Advertising the church

This is the kind of thing that would keep me away from church as an unbeliever, and from that church as a believer.

 

There is a church here with a bill board ad. I ran into the pastor the other day and he invited me to church.

Churchs that use secular marketing methods are treating the church like a secular business and are promoting their own kingdom, their own morality. Not God's

That type of marketing is a draw to the unregenerate.

 

How is a billboard wrong? I don't see how advertising the church would be wrong.. some may be looking for a church. I don't see any difference in a billboard than a yellow page ad, or ad in the newspaper, or any other ad.

Am I missing something?

 

I think the problem is what they are advertising, not the fact they advertised. Maybe if they were celebrating the love of Christ instead of new carpet their add would be more accepted.

But that might not appeal to the world as much as new sound equipment. We don't want to offend the world of unbelievers by mentioning the name of Christ. :BangHead:

 

Yes, I am sorry if I was vague. I am not totally against advertising however The church is not to be marketed in the same way you would market a new fast food place in town.

 

I agree with you. Hey! We agree on something! :wavey:

 

I am sure we agree on a lot of things. In fact I seem to remember agreeing with you a lot in the past.
And remember ....can't think of his name now. Some how he got suspended and I never did know why but he was great too.

he had a hamster or something like that in his avatar.
Seems like the three of us were in some threads on the same side a lot a couple of years ago.

ALso there are some arrogant jerks that get on here. There are others who are honestly struggling with the truth.
You have always seemed like you were honestly struggling with the truth.
I for one have learned a lot from being on here.

Some things I was wrong and other things I have simply learned.
I never just changed over night but I have changed.

Believe it or not, I was a KJVO advocate when I first started here

 

Corporate church = corporate believers and corporate advertising.

Can't run a business on faith alone - gotta think like a big company, and that means thinking finances, advertising, and putting them to profitable use.

Doesn't it?

 

If I hear this line in an ad one more time, I think I'll throw up: "Come to our church where Jesus accepts you just as you are."

No, God accepts none of us apart from the blood of Jesus. I know what they're doing. They're trying to make you feel as you'd be welcome. They don't have to turn soteriology on its head to make the point, thought.

Another phrase turns me off: "Come hear dynamic preaching." As opposed to dull preaching? Give me a break.

 

What's wrong with celebrating the providence of God?

 

Ouch! You hit another of my hot buttons.

So does "soul-stirring music." As opposed to soul sleeping music?

 

I've been mulling over what kind of theme we would adopt if my church did heavy advertising. We're still pretty traditional--no praise teams, no contemporary music, pastor wears a coat and tie. So I'm thinking of something along the lines of:

"We're the church your grandparents attended."

"Are you looking for a hip, modern church with relevant preaching? We're not it."

"Tired of the church where you stand, jump up and down and wave your hands? At our church you can sit on your behind the whole time."

"Our pastor wears a tie on Sunday, but you don't have to."

Those ought to have them beating down the doors to get in.

Actually, I'm half joking and half serious. How does a church properly advertise itself beyond letting people know that it exists. How does it communicate the church's personality? I will confess that if I read an ad about a six-part series on How to Have Great Sex, I wll have some idea about that church?

 

If a church advertised that it bought new sound equipment, the first thought that would go through my head is this:

Wow, this must be a small, struggling church.. .in order for them to advertise something as mundane as sound equipment, and to make a big deal out of it, it must not be very big, and thus, must not be very successful. For a bigger church would simply install the equipment and move on.

 

Really? 'Cause I would think....so? I don't care about your sound system. What are you preaching? That's why I care about. But that's just me. :wavey:

 

Our church has done billboard advertising before, and I don't see how it is different from putting a motto or a few clever words on a marquee; except it will cost more, unless 'connections' take care of that. Most of them I have seen try to appeal to the youth, telling about "The Rock," our large youth meeting area with a picture of a band, or giving some numbers, like "Come and join over 400 involved young people..." I think we have also had some about sermon series and upcoming special programs. But I can see how a person might read about new equipment or carpeting and think "That's all they have to say?"

Nevertheless, churches seemed to have followed the example of lawyers and doctors. For decades, maybe centuries, the nature of the professions made it canonically 'unethical' to advertise, although it was not illegal. Since the 70's that has obviously changed. However, I never thought it was the ethics of not advertising professional services of such necessity and confidentiality as much as it was a means of the older and longer established docs and attorneys to keep patients/clients coming in by the free advertising of reputation and word-of-mouth. Those older ones, after all, mostly controlled the bar associations and medical boards who insisted on such "ethics;" witht that touch of hypocrisy for their own benefit. Still, in the minds of many, law firms, medical clinics, and churches represent something 'beyond' the elaborations, the exaggerations, and the incantations we associate with advertising. Churches, after all, are also involved with confidential help and teaching that must be done in a very specific way to benefit the individual. That churches have also thrown off some voluntary restraint in that way is unsurprising.