January 7, 2009

Activity vs. Action

Once again marketing guru Seth Godin stirred up some thinking with this post that caused me to think about all the ministries churches are involved with. While Seth is talking about online activity, this quote is worth pausing on:

"Is the work you're doing actually leading you where you want to go, or merely keeping you busy?"

Think about all the ministries housed in your church, all the effort you put into them and ask yourself that important question--is it leading you (and those you minister to) where you want (and need) to go?

Too often I believe we launch a ministry because it sounds like a great idea, or because someone really thinks it's needed, or maybe even because the hot church down the block just launched one. That can lead to busy work and often doesn't produce a result other than the addition of another ministry.

Before you launch the next ministry be sure that you understand the purpose and define where you want it to take you and those you minister to. There are great ministries that you can skip (or jump in head first). Maybe because there's someone better equipped for the task, maybe it's a question of focus or passion or maybe, and this is every bit as legitimate, you're already spread too thin.

Be purposeful in your ministry and don't confuse activity with action. This will create both successful ministry and happy ministers.

Posted by Michael Buckingham at 5:50 AM
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Next Christmas Poll

Last week we asked what you'd most like the Center for Church Communication (our nonprofit parent) to give you next Christmas.

Surprisingly, more than a quarter of you (25%) wanted a podcast. And I thought podcasts were so 2005. Next up two options tied with 18%, one wanting something offline like books or magazines and the other wanting more reports (like You Know You're In Church Communications If...). In the under 10% range we had a number of other options, including organized meetups (like the Local Labs), conferences, consulting and nothing.

Lastly, 13% of you (the 4th most popular option) wanted something else. Let us know in the comments what you've got in mind.

We'll see what 2009 has in store. We can't promise we'll deliver all of these things by next Christmas, but we can tell you that we are working on some of them. This week we're asking how your church handles copyright issuse.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 5:38 AM
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January 6, 2009

Jesus is Not a Brand: The Good

This is part two of a two-part post discussing the recent Christianity Today article Jesus is Not a Brand, by Tyler Wigg Stevenson, the author of Brand Jesus: Christianity in a Consumer Age.

Recently we discussed the shortcomings of Tyler Wigg Stevenson's views in "Jesus is Not a Brand." But he also has some wonderful insights to challenge churches in their marketing, and I'd like to look specifically at three of them.

Marketing is full of segmentation.
Wigg-Stevenson mentions Ford vs. Chevy and Mac vs. PC. Kem Meyer captured the essence of our spirit of debate succinctly recently on Twitter:

Here's an idea: How about this in 2009? Respective Apple & PC fans stop gloating and wishing for the other to fail. It's annoying.

Continue reading "Jesus is Not a Brand: The Good"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:03 AM
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January 5, 2009

Jesus is Not a Brand: The Bad

This is part one of a two-part post discussing the recent Christianity Today article Jesus is Not a Brand, by Tyler Wigg Stevenson, the author of Brand Christianity. We mentioned the article last week and generated some initial discussion.

"Jesus is Not a Brand" is well-written, and I think the author would find himself largely in agreement with us here at Church Marketing Sucks. I certainly recommend the entirety of his long article for intelligent discourse on some of the inherent problems with brands and the traps that churches can fall into.

He has arguments that are inspirational, eloquent and mostly spot-on, but I'd like to address a few of the article's fundamental flaws. This is neither an attack on him or Christianity Today, it is simply our addition to a great conversation surrounding church marketing. And moreover, judging by his article, it is largely a discussion in semantics.

All that said, let's get to his arguments and a few basic misinterpretations.

Continue reading "Jesus is Not a Brand: The Bad"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:02 AM
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January 2, 2009

Marketing Jesus: CMS in CT

The January 2009 issue of Christianity Today features a cover story on church marketing, "Jesus is Not a Brand" by Tyler Wigg-Stevenson (author of Brand Jesus: Christianity in a Consumerist Age). The lengthy article mentions Church Marketing Sucks and even quotes our own Joshua Cody.

