There are many myths and misconceptions when it comes to church marketing and marketing in general. We are going to take a quick look at the biggest seven of those myths and hopefully open your eyes to why marketing your church (in the proper context) is not only important but vital to the survival of your church.

Before we jump into the meat of this I want to make sure we are on the same page when it comes to what we are considering marketing. The old mental model and the one most people use would be to think of marketing only as it pertains to advertising, specifically advertising something we are trying to sell. I think that’s where most churches get hung up when we talk marketing. They think we are talking about “selling the Gospel” which we are not. Here’s the definition I want you to use when it comes to marketing moving forward: “Marketing is anything and everything that shapes or influences a person’s perception of your church.” From what they see driving into your parking lot to how they are greeted and treated to everything in-between, their perception is being shaped. It is our God- given responsibility to make a commitment to excellence in everything we do. That is the true essence of marketing.
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest myths when it comes to marketing your church”
Myth #1: “I don’t need to market my church.”
This is probably the biggest myth at all. Depending on which number you look at up to 86% of all churches in America have either plateaued or are in decline. Another 3,500-4,500 churches in America close their doors each year. We can all sit around and say that numbers aren’t important but the Bible is full of examples to the contrary. The book of Acts has numerous references to numbers in relation to growth. Growth is very biblical and if you are part of the 86% of the churches that aren’t growing, you need to be marketing your church more than ever before. There are any number of factors that may be contributing to your lack of growth and why your members aren’t intentionally inviting and discipling the unchurched. Remember not to be misled by lateral growth, meaning you’re just getting your numbers from people leaving other churches. More numbers say that 97% of
church growth comes from Christians leaving one church and going to another. There is no way any of us can think that this is what Jesus had in mind.
Myth #2: “Marketing is only what you do to advertise.”
We already talked earlier about the fact that marketing is not just advertising it’s “anything and everything that shapes or influences a person’s perception of your church.” With that being said here are just a few things that “market” your church: Your name, curb appeal, location, your website (a biggie!), worship style, ministry style, ministry focus, signage (or lack of), décor, attire of leadership or members, the types and number of cars in parking lot, doctrine, printed materials, leadership team, greeters, how guests are greeted or not greeted by people other than the greeters, children’s ministry, youth ministry, the pastor, current members, past members, what people from other churches say about your church, and hundreds more! Long before you ever take the stage to preach most visitors have already decided whether they are coming back or not.
Myth #3: “Marketing costs too much.”
There are tons of things you can do to market your church that won’t cost you a single cent. There are other things you can do that would be considered major projects for most churches that don’t have to cost as much as you would think. For example, I helped a church redesign their logo, completely redesign their website into a extremely powerful evangelism tool that can grow with their church, and produce a 12-minute DVD that is given to all guests every Sunday. How much do you think all of this would cost? $5,000? $10,000? Not even close. How about less than $1,000. You can check out the logo, website, and video at www.wavesoffaith.com. Most things you’d like to get done can be done professionally (key word) and still be very affordable.
Myth #4: “Marketing is not biblical.”
When you stop looking at marketing as only advertising and start to see it as everything that shapes a person’s perception of your church then it’s very easy to see how biblical marketing is. Much of the ministry of Jesus dealt with perception management. Multiple times we read in scripture that Jesus “perceived their thoughts…” As a matter of fact there are over thirty references to Jesus perceiving the thoughts of the people and changing the direction of His ministry, re-communicating, or stopping it altogether. John 11:41-42 is a great example of Jesus doing something to influence the perception of those around. Three quick examples: 1. Jesus knew and understood his audience – i.e. the woman at the well. 2. Jesus was certain that he had a “product” they really needed – i.e. living water (himself, relationship, healing, wholeness, holiness) 3. Jesus communicated the solution to the right audience at the right time in history, etc. He introduced what he (still) offers in the context of the troubled
history of Israel and moreover mankind. He communicates his “product” via disciples and discipleship. Via relationships.
Myth #5: “We don’t need the help.”
Chances are you don’t have someone on staff that has professional marketing experience. Usually it’s done by the person that the task was dumped on, the person that’s always done it, or by some well-meaning member that has intermediate skills in some area but by no means would qualify as a professional. The cold, hard truth is that most churches do need the help they either don’t want to admit it or going back to Myth #3 think it’s too expensive to get professional help and just make do with what they have. You can never forget that EVERYTHING has the potential to shapes a person’s perception and with all of the options out there today you really only get one chance to make a first impression. If your logo, website, or printed materials look amateurish or like you cut corners people will pick up on it. At the very least you could benefit from an outside set of eyes helping you to keep things fresh.
Myth #6: “Marketing is just the responsibility of the pastor (or whoever he appoints to handle it).”
Marketing is a team sport. It is the role and responsibility of everyone who shows up because any one person could the one person to interact with a guest and make that defining first impression. The responsibility doesn’t end once we leave the church property. We can and do influence people at home, at work, at little Jimmy’s soccer game, anywhere we interact with people that know we are associated with “ABC Church”. I have a really good friend that pastors a church of about 400 that was amazed when I told him that after attending his church for two services one Sunday as a “secret shopper” that not a single person asked me my name or who invited me. He told me that they have a “First Impressions” team that were responsible for greeting guests. I had to point out (the beneficial outside set of eyes) that by making it the responsibility of just one team that everybody else felt like it wasn’t their responsibility when in reality it’s the responsibility of everyone to make someone new feel at home. At Waves of Faith we have three level of greeters that all have unique roles before someone ever makes it in to our worship center where everybody knows it’s their individual responsibility to make everyone feel welcomed and at home.
Myth #7: “Outside of an act from God there’s nothing marketing my church can do to turn things around.”
This may be true for a handful of churches that have done things one way for so long that there’s no hope but for a majority of churches there’s a lot that can be done that can impact your church in as little as 30 days. A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step but you have to be willing to take that first step. The key is to bring in someone that has the experience and a track record of making
things happen and bring in that fresh perspective that comes from someone taking a look at everything from A to Z though the eyes of the unchurched that hasn’t already been indoctrinated into your culture. Follow me on this: you can’t see the picture when you’re in the frame. There are certain things you and everybody at your church will never pick up on because they are too used to the way things are. You need that perspective that can only come from someone that’s not a part of it.

Bobby Minor is the founder of C3 Church Marketing a company that works with small to mid-sized churches helping them to Clarify who they are called to reach, Communicate clearly and effectively with that group, and to help them Connect that community to Christ. For more info check out www.c3churchmarketing.com.