7 Deadly sins of Church Marketing

Sep 16, 2008 by ChurchMedic

1. ENVY:  We want something that another church has:   It used to be that the church was the specialist when it came to God – and the things of God.   Not any more…  WikiPedia, Google, … well lets face it… the Internet is where people go now…  But… then there are those few churches out there – you know Go Christ Fellowship, Granger, COR, Ginghamsburg, … where people flock to listen to the message…   But not to your church.   And Envy Sets In.     Envy comes into play when we want a piece of that market – but dont consider whether our approach is a good fit for our churches ministry plan… the mission God has given to our church.    If we are built to do ministry in one way – changing and doing something that we have no clue how – or no business doing – might not be a good idea.
2. Gluttony:  You go to a level of excess that’s just plain wasteful.     I call this going big but not small.   The church will target a niche “customer” because they might be able to help the church grow – help the church financially – or make them seem to be better…   but … The church does not really undertand the person they are marketing towards…  The church needs to be clear about distinguishing what they can offer that is specific to the needs of that niche target.
3. Greed:  how many churches have an unbridled appetite?    Churches show greed when they go after a new niche using the same marketing methods they always ave – even when those marketing methods are not applicable to the new “market.”  Worse yet – they do nothing to change so when those persons do come in the doors – they find the same old same old… and are now turned off more than ever… Sadly these churches try to get more people in the door without exerting the effort to serve those people… MORE MORE MORE but not give back MORE MORE MORE…
4. LUST:  Churches have obsessive or excessive thoughts or desires.   It is possible to overfocus on one thing or one person – or one group.    There are some real key differences in how people react to the gospel – (Adults, Teens, Young Adults, Children… all need to hear the gospel in a different way…)   Pastors and church leaders need to be aware of all the “stakeholders”.   We are guilty of lust when we act on that excessive desire for the numbers without really figuring out all the people we need to talk to, serve and influence along the way.
5. PRIDE:  We Lack Self-Awareness -   Sometimes we just dont know enough about the people we are serving – but we think they want what we are selling…  We, the church, fail to ask “Do we Fit In Here” – “Is there a Need for what we are offering” (more than just the pathway to salvation) ” Am I going to solve a problem for someone?”     Irrelavence is Irreverance!
6. SLOTH:  This is perhaps my biggest pet peave…  Church Leaders are just … well let me say it… LAZY and apathetic.    Many pastors and churches fail to distingis their message between the segments of society they are serving.    You see examples of this on their websites.   You can’t tell if the chuch is taling about serving people or being served,   do they even do anything for children?   Do they do things for men, women, …?   Sadly – many have never taken the time to differentate their message.  Worse… They have no programs to do this either…. No Mens, No Ladies, No Singles, No Youth Groups, … i could go on…
7. WRATH:  Many of us are impatient.   Some of us are so anxious to get the message out that we dont bother to research the people we are targeting…  Churches dont figure out what is its that these peopel need – or who their target audience (their Macedonians) are…. or how they relate to God, or to each other…