PR and the Church

How can Churches reach the press? If your church is living out the Gospel and making a difference in the community, you will simply need to share what you are doing with the media. I hear complaints about how the media has a negative view of Christians and portray them harshly, but what are you doing to change that image? Is your church doing good by clothing the homeless, feeding the hungry, and caring for the fatherless and the widows? Let the media know what your church is about. There are plenty of good reporters out there who would love to do a feel-good story.

Imagine the impact your church could have if every time someone opened the newspaper there you are! Imagine people saying, “Oh look what that Marketing Genius Church is doing today. Do they ever stop doing good?”

In a way the Bible is a PR piece. It is not paid advertising, and the people who wrote were recording the facts like it was news. In fact the word Gospel means Good News. So the next time your church does a service project, make sure to share the Good News with your community.

You can post press releases for free on sites like PRZoom. Give it a try.

Passing the Plate

Passing the plate for offering is not visitor friendly. I have family members who believe the Church is in business to make money- that is why the Church passes the plate. When I explain to my family they do not need to give to the offering, they still feel pressured to put something in when the plate is passed to them. Although the speaker gives a disclaimer that it is not necessary for visitors to give, my family still feels obliged to put in money under these circumstances.

Although giving to the Church is a sacrament and a responsibility for all Christians, does it need to be done publicly? Perhaps it would be better for Christians to give in secret?

"When you give to the poor, don't let anyone know about it. Then your gift will be given in secret. Your Father knows what is done in secret, and he will reward you." (Matthew 6:3-4)

An alternative is to give members a way to tithe by placing offering plates in the back of the church, or by letting members mail in their offerings. People already motivated to give will find a way to present their offering without a plate being passed to them in their seat on Sunday morning. Think customer service; don’t scare away your customers (visitors) by being inflexible.

Is Your Church for Everyone?

An important part of marketing is to pick a target audience. But, Isn’t the Church for Everyone?

Yes, the Church is for everyone, but the style or gifting of your particular local congregation may not appeal to everyone. If you try to appeal to everyone, you are more likely to appeal to no one. So if someone is looking for a rock and roll style Christian music service yet you sing hymns, he or she might be better off attending another church. The competition for churches is not other churches, but Satan. As long as people are going to church somewhere, you have won. Therefore, you need to do your homework, stop making excuses and figure out the best way to communicate to the local people walking in your doors (or find out why they aren’t walking in the door).

The great Christian philosopher Francis Schaeffer speaks of the Church’s challenge of meeting the unique demands of its age. This means that in every era the Church faces new competition for the hearts of people. It is incumbent upon each generation to define and meet any challenge to knowledge of God.

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5)

You challenge is to determine what influences your particular church body is opposing and how best to face them in a modern context. Putting together a marketing plan is part of the process of effectively reaching your community.