional approach. 20% of you would turn first to an outreach pastor.

12% of you are more business-minded. You would first turn to an executive pastor to make sure everything is going smoothly. Some folks would call you boring, but we'll call you precise and wise. Executive pastors are important, and it's not the sexy choice. Cheers to you.

A little smaller slice of readers, 7%, would head for either a new band or some super-sweet production. I'd imagine here we'd be thinking long hair, smashing guitars, strobe lights and beyond. Yes?

Getting barely any love from our respondents are architects. Only 3% of folks would hire one of them first. Perhaps next week, we could poll that 3% to find out how many of them are actually architects.

This week, we're asking about your support. Head east and weigh in. How supportive is your church of the idea of church marketing?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 2:43 PM
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October 16, 2007

Church Franchises Poll Results

We talked a while back about church franchises and it polarized folks a bit. So we decided the best way to go about things was to take it to the polls. Here's how you felt about franchising church:

The majority of you, 53%, think the idea rocks. You, however, think the name sucks. Perhaps some other term could work more effectively for you. It's almost like you're putting a new church somewhere and tending it, so those 53% of you could call it something along the lines of "church planting?"

Slightly less of you, 33%, don't like the idea in general. Why should a new church be part of an old church? What's wrong with the way things are done? I think this comes down to a matter of the wise old adage "different strokes for different folks."

The smallest group of you are totally on board with franchising church and calling it "church franchises." That 14% of you does disagree with the idea of super-sized service length. And hopefully you will fight for these franchises to continue serving nutritious and substantive life change.

This week, we want to know if you're a church conference skipper or a junkie. Head over to the right frame and let us know where you stand. RSS readers, click on through to let us know where you stand, too.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 12:21 PM
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October 9, 2007

Playing Hookie Poll Results

Nothing like a bad poll question to spice up the beginning of the week. Perhaps I should have asked something like "This site is named Church Marketing Sucks. True or false?" Good question or not, here's what you said.

81% of you don't skip a Sunday under any circumstances. The faithful majority, if you will. Do you never skip because you've done it, and it's failed, or you've just never tried it? Check out cancelchurch.com for a story of one church where it worked. There's also our story about a church that quit for the summer.

As far as the rest of the answers go, 10% of you skip a Sunday every now and again. You look to spice things up, build some momentum or get some rest. Have you had success doing this?

3% of you skip a Sunday sporadically, but more than once or twice a year. I've heard great stories of churches doing this before, but it becomes a little tougher as your church grows.

2% of you meet more in small groups than a large group. I'd assume you guys are in networks of house churches or things as such who get together to worship and celebrate every now and again. A viable alternative to mainline churches for many people.

4% of you are church skippers. I'm not gonna bust any chops over that here; we're glad you're checking us out and seeing how church marketing sucks; best of luck in figuring out a solution to the problem.

This week, we want to know what you think of franchising church.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 3:17 PM
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October 2, 2007

Fall Kickoff Poll Results

Last week, we asked whether or not your church was going to make waves with a fall kickoff service. Youth groups are starting back up, people are coming back from vacation and a new season is rolling around. It's a great time of year to build up some momentum.

21% of you are getting pumped up because it's about that time. You're going to have a huge kickoff; let us know in the comments what you'll be doing or what the statistics were like for a fall kickoff.

Another 27% of you are a little worried. You don't want to get too excited because honestly, you don't think your kickoff will be that exciting. Why not post your service ideas in the discussion board of the Church Marketing Lab, and get some feedback there? There's always the spring kickoff, right?

The true majority of you, 52%, aren't kicking anything off for the fall. The first Sunday of the fall is just another day of the week for you. Not everyone has to do a fall kickoff, don't sweat it. But consider all the good that could come of it.

I guess I'll head off and plan a CMS fall kickoff. Until we can get something to kick off, answer our poll for this week. Let us know if your church ever plays hooky. It's just over to the right.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:30 AM
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September 25, 2007

Announcements Poll Results

Sometimes when you're at church you hear the words, "Let's go ahead and bring up our [blank], Mr./Mrs. [blank] for the announcements." Sometimes, when you're at church, you hear a collective sigh and the sound of dying momentum. We asked you how to fix that.

Most of you think announcements ought to be relegated to videos before or after the service. 46% of you are tired of someone rambling on about announcements in the middle of the service.

22% of you like the way things are. Announcements make your heart skip a beat, and you love to hear them during the service. 12% of you want to get them out of the way at the beginning of the service. Then, people could just come late if they didn't want to hear them.

8% of you want them at the end of the service so folks can slip out if they need to. 2% of you, whose church I might not be too excited to visit, want to tell about the potluck supper at the beginning and end of the service. A final 11% of you want to give announcements the boot and go all e-mail newsletters and web sites. Blasphemous announcement killers.

This week, it's about time for big fall kickoffs with football, fireworks, giveaways and more. Is your church doing something to kick off the fall?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:22 AM
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September 18, 2007

Marketing Focus Poll Results

Last week we asked you where your church concentrates its marketing efforts the most. The most popular place to concentrate efforts was, not surprisingly, Sunday mornings. 24% of your churches place the most marketing emphasis there.

