Church Marketing Sucks: Social Justice Archives

June 19, 2009

A Church You Can Call Home

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

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

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

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

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

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:27 AM
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May 27, 2009

The Church Needs to Get Angry

Eugene Cho asks if Christians just aren't angry enough about grave injustices like human trafficking. He does so with some language your grandmother wouldn't approve of (though he does use asterisks instead of typing out the actual word), so be warned.

Is it possible that we as Christians just aren’t angry enough about injustices like human trafficking and slavery? Perhaps, we’ve grown too desensitized, domesticated, and docile. I’m not trying to say this for the sake of the ’shock factor’ but I really believe there are times when the Church needs to have a deep[er] anger about the grave injustices of the world particularly when it involves the exploitation of children.

He goes on to talk about a movie screening his church did as a small way to begin to address this injustice.

What do you think? Do churches need to have more righteous anger over social justice issues? And here's the uncomfortable question: What kind of marketing message does that send?

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:53 AM
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May 22, 2009

Be Generous, Creatively

For many, a down economy is a frightful time. Luckily, as we've noted before, God is not taking part in the recession. This is a prime opportunity for churches to reach out and do good with their creativity and God's infinite resources. Luckily, some churches have been doing just that.

Check out Rock, Paper, Scissors, Love. It's a Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament to benefit the Rapid City Fire Department. It's great to see the church caring about the community in this way. It communicates, "We care when your house is burning down, and we want to partner with our town's bravest."

Last year, Willow Creek raised $700,000 in a single weekend to support Feed My Starving Children, an organization that ships meals to over 60 countries to feed starving children. This year? $1.3 million. It's another example of a church thriving in the midst of tough times.

What is your church doing to get both generous and creative in tough times?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:09 AM
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May 15, 2009

Taking Church Beyond Sunday

So that Compassion blogging indie rocker Shaun Groves has a sarcastic little blog post about how church leaders in the developing world don't get it. They're doing goofy things like feeding the poor, job training and education ("stuff we Christians in America are savvy enough to get politicians and nonprofits to do for us") and even filling up their church buildings on non-Sundays. That's crazy.

It's striking nerves and spreading across Twitter. So Groves followed up with a question: "Now what will you do about it?" He's gathering responses and plans to share them next week.

I love the idea of churches being more than Sunday and churches doing more than a church service. We should be doing service, not just sitting through a service. How can your church begin to follow the example of leaders in the developing world (or how are you already doing it)?

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 12:07 PM
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April 30, 2009

Churches Moving from Success to Significance

We've talked about Jim Collins' Good to Great before, but a Leadership Journal article (admittedly from 2003, but relevant for today) explores churches that are moving from great to good.

The article notes that many companies, people and churches have sought after success, doing all they can to be great. But there comes a point when success is no longer fulfilling and those companies, people and churches turn to doing something significant (it's the opposite of the stereotypical mid-life crisis: instead of buying a red convertible, the 50-year-old becomes a missionary).

Instead of focusing on being great, these churches are focusing on doing good, following the model Jesus set (Acts 10:28: "he went around doing good"). Whether it's helping the homeless or teaching people to read, these churches are doing good instead of being great, and the good news goes with them.

The world could use some good today.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 5:40 AM
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March 27, 2009

Sustainable Farming Lessons From Churches

Your church doesn't have to lead the entire country of Cambodia to Christ. I'd like to go ahead and extend you that permission. Perhaps your church doesn't have the money to make it to Cambodia, or maybe you just have a strong aversion to the jungle. There is some good news, though. You can stay near your church and be who you are, and God can use it in huge ways.

At least that's what happened with one church in Texas. They had some people who wanted to make a difference and were good farmers, so they put two and two together. They used the old give a man a fish versus teaching a man to fish anecdote, and they decided to teach a town to farm.

Some farmers looking to help left Brownsville for Castilla Brito, and they taught them to raise sheep in addition to their subsistence farming. The Brownsville farmers had this to say, "Now the goal is to help them be good, profitable raisers of sheep...We pass our knowledge to them, and they can teach others in their village. They then have a ministry to help others."

The lesson here? You don't have to have a giant marketing budget or plans to save the entire world. Great marketing starts with doing what you do for the good of God and those around you.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:47 AM
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January 19, 2009

Reflecting on Martin Luther King Jr.

