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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