Church Marketing for Churches Who Don’t Want to Market

The Need for Church Marketing

“Church marketing” is a dirty word in some ears. It conjures up images of used car salesmen and deceptive advertising tactics. It raises church leaders’ suspicions. Should we really “sell” our church the same way we’d market a house or a bag of Doritos?

Of course, the church isn’t a bag of chips, and leaders are right to beware of any form of marketing that would treat it like a product or a commodity to be bought and sold.

But is that what church marketing really is?

Consider Sally. She grew up attending church, but she hasn’t been there. She drives by your building every day. She notices it because she remembers that postcard you sent back when she first moved to town. Chalk one up for the church marketing team.

Sally catches your promos on Facebook from time to time. She’s even met a few of your members out in the community, but she still isn’t coming to your church. What gives?

Fast forward a few months. Sally totals her car on the way to work. Her brush with death triggers an existential crisis. What’s she doing with her life? Where’s her sense of meaning and purpose? What does God think about who she’s become?

Where do you think she’s going to go for those answers?

What you just read is church marketing at its best. At many times and in many ways, you’ve let Sally know (by way of your marketing and your people) that there is a safe place for her to go with her fears and questions. There is a place where she can go to meet the Jesus who will help her make sense of her life.

That’s what we all want, right?

All Church Marketers Tell Stories

As the marketing guru, Seth Godin, pointed out years ago, all marketers tell stories. Storytelling is the essence of all good marketing, and church marketing is no different.

We are a people who live to tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love. That’s the mission He gave His disciples before He ascended back into heaven (Matt 28:18-20). 

But, wait a minute. Church marketing seems less like going out to tell the gospel story and more like getting people to come in and see what we’re doing. Isn’t that backward? We’re supposed to be missionaries, not marketers!

Well, Jesus never made a hard distinction between reaching out to people (missions and evangelism) and drawing them in (marketing and attraction). Think of when Jesus fed the 5,000 (John 6). The crowd wasn’t there because of a personal invitation; they were there because the word got out about what He was up to, and they wanted to know more.

Good church marketing reaches people where they are and invites them to come see what the Lord is doing—to hear the old, old story. Like the Samaritan woman, your mailers announce to everyone in town that you have found the Savior of the world and encourage them to come hear for themselves. Like Philip, your targeted Facebook Ads go and find your local Nathaniel (or, Sally) as he sits beneath the proverbial fig tree.

Getting Buy-In for Church Marketing

You may not need to be convinced about these things, but what you do need is to convince your lay leaders, staff, and/or congregants that church marketing isn’t of the Devil and is worth your time, money, and effort. How will you do that?

Objections to marketing in the church usually fall into three buckets having to do with fear of compromise, concerns about cost, and unwillingness to grow. Let’s take a quick look at each type of objection and how you might respond.

Fear of Compromise

If we’re talking about marketing a church, then Scripture ought to be our touchstone for everything we do. Many objects to marketing because they feel as though the Bible does not authorize it directly. Or, they’re afraid you’ll become one of “those” churches who are more concerned with drawing a crowd than faithfully communicating God’s truth.

How can you respond? 

As we saw above, marketing is one way to tell the story that your church ought to be telling already. A church marketing strategy simply amplifies and exends your church’s voice. You don’t have to become someone else to market your church. Nor do you need to give up the biblical truths and traditional distinctions that make you who you are.

Concerns About Cost

We ought to thank God for the wise brothers and sisters who take time to count the cost (Luke 14:28) before we launch into any ministry endeavor. In some cases, though, their penny-pinching may impede the church’s mission to reach the neighborhood for Christ.

In today’s world, basic marketing elements such as a website and social media are the digital equivalent of a sign in front of the church. Without the sign, nobody will know you exist. Thankfully, building a church website is easier and cheaper than ever. You can get started on Squarespace with a simple-yet-serviceable site for less than $20 a month. 

Writing blogs, setting up social media accounts, developing content—all these tasks cost only the time it takes to complete them. With a little strategic intention, they typically involve reusing material you’ve already developed for the church. The cost of marketing is ultimately a non-issue. It’s the cost of not marketing that should worry you.

Unwillingness to Grow

At the heart of some objections to church marketing is a reluctance to grow the church. This is especially prevalent in small, ingrown congregations. The people know, love, and feel safe with one another. They’re ok with modest growth, but they’re afraid that a big marketing push will flood the church with new people and change everything.

Some leaders might be annoyed by these objections and read to unload a truck full of verses about missions and evangelism on anyone who voices them. But a sensitive pastor will know that the deeper issue isn’t so much a lack of desire to see others saved but a fear of losing something that is near and dear to their hearts.

These situations call for wisdom and patience. You can demonstrate your commitment to people in the way you care for them. In doing so, you’ll earn the right to turn up the dial on your marketing efforts over time because they’ll learn that you’re more interested in them and their spiritual growth than packing the sanctuary with new faces.

Conclusion

Church marketing doesn’t have to be a dirty word. Done right, God can use it to draw our neighbors into Christian fellowship. Our communities are filled with people like Sally who need the gospel. A good marketing strategy will help ensure that, when life happens, they know where to go to find the eternal life they so desperately need.

Are you looking to grow your ministry but don’t have the time, energy or resources to do it yourself? APPLY to see if Palmly would be a good marketing alternative. Palmly is making it easier for individuals to find a church that fits their unique needs. By facilitating a match that pairs an individual with a ministry that can best serve them, the relationship will be long-lasting and beneficial to both the church and the person.

Happy growing,

-Kenny S