Recently I published a guest post on Communicate Jesus - ‘No excuses for ugly duckling church marketing’. In it, the author (a pastor from a church in the United States) argued the importance of good marketing for churches.
I received this response via email the next day, from a reader of Communicate Jesus:
Hi Steve,
When I read your email of the post “No excuses for ugly duckling church marketing” I cried and cried. With both joy, and regret. Joy to finally hear a support for marketing in churches and regret that I expect it to be criticised.
I've been in marketing professionally for 25 years and attending and serving my church for 36 of the 38 years since I came to know Jesus.
Most of those years I have been trying to serve the Lord in my church with my marketing expertise and sometimes I've been allowed some scope to do that, but for a lot of those years my skills have been treated with a component of suspicion - there has been the suspicion that marketing is "of the devil" (I've actually sat in a meeting where one of the ministers said that) and as soon as something looks aesthetically good or a communication strategy is too "deliberate" the accusation comes - never overtly, always subtly - that it's manipulation.
In many minds marketing seems linked so strongly with worldliness and a grab for money some can't see it could possibly be used for the gospel - they only see it as being against what the Bible teaches.
In recent years I've felt less and less confident that I have anything to offer, and more worried that my efforts to use my know-how in a church context has perhaps not been pleasing to God. There is never any money for marketing as a priority and while that means we need to be creative, it also makes one feel largely unvalued. The approval for parting with church funds for a plumber when the toilets get blocked comes far more quickly (and more comfortably for decision-makers) than paying for marketing expertise, but marketing is my trade, but that trade is not well respected - in my church anyway.
I'm really thankful that these comments are out there to stimulate comment, but don't be surprised if you get shot down. God bless.”
I felt really sad reading this email. However, the experience of this person is not a one-off - I’ve have heard of similar experience, and I’ve have heard similar negative sentiments expressed by pastors and other church leaders about marketing. This attitude seems to be limited to marketing. For example:
- If you have gifts in financial management, your church wants you to be a treasurer.
- If you have gifts in plumbing, your church wants you to help when the toilet is blocked.
- If you have gifts in computing, your church wants to you help when the network goes down.
- If you have gifts in singing, your church wants you to serve on the music team.
So why are people with skills in marketing so frequently maligned? I’m keen to hear from pastors (and anyone else who’d like to share their considered thoughts) - what role do you think marketing and marketers have in the life of the local church?
Is marketing ‘of the devil’, or can it be done in a way that is pleasing to God?
How would you respond to this email I received?
