Marketing, the secret to unlocking
church growthBy Joyce Madsen
Marketing is not simply advertising or selling, but it is absolutely everything you do to get your message to your customer.
Before you can begin to introduce yourself to others and invite them to be part of your community you have to know as much as possible about yourself and who it is you want to invite. The model for these concepts is called a SWOT ANALYSIS. It consists of identifying your Strengths and Weaknesses, and then looking at the Opportunities and Threats that are there.
Many congregations just keep repeating programs from one year to the next, or one decade to the next, without thinking about why the programs were successful in the past. It’s like the tremendous growth of the church in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Many think it’s because of something we did in the church, when the reality is that post-war families were looking for support. The church provided a focus and a community for people uprooted and emotionally wounded by war.
What is it that the members of our community need today? That is the important question that every congregation needs to answer. To use business language, offering a service for which there is no market will witness little success. If you are truly offering a service for which there is a real need, people will be there.
The other question is — which of the many needs that are out there are you truly equipped to meet? The questions here revolve around the gifts for ministry of the members of your congregation and issues of quality, accessibility, and the advertising that will inform people of what it is you offer.
The answers to these questions will point to true opportunities for growth. Growing congregations build on their strengths. The truly important thing is to identify those strengths.
As far as weaknesses are concerned, it is good to know what they are, but don’t worry about them. Don’t make the mistake of trying to do all those things you don’t do. That will only sap your energy and result in discouragement. One congregation cannot meet all the needs in any community. The good news is that there are other congregations, and other organizations, who are there to do their share. What is important to know is what you are good at, and build on that.
Marketing, the secret to unlocking
church growth
Congregational Life Vol. 7.2 May 2001