January 18, 2010

The Truest Form of Relevance

by Pam Parish, guest blogger

As a church marketer, I often read articles questioning whether or not the church is relevant, a copycat or not original. I read these because it's my job to represent my local church body with excellence and originality, but, more importantly, I have a responsibility as a Christian to represent Christ with the utmost integrity because I am fully aware that a jaded world is watching.

What I've discovered this past week is that even though relevance in the form of communications, art and presentation of the gospel are all important, the truest form of relevance is expressed when the spirit of God within us is compelled to help others who are hurting.

In the past few days, we've all witnessed one of the greatest natural disasters in our lifetimes. An entire country ripped apart by a massive earthquake, thousands dead and millions without basic communications, food, medical attention and water. However, we've also witnessed an outpouring of response through aide, prayer and awareness from the church that the jaded world is also watching.

I looked up the definition of relevant and this is what I found, "bearing upon or connected with the matter in hand; pertinent." Personally, I think as Christians and as church bodies we've more than lived up to the truest definition of being relevant in the past few days. And, even though we can't forget our responsibility on the communications side of relevance, we must give credit where credit is due and, when it comes to helping those in need, Christian organizations and the church deserve an A+.

Posted by Guest Blogger at 8:00 AM
| Comments (1) | TrackBack

January 12, 2010

Why Can't Christians Be Original?

Encouraging the church not to be a copycat is a popular topic around here. The subject landed a spot in our top 10 posts of 2009 and was your pick for third best advice we offered in 2009. Even today I came across a blog called Stuff Christian Culture Likes, which kind of reminds me of Stuff Christians Like (the book comes out April 1, no joke), which probably reminds you of Stuff White People Like (the book is available now). Let's give Stuff Christians Like founder Jonathan Acuff some credit though--he gives a quiet nod to Stuff White People Like in his very first post.

OK, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. There can be room to take inspiration and even do parody and make something new, creative and interesting. Sometimes the best jokes are simply references to more pop culture. But it gets old at some point, right? Let's not start Stuff Churches Like.

Whatever happened to originality? Our own Brad Abare talked with the Associated Press about "Jesus junk" recently:

"We think it's just dumb. It's not a true reflection of creativity." ...

Abare wishes that Christians paid more attention to the "Thou shall not steal" commandment. "The whole claim for Christians in general is that God is the source of all creativity. I think there's something to being original that will speak to people in a way that we don't have to copy."

Continue reading "Why Can't Christians Be Original?"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:37 AM
| Comments (10) | TrackBack

December 21, 2009

Called to Consistency & Living in Brokenness

From the beginning one of the communications issues we've continually harped on is that some of the very worst marketing for churches is Christians themselves. So often we're a poor advertisement for the faith we want to spread.

You don't have to look far to find examples of ethical failures. Like most years, 2009 is chock full of examples:

• South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford made headlines for "hiking on the Appalachian Trail," the excuse he gave when he was really using tax payer funds to rendezvous with his mistress in Argentina.
• Golfer Tiger Woods joined the infidelity club around Thanksgiving with his mysterious car crash. He eventually apologized for "transgressions." After at least a dozen women admitted to having affairs with Woods, he apologized again and admitted to "infidelity." He's currently taking an indefinite hiatus from professional golf and watching his many sponsors drop him like a rock.

Of course those are just two high profile examples of mainstream figures getting caught up in their own lies. Sadly, the famous person cheating on their spouse is hardly remarkable.

Unfortunately, the church isn't immune from our own stories this year:

• Cape Girardeau pastor gets six months in fraud case.
• Gaston County pastor faces 11 charges of sexual battery and 1 charge of sexual assault.
• Plaquemines Parish pastor faces fraud and drug charges.
• Surrey pastor jailed for enticing rape of teen church member.
• Miami pastor found guilty of looting county grant funds.
• Fond du Lac pastor makes off with thousands of dollars of holiday offerings.
• New York pastor used church funds to pay for plastic surgery (his lawyer said he was "very sorry").
• Miami-Dade pastor and his wife convicted of $7 million money-laundering and mortgage fraud.
• A little closer to home, well known blogger and pastor of Revolution Church in Canton, Ga., Gary Lamb stepped down earlier this year. (Your standard pastor cheats on his wife scenario, if such a thing can be standard.)
• Then there's the bizarre case of a NewSpring Church staff member and several volunteers harassing a blogger who criticized NewSpring pastor Perry Noble. [Sidebar: The wackiness of this story goes much deeper with the blog posts of James Duncan, who outs himself as the harassed critic and publishes volumes of detail on this debate, much of which questions the veracity of that vague NewSpring blog post and, if true, raises some serious questions. Of course nothing has been independently verified, it's just blog vs. blog, so we'll delve no deeper.]

Whew. Depressed yet? I think I may have inadvertently ruined Christmas.

There are two solutions to this.

Continue reading "Called to Consistency & Living in Brokenness"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:13 AM
| Comments (6) | TrackBack

October 20, 2009

Tell a Story That's True

I keep coming across videos being passed around by Christians that are essentially video versions of debunked e-mail forwards. There's the more professional "Does God Exist?" video featuring a childhood Albert Einstein (oh wait, no, Snoped!) and the more homemade "This Will Keep Us All Thinking" video telling the story of a USC professor who disproves God every semester (and Snoped!). Both videos have upwards of 100,000 views, boatloads of comments (don't even go there unless you want to see lots of idiocy) and both are being used to argue for the inclusion of religion in schools. The more professional version is from Macedonia's Ministry of Education and Science and is arguing for religion in general, the other video is being used by an organization arguing to put Christ back in schools.