After that, there's a near tie. The second most popular focus was on your members. After all, if you concentrate on them, they'll go out and market for you. Right after that, the churches of our readers put the most effort into serving the community. Having events other than Sunday and large-scale marketing round out that group.

9% of you concentrate most on the sermon because theology trumps marketing. Only 3% of you are engaged in door-to-door marketing or other way to get in touch with individuals just to spread the word about you. I'm saving 13% of you for last, and that's you guys who aren't putting any effort into marketing. Well, we're glad to have you here.

This week, let's talk about church announcements. How do you think they should be done? Let us know in the poll to the right.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 9:27 AM
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September 11, 2007

RSS Church Poll Results

Last week, we asked you if your church was using an RSS feed for their web site. We've harped on RSS for your church before, and we were hoping that since then, more of your churches would have started providing RSS feeds.

28% of you are using RSS feeds for your sites. So about three of every ten churches provide a feed for their site. What sorts of things do you use this feed for? Messages? Events? Prayer Requests? Something else?

22% of you "haven't needed it yet." From the standpoint of someone who doesn't visit web sites if they can help it, I read that as 22% of you don't want to keep me in the loop.

Another 32% of you don't have an RSS feed because you don't update your web site. Hey, Moses didn't regularly update the stone tablets, so maybe you guys are doing the right thing on that.

The final 18% of you are a little confused as to this whole RSS thing. You've seen that orange button before. You've heard me call out web sites that don't have it (I'm looking at you, Barna). My best advice for you is to check out the Wikipedia article on RSS.

Before you go check out that article or update your church's web content, head over and let us know where your church most concentrates its marketing efforts. The new poll is up now.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 2:07 PM
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September 5, 2007

Extreme Makeover Poll Results

Last week, we asked you which typical church function needs an extreme makeover. We gave you nine choices and let you vote, and you made it a close race. Here's what you thought.

The church function you'd most like to make over, Sunday school, had 18% of you demanding change. The church function you'd least like to make over, seeker-friendly services, had 8% of you demanding change. That's a small gap.

Of the seven choices that fell in the middle, vacation Bible school took the "ugliest church function" title. Next up came a tie. 13% of you think church marketing needs some changing (three cheers to you), and 13% of you think that "church in general" is in need of some help.

Slightly less of you, 11%, thought our next two activities need making over. Potlucks and Sunday morning dramas. The two terms are a little bit scary, with the potential to go so wrong. (Think hairs in soup and productions of "Christmas Shoes.") Finally, 10% of you think the token patriotic July 4th service needs to be revamped. Only 1% of you think there's no makeover at all needed.

So let's hear it in the comments. How would you change these things? What else would you change? Which of these would be blasphemy to change? Let us know.

This week, look on the right side of our page and let us know if your church has caught onto the RSS trend since we posted about it.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:15 AM
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August 29, 2007

Church Football Poll Results

Only one day until college football kicks off. A week after that comes the NFL. Last week, we asked if your church would use the inherent marketing power of pigskin. Here's what you said:

Surprisingly, the majority of you declined. 39% of you, to be exact, will be missing out creatively pursuing other avenues. It's something to appreciate that you guys are reaching beyond the football crowd.

23% of you will only be footballing for the biggest game of them all. I don't think it's tough to know if you put up a big screen late in January, approximately 250 million people will come.

20% of you are fired up about kicking off your football events. Just make sure you send me an invitation. What sort of marketing ideas are you guys using? Church fantasy football? Just weekend get-togethers?

17% of you probably will, assuming the NFL doesn't sue you. Just make sure to research the broadcast rights if you plan to show games, and you should be fine.

This week, let us know what areas you think the local church needs an extreme church makeover.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:18 AM
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August 21, 2007

Church Lists Poll Results

Last week we asked what you thought of recent lists like the top 20 church logos and the 25 most innovative churches. From what we've seen, there are people who hate them and people who love them. So the latest in a long series of lists, we present the top 5 answers to this week's poll:

5. I guess some people might like them, but they aren't for me. Bringing up the bottom of the list is the 4% of you who think they might work for others.

4. They're interesting, but definitely nothing worth thinking much about. 13% of you think that they're fun while they last, but they don't carry too much weight.

3. Psh. These lists are ridiculous. The haters of church lists had a disappointing showing, only coming in third with 19% of the vote.

2. The idea is good, but the execution is poor. Let's have something more democratic! 21% of you want something better. Do you have suggestions in the comments?

1. They're great! They give churches something to strive for. 41% of you are big fans of the lists. We'll keep them coming for you guys.

This week, let us know what your church's plans are for football season. The new poll is up, so be sure to weigh in.

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August 15, 2007

Summer Marketing Poll Results

Last week 150 of you weighed in to tell us how your summer church marketing is going. We asked you what has been the most successful method for marketing through summer events. Here's what you said:

48% of you haven't had any success. People are gone, momentum is gone, and energy is gone. For the other 52% of you, how do you combat this? What are you doing to keep the energy alive?

23% of you are doing something totally different. None of what we said quite fits. And another 11% of you aren't doing anything summer-specific. You keep the same types of events year-round. Nothing wrong with that; if it works, it works.

9% of you are staying outside in the heat. Heck, it's only summer once a year, so you might as well get out and stay hot, right? Another 5% of you are using the summer heat as an opportunity to cool off by going swimming. Whatever body of water it might be, you're getting in it to keep the momentum high.

