(Living Church) Jake Dell—churches can move from maintenance to growth through marketing

Posted by Kendall Harmon

The goal of your local church’s marketing effort is to increase the number of inbound leads and to drive conversions.... This is no different than the goal of commercial marketing, except we’re dealing in spiritual rather than tangible goods. Understanding how to increase inbound leads (people who express an interest in your church) and drive conversions (people who actually join your church) is not hard, but it does take leadership, planning, creativity and sustained effort. In other words, it takes a little work.

Most churches are already engaged in some forms of marketing. Any of the basic functions of parish life are marketing processes, including outreach, hospitality, ushering, preaching, maintaining the parish’s website and Facebook page, tweeting, and promoting the Sunday worship schedule. The challenge is to move from efforts focused on maintenance to efforts focused on growth.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Episcopal Church (TEC) • * Christian Life / Church Life • Parish Ministry • * Culture-Watch • Media • Religion & Culture • * Economics, Politics • Economy • Consumer/consumer spending • * Theology

4 Comments
Posted January 2, 2013 at 7:00 am [Printer Friendly] [Print w/ comments]



1. Pb wrote:

I wonder if there is an example of any church growth as the result of this process. where is this happening?

January 2, 10:40 am | [comment link]
2. Sarah wrote:

One of the key aspects of marketing is developing products that your target markets actually want.

Heh.

January 2, 11:42 am | [comment link]
3. Scatcatpdx wrote:

>Pb Yes, having left a marketing, vision casting marketing church, I say 2 Timothy 4 3-4 comes to mind:

2 Timothy 4:1-5
English Standard Version (ESV)
4 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.


Other place you can look is google museum of idolatry or any bad sermon review at fighting for the faith.

It not lost on me Mr. Dell neglects the purpose of the church, see V 1-2 above to proclaim the message of Christ.

January 2, 5:13 pm | [comment link]
4. Pb wrote:

If you’re not clear on your church’s vision and ministry initiatives, you’re not ready to define your marketing strategy. But once you have figured it out, you’re ready to write your church’s marketing plan. Most churches have no vision, only programs.

January 2, 5:41 pm | [comment link]
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