The irony is deep.

Let's make an argument to put religion back in schools that uses debunked stories that we claim are true. That doesn't say much for the type of educational improvement you want or the integrity of the religion you're promoting.

Continue reading "Tell a Story That's True"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:22 AM
| Comments (7) | TrackBack

October 8, 2009

America's Giving Challenge

The Case Foundation just kicked off a month long fund raising effort with America's Giving Challenge. They're giving away $150,000 in prize money to charities that can mobilize the most supporters from Oct. 7 to Nov. 6. There will be daily prizes of $1,000 and $500 to the charities with the most donations, and month-long prizes of $50,000, $25,000 and $10,000 for the top seven charities.

It's all based on the number of donations, not the amount donated, and it utilizes Facebook's Causes application. Which means it's all about spreading the word in your network. The minimum donation is $10 and you can donate once per day to be counted towards the daily totals.

So what does this have to do with church marketing?

Continue reading "America's Giving Challenge"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:21 AM
| Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 29, 2009

We're Sorry, One More Time

Recently, I gave a little bit of a rough time to Christian apologists. All too often, I've found myself wanting to apologize because it's the cool thing to do in front of Christian friends, and it seems "spiritual." But what does a real and honest apology look like?

Apparently, it looks like the churches of Sacramento.

Reverend Rick Cole personally and publicly apologized to Christina Silvas and Ben Sharpe.

Eight years ago, Silva was working as a stripper while putting her daughter through the church's school. Due to her profession, the church asked her to remove her daughter from the school.

Ben Sharpe, 14 years ago, was asked not to attend his eight-grade graduation for having a buzz cut. Apparently his haircut violated school policy.

But on a recent Sunday, in one service, one apology was able to turn 22 years of pain and negativity into a net-positive for those involved and the community.

And the article doesn't stop there. It has more stories from the Sacramento area, including this:

At Impact Community Church in Elk Grove, congregants made gift baskets and dropped them off at gay civil-rights organizations and strip clubs with attached notes apologizing for the words and actions of some religious leaders.

It's so moving to see these churches reaching out in love. They're meeting face-to-face, apologizing for their actions and humbly repenting on behalf of themselves and their communities--showing grace to their neighbors, both secular and religious.

If you ask me, that's how you do an apology.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:30 AM
| Comments (6) | TrackBack

September 16, 2009

We're Sorry, Again and Again

Recently, Just Wallpaper published an open letter to those who have been burned by churches. I've either heard or seen similar apologies other places, and I just can't decide how I feel about them.

This apology is certainly well-communicated, poignant and heartfelt, but will anyone read an apology letter on someone's blog and suddenly be ready to join a church? It's my hope that this apology letter won't stay on a blog, but it will become real, honest and unstated--manifesting itself in life change and real relationships far more than blog posts.

I'm not saying this blogger is guilty of any or all of these. But I think before we do what seems hip and loving, we should ask ourselves a few questions:

Who reads this stuff anyway?
Are all of these blog readers Christians? It's pretty easy to fall into the trap of in-talking amongst believers about all that we want to do or should do, without actually doing anything. I've definitely fallen into this trap myself. Hopefully the idea is to share this with some non-Christian friends. Even better, the author might have already shared it with some of his secular friends, and he's just posting it for encouragement. Teaching is all right, but doing is what matters.

Continue reading "We're Sorry, Again and Again"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:07 AM
| Comments (5) | TrackBack

September 1, 2009

Creatively Communicating Love

Communicating love can be unbelievably difficult--especially to those unlike ourselves. I don't know if it's a deep-seeded psychological issue, a fear of the unknown or some other strange side effect of an apple in a garden a long time ago, but it's certainly something.

Recently, I've seen a couple examples of creative, extraordinary love that I wanted to share. Hopefully, they'll get you and your church inspired to experience and show love in ways you'd never dreamed of.

I might be called a heretic for applauding this move, but Brian McLaren is observing Ramadan. He explains himself:

"We are not doing so in order to become Muslims: we are deeply committed Christians. But as Christians, we want to come close to our Muslim neighbors and to share this important part of life with them. Just as Jesus, a devout Jew, overcame religious prejudice and learned from a Syrophonecian woman and was inspired by her faith 2,000 years ago (Matthew 15:21 ff, Mark 7:24 ff), we seek to learn from our Muslim sisters and brothers today."

Continue reading "Creatively Communicating Love"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:02 AM
| Comments (10) | TrackBack

August 19, 2009

7 is greater than 1

7 is greater than 1. I know that sounds obvious, but as this video from Soul City Church reminds us, we seem to forget that when it comes to church. That's a big reason I do what I do. We need to communicate in a way that is sticky, sticky enough to show up on Tuesday and Thursday and not just a warm fuzzy feeling on Sunday. Watch the video and let it challenge you not just in the way you do church, but also in the way you live your life.

Soul City Church hasn't launched yet, but if this video is an example of what they're going to unleash they're one to watch.