Finally, 2% of you are cranking up the AC and staying inside. There's something nice about walking in from the heat into the cold air. A final 1% of you are celebrating Christmas in July. Who knew that was real, anyways?

This week, let us know what you think of the top X lists that come out. Do you trust them? Do you like them? Weigh in.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:10 AM
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August 8, 2007

New Labs Poll Results

Last week, we asked how you felt about our new Job Lab and Freelance Lab. Essentially, we want to know where you stand and how we can help you with our new projects. Here's what you thought.

About half of respondents were creative professionals. We love you guys, so thanks for coming around. Of you, 25% are not currently looking for jobs. Not looking for a job is a fun place to be. Then, there are 15% who are looking or a job, and our labs have meant a ton. Keep your eyes open, because there are new jobs everyday. And finally, 2% of you would look for a job somewhere other than the labs.

Another quarter of you are churches. We love you guys, so thanks for coming around. Just 2% of you are churches who are trying to fill jobs and looking at the labs. 15% of respondents are churches who might need the labs one day, and they like their presence. Lastly, 8% of responding churches already have their own ways of filling job openings.

The final group are the 33% of you who aren't in the church marketing job scene at all. We love you guys, so thanks for coming around (Yes, we are glad for all 100+% of your readership).

The moral of the story? Head over to the Job Lab and Freelance Lab and see what's going on there. They just might be the way to get the best work possible for the best price possible--for churches and for individuals.

This week, let us know what the best summer marketing hook has been for your church in our newest poll.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:59 AM
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July 31, 2007

Welcome to the Internet Poll Results

Last week we asked if your church utilizes any web 2.0 technologies. Here are the results:

The good news is that the most used technology is social networking. Networking socially is important, you know? The bad news is that the most used technology is only used by 20% of respondents. Right after social networking is blogging, which 19% of your churches use. It's really a great tool, you other 81% should check it out (The Blogging Church can help get you started).

Lately, we've talked a lot about online video. And 16% of you are already on that train; good for you! 12% of you post pictures to a photo site. What kind of innovative things do you use photo sharing for? You guys should link to those in the comments.

Rounding out the bottom, 7% of you do something else web 2.0ish and 1% of you have a wiki. Cool.

15% of you are still working on web 1.0, and 10% of you have no idea what web 2.0 is. Wikipedia can tell you, or you can check out our series on What Web 2.0 Means for the Church.

This week, we want to know how you feel about our new Job Lab and Freelance Lab. Make sure to vote!

Posted by Joshua Cody at 11:29 AM
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July 25, 2007

Three Years Poll Results

A few weeks ago, we broke a new record in low responses by polling you about what polls you liked best. This week, we challenged that by asking you another question about CMS history. The moral of the story? CMS readers are so forward-thinking and ahead of the curve that what we used to do doesn't matter.

Either way, here's what you thought about our favorite offerings in our first three years:

The most popular response was that you enjoy hearing about what churches are doing. 24% of you enjoy these posts the most, so we'll keep them coming! In the same range, 22% of you enjoy our Lab offerings and 20% of you like when we talk about the future of church marketing.

16% of you are more in touch with our philosophical side and like to hear our musings on church marketing philosophy. 7% enjoy our polls more than anything else. Keep checking back on Tuesdays and we'll keep updating those. Remember to vote from as many IP addresses as possible! Not really, that was a joke.

8% of you are here as spies looking to frown upon us for our liberal, scamming, blasphemous ways. Welcome! 3% of you like something else we do. What's that? Let us know in the comments. And finally, a whopping 0% of you enjoy our Q&As the most. Perhaps we'll do some more of those in the future.

This week, we're away from questions about CMS and back to the good stuff. What web 2.0 apps does your church use? We've asked this before, and we're checking in to make sure you guys are keeping with the curve. Head over and vote now!

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:50 AM
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July 17, 2007

New Church Location Poll Results

For the first time at CMS, we decided to take our poll head to head with another poll. Last month, we asked the question, "Where should a new church meet?" In that post, we cited a report that asked the same question as us; here's the result comparison:

60% of CMS readers say it makes no difference whether you meet in a church building or a non-church building. That number was a bit higher, 73%, in the North American Mission Board's poll.

Only 9% of you thought it would negatively impact your decision of joining a church if they met in a non-traditional church building, while 19% of the previous poll's respondents answered the same.

The largest disparity is that 20% of you would be positively affected by not meeting in a traditional building, while only 6% agreed in the earlier study.

Finally, 11% of you are unsure, while only 2% of the previously mentioned poll were unsure. The results? I don't know about you, but I think they all point to one answer: CMS readers are far superior to the general public.

This week, make sure you let us know what you like about us! The new poll is up, so head over and vote.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 9:24 AM
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July 11, 2007

July 4th Poll Results

We at Church Marketing Sucks hope that you had a great 4th of July. That being said, last week, we asked you just how you would be celebrating. Here's what you said:

39% of you are focusing on Jesus rather than the Fouth, ignoring the holiday altogether. I feel a controversy a-brewin'. How did this go over? Did you guys get some heat? Slightly less, 17%, went with a patriotic song. God Bless the USA, I'm Proud to Be an American or our national anthem, I'd presume.