One of the great lessons of the radical we celebrate today, Martin Luther King Jr., is that change requires action:

"One of the great tragedies of life is that men seldom bridge the gulf between practice and profession, between doing and saying."

That's a central message to church marketing. All the postcards or billboards in the world, graphic design that could melt your face and a brilliant strategy to roll it all out mean nothing if we're not living it.

A few previous entries on King:

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:38 AM
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October 22, 2008

Methodists Go Fair Trade

It's been awhile since we've heard a good example of churches clamoring towards social justice in their marketing efforts, but it looks like the United Methodists are headed that direction.

With Halloween just around the corner, they're going to be making their chocolate fair trade. They're partnering with a Massachusetts cooperative operation to raise awareness of the importance of providing adequate wages to crop-producers to help them break out of poverty. From the press release:

Susan Burton, director of the United Methodist seminar program at the Board of Church and Society, became interested in the alternatives while trick-or-treating last year with her 3-year-old. While sorting through her daughter's candy, Burton found a postcard encouraging the purchase of Fair Trade Certified chocolate.
"I realized that was another way that I could put my faith into action, and I wanted to make this opportunity available to United Methodists," she said.

Organizers say the partnership offers United Methodists an opportunity to address systems that contribute to global poverty. Ministry with the poor has been identified as one of the denomination's four areas of ministry focus.

(link via MMI)

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:04 AM
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September 16, 2008

Social Media, Stories and Your Church

by Jeff Goins, Guest Blogger

I love my blog. Some days, I stay up until midnight working on it. Quite honestly, I tend to obsess over it. Yet, I know it’s worth the time investment (minus the obsession), because I’ve seen God use that little piece of technology do some amazing things.

About two years ago, I really got into social justice. It started with my friend and I visiting a group of homeless people living under a bridge. For Christmas, we contacted several local churches, co-workers and friends, asking them to contribute to helping meet the needs of this homeless community. The response was astounding. We carted two carloads of clothes and personal items downtown to celebrate the birth of Jesus with the poor.

Around this same time, I started blogging. At first, I hesitated sharing these stories of helping the poor via the web. I felt guilty for making a spectacle of them. Reluctantly, I posted a couple stories, curious to see how readers might respond. As I started to get some feedback, I saw how the blog was profoundly affecting other people’s lives. One reader in Oklahoma was so inspired after reading one of my stories that he immediately got into his car, found the nearest homeless person, and gave him a ride across town.

Continue reading "Social Media, Stories and Your Church"

Posted by Guest Blogger at 2:42 PM
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June 3, 2008

Put Your Faith to Work: Slice Carrots

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

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

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

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:36 PM
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April 22, 2008

The Church & Earth Day

Today's Earth Day and Jason Boyett reminds us that the church can still care about creation. He points to Tri Robinson, a pastor who wrote the book Saving God's Green Earth. The book is all about why the church should care about the environment and includes examples of things Robinson's church has done. The book's web site features a number of resources and may give you some ideas for how your church can be more eco-friendly.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:01 PM
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April 17, 2008

Just Ideas: Make That Coffee Fair Trade

This is part four of a four-part series called "Just Ideas," looking at ways your church can commit itself to fighting for justice and righteousness in the society around you.

The Presbyterians like their sweatshop-free shirts, and the Episcopalians have another idea for you to seek justice. Fair trade coffee. Here's how they describe it on their site:

A growing number of congregations and individuals are buying fair-trade, organic, shade-grown coffee. This means coffee growers in developing countries receive a fair wage for their product, which is grown in an environmentally friendly and sustainable fashion.

So when you're hanging out before and after church, drinking coffee and talking with your friends, what's that cup of joe supporting? Heck, maybe when someone is visiting your church, they'll take a sip of that cup, think about what you're doing and decide they want to be part of something like that.

When we support the economics and fairness of coffee growers around the world, we make a statement about Christ's love for those people and our love for those that Christ loves.

A Google search for "Fair trade coffee" will be your best friend as you start your search for a steamy cup of justice.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:18 AM
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April 16, 2008

Just Ideas: Be A Home for the Homeless

This is part three of a four-part series called "Just Ideas," looking at ways your church can commit itself to fighting for justice and righteousness in the society around you.

A while back, we covered a piece of satire discussing churches as a rotating homeless shelter. One of the most encouraging parts of the post (as the original link was a little discouraging) was the response in the comments. So many people have already been part of something like this or heard of something like this.