Posted by Michael Buckingham at 7:35 AM
| Comments (11) | TrackBack

July 1, 2009

The Power of a Testimony

by Tobias Sturesson, Guest Blogger

"And they have overcome (conquered) him by means of the blood of the Lamb and by the utterance of their testimony..." (Revelation 12:1, Amplified Bible)

In the marketing world, there is a great understanding of the power of a testimony. It doesn't matter what you claim about your product, but it does matter that some of the people who have used your product share their experience.

I am involved in the marketing strategy group of a large Christian conference center in Sweden, and we encourage all of our guests to comment on their visit. Then, we ask for permission to use that in our printed material or on our web site, and it has proven to be incredibly effective for us.

Continue reading "The Power of a Testimony"

Posted by Guest Blogger at 7:21 AM
| Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 24, 2009

The Soloist

Thanks to the kindness of a well connected friend, I attended an advance screening of The Soloist, releasing in theaters across the country today. The movie stars Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey, Jr., and is based on the true story of Nathaniel Ayers (Foxx), a homeless musical prodigy living on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles, and his relationship with LA Times reporter Steve Lopez (Downey).

Being both a resident of downtown LA--my wife and I live a few blocks from Skid Row--and a regular fan of Steve Lopez's column, it was as if home had hit the silver screen. Or had the silver screen hit home?

The Soloist is the perfect movie to take a small group to see and then discuss afterward. Warning: your discussion may quickly turn to action so this is not the movie to see for the good-intentioned. It's a shining example of friendship and the implications such a relationship can have on both the homeless and home-blessed.

Continue reading "The Soloist"

Posted by Brad Abare at 6:12 AM
| Comments (4) | TrackBack

March 10, 2009

Mark Batterson: Church is a Tag-Team Sport

I love wild-goose-chaser and National Community Church pastor Mark Batterson's blog entry this morning: Church is a Tag-Team Sport. It's a good reminder of the powerful word of mouth, person to person spread of Christianity that has been so effective over 2,000 years.

The best form of advertising always has been and always will be word of mouth. ... We believe that church is a tag-team sport. When NCCers walk in they tag our worship team and creative team and teaching team and say, "Go for it." When NCCers walk out we tag them and say, "Go for it."

Tag. You're in.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:03 AM
| Comments (1) | TrackBack

February 26, 2009

To Create or Copy?

It's a huge question among churches. One side says, "Now now, there's no need to reinvent the wheel." The other side says, "But it's about artistic integrity and beauty, man!" When it comes down to it, you could also argue in terms of stewardship. After all, creation is pretty doggone expensive. But then again, you could argue in terms of integrity. We have a responsibility to explore the creativity God has given us, and copying is just plain wrong.

In other words, the argument could go on forever.

Recently, Tim Stevens took the position of "Create if you can, and creatively copy if you can't." He argues that:

You can be innovative without being original. Sometimes the most innovative idea for your church or your community is something that was borrowed from somewhere else. That is okay, because being original is overrated ...

... It is 2009, and there are amazing resources available to you. Most our ideas come from taking someone else's idea and making it work for us. We Grangerize it. That is, we make it work for our culture, and that is okay with us. We truly do not care whether what we do is original or not--we just care if it works. If it is effective, who cares whether we got the idea from a church in Tupelo or off of YouTube? If we can use the idea to impact our community, why does it matter if it is an already-been-used idea from LifeChurch.tv or Willow Creek?

[Note: And just to be clear, borrowing someone else's idea and building on it does not mean stealing their work. It's OK to be inspired by someone else's work. It's not OK to steal their work.]

Continue reading "To Create or Copy?"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:03 AM
| Comments (6) | TrackBack

December 23, 2008

For the Love of God Rethink Christmas

We recently talked about God's bailout plan, and I brought up the point that some churches are doing some pretty dumb things, especially in relation to Christmas. The one that really hit a chord with me was this: an archbishop who gave churches "some pastoral insights and suggestions about how we might prepare to celebrate Christmas this year when economic conditions are so grim."

At first glance, it seems benign. At second glance, however, there is a deep, deep issue. How far off do we have to be if the celebration of a baby born in dirt and straw can be impacted by economic conditions?

I think Jesus would be heartbroken (or even angry) that churches so often remain silent on the frivolity of Black Friday or having a fully-stocked living room on Christmas morning while so many are in such desperate need.

Sometimes, I worry that we're more committed to Santa Claus than Christ himself around this time of year.

Continue reading "For the Love of God Rethink Christmas"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 11:35 AM
| Comments (16) | TrackBack

December 12, 2008

God's Bailout Plan

Things in Detroit are rough, and church leaders are having to decide how to help their congregations through these difficult times. The New York Times tells their stories.

One churches featured SUVs on their stage during services, and another invited members of the United Auto Workers union to speak. Another changed their church sign to urge passer-bys to come in and hear "God's bailout plan."

The real kicker is the archbishop who offered “some pastoral insights and suggestions about how we might prepare to celebrate Christmas this year when economic conditions are so grim.”

SUVs on stage? Another cheesy church sign? Churches needing insight on how to celebrate Christmas without their congregations spending boatloads on gifts?

