As a church, you should always be striving to improve and grow your ministry. While word of mouth can be effective, you can maximize your outreach and engage your culture simultaneously with various forms of media.
Marketing and media allow you to accomplish a number of things that lead to success.
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Create an on-ramp to your church’s vision.
Most often, before anyone can commit to a church and invest in their ministry, they want to know and fully understand the vision that drives it. When the vision is consistently on display and clearly communicated, people are willing to invest.
With the right people on board, who will commit their time, money, and talent, you can ensure a productive future.
This includes the designers you hire. Don’t be afraid of spending money to receive quality work in return. Professional designers are worth the investment, and contracting a designer based on the work you need can be a cheaper route worth looking into.
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Communicate the vision with clarity.
Communicating your vision in a way that plainly speaks to and engages your target audience is vital for church growth. When a church is branded, beginning with a logo, the vision of the church is made clear to its audience. This clarity keeps people focused on the vision and moving in the same direction.
When a church is unified around one vision, the ministry is more likely to succeed, especially in the long run.
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Be intentional about reaching your community.
You want to build a church, not just a club for like-minded people. A church that has been properly branded helps to engage not only members of your church, but principally those in your community. When you are equipped with media, you can deliberately reach those beyond the church walls.
Whether it’s passing out door hangers in your local neighborhood, posting photos and videos on social networks, or having business cards readily available, your outreach is nearly unlimited. All media should direct back to your church website, which can direct users to the proper areas of information.
With such a wide range of media outlets available, prospects can easily become familiar with your church before they even walk in the door.
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Create an environment that communicates the right message.
The way you design your environment sends a message. The things a church values should be evident in its spaces. Reaching kids and teens are always relevant for the church and very important to parents. A church should make efforts for their brand to be captivating to these younger audience.
Seeing evidence that kids are valued, for instance, means a great deal to parents. Take Michael’s story of attending Life Church in Olathe, KS for the first time as an example:
When choosing my church, I was touched on my first visit by the decor of the kids’ spaces and the café. The kids spaces were very colorful with characters on the walls and the cafe was decked out in missions stories. I felt this church valued my kids and reaching the lost, which lined up with my core values. Before even talking to a leader, a pastor, or even listening to the sermon, we had a feeling this was going to be the church for us. Sure enough, it was.
When churchgoers see what matters to you, it helps them make their decision whether to attend your church or not.
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Have a space that is inviting those who are new to church.
Coming to church for the first time can be extremely daunting. Many people are hesitant when they come in the door. With the right visuals and messaging, a church can help remove any uncertainty by communicating in a way that is relevant to newcomers.
Welcoming messages displayed on banners or TV screens shows excitement and encouragement. Helpful signs that clearly direct visitors where to go makes them feel more comfortable. Video announcements or printed media with your vision, associated information, and upcoming events tell them all they need to know without having to ask any questions until they are ready.
Altogether, an environment that is casual and cohesive will help to make churchgoers feel at home.
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Reach lost people at their pain point where God can help.
People won’t know the power of God unless you reach them. As a church, you have the opportunity to show your community that not only do you care about them, but more importantly, God does, and He can help them.
With marketing, you can show people that you focus on relevant topics that they might relate to on a very personal level. Many churches today spend several weeks on a certain topic and create accommodating graphics for that series.
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Tell stories of what God is doing.
What is God doing with your church? What is He doing in the lives of your congregation?
When you take the time to hear how God is at work day to day for different people, the results can blow you away. These stories illustrate the vision of the church. Real-life testimonies can also lend credibility to the vision of the ministry taking place. With the help of media, whether it be video, text, or anther medium, these stories can be captured and shown for all to see.
In summation, marketing and media are beneficial across the board. You can unite everyone under a common goal, reach the lost in an engaging way, and tell stories about all that God is doing in your ministry.
What has been the greatest value you have seen from media efforts?
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