11% of you went with the full-fledged emotionally stirring patriotic tribute during the service. Go big or go home, right? And 10% of you went with a picnic, grill-out extravaganza. On a pyrotechnically disappointing note, only 6% of you had fireworks.

8% of you decked out the sanctuary in red, white, and blue, and 6% opted to spend the day serving the community. Coming in last place was an outreach to troops and their families, with only 3% of churches taking that route.

Now that it's a week later and hindsight is 20/20, how did it work out for you? Did you guys have successful Fouths? What would you change?

Don't forget to head over and vote this week as we want to know what it would matter to you where a new church meets.

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July 3, 2007

Church Marketing Lab Poll Results

Last week, we wanted to know what your current position was in our Church Marketing Lab. You weighed in, and here's what you had to say:

The majority of you said 'A member of the what now?' 38% of you, to be exact. Well, welcome first time visitors and extremely busy or possibly inattentive frequenters! Our Church Marketing Lab is our effort to help improve the quality of design work in the church and move churches forward in marketing themselves. Read some more here on our 'What We Offer' page.

Moving on, the next biggest group of you, 29%, are quiet lurkers. Get in on the discussion! I wish we could do a sub-poll of those 29% to see why you guys lurk. I'm sure some of us are just too busy, but realize that everyone is a consumer of media, and you all know what works best! So let people know!

There's a tie between those who are integral to the CML and those who are too busy for the CML. Special thanks to the first, and we'll reiterate on the second: No, we don't believe you. Only kidding. Kind of. Drop by sometime and let us know what you think.

Thanks so much for letting us know more about your interaction with our Church Marketing Lab. This week, tell us what kind of celebration your church is doing for the 4th!

Posted by Joshua Cody at 12:49 AM
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June 26, 2007

Favorite Poll Poll Results

I'm not a statistics whiz by any means. I'm not licensed to analyze poll results. Gallup has never contacted me about a job. I'm pretty sure, however, that 62 responses is not a very solid sample size. To celebrate our 100th poll, I managed to write a question that only 62 people responded to ... thus, I apologize. Moving on.

Last week, we wanted to know which of our polls you liked the best, and 37% of you agreed that Profanity Vanity was the best poll in our history. People love a little profanity in their lives. Another 31% of you most enjoyed our poll on Crummy Clever Church Signs.

A tie came in at numbers three and four for our Worship Technology poll and Church Plant poll at 13% of you. Finally, 2% of you (or 1.25 of you) best liked How Long Have You Checked Us Out?

The moral of the story? Write polls with lower barriers to entry. You guys don't want to click on each of those links to see which poll was best. You don't want to have to rack your brain to remember which was which. Well, 62 of you do, but the rest don't.

So we'll give it another shot this week. Look just to the right and tell us whether you are a member of our Church Marketing Lab.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:55 AM
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June 19, 2007

Keeping A Church Poll Results

This week we asked what it would take to keep you returning to a church that you visited. This was our third part in a semi-series about leaving and finding a new church. Here’s how you finished up the series:

The leading factor in returning to a church is its authenticity. If you can trust them, you'll stay around. 32% of you say authenticity would keep you coming back. Slightly less of you, 27%, would come back based on the teaching of the pastor.

15% of you would keep coming back based on the members--how engaging they are, how fun they are and the like. And 12% of you want a church with solid worship music. Singing to God obviously gets you fired up, and that's what would keep you at a church.

Only 5% of you would focus primarily on what the church brings to your children, and only 2% on what programs the church offers. I'll be honest, these numbers are surprisingly low to me. 7% of you said that 'Something Else' would keep you coming back.

So it looks like most often, based on the last three weeks, most of you leave church because they forsake scripture for relevance, find a new church by checking the web site of local churches and keep coming back based on the authenticity of the church. That's purely scientific, of course.

Let us know in the comments if these three weeks surprised you or affirmed what you believe. Also, what did we leave out? This week, we celebrate our 100th poll! Make sure to weigh in!

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:06 PM
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June 13, 2007

Church Seeking Poll Results

Two weeks ago we asked you why you would ever leave your church. And last week, we continued that with asking how you would go about finding a new church. Here's what you said:

Bringing up the rear, 4% of you would seek a recommendation from staff or members from your previous church. I can see how this number is so small, it'd be a tough thing to do. Slightly more of you, 9% would never want a new church, so the question is irrelevant.

10% of you are tired of trying to find just the right church, so you'll make your own. Kudos to you on taking initiative, but I'd like to hear more about your thoughts and motives. 18% would just start randomly visiting churches. I've tried this myself and ended up in some extremely weird situations.

Coming in second place are the 24% of you who would visit the churches that your friends go to. And in the lead, 35% of you would check out the web site of local churches.

Churches, did you hear that? The number one way people find your church, according to a recent Church Marketing Sucks study, is through your web site. Don't overlook the importance of it.

So we've left church and found a new church, and this week we ask what would make you stick around at that new church. Remember to keep voting this week, and let us know in the comments interesting stories about finding a church.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:03 AM
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June 6, 2007

Leaving Church Poll Results

Last week, we asked you about leaving church. More specifically, we wanted to know what circumstances would cause you to leave a church. Nearly three hundred of you responded, and here's what you said.

