Church Marketing Myth No. 2

7 Comments

1. 
   Rich Blakemore - April 20th, 2010 at 10:01 pm

   What is God calling each individual church to do? And does it give God the glory I.e if we gather people by advertising, is God glorified? If we gather people by letting people know that we are here to help e.g. By spending money fixing single mums’ cars; mowing old peoples lawns; running a youth drop in centre; doing random acts of kindness; does that point to God more effectively than an ad in the local paper? Is marketing per se man’s work and a source of pride, or is it God breathed and a legit use of our talents; or is it both at different times? The key question is whether or not God will look at what we have done and say “well done good and faithful servant” – and that will be different for each church and person. Perhaps the best thing that any church can do with their finances is ask God what to do with them – and do their best to obey God. If some of those things end up being marketing oriented, then so be it.

2. 
   Stew - April 20th, 2010 at 11:43 pm

   Great post man. I also agree with the comment, but, if God has gifted someone with marketing or design talents isn’t it up to that person to use their marking gifts for the church? I mean, even if the church pays them, or even if they don’t… I think those of us that do this stuff should be using it to bring glory to God through the local church. My thoughts on the matter any way.

3. 
   stephy - April 21st, 2010 at 12:00 am

   Hmm, interesting food for thought.

4. 
   Laura Click - April 21st, 2010 at 12:02 am

   Churches are a lot like small businesses and non-profits….they don’t want to spend money. Remember the mantra, “you have to spend money to make money”? Well, the same applies to the church. While the church isn’t out to make profits, it does aim to reach the lost and bring more people closer to Christ. If you want to reach more people, you need to be willing to invest in that effort.
   Marketing is truly an investment. Churches are willing build new buildings or buy new equipment. I think marketing is just as important as those things. Certainly, churches need to be good stewards of their money, but I think the church that doesn’t embrace some level of marketing will remain stagnant.

5. 
   Danny Houle - April 21st, 2010 at 3:24 am

   Not investing in marketing is like keeping your light under a basket … it’s burning bright inside, but no one outside can see it well enough to know they don’t have to be walking around in the dark.
   If only there was a Bible verse to underscore the value of marketing!

6. 
   Rich Blakemore - April 21st, 2010 at 6:37 am

   What about prayer? I know of a number of people who have simply created some business cards and a website, and then prayed that God would bring the people in. And He has. So the question then becomes “when is marketing too much us, and not enough Him?” i.e. what types of marketing are all about us bringing people in and not about God bringing people in? I agree that people with marketing skills should use them to market the church – if God tells them to do it. But if He does not, it would seem to me to be more about the person’s need to succeed than about serving God’s purpose. Just because we can does not mean we should. It is like the whole evolution v. creation argument – just because I can argue it does not necessarily bring glory to God – and as I only have one life to live, it is much better spent doing the things that really demonstrate God’s love instead. The challenge with my arguments i.e. that prayer is more important is that we can often feel like we are doing nothing productive. Yet God is far more able to multiply our efforts through prayer than anything else.
   And that is the whole point…it is not about us…

7. 
   Mat Harris - April 22nd, 2010 at 1:37 pm

   Habakkuk 2:2 – “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.”
   Acts 6:7 – “Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly.”
   If you have God’s vision for your church…one that leads you to make a unique sound, and one that makes you have something relevant and important to say…one that gives you Divine influence over the community you serve and there is the power to change lives…then you have not only the right but the responsibility to make that vision plain, to write it down, and to distribute it. I tell churches who don’t have a vision not to spend a nickel on advertising. As a marketer, I’ve left money on the table. But there is a Divine order to this…first God grants a vision, then He brings a vehicle to carry that vision to the marketplace. You don’t need marketing if you don’t have a vision. But if you have a vision…then you are required to tell others.
   God has given us a formula for church growth. If the word of God can spread, then your church can multiply. How does it spread? Spend your money wisely, choose really innovative tactics with a known and measurable ROI (don’t just guess), pray, and release the marketing dollars strategically. Make the vision plain on tablets. Tell the world.

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