|
Church
Marketing – Product, Place, Price, and Promotion The Product The primary product our churches have today is the same as in the days of Pentecost. If we want our churches to grow, we do not need a better product or a better program, we need to go back to the days of Pentecost to that which has always worked. Churches today are struggling to be the first in line for the latest program. Other churches are talking to para-church groups trying to glean ideas. Still, the number one thing we are to do as Episcopalians is to tell men, women, boys, and girls that Christ Jesus died for their sins. Our message (the product) is the same as it was 2,000 years ago. That message is that Christ Jesus died for you and me, and that He promised to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. How we present our message is crucial. Ways in which we gathered the lost of our world 30 years ago may not work as effectively today. When I was growing up, all the preacher had to do was announce that we were having church and the place was full. Today mere articulation from the pastor is not enough. Why? Has our product changed? Is our message different from that on the day of Pentecost? No. The only difference is the way our listening audiences gather, retain, and respond to information. Throughout this plan book, many methods are shared to help your church overcome these modern barriers. The Place Has your church changed in the past 30 years? Does your church still position itself the way it did just a few decades before? You must consider these questions as you think about new ways to attract people to God and your church. One crucial subject to be mentioned is the way the church’s outside property and building look. Too often, church leaders do everything to make the inside look pleasing and never give any real attention to the way the outside of the buildings and the grounds look. The local church must realize it is in direct competition with everything that is attainable for the person who does not go to church, who does not want to hear about God’s unending love, who chooses to stay home on Sunday because the church has not discovered a way to touch that heartfelt need that only Christ Jesus can quench. You are in direct competition with everything that keeps people at home or at the office instead of developing a deeper relationship with God. A friend who is rector at an Episcopal Church in the The place is still the same, but new ways to use church facilities are being tried with great success. The Price People considering your church must be able to see what
God will do through their financial commitment to the church. Their
participation in local stewardship efforts must be considered. Is the price
in line with the perceived value? Does participation include a larger vision
and ministry? If you fail to excite church members in the total ministry of
your church, you will also fail to excite them in the church’s stewardship
goals. Many pastors cannot excite their churches in stewardship. They often
conclude that the ministry will continue exactly where it is. That is wrong.
With the growth of the baby boomers in churches today, that is to longer the
case. Baby boomers will leave one church and go to another just because they
feel that their participation counts for something in the new church. You
must emphasize the great calling God has for us to evangelize and to help
church members develop the excitement that your church is reaching out to the
world through its stewardship efforts. A church in The Promotion Promotion includes activities that communicate the merits of the church and persuade targeted prospects to visit the church. What does your community know about your church? Does your church name spark discussion or confusion? These questions deal with how you are viewed by your community. In your community, for instance, several views are probably held about your church. The first view is you are not only members of our church, but also the entire Episcopal community. That view is that something wonderful and meaningful is happening in our church. God is in the process of touching your community nd we are the tools to reach out to others to bring them into a closer relationship to God and you church community He is using us to touch lives and transform people. That is the view we all think the community perceives us to be. However, thanks to the media, and prior misconceptions people have about the Episcopal Church, we may also be views as “ sinners”, “too Catholic”,” not traditional enough”, “too much mystery, not enough Bible”…etc. Your job is to get the word out that God is here and is helping us to bring others to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and is reaching out to the community and giving them a warm and friendly place so that they may established you own special relationship with God. Adapted from Tom Chyney |