A slim majority of you (38%) say that your church straying from its foundations in favor of relevance would cause you to leave. Good to see you sticking to your guns. Slightly less of you (36%) would only leave with some unavoidable circumstance--moving, your whole church population being raptured, etc.

There was a tie for the third reason to leave church. 9% of you would leave if there weren't enough opportunities to be involved, and another 9% wouldn't ever leave. Ever. Ever ever. Are you guys the pastors of your church? Or just super-loyal members?

Rounding out the bottom are the 8% of you who would leave for a dispute and the 3% who would leave at a personnel change.

It seems that we have a lot of either very devoted church members or extreme idealists. Either way, this week, whichever answer you gave, pretend some situation arose where you had to leave. And once leaving, how would you go about finding a new church?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:14 AM
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May 30, 2007

Summer Church Worries Poll Results

This past week at the polls, you let us know what worries your church the most as summer approaches. Of course, there are some worries we didn't provide, so let us know about those and how you deal with them in the comments. Here's what scares you:

The big winner is that 44% of you worry that attendance will drop as everyone heads off for vacation. No worries, the numbers will go back up by September.

Far less of you are worried about youth group girls not wearing one pieces (10%), your pastor never returning from his study retreat (7%), and skyrocketing costs of air conditioning (4%).

The good news to me is that 35% of you are just kicking back and shooting the breeze, enjoying the summer. Given that it's already almost June, summer planning is winding down, and it's time to move to the camp of not worrying about tomorrow.

Here's us at CMS wishing a great summer and safe traveling to all of you, but remember, we don't take summers off. So this week, head on over and keep voting in our polls, we're asking you what would make you leave a church.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:32 AM
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May 23, 2007

Church Marketing Moves Poll Results

Last week, we asked you which of the church marketing moves we had highlighted lately was your favorite. We gave you a choice of five entries, and here's how you felt:

Church seven nights a week came out on top, with 30% of the vote. Some of you just aren't happy with only going once! In a close second was Vintage 21 calling members "owners." 29% of you liked this idea the best.

18% of you most liked the idea of churches taking a hard look at their environmental ethics. 13% of you chose the opening of the Job Lab and Freelance Project Lab as your favorite church marketing move. In other words, 13% of you were correct. Only kidding. Kind of. And finally, 9% of you most liked the idea of Christians taking atheists on in the world of debate.

This week, we move away from stories we've run to get ready for summer at the polls! Let us know what worries you most in the world of your church as summer approaches.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:21 AM
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May 16, 2007

Environmental Ethics Poll

Last week, we asked what you thought about all this environmental ethics and going green. I'll have to admit, I'm pleasantly surprised with the results.

A true majority, 58% of you, think that it's pretty important, and we ought to show the world we care. How are you doing this? Recycled paper? Compact fluorescent light bulbs? Hybrid church vans? Communion with organic crackers?

15% of you think it could go either way. Less of you, 13%, think there are more important things to be worried about. You find yourselves amongst the American majority--the unconcerned. No judgment passed here, feel free to wait for some more evidence, but don't be ignorant or apathetic for the whole world to see.

11% of you think it's one of the most pressing issues for the church today. While 3% of you think the opposite, you say it's ludicrous. Just make sure you're not majoring on minors or ignoring a major.

All in all, you agree that there's no simple answer to this problem. Approach it prayerfully with a mind for the world around you and for the future.

This week, we want to know what church marketing moves that we've looked at recently you liked best. Let your voice be heard and let the world know what you liked!

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:12 AM
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May 8, 2007

Who Are You Results

Last week, we asked the question, "Who are you?" 256 of you let us know. According to our calculations ...

30% of you are on staff at a local church in a non-pastoral position. Congratulations on being in the majority! Another 28% of you are actually in the pastor's seat at your local church. That means nearly 60% of you are actually in the trenches, working hard to make sure the church doesn't suck. Hopefully. Keep trying new things and telling us what's working and what's not!

18% of you aren't actually on staff with a church or a marketing firm, but you do help with your church's marketing. What kind of roles are you in? Volunteer? Friend of a church staffer? That guy in the congregation who stands up and screams crazy ideas in the middle of a sermon? Another 14% of you aren't actively involved in church marketing, you just think about it from the pews. I'd be willing to bet you have some great ideas, don't be ashamed to speak up.

A slim 4% of you are actually on staff with a church marketing organization. Which means we're not reaching the professional church marketer, which is probably OK. It's the folks in the trenches who really need the help.

Lastly, 8% of you said other, mostly folks who fell under multiple categories or wanted to be more specific.

This week, we're asking how exactly you feel about all this crazy tree-hugging creation care we've been talking about?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 12:46 PM
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May 2, 2007

Church Marketing Synonyms Poll

Last week, we asked you how you would describe church marketing. The majority of you, 56% actually, would describe it as "intentional communication." That sounds to us like 56% of you are right on board with us.

13% of you believe church marketing is perfectly correlated with evangelism. When you tell someone about Christ, you are marketing. When you create something, you are marketing to have people come to Christ. Another 19% of you took the positive stance describing marketing as "community outreach." Church marketing is your way to let people know you exist and know you care.

A lesser number of you don't look on church marketing so fondly. 9% of you describe it as "manipulation," and 3% of you think it "heresy." You ought to check out these entries to understand why we do what we do.