If you were to join with some other local churches, you could certainly share the burden of this and become a local network in support of local needs. If you could find ten or fifteen churches, you could give the homeless a roof every night in a month by just donating two or three nights yourself.

It puts minimal strain on church resources to be a homeless shelter for two days a month, yet it gets tons of people in your doors (in the shape of those experiencing homelessness and those looking to serve) who wouldn't normally attend. From a marketing standpoint, folks will see that you care about people, and everyone wants to be a part of that. Not to mention Jesus was homeless, so you surely get some extra bling on your heavenly mansion for that.

Check out a story of one church that did this for some inspiration. And in the comments, we'd still love to hear stories of churches doing this or thinking of taking the plunge.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:02 AM
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April 14, 2008

Just Ideas: Give Blood, Give Life

This is part two of a four-part series called "Just Ideas," looking at ways your church can commit itself to fighting for justice and righteousness in the society around you.

Tons of churches do blood drives. It's a great idea and a simple way to help out people in need--not to mention free juice and cookies (and Chick-fil-a coupons in my neck of the woods).

Your church is probably just as big a fan of saving lives as the next guy, so if you aren't already sponsoring blood drives or hosting them at your church, then get on it! It's a great way to save lives and let your community know you care. The thing about people is that if they feel like you want them to be alive, they're a lot more likely to listen to you.

The Seventh-Day Adventists of Australia had a marketing campaign this year called "ucan2." The premise is simple: Jesus gave his blood during the Easter season for us, you can too. They encouraged all their members to give blood in the lead-up to Easter to celebrate what Christ did for us. It's a great marketing campaign with a great cause behind it.

If you're interested, the Red Cross is a great place to start, as they provide resources to tell you how to sponsor a blood drive.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:52 AM
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April 10, 2008

Just Ideas: Buying Sweatshop-Free

This is part one of a four-part series called "Just Ideas," looking at ways the church can commit itself to fighting for justice and righteousness in the society around them.

Think sweatshops died out before the turn of the millennium? Think again. Many companies are still producing goods in conditions that are less than fair. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 helped out some, but then globalization led to a rebirth of sweatshops in the 90s and 00s. So here we are today.

For some, buying sweatshop-free is a matter of conviction; they feel there is no other just alternative. For others, the additional cost of buying sweatshop-free is better used elsewhere. But every single church should at least be opening a dialogue about their clothing and where it's coming from.

The Presbyterian Church takes an official stand on sweatshop-free clothing, helping congregations buy sweatshop-free and offering "hands-on options for congregations to participate in the global economy in faithful, just and responsible ways."

Continue reading "Just Ideas: Buying Sweatshop-Free"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 4:24 PM
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April 9, 2008

Chasing Justice with Mark Van Steenwyk

More and more churches are trying to do the right thing, beyond simple evangelism. They're reimagining everything they do and each step in their processes to see if they're glorifying God.

We're huge advocates of this process, and we want churches to seek integrity in every single thing they do. To celebrate this journey, we're launching a new category today, called simply Social Justice. We've got a few entries coming your way to get our momentum up and running, and we're going to start off by talking with Mark Van Steenwyk. He's a leading face in the "New Monasticism" movement, so check out what he has to say about the church's movement towards justice:

Mark, thanks for doing the interview. Why don't you go ahead and let us know a little bit about who you are.

Mark: I'm 32, married to Amy (coming up on 11 years of marriage) and our first kid is due April 1 [Editor's Note: Their first son was born in late March--Congrats Mark!]. I'm a Mennonite pastor, and my community Missio Dei sorta fits into the "New Monasticism" movement. A handful of us live in a community house together, most of us live within a couple miles of each other. Our rhythm of life together includes a Sunday evening gathering, a Wednesday evening hospitality meal, a urban community garden, and a Saturday afternoon meal in the park (that we call the "hospitality train"--you can find out more on our web site). Some of us also work and volunteer in the neighborhood. We're also exploring prayer rhythms together. We have a book of morning and evening prayers that we published (called the Missio Dei Breviary). The folks in our community house are trying to pray every evening together through our prayer book, and we encourage all folks in Missio Dei to pray the breviary morning and evenings.

Continue reading "Chasing Justice with Mark Van Steenwyk"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 1:45 PM
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