Ministry Marketing CoachMinistry Branding and Marketing that Works

Imagine your church was having an event or activity designed to reach out to people who are not believers. What kinds of things would your church do to reach people? If you are like most churches, you would give the event a name of some kind; you might print off some kind of invitation or flyer, you would make announcements in your church worship service, you might post it on your church’s website.

If you were really blessed, maybe the newspaper would get wind of your activity and you might get a mention in the newspaper—oh, that would be the miracle of the ages! All churches have tried at one point or another to reach out to outsiders. Most of them have tried to proclaim the gospel persuading people to believe in Jesus. All of us are guilty of marketing.

Your job as a coach is a legitimate minsitry that aids churches in reaching people. Every church has the same Great Commission (Matthew 28:19) “…go and make disciples”. Don’t let the naysayers and critics keep you from doing what God has called you to do! Don’t be distracted by people who don’t understand your communication ministry, be patient with them.

I take the missionary point-of-view when I read the anti-marketing books. I spent the largest part of my ministry working cross-culturally. I have had ministry to international students studying in the United States, I was an associate pastor in a Chinese church, and I served in international missions in places all over the world. I know how communication can be a complicated task and that adapting your presentation and approach is needed many times. Sometimes I would like to take these people who criticize ministry marketing on a trip overseas and plop them down in the middle of a foreign culture and let them spend a year trying to launch a ministry. Often, the same people who don’t understand ministry marketing are the same people who don’t get cross-cultural ministry.

They would learn in short order what ministry leaders who don’t have theological axes to grind with evangelicals and do not have the luxury of working from academic ivory towers know. They would discover what the people who help move their anti-ministry marketing books from the warehouses of the printing press to the shelves of the bookstore and into the shopping bags of Christian book buyers already know. Marketing helps in all kinds of Christian communication! 

If ministry in the church were merely showing up reading the Bible and preaching sermons to people, they might have a point. These books spend a lot of time decrying the business of administrating an actual church. If only churches had a tenure program! 

After time working in church trying to function as a missionary and evangelist all conscientious ministry leaders begin to look for help in their outreach. Many are frustrated, feeling that the efforts they put in communication are not helping them reach people. As we will see later, there is a reason for this–it is actually getting tougher to communicate to people in the present day. That is where the ministry marketing coach comes in! The coach can help leaders develop a real-world outreach communication strategy.

As you coach, you will find many people are surprised and delighted when they see that marketing is compatible with the ministry.  Part of being a missionary (and that is what you are) is the fact that not everybody back home can truly appreciate the nuances of what you are doing until they leave their comfort zone and come help you. But if you are patient and explain as best you can, with humilty, you will find faithful and helpful supporters of your ministry.