Looks like even though the economy is tanking, church marketing still sucks.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 9:52 AM
| Comments (6) | TrackBack

December 2, 2008

Protesting the Church

A couple weeks ago more than 1,000 people marched in front of Rick Warren's Saddleback Church to protest his support of Proposition 8, the California ballot initiative that banned gay marriage. I'm not interested in talking about Prop 8, gay marriage or Rick Warren (this is Church Marketing Sucks, not Church Politics Sucks). I want to talk about protesting the church.

When I heard that news report I had two contradictory reactions:

• Churches should act in such a loving, honest and humble manner that no one ever wants to protest us.
• Churches should act in such an outrageous, radical, counter-cultural manner than someone is always protesting us.

Continue reading "Protesting the Church"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:07 AM
| Comments (6) | TrackBack

November 20, 2008

Why Do You Do What You Do?

I see too many people in ministry, whether it's a pastor, media director or office assistant who would have a difficult time telling you why they do what they do. Sure, they could give you the right answer ... but they'd have a difficult time telling you the truth without admitting they're simply stuck.

If you resonate with that at all ... consider doing what Mark is doing. Mark is doing what the world would call 'the wrong thing.' You see, he's living in Los Angeles but he's not there for fame and fortune, he's not "living the dream."

Mark Horvath has broken the mold. He is not doing what makes sense, he's not doing something that even pays the bills--he is living out his passion and doing what burns deep inside of him. Mark has developed invisiblepeople.tv to tell the stories of the homeless, something he knows all too well as he once lived among them.

Continue reading "Why Do You Do What You Do?"

Posted by Michael Buckingham at 7:20 AM
| Comments (2) | TrackBack

September 24, 2008

Church and Politics Don't Mix

In a little more than a month we'll be having a presidential election in the United States. It's a big deal and I encourage everyone eligible to vote. But I think in this politically charged season the church needs to be reminded that we are not a political party. Our allegiance does not lie with the Republicans or the Democrats. Change we can believe in is not dependent on who governs this great nation.

And as great as this nation is, our cries should not end at God bless America, but continue to include God bless Iraq, God bless Afghanistan, God bless Ethiopia, God bless Haiti, God bless China, God bless Peru--as Christians we should seek for God to bless all the people of the world.

All of this comes to mind because of the story of a missionary couple, Heather and Mike Colletto, trying to raise funds for their work with Trans World Radio in Slovakia. It seems their fund raising efforts have slowed because of Heather's support for Barack Obama. Heather defends her support of Obama and Mike cares more about why you vote for someone than who you vote for. He also points out that God isn't an American. Both Jason Boyett and the Burnside Writer's Blog have covered this issue and offered their perspectives.

The message this kind of action sends is that the church cares more about politics than evangelism. That sucks.

Continue reading "Church and Politics Don't Mix"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 5:46 AM
| Comments (19) | TrackBack

June 17, 2008

Marketing Fear

Seth Godin addresses a topic particularly pertinent for the church--the marketing of fear. He tells a little story where he got an offer for insurance against invasion, carjacking and other scary things humans do:

I got a note from Rob McGinley at Chubb Insurance today. Not a note, actually, but an official envelope, with the extra touch of bold red writing on the top of the official looking letter. Chubb, it turns out, is happy to sell me insurance against home invasion, carjacking, etc. The $110 a year includes coverage for psychiatric care and "reward money leading to the apprehension of the perpetrator."

He was less than happy. He took it as fear mongering and overstepping an ethical line. But how does his aversion to fear marketing translate to the church, which has commonly marketed fear? To many people, you could substitute terms to say something like this "The free gift of God includes coverage for life's troubles and worries, as well as eternal protection from the fiery furnaces of hell." But is this fear marketing a good way to go?

Continue reading "Marketing Fear"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 12:28 PM
| Comments (10) | TrackBack

March 25, 2008

A Prayer for Church Communication Professionals

I had lunch last week with an art director from one of the larger well-known churches in southern California. This guy (I'll call him Brian) oozes sincerity and has a real passion for seeing people--especially those in the 25 to 35-year-old crowd--get to know Jesus. Although Brian works at a church now, his background is in the corporate media world, including a stint at Disney. Brian could get a job anywhere making many times what he's making now, but he chooses to be where he is at because he wants to see the church get better at communication.

When you meet Brian and hang with him for more than a minute, you are immediately drawn to his let-it-all-out persona. He's dramatic, insightful and has little tolerance for crummy church communication. Brian is deeply frustrated with his own church for their apparent disregard for improving and, although he has been there for a couple years, he is at the end of his rope. I wouldn't be surprised to see his resignation any day.

My heart goes out to people like Brian as I know he's not alone. And while it's easy for me to criticize and condemn, I'm trying to get better at laying this stuff at the feet of Jesus.

Continue reading "A Prayer for Church Communication Professionals"

Posted by Brad Abare at 12:42 PM
| Comments (14) | TrackBack

March 11, 2008

Forget Marketing, Christian Living Sucks

A recent report from Christian pollsters the Barna Group, summed up in the book UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity ... and Why It Matters by David Kinnaman, has some bad news for churches.

Today's young people, ages 16-29, have a more critical view of Christians than previous generations. Specifically, they think Christians are judgmental, anti-homosexual, hypocritical, too political and sheltered. And that's not just a minority viewpoint--it's an overwhelming majority who say Christians are ...

