Church Marketing

To some, the idea of church marketing
is a dirty concept, rooted in secularism.
To St.Paul, it was a necessity to market
the gospel to the heathen and all.

He did it by going into the streets
like a town crier announcing the news,
by making converts among the rich
who had influence in their communities.

Rick Warren started his Saddleback church
by knocking on the doors in his locale.
You can't just open the doors and 
expect people to find you, he said.

You have to emphasize community;
communal worship is the backbone
of every organized religion, because
it gives people another home.

They don't much care about theology
or whether your denomination is for
or against some social issue, they
just want to belong to a group.

They want to be told how to behave,
they want to be assured of God's love,
they want the strength to cope with
the vicissitudes of living.

Use the media to tell people that your 
church exists, that's all it's good for.
Most of it is free and responsive to
any kind of a good story.

Don't smother the furtive newcomers.
Greet them at the door, but give them
a chance to experience the services
for a while before signing them up.

The relationship will be cemented
when the newcomers find activities
that they feel comfortable with 
and enjoy doing in small groups.

They they become what we used
to call pillars of the church, and 
take part in the running and the
ownership of what is "their" church.