So Don’t Call it Marketing!

In an effort to quell some of the anti-church marketing rhetoric that comes up from time to time, we’d like to offer a suggestion….let’s not call it Church Marketing. I mean really, if the term paints a negative connotation to an otherwise sound outreach technique – I for one am more than happy to call it something else.

There are those who feel that utilizing ‘marketing’ techniques (which can be found in just about any business organization) within the church somehow minimizes the importance of spiritual direction and paints the church (and its leader) as “worldly”. I guess what I fail to get in this argument is…how? How does marketing negate spiritual direction? How does marketing make a church “worldly”?

My suggestion is to move beyond the title ‘Church Marketing’ and to consider the principles and purpose that is at the core of the phrase. If terms like target marketing, branding, SWOT, demographics & psychographics are offensive, let’s change the terminology. Don’t think about marketing in the traditional terms of business and customer demand. Rather think of it as ‘human research” and the study of people - their values, their needs, and their desires – connecting not with a product or service, but with a spiritual deity.

After all, isn’t that what Jesus did? He took the time to ask questions and gather feedback (Mark 8:27). Throughout His entire ministry, He skillfully joined His purpose for coming down to earth (salvation & restoration) with people’s physical and emotional needs (health, food, compassion, faith & love). It is within that intersection where true marketing really lies. The meeting of people’s needs and desires with a product or service. No business promotes a product or service (or at least they shouldn’t) without effectively understanding how that product or service will meet the needs or desires of the people it is intended for.

So it goes with Church Mark…er um Human Research. It’s important that churches first of all, fully understand themselves, their ministry, and the mission to which they are called. Secondly, they must take the time to understand people and all that they need and expect; in order to strategically join the two – resulting in an effective outreach strategy. With that information and understanding at the heart of their evangelism endeavors, any church will be able to mimic the success and progress that comes when utilizing ‘Human Research’ principles.