It sparks a great conversation in the continuing debate about church marketing, though it doesn't seem like our perspective was fairly represented. We'll be posting a two-part response next week. Until then, what do you think? Is church marketing a lost cause, doomed by the very medium? Or is more complicated than that, a difficult journey through a minefield to find church marketing that touches the soul without selling that soul?

Personally, I always find it ironic when anti-marketing proponents communicate their message in a way that relies on marketing.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:53 PM
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Reimagining Church: Pursuing the Dream of Organic Christianity

by Jeff Goins, Guest Blogger

Reimagining Church is Frank Viola’s reconstructive sequel to the challenging, deconstructive critique of modern church practices, Pagan Christianity (co-authored with George Barna).

The basic synopsis of the book is built around the arguments presented in Pagan Christianity. Theoretically, the two books should be read together, but frankly, if you missed the prequel, you can still jump into the sequel and not get lost.

As a marketer for a para-church organization, there were some interesting points to glean. Of course, this isn’t a book on marketing, but it does call into question whether or not our definition of “the church” is accurate. So, I wondered to myself, as I read it, if I had unnecessarily been investing time into marketing an institution that really wasn’t supposed to be an institution.

Viola explores biblical ecclesiology from a narrative-based perspective of Scripture, admitting his own limitations and influences. He challenges the reader to imagine a church that only follows the New Testament model for fellowship and community and to dispose of practices that don’t comply with the examples given by the apostles and early Christians. The church, he argues rather simply, is primarily an organism, not an organization.

Continue reading "Reimagining Church: Pursuing the Dream of Organic Christianity"

Posted by Guest Blogger at 2:11 PM
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December 31, 2008

2008: The Year in Ads

It's that time of year--2008 roundup lists are everywhere. All year, we get articles like Seven Ways to Turbocharge Your Productivity Output Efficiency and Twelve Optimized Brand-Solution Strategies. But for a few sacred weeks, in the vacuum between Christmas and New Year's, everyone lets us know their "best of" lists. So all you church marketers, here's AdAge's best advertising of 2008 and Media Bistro's 10 worst ad spots. Sadly, no churches made the "best-of" list. But they didn't make the "worst-of" either!

My personal list? I'm so glad you asked:

• Chalk
• I Love the World
• Hovis Bread

If you're tempted to not go watch them, please overcome. All three are very inspiring.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 12:57 PM
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December 30, 2008

Interview with a Church Planter: Joe Boyd

This is part three of a four part series where Church Marketing Sucks discusses marketing with successful church planters. For part 1 we talked to Pete Hixson of Vinings Lake Church and in part 2 we talked to Don Record of actionchurch. In part three, we will be talking with Joe Boyd of Aviator Church.

Church Marketing Sucks: Hey Joe, it's great to have you join us for a little bit. Give us a quick, two-sentence intro of who you are and what you do.

Joe: Hi, I’m Joe Boyd, the founding pastor of Aviator Church, a church plant that reaches out to the people who live in the Air Capitol of the U.S., Derby, Kan. My wife and I parachuted into our community in January 2008, built a launch team of 50 people and launched September 2008 with 200 people. Within ten weeks we experienced 80 salvations and have have continued to grow every week since our start.

CMS: Wow, lots of growth fast. How did you get the word out about your church plant?

Continue reading "Interview with a Church Planter: Joe Boyd"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 2:34 PM
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Santa Claus Marketing Poll Results

As Santa Claus was flying through your neighborhood to deliver the latest and greatest goods, we were curious how many of your churches have used the jolly fat guy in your marketing.

It looks like most of you shy away from the modern update on Saint Nicholas. Over half of you stick to tiny baby Jesus and away from the overgrown Santa Claus. And another 9% of you go even further to call him Satan Claus. Overbearing Grinches? Christmas re-thinkers? A new offshoot of Christianity with an aversion to the color red? There's no telling why you hate Santa, but surely you have a good reason.

18% of you invite Santa in anytime and see him as an opening to talk about the real meaning of Christmas. While another 21% of you invite him in, but only in the format of something small -- a Santa hat or a "Ho Ho Ho!" from the pulpit, perhaps. You like good ol' St. Nick, but only in limited doses.

This week, we're looking to find out: What would you most like the Center for Church Communication to give you next Christmas?

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:08 AM
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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
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