• Anti-homosexual: 91%
• Judgmental: 87%
• Hypocritical: 85%
• Old-fashioned: 78%
• Too involved in politics: 75%

And those negative perceptions aren't simply perceptions:

"Going into this three-year project, I assumed that people’s perceptions were generally soft, based on misinformation, and would gradually morph into more traditional views. But then, as we probed why young people had come to such conclusions, I was surprised how much their perceptions were rooted in specific stories and personal interactions with Christians and in churches." -David Kinnaman

So what does this mean for churches?

Continue reading "Forget Marketing, Christian Living Sucks"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:14 PM
| Comments (29) | TrackBack

February 29, 2008

Gospel, Free of Charge

Reading what Paul had to say today was an interesting challenge to me as I look to share the gospel with others, and I think it will be a challenge to churches as well.

"What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel." (1 Corinthians 9:18 NASB)

Free. There's a marketing term that every corporation wishes they could use more often. As you set up programming, think about how to market and consider the best way to reach out, remember that our ultimate reward is to present the gospel without charge. There's no way to market like letting people know the gospel is free.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:53 AM
| Comments (4) | TrackBack

February 27, 2008

Weight Loss and Sex

Being fat and being sexy are two things that generally always lead to getting attention. From Victoria's Secret to The Biggest Looser, let's face it, we like looking at people. Two stories in recent weeks speak to this fascination we have with such topics by turning our desire to feel good and look good into a challenge.

You've heard about Relevant Church in Tampa, Fla. and their challenge to married couples to have sex every day for 30 days and to singles to abstain from sex for 30 days. But before all that hanky-panky, we should probably lose a little weight. In their daily "Across the USA" wrap-up on February 19, USA Today referenced the story out of Oklahoma City about the 15 “predominately black” churches that are participating in a weight-loss challenge. Zora Brown, a health care official with Integris Health, initiated the contest. Brown wants to address the “health disparities among blacks by fighting obesity.”

Although I do have my reservations about the approach for the sex-o-rama drive, I applaud both of these campaigns for their desire to see healthy relationships and healthy bodies. These are both really practical ways for bringing people together around a very worthwhile cause. The way these campaigns include insiders and outsiders is also a home-run.

Posted by Brad Abare at 6:13 AM
| Comments (3) | TrackBack

February 7, 2008

Jesus' Ministry Marketing

If you have a free minute, you might want to check out what Kent Shaffer has to say over at Church Relevance. He's currently on part three of a four part series--Jesus' Ministry Marketing--considering what ideal church marketing looks like.

He's been taking a look at the book of Mark and begins by considering the four P's of marketing: product, price, place and promotion.

Head over and follow along...

Posted by Joshua Cody at 11:46 AM
| Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 22, 2008

(Not) Celebrating MLK Day

This is an open question to local churches everywhere, specifically predominantly-white congregations: Where were the MLK Day celebrations?

Firsthand, I heard of none*. A news search led me to the celebration of Willow Creek Community Church and Salem Baptist Church. The largely white Willow Creek and the largely black Salem Baptist joined together to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and to promote unity.

This seems like a wonderful day to move towards breaking the "white church/black church" stereotype, and I'm not quite sure why more historically-white churches didn't follow suit with Willow Creek.

It provides great occasion to ask ourselves, what message are we sending to others not like ourselves?

Continue reading "(Not) Celebrating MLK Day"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:49 AM
| Comments (19) | TrackBack

January 10, 2008

A Reader's Resolution

by Brian Gaffney, Guest Blogger

Happy New Year friends! I am writing to share my 2008 resolution…

I pray that 2008 brings with it the day that we no longer debate the need for church marketing and unanimously agree that Christ's kingdom cannot afford for it to suck.

The urgency of our need to effectively spread the Good News was recently underscored for me when I came across a quote from Shelly Lazarus, Chairman and CEO of Ogilvy and Mather Worldwide, in the summer 2007 issue of Hermes, Columbia Business School’s alumni magazine:

“We are going to have to entice the consumer, seduce the consumer, charm him, invite her in a way that she cannot say 'no'. That is the creative challenge ... how do we make them come to us of their own free will? How do we surprise and delight, build connections and deep loyalty?"

Continue reading "A Reader's Resolution"

Posted by Guest Blogger at 6:14 AM
| Comments (6) | TrackBack

August 2, 2007

I-35W Bridge Collapse: A Church Marketing Perspective

You've surely heard by now, that the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed yesterday, killing at least four, injuring 79 and at least eight more are still missing. I live in the Twin Cities and while I don't normally take that bridge I did drive over it with my daughter the day before it collapsed. It's kind of surreal here and I'm having trouble tearing myself from the coverage (I've blogged about it here, here and here already).

I know church marketing and tragedy don't fit well together, but the reality is that churches still need to communicate--especially in times of tragedy. I feel a bit like a broken record trying to talk about churches communicating during tragedy (Virginia Tech, Katrina, Tsunami), but the need is still there and it often happens best through action, either by offering cold water ("We're out here because we think that's what Jesus would do.") or taking part in a prayer walk (Facebook login required) or whatever works. It's that simple.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:13 PM
| Comments (3) | TrackBack

July 27, 2007

Building A Network

by Kevin Peterson, Guest Blogger

Call it church marketing if you want, but Southeast Christian in Louisville, Ky. (my own church) is taking a unique approach to reaching the community.

