Some churches hesitate to integrate “secular” business concepts like marketing with religious activities.
Churches are classified as non-profit entities, thus setting them apart from organizations just out to make a buck. Yet some of the methods businesses use to communicate value are surprisingly relevant to spreading the Gospel.
I believe that the church could learn a lot from business, specifically from marketing, to help achieve the mission of reaching all people for Jesus.
What is marketing?
According to the American Marketing Association, marketing is communicating, delivering, and exchanging offers that have value for customers, clients, or society at large. Based on this definition, it would seem marketing is completely applicable to churches. After all, we have the best and most valuable offer available. And the great commission calls us to communicate that offer to all nations. “But,” I hear you asking, “isn’t that evangelism?”
What is evangelism?
Webster’s dictionary defines evangelism as the winning or revival of personal commitments to Jesus Christ. But that does not address the how. Wikipedia defines evangelism as the preaching (that’s the action) of the Christian gospel or the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs with the objective of conversion. So it is communicating the gospel (the offer of salvation that has incredible value) to a group of people. Evangelism and marketing sound incredibly similar to me.
What’s the difference?
The primary difference lies in our biggest advantage, who we have on our side. While companies rely on emotions, logic, or impulse for sales, we have the most powerful agent for change working on our behalf, the Holy Spirit.
Another key difference is the amount of resources dedicated to understanding effective communication. Millions, perhaps billions of dollars have been spent by companies like Nike, Starbucks, HP, General Mills, and Toyota researching whether a marketing activity delivered results, testing marketing ideas, and finding out how people make decisions. They have spent so much more than has been spent on finding the best ways to conduct evangelism efforts. It is important to remember that this research is about the same exact people the church wants to reach.
Another Difference
Marketing activities usually, when done correctly, start with a plan, known as a marketing plan (why be catchy when you can be obvious). These plans are strategic, mission-driven, and include research on target audiences, budget planning, and continuous evaluation for improvement. Sadly, many church evangelism efforts lack such comprehensive, long-term, or integrated planning, often operating as isolated events rather than an integrated strategy.
And more often than not, individual members have no idea how they fit into the bigger church’s evangelism efforts.
Does your local church need marketing or evangelism?
The answer is BOTH!
Churches don’t need to go out and hire expensive ad agencies to make slick brochures and potentially meaningless slogans. The core strategy and planning should be developed internally by church leadership. No one knows your church like you do. There may be some areas where outside help is needed (I’ll get to that in a bit), but the overarching strategy and planning need to be done by church leadership.
Marketing and evangelism in a church setting overlap significantly; they are not mutually exclusive. Developing a combined marketing/evangelism plan takes time and effort, but it’s essential and worthwhile
Planning Like the Creator
Jumping into evangelism and marketing without a plan is like trying to build a house with just a photo of the finished product. You need a blueprint as well as qualified people to help you create your vision. This is where that help comes in. It might involve community research, graphic design, or website development. Understand your church’s strengths and seek assistance where needed.
Spreading the gospel is not a one-time job. The same goes for marketing. It is not something you do once and it’s done. It is a process that grows and takes time.
Very few things in life succeed without a plan. God Himself gives us His perfect example in the plan of salvation. The birth, ministry, and death of Christ were planned even before Eve touched the forbidden fruit. If the Creator of the universe plans, surely we should too, especially for work as crucial as advancing His Kingdom.
As you begin the process of implementing a marketing plan, thought and prayer must be given to everything we contemplate doing on behalf of the Kingdom.
God has already given us a head start, not only through His example in the plan of salvation but through the gospel of Jesus Christ. His life and ministry can be an inspiration for our planning.
