Don’t blame the tool…church marketing (how) vs. clarity of calling (why)

 As part of my listening strategy (and eating my own "dog food" so to speak), I have a twitter search set up for "church marketing" and I scan through it every morning before starting my work day.  I ran across an article by Jason Coker (on twitter @pastoralia) on his blog called "5 Arguments Against the Use of Marketing and Media in Church."

In a quick summary, Jason gave 5 arguments:

• The Tendency toward Deception:  Marketing is about persuasion and often moves to creative exaggeration of an ideal vs. reality.
• Artificially Exaggerating the Mundane:  Technology allows for an over-dramatization of the mundane and a need for increasing "hype."
• The Mediation of Experience:  People think they have experience of a person, place or thing when they have a shallow facsimile of it. (Current Example:  really knowing Sandra Bullock and feeling bad for her issues with her husband when we really don't even know her.)
• The Trap of Professional Branding:  People are attracted by brand loyalty (like what the "product" stands for vs. true covenant commitment to the church)
• The Deterioration of Kinship Communities:  Marketing creates passive consumer-spectators vs. "kinship" bonds of loyalty and trust.

While I appreciate the thoughtfulness of the analyzing the potential pitfalls of media, I think that it is not really a balance view of the power of marketing and how it can be used to spread Christ's message throughout the world.  

Marketing and branding is a "how."  

Marketing and branding is a means to an end and not the end itself.  It provides a mechanism and a medium to spread a message.  It is "how" we do something to achieve a goal and not the goal itself.  Jason provides the criticism of measurement as well, talking about how Rick Warren from Saddleback Church was reporting different measures and he assumed that was his entire focus of ministry.  Again, I think it is confusing the "how" vs. the "why."

Let me give an example.  A hammer can be used for a number of things.  It can be used to pound in a nail, it can be used to build something and it also can be used to tear it down.  I once hit my brother with a hammer when I was five years old when he stole my Tonka truck.  Does that make the hammer bad?  Was it the hammer that prompted the bad behavior?  Nope…it all comes back to the user and their intent.  The same it true for marketing.

Marketing and media is just another tool.  It changes the dynamics of reach, immediacy and immersion of a message, but it does not change it.  The message is the message.  There have been a number of arguments made by books like "The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture" by Shane Hipps that United Methodist Communications made me read before one of our global board meetings.  While the book was interesting, I think it missed the point.  It is the message, not the medium, that evokes, convinces and initiates changes in thought patterns or behaviors.  While the effectiveness of being able to communicate that message may change, the message is still the message.

Avoiding the Trap…Start with your calling.

I think a better question to ask is "are you being true to the message of Jesus Christ and your church's calling by God?"  This takes a lot of "soul searching" by a church, denomination or Christian group to figure out what their unique calling by God to serve their community and then reach that community in a meaningful or relevant way.

In marketing terms, it's called "equity."  In church terms, it's called "calling."

If I am clear on my calling and willing to authentically stick to it, then the 5 dangers discussed by Jason don't ever really enter the picture.  I am not deceiving anyone, nor exaggerating a thing.  I am authentically expressing a promise and providing a reason to believe in that promise.

I found a website and a book called "Church Unique" by Will Mancini (@willmanicini).   The downloadable chapter, "The Unoriginal Sin" starts to address the idea about calling and I think is a good first step to make you think about the unique importance to your church to God's Kingdom.  I have been thinking through the same thing and will focus future blog posting about it.

Marketing/Calling Mismatch is the true danger.

Good marketing can kill a bad product in less than six months.  It can do the same for churches as well.  The old saying that "you never get a second chance to make a first impression."  It can drive awareness and interest, but then comes the moment of truth…do you deliver on the promise given in the advertising?  Is it real?  Is this worth my time, attention and treasure?  Does the church experience deliver?

On the other hand, if I have not done the calling work to determine how our church calling can be articulated in a meaningful, relevant and crisp way that it will attract both by internal and external audience to motivate a change in behavior, it still fails.  How many church mission statements go on for 5 paragraphs and no one can remember a thing.  

Your calling needs to be a 5 to 7 word statement that a 9 year old and a 90 year old can remember, articulate and live.  It should not just guide your advertising…it should guide every decision, program and action your church makes.  It should sum up the "why this church exists" question and convey it in a heart and mind opening way.  

Once you have your 5 to 7 word calling statement, you can make sure to have all of the backup material to make sure people really understand it.  It could be a 5 page explanation, a 2 hours long new members class or a sermon preached from the pulpit.  Feel free to dig in to explain it.  Just don't expect everyone to have the full explanation memorized.

Your calling should be your compass.  

If you get that right, then the dangers that Jason articulates goes away.  Church marketing is not about a "bait and switch" or about pulling people in the boat.  It is about succinctly articulating a calling and then spreading the Good News to our world.  

Then comes the hard part, we need to live it.