As always, tell us what you said and why in the comments. How does your church treat marketing?

This week, we want to know a little bit more about you, so let us know who you are and what you do!

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:44 AM
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April 24, 2007

Mascot Poll Results

Last week, we asked what you thought of using mascots for children's ministry. Here's what you said:

8% of you are overachievers who have already been doing this. Has it been working out good for you? 16% of you think it's a great idea, and you wish it could start up at your church. Talk to your children's pastor. Talk to your pastor pastor. Talk to anyone, but remember, you're the agent of change.

51% of you are pretty leery of the cheese factor. It's understandable. We don't need to just create Mickey "Melchizidek" Mouse or a Jewish, bearded, carpenter bee. Let's be honest, an idea is only as good as its execution.

10% of you think it won't work for your church. That's perfect. Kudos to you for having the guts to say, "It sounds cool, but it won't work for us." There's something to be said for your idea-temperance. Finally, 16% of you think it takes the focus away from Christ. If you feel that your church couldn't execute it to keep the focus on Christ, then never put good marketing ideas before good theology.

If you're just jumping in on the discussion, head back to the original post to see some success stories in the comments about churches using mascots. And feel free to post more here.

This week we have a Church Marketing Sucks SAT practice question for you. Which one of the following words could also be called "church marketing?" Unlike the SAT, we're opinions only, and everyone gets an A. Enjoy.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 12:48 PM
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April 17, 2007

Internet Poll Results

Last week we asked you how your church uses the Internet. Now that all of our e-ballots are in, we have the formal results for you.

Only 31% of you feel your own church web sites are integral to ministry. This is a tiny number. I think some of us might not have realized we could click multiple boxes. Either way, 69% of those polled do not feel their church sites are integral to ministry. Ouch.

19% of you think blogging is essential. This is an encouragingly high number. It really gives churches a way to reveal their pastors' hearts and passions to non-members. Moving on down, 15% of you think social networking is essential. Again, an area I think we can do better in as a church. These social networking sites are a fantastic tool.

Continue reading "Internet Poll Results"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 11:43 AM
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April 11, 2007

Billboarding For God Results

This past week, we asked you to vote on which billboard method you thought was most effective. The big winner this week was that billboards are for truckers. 30% of you didn't like the idea of billboards for churches. Judging from the poll and our comments on previous billboard-related posts, that's not surprising.

27% of you are the shock-and-awe type. You like church billboards to cause whiplash and 16-car pile ups (Exaggeration alert, please no hate mail) so people will come to see what all the fuss is about.

Continue reading "Billboarding For God Results"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 9:01 AM
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April 3, 2007

Passion Poll Results

With five days left until Easter, we have our Passion Week poll hot of the press.

Surprisingly, only 3% of your churches place their strongest focus on Good Friday. I expected Friday night Passion plays and the convenience and opportunity of Friday (as opposed to Sunday morning) would drive this number higher. I imagined wrong.

The majority winner is the 50% of you whose church places the most marketing emphasis on Easter. I can't say enough about how great Easter is, so kudos to you guys.

20% of you really emphasize both equally. There's something great to be said about this, as the two events must both exist for Christ to be Lord. And let's never lose the history and true meaning of Passion Week.

Finally, 27% of churches in our incredibly reliable and extremely scientific poll gave up marketing for Lent. I don't think Jesus did much marketing in the wilderness for 40 days, so I think you're following a good strategy!

This week, we look at the flood of recent billboard campaign news and see what our loyal readers think is the way to go.

Lastly, what exactly is your church doing for Easter and Good Friday? Easter egg hunts? Pictures with the Easter bunny? A mock funeral for Jesus? Comment now!

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:57 AM
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March 28, 2007

Beg, Borrow and Steal

Last week, we asked what your church's philosophy is on borrowing materials. 252 of you weighed in, and after a week at the polls ...

37% of you took the high road. You borrow materials, but you give credit where credit is due. I think when anybody has their materials used by another church, this is all they'd ask for.

23% of you employ what optimists would call "The Acts Model." They met together, and shared all things in common. Make sure the one you borrow from is all right with this, or unfortunately, Joe Schmo's Law Firm might come knocking at your altar.

13% of you hold a monopoly on new ideas, and you don't need to borrow. Congratulations. While the other 13%--well, blessed are the poor in ideas, or something like that. You only steal.

9% just don't have the creative prowess to make it happen, but cheers to you for recognizing a problem. While the final 4% believe it's acceptable to steal, situationally (Christian pirates in denial).

As always, we'd love to hear from you in the comments. How do you effectively get credit? Need to beg for some design help? What do you think ethically about the issue?

This time around, we gear up for Passion Week by asking just what your church is up to. Don't forget to weigh in!

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:56 AM
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March 21, 2007

Demographically Speaking Results

Last week, we asked how your church responds to the issue of ministering to an increasingly diverse society. Where I come from, this means offering something more than NASCAR parties, Left Behind movie nights and revivals. For you, that means ...

Staffing from various demographics. Poor question writing and an inability for deeper conversations leads to one of two conclusions:

• Only 16% of us attend churches where more than one demographic is represented on staff ...
  
• Or, only 16% of us have churches who intentionally staff to match local diversity.