Kyle Idleman has taken a three-part sermon series and turned it on its ear. The series is focused on prayer, not so much how to pray, but why we should pray. In an effort to connect the community to prayer, 25 small ballot boxes were placed around town.

You’ll find them in restaurants, doctor’s offices, bus stations, stores and even a prison. Each box has a simple sign letting people know they can write their prayer request on a slip of paper and a church in their community will pray for them. Or if they would like they can visit www.prayerboxnetwork.com (Ed. note: Link no longer working as of June 15th, 2008) and enter their request or praise online.

Continue reading "Building A Network"

Posted by Guest Blogger at 11:48 AM
| Comments (11) | TrackBack

July 5, 2007

Turning Churches into Homeless Shelters

I stumbled on this satirical and presumably fictional piece last month. The fact that it quotes big-name mega-church pastors in the Twin Cities gives it an eerie feeling of authenticity. But what if it were true?

A network of large Christian churches in Minnesota's Twin Cities has announced a multi-point plan to fight homelessness. The announcement of the "Twin Cities Open Door Campaign" comes in response to what leaders are calling a "crisis of conscience" and contains many bold measures, most notably, plans to make church building spaces available to overnight guests that will be bussed to and from city centers.

"There are thousands on the street in this town and we've got these big, beautiful buildings just sitting here most nights," said Leith Anderson, Pastor of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie. Anderson, who also heads the National Association of Evangelicals, acknowledged skepticism, "Oh, we know people will think this is a joke, but we're quite serious. We hope we can provide a brand new model of how something like this might work for churches in other cities where shelters are overcrowded." ...

Some shudder to call this marketing, but as many have said before--doing what you're meant to do is the best form of marketing (which is why everyone is so excited about the iPhone).

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:46 AM
| Comments (14) | TrackBack

April 20, 2007

The Church Responds To Virginia Tech Tragedy

As Virginia Tech and all of America continue to mourn and grieve, the church has begun to respond. In instances like this where there is little physical and monetary relief to provide, the primary responsibility of the church is obviously to be the hands of God--to bind up the broken-hearted and heal their wounds. Through love, prayer and godly counsel. Here's a little insight to how the church is responding so far ...

• New Life Christian Fellowship posts prayers and encouragements.
• Gateway Ministries church sends 15 people on a four hour ride to offer comfort.

Continue reading "The Church Responds To Virginia Tech Tragedy"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:15 AM
| Comments (1) | TrackBack

November 8, 2006

Ted Haggard and Church Marketing

It seems painfully ironic to me that the same week I posted about Christians taking each other down, we have a high profile example of Christians taking themselves down in Ted Haggard. It seems the church's biggest marketing problem isn't typos or cheesy graphics, it's false advertising.

So what should we learn in the light of the Ted Haggard mess?

Continue reading "Ted Haggard and Church Marketing"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:46 AM
| Comments (15) | TrackBack

November 2, 2006

Snakes in the Pew

Too often the work of communicating the message of the church is ruined because of the people in the church. Dr. Ergun Caner shared the message "Snakes in the Pew" (that's the direct link to the file, you can also see find it listed here, link via Tally Wilgis) at Liberty University's campus church expanding on the point. It's good stuff.

Caner's basic point is that while Christians need to get over ourselves, this junk still happens and we can't let it get in the way of following God. We can't let stupid Christians make us cynical or jaded. It's encouraging to hear for a cynical person like myself who went away to college only to have my church fall apart.

It's also ironic because just before I came across this link, I found this link (via Tadd Grandstaff). Apparently Kirk Cameron's Way of the Master is trying to take on Rob Bell's Nooma in some kind of spoof video smackdown.

What's so troubling about Christians and the church is that we're always trying to take each other down. Can't we all just get along? Or at least ignore each other and put our energy into actually doing something productive?

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:41 AM
| Comments (11) | TrackBack

October 31, 2005

Pastor Kyle Lake Electrocuted During Baptism Service

The news is spreading pretty quickly, both in the blog world and in the news, but in case you haven't heard pastor and author Kyle Lake was electrocuted while performing a baptism service yesterday and died. 33-year-old Lake reached for a microphone while standing in the water. Lake was a pastor at University Baptist Church in Waco, Texas and is survived by his wife and three children.

I didn't know Lake personally, but I did read one of his two books, Understanding God's Will (the other, (Re)understanding Prayer, came out earlier this month), and I loved his personal style. He brought a new understanding to that murky concept of God's will, which becomes even murkier in light of his death.

Continue reading "Pastor Kyle Lake Electrocuted During Baptism Service"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:26 AM
| Comments (5) | TrackBack

September 1, 2005

Churches Mobilize in Katrina Aftermath

In the aftermath of Katrina I'm just baffled at the chaos. You'd think we could do better.

The one tiny bit of consolation I have is the way churches and ministries are responding. Like the tsunami earlier this year, churches are stepping in. While it's odd to think of this in marketing terms, it's so good to see the church backing our words with action.

Continue reading "Churches Mobilize in Katrina Aftermath"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 5:47 PM
| Comments (2) | TrackBack

July 13, 2005

Social Club or Thermostat Church?

