The vast majority of those in ministry wanted to be a part of something much bigger than themselves. I desired to use the gifts given to me to be a part of fulfilling the great commission. In such a polarized, fractured, and divided world, when we need the hope that Jesus brings the most, we face multiple obstacles to sharing the good news of Jesus. And the Apostle Paul’s words in Romans chapter 10 ring in my head. He said in verse 13, “because as Scripture says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How can people invoke His name when they do not believe? How can they believe in Him when they have not heard? How can they hear if there is no one proclaiming Him? (The Voice).”
As the Executive Pastor of Operations of a church in Southern California, I want to give everyone the opportunity to hear the Gospel message. And as carnal as it may sound to some, that often means developing marketing strategies to reach people. Churches looking to start using marketing strategies as a step toward evangelism, here are a few lessons I’ve learned along the way.
Methods
There are many ways to invest valuable church resources when it comes to marketing: mass mailing postcards to the community, billboards, radio ads, TV ads, phonebook listings, Google AdWords, website, email, social media, and the list goes on and on. The Center for Church Communications published a report about church marketing in 2005. While almost 20 years old, the report sheds many interesting insights applicable today. One of the big takeaways is the underutilization of the church website. In addition to maintaining updated and current content, the website’s back end is crucial. Churches that want their church to be on the first page of a search engine must invest in SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Sadly, many churches rarely update their site and rely primarily on volunteers. In addition to a mobile-friendly and updated website, churches should look to social media (Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter)); these are great ways to reach a targeted audience for a reasonable price.
Whatever method a church uses to reach more people, having a solid strategy makes it effective.
Strategy
Zig Ziglar said, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” Unfortunately, churches don’t usually have a strategy when it comes to marketing and, therefore, wonder if their efforts were successful. Before you spend another dollar or minute of time creating a social media post, flyer, or any other marketing medium, answer these questions:
- What do you want people to do?
- Who do you want to reach?
- How will you reach them?
- How can you measure it?
A church-wide potluck should have an entirely different marketing strategy than a community outreach event like Trunk or Treat. Churches can use methods like email, a church bulletin, and an in-service announcement for events like a potluck. But to invite the community to Trunk or Treat requires a different strategy and methods like Facebook ads, flyers for schools, a specific webpage, and, of course, word of mouth.
With so many options available to communicate to your church, local community, and the world at large, it makes sense to develop a strategy and utilize the correct method to ensure everyone can hear the gospel message.
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