Holding services with different music types. I think we've all seen this. An 8:00 a.m. "early bird" (read: old person) service and a later "contemporary" service. Advantage: Avoiding an AARP coup d'etat. Disadvantage: Huge disconnect between the younger and older generations, with big losses for both. 17% currently wage war on culture clashes in this manner.

Continue reading "Demographically Speaking Results"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 12:54 PM
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March 14, 2007

Grade Your Church Poll

Last week, we asked you, scholarly CMS reader, to grade your churches on their marketing efforts. Upon receiving the grades and entering them into our computers, the averages were less than we had hoped for.

50% of you went with a grade of D or lower. That's troublesome. If your church were a marketing major, they would be that guy--you know, the one who is 35 and still trying to pass.

28% of the remainder went with a grade of C, described as "average." If we're grading on a curve, however, you're in good shape. Kudos to you, but keep it up.

A remaining 13% assigned a B and 9% an A. We'll go with three gold stars for each of you.

Big lesson at the end of the day: We live in a world that needs to hear our story, and we have to keep reinventing and improving how we tell it. If your church isn't passing, teach them how. If your church is passing, teach them how to get closer to that elusive perfect score.

Now, we turn to how your church ministers to various demographics. In the mean time, however, utilize our comment section and talk to one another about your grades. Don't be ashamed. Here's the question to get you started: What grade did you assign your church and why?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 4:59 PM
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March 6, 2007

Awards Poll

Last week we ran a story about an Amarillo, Texas church that won a best in show Addy Award. Not too shabby. So we wondered how many other churches were going up against the big boys.

The answer? Not too many. 9% claim to have more awards than us (come now, how hard is it to beat more than zero?) and 1% said they entered and lost. Another 10% are thinking about entering now and 80% were clueless. So perhaps this is the education you needed. Get out there and strut your marketing stuff. And if you need some help, turn to the Church Marketing Lab.

This week we go back to school and ask you to grade your church's marketing.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:17 AM
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February 27, 2007

Unnecessary Church Ministries Poll

Last week our poll asked about unnecessary church ministries, an admittedly tongue-in-cheek follow up to a pro and con discussion about cutting back on what churches do. The giant Jesus/cross ministry took the most votes with 52%. Next came the church sign ministry with an unimpressive 29%--but then again nobody can really beat a giant Jesus. A "security" ministry took 10%, narrowly beating out a church marketing ministry with 9%.

This week we return to serious and legitimate poll questions that have eternal weight--how many awards has your church won for church marketing?

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:15 AM
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February 20, 2007

Church Critics Poll

Last week we asked how your church deals with criticism. An amazing 45% said their church tackles criticism head on with honesty and openness. 27% said criticism was met with obfuscation and vagueness, which was more of what I expected. 14% went with denial, 9% with oblivious and 6% said it's a rarity.

Assuming our extremely scientific polling methods can be trusted, this is probably encouraging news that churches are getting better at dealing with criticism.

This week we ask what "ministries" churches should consider dropping.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:29 AM
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February 13, 2007

NFL vs. God Poll Results

Last week we asked what churches can learn from the church Super Bowl controversy. We received a nice range of responses, with making sure your bases are covered receiving the most votes at 40%. Other lessons all came in pretty close, from knowing about copyright laws (18%) to the advantages of flying under the radar (16%) to the need to be flexible (14%) and even the anti-culture folks (11%).

Pretty reflective of the fact that there are a lot of lessons to be learned. Or the NFL could just make it simpler and make church Super Bowl parties official.

This week we're asking how your church deals with criticism.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 4:57 PM
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February 6, 2007

Church Blogs II Poll

A little more than a year ago we asked about church blogging. Since the book The Blogging Church: Sharing the Story of Your Church Through Blogs by Brian Bailey and Terry Storch came out last month we thought we'd revisit that poll and see how the numbers have changed.

The result? Blogging is definitely increasing in usage. 31% of your churches are blogging, up from 21% last year. There are still 52% who haven't jumped on the blog-wagon yet, but that's down from 66% last year. More folks have also tried it with mixed results: 10% have a blog that hasn't been received well (double last year's 5%) and 5% have given up a blog (up from 4% last year). And this time around only 3% didn't know what a blog was, down from 5% in the previous poll. So the blogging is definitely spreading and hopefully doing some good.

This week we're asking what lessons can be learned from the church Super Bowl controversy. Sorry, Super Bowl™.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:34 AM
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January 30, 2007

Innovative Church Poll

To go along with our Innovative Church series we opted to do a little poll to find out how innovative your church is. The results are not that encouraging.

The majority (35%) went for "Depends on what you mean. Is using colored paper for handouts innovative?"--which, in case you were wondering, is not very innovative. Thankfully 25% said their church innovates like nobody's business. Closely followed by those who asked if using MySpace was innovative (23%), which is fairly innovative (it's not ground-breaking and mind-shattering, but it's pretty with it). A depressingly-high 17% said their church would be innovative 50 years ago.

This week we turn to the innovation of blogging with a resurrected poll. We first asked the question a little more than a year ago, so it will be interesting to see how that's changed. It's also quite timely, considering the book The Blogging Church came out earlier this month (a book CMS just happens to be mentioned in).