The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the position of the church:

"There was a time when the church was very powerful—in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society... . But the judgment of God is upon the church [today] as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the 20th century." ("Letter from a Birmingham Jail")

Are King's words coming to pass? For me, this is the heartbeat of Church Marketing Sucks. I see two primary problems which have made this site necessary: 1) The church has a hard time communicating its message. 2) The message we do communicate often fails because our authenticity is in jeopardy.

All the postcards and Google ads in the world won't fix the second problem.

(quote via Mission Safari)

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 5:09 AM
| Comments (3) | TrackBack

July 11, 2005

The Golden Rule

This has little directly to do with marketing, but I love the story. It's about Rev. Frank Santora, the senior pastor of a Faith Church in New Milford, Conn. Santora was preaching on the golden rule, and shared a story about how he could have sued a roofer who put a leaky roof on Santora's house and then charged Santora for the materials to fix it. Instead he just paid the roofer to finish the job.

"I thought, maybe this man charged me the $1,500 for the materials because he couldn't afford to pay for them himself and was simply too embarrassed to admit it," he said. "And maybe what I have to do is swallow the cost so this guy's thoughts of Christianity and of ministers won't be tainted."

How many churches, how many pastors, how many Christians are willing to take that approach? Yes, you could be taken advantage of, but it seems the greater risk is making someone else feel cheated. It doesn't sound right to my ideas of fairness, but Jesus isn't really interested in that, is he? I wish it was something I could live up to.

And yes, I'd also agree that it's maybe a story better kept to yourself. Then again, if we always took that route there'd be little to challenge and inspire.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:08 PM
| Comments (11) | TrackBack

March 28, 2005

Diversity in the Pews

The Church of Saint Joseph in Spring Valley, N.Y. has something few other churches have: diversity. Weekly attendance is at nearly 4,000, spread over services in four languages: English, Spanish, Haitian-Creole and Polish.

As the New York Times (registration required) described the scene:

She pointed to a bulletin board where flags from more than a dozen countries surrounded a quotation from the Book of Psalms: "O Lord, let all nations praise you."

The same phrase is repeated on the church's bumper sticker, and its meaning was evident in the church pews during the 9 a.m. English Mass. Skin tones and clothing representing many nationalities could be seen in nearly every row, the physical differences only highlighted as people knelt to pray in unison.

The article doesn't describe how Saint Joseph's became so diverse (this post links to a few potential resources), but overcoming institutional racism and embracing diversity is something the church must do. The blogosphere has been dealing with this charge lately, when will the church?

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:50 AM
| Comments (1) | TrackBack

March 22, 2005

Liquor in Church? Not in Maryland.

A Maryland church caused a ruckus after applying for a liquor license for their new banquet hall, and then quickly withdrew the application after a state lawmaker raised concerns.

"Many communities are concerned about the real intent of the church when people who are very devoted to the Christian principles apply for a liquor license," said lawmaker Joanne C. Benson.

I'm not much of a drinker myself—communion wine is all I ever imbibe, and I don't even like the taste of that—but I don't see why the church has to be so incredibly anti-alcohol. I would think being devoted to Christian principles would require a responsible approach to alcohol, not an abdication. Certainly the church shouldn't be encouraging drunkenness, but why can't a church-owned banquet hall be a safe place to drink alcohol?

What would it say to the community if the church stepped up and brought responsibility to alcohol? What if the church's banquet hall was a place where you could have a wedding or other party, serve alcohol, and not be worried about drunken guests? What if the church led the way in helping recovering alcoholics, in stopping underage drinking, in ending drunk driving, and in providing a setting where responsible drinking could happen?

Instead of facing tough issues and trying to be a voice of societal change, we get backpedaling: "We choose not to present this type of image to our church and local community," wrote the church's senior pastor Bishop Don Meares. Too bad Jesus set a different precedent when he changed water in to wine.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:30 AM
| Comments (9) | TrackBack

March 3, 2005

Solidarity Doesn’t Suck

I love this story. Kevin Burkhart, pastor of United Methodist Church in Curtis, Neb.—known as "Rev. Kev"—shaved his head to show solidarity with two members of the congregation who are undergoing chemo treatments for breast cancer. It's a tiny gesture and part of his broader point of the way we need to support one another, especially in hard times. It's not marketing per se, but it's a sermon in action—and that rocks.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 5:17 PM
| Comments (1) | TrackBack

January 17, 2005

I Have a Dream

The 86-year-old evangelist Billy Graham was named by pastors across the board as having the greatest influence on churches and being the most trusted spokesperson for Christianity, according to a new report from George Barna (who found himself in the 8th spot for greatest influence). The likes of Rick Warren, George W. Bush and James Dobson top the list of greatest influencers, with a similar list for spokesperson minus Bush and including T.D. Jakes.

With the exception of T.D. Jakes, the top ten lists for all pastors from both categories feature nothing but white men. On a day like today that honors arguably the greatest church leader of the 20th century, it's sad to see that Sunday morning is still the most segregated hour of the week.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream and the Church rose up and left a mark on history. It seems a disservice to call it marketing, but it certainly has to be the Church at its best. If only the church of all places could live up to King's dream.

"Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over, and I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight, that we as a people will get to the Promised Land. And I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord." (from a sermon King delivered the night before he was assassinated.)

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:13 AM
| Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 6, 2005

Behavioral Marketing

by Andy Havens, Guest Blogger

I was reading a post titled "News from Australia" on Seth Godin's blog (author of the marketing books Purple Cow and Free Prize Inside) a few days ago. The second half of the post talks about a dentist who gets much happier after firing his "C" patients; those who complain constantly, don't pay on time (or ever) and make his life miserable. I was reminded of my time in retain marketing when we'd joke that we'd love a churn rate of 2% (losing 2% of our customers every month), if we could hand-pick the 2% that left.

Continue reading "Behavioral Marketing"

Posted by Guest Blogger at 7:38 AM
| Comments (4) | TrackBack

January 4, 2005

The Church Responds to Tsunami

In the wake of what has to be one of the worst national disasters in recent history*, the world is mobilizing with relief efforts for the tsunami victims. Despite early criticism for the “stingy” U.S. response, government relief has exploded while private efforts are being led by former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush.

Among all the stories of aid efforts, churches are coming up again and again.

“This is Christianity 101 applied, loving your neighbor in the extreme example,” said the Rev. Joe Kerrigan of Sacred Heart R.C. Church in New Brunswick.

Continue reading "The Church Responds to Tsunami"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:54 AM
| Comments (2) | TrackBack

November 23, 2004

The Pastor Can't Do it Alone

Marketing guru Seth Godin (author of Purple Cow and Free Prize Inside) has released a previous book in a free PDF format for a limited time only: The Bootstrapper's Bible.

The 103-page PDF covers the typical "bootstrapper" in business, the person who picks themselves up by their own bootstraps, making a business happen with few resources. It strikes me that these are the kinds of people needed in the church to make things happen. Often, they are pastors. But let's face it: pastors can't do it all on their own. Pew-warming lay people need to step up and help the church to be more.

As a side note, Godin comments on his own blog about the successfulness of spreading an idea when it's offered for free.

UPDATE: The limited time to download "The Bootstrapper's Bible" has expired, but Godin gives permission for others to post it online, so here it is:

The Bootstrapper's Bible by Seth Godin (PDF 1.1 MB)

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 2:14 PM
| Comments (1) | TrackBack

October 21, 2004

Marketing is Secondary

"I don't think we should try to improve our marketing until we first go back and look at our message, our content and our people." -Brian McLaren (see our interview)

Marketing needs to come out of who a church is, what their message is and who they are as a people. If the marketing sucks, then the problem might go deeper.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:01 AM
| Comments (7) | TrackBack

September 15, 2004

Apathy in the Pew

Doug Tappan doesn’t like church anymore, and said as much in his recent editorial:

"I’ve come to expect the church to forge my spiritual development. Instead of working on my own prayer and devotional life, I want the church to do it for me. ...

"I’d like to blame all this on our American culture of selfishness. I’d like to say that I am this way because I’ve been socially conditioned by all the advertising and marketing that I’m encountered with day after day; advertising that says things like ‘Have it Your Way.’ Well, I do want it my way. Don’t we all? Isn’t it true that if we don’t like how things are done at one church we can just go across town (or across the street, for some of us) and find a church that suits our felt needs better? Is that what Jesus intended for His church? Did He want us to forsake our churches just to seek ‘greener pastures’ somewhere else? It’s true that the Church is flawed. No church is exempt from this. But instead of giving up (or becoming total cynics of every last detail) we should be working to change that which is wrong in our churches, but more than that—to change that which is wrong in ourselves.”

I think Doug nails it. Church marketing may suck, but sometimes the blame lies with the people in the pews. Not that blame is the important thing, but it brings us back to the constant refrain that we are a broken people. Recognizing that is important.

It’s also interesting to note that Doug points a finger at the self-centeredness of current marketing. Does church marketing fall in that boat as well?

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:20 AM
| Comments (1) | TrackBack

September 13, 2004

Bono: No Respectability for the Church

Bono, the lead singer of U2 and the patron saint of culturally aware Christians, has made his views on AIDS and the church clear. He hates the idea of the church being uninvolved in something he sees as right in line with the church's mission:

"Christ's example is being demeaned by the church if they ignore the new leprosy, which is AIDS. The church is the sleeping giant here. If it wakes up to what's really going on in the rest of the world, it has a real role to play. If it doesn't, it will be irrelevant."

He goes on to attack the status quo in the church:

"To some people the church is their ticket to respectability, a certain bourgeois point of view, a safety net for when they go to bed. My idea of Christianity is no safety net, a scathing attack on bourgeois values, and a risk to respectability."

Continue reading "Bono: No Respectability for the Church"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 12:20 PM
| Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 5, 2004

False Advertising

"The greatest challenge the church faces today is to be authentic disciples of Jesus. ... That's one reason why the statistics on Christians generally don't differ from the statistics on non-Christians. We're not living a different life." -Dallas Willard (RelevantMagazine.com)

Christians are walking billboards for the church, and too often it's a case of false advertising. Church marketing sucks, but so do we. We're a sinful and broken people, but half the time we can't admit it. We put on an air of perfection, forgetting that in our brokenness we are complete. The church is for the broken, not the perfect.

Yet rather than accept our imperfection and live lives transformed by grace, we pretend to be perfect and wallow in our sin.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 1:05 PM
| Comments (8) | TrackBack