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 3:22 PM
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January 25, 2007

Cool Ideas Poll

Last week we asked about cool church promotional ideas, and while Chipotle is always tasty, nothing beats simply walking the walk. It's hardly a promotional idea so it's kind of cheating, but it does underscore our constant refrain that Christians who do what they're supposed to do are the best marketing ever.

For the record, Chipotle pulled in 23%, a well-put together series had 12%, and MySpace, user-created video and rappin' pastors all had 6%.

This week we ask if your church is innovative, going along with our current series.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:42 AM
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January 16, 2007

Church Tie in Poll

Last week we asked about the controversial issue of churches partnering with outside organizations. Brad started it with his post about church partnerships and then followed up with the example of Chipotle. The majority--57%--are fine with churches working with outside organizations, picking the 'anything that spreads the gospel without compromising the gospel' option, which is the tricky part of this whole endeavor. Next came the Chipotle fans with 27%, followed by the anti-partnership folks with 11%. Only 5% voted for perhaps the most high-profile example of church partnerships, The Passion of the Christ.

This week we're asking about the coolest church promotional idea you've heard lately, with room to write-in your own answer if you don't like the ones we picked.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:24 AM
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January 9, 2007

Newspaper Advertising Poll

Last week we asked about newspaper advertising. It was a shorter poll, thanks to some holiday delays.

But the outlook for church advertising in newspapers isn't that promising. 45% only do it for special events and 33% balked at the idea. Only 20% do advertise in newspapers and plan to stick with it. Of course this probably says more about the newspaper industry than the church marketing industry.

This week we're asking about that controversial topic of churches partnering with other organizations. Carry on.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:59 AM
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January 5, 2007

New Year Poll

Last week we asked about your church marketing hopes and dreams for 2007. The perennial favorite, a web site that doesn't make people cringe, took the top spot with 34%. Next came the novel concept of planning with 25%, followed by braqnd consistency at 21%. More of the same and as few typos as possible tied for 8%, and only 4% are planning a church name change in 2007.

May all your church marketing dreams come true in 2007.

This week we're asking about newspaper advertising.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:39 AM
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December 28, 2006

Happy Christmas Poll

We know you wanted an official Red Ryder, carbine action, 200 shot, range model air rifle, with a compass in the stock and a thing that tells time for Christmas, but we all know you'll shoot your eye out. How about a nice football? Or maybe something mentioned in recent Church Marketing Sucks blog entries?

Overwhelming, you wanted a fancy CMS T-shirt. If you ordered one you should have received it by now and you should be making all your friends jealous. Next up was a new name for your church, followed closely by a MySpace profile for your pastor. Then your very own rappin' pastor, a 'church protest called off for free' card and getting your church's domain name back.

We hope all your wildest Christmas dreams came true. This week we're asking about your church marketing hopes and dreams for 2007.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:18 AM
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December 19, 2006

CMS T-shirt Poll

Last week we asked about our Church Marketing Sucks T-shirt sale. We managed to sell over 100 shirts and for everyone who ordered one, they should be well on their way. Enjoy.

So we asked what everyone thought of the sale. 45% liked the idea and want to know when we can do more. That's the magic question. 33% said it wasn't a bad idea, but they want better designs. We'll see what we can do. 9% want more blogging and less swag. Ah, come on--can't we have both? 8% thought the shirts were too pricey. Meh to you too. And 5% thought we were sellouts. Well, you can't win them all.

Thanks to everyone who bought a shirt and helped support CFCC and CMS.

This week it's our Christmas poll: What do you want for Christmas assuming you could pick from stuff we recently blogged about?

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:59 AM
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December 14, 2006

Christmas Marketing Poll

Last week we asked about Christmas marketing. The most popular approach is extra services or special programs for Christmas, with 27% of respondents. Then it's a practical dead-heat between advertising, extra announcements, word of mouth and a special Christmas sermon series.

The witty slogan on the church sign didn't fair so well with only 2%. In the 'other' category, several people said their church was doing nothing. And one person said their church was canceling services since it went over so well last year (it's a joke!).

We asked a similar question last year and it looks like the results are pretty much the same. If anything, a few more people are doing some of the basics like advertising, extra announcements and word of mouth, but the most common approach then as now was to do extra or special services for Christmas.

This week we're asking what you thought of our T-shirt sale.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:43 AM
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December 5, 2006

CMS Store is Closed / Shirts Poll

We hope you got your CMS T-shirts if you wanted them because the Church Marketing Sucks store is now officially closed. Thanks to everyone who ordered a shirt or two (or three) and helped support this blog and the wider effort of the Center for Church Communication. We sold just over 100 T-shirts, which isn't too shabby for only having them available for two weeks.

Now that we've taken the orders we'll print a limited run of the shirts and ship them out by December 13 at the latest, arriving in time for Christmas.

It's been a good learning process for us, and hopefully we'll be able to offer shirts and other products again in the future. Thanks for your support!

And now for the results. Last week we asked which shirt design was your favorite. 'That's How We've Always Done It!' won by a landslide, taking 42% of the vote. Definitely your favorite, based on the poll and because it was the most popular shirt ordered. Our motto shirt was next bearing the 'Frustrate. Educate. Motivate.' slogan with 17%. The three remaining shirts tied with 11% each, which is interesting considering the 'Christianese' outsold both the other two shirts by a wide margin. And 7% just weren't impressed with our desig