# Church Growth and Marketing



## Der Pilger (Apr 6, 2009)

Greetings all,

I'm curious to find out what people's opinions are about church growth and marketing strategies, particularly the focus on:


Bringing visitors to the church gathering without consideration of whether they are sheep or goats
Plugging these visitors immediately into various church ministries 
Offering a variety of ministries that appeal to such visitors with a view to meeting personal needs/desires, e.g., singles groups for singles, children's activities for those who are parents, etc.
Doing all of the above before even proclaiming the gospel to these visitors

What concerns me about the above strategies is that their emphasis seems to be on giving people what will make them happy rather than announcing the message of Christ. It seems to me that the latter should take precedence over the former. Is Christianity just another option to enhance my life, like so many others, or is it the elimination of my life in order to experience eternal life? I wonder if, by offering church activities to fulfill people's desires as though it were a buffet, these strategies actually eliminate the uniqueness of Christianity. After all, if Christianity's only purpose is to make me happy, what makes it better than having a beer and watching the ball game on Sunday, or jogging, or cooking, or eating out, or any of a host of other options that can--and do--make many people happy?

In addition, I wonder if using the above strategies really conforms to agape love. My understanding of true agape love--the kind of love that God shows--is that it seeks to give people what they *need*, not necessarily what they *want*. If man's greatest need is reconciliation to a holy God, where does that leave the church marketing strategies?


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## Rich Koster (Apr 6, 2009)

My about the CGM (Church Growth Movement)

Its origin is in the flesh and its results are in the flesh. No one is saved by music style, building style, coffee bars, high tech displays and other hype and nonsense to entertain a crowd. If you have 2000 people coming to see a show each week, and they are heading to hell, what have you accomplished? 
As you stated, man has a real need .... to meet the real Jesus, not some counterfeit made up in someone's mind. Those he has called will respond to the Gospel without cajoling or gimmickry. Those he has called will show fruit. The fruit bearing branches then will use their gifts to do the service they are called to do, especially when mentored properly.


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## BG (Apr 6, 2009)

Rich Koster said:


> My about the CGM (Church Growth Movement)
> Its origin is in the flesh and its results are in the flesh. No one is saved by music style, building style, coffee bars, high tech displays and other hype and nonsense to entertain a crowd. If you have 2000 people coming to see a show each week, and they are heading to hell, what have you accomplished?
> As you stated, man has a real need .... to meet the real Jesus, not some counterfeit made up in someone's mind.





Rich have you been surfing the web and looking at PCA churches?


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## Der Pilger (Apr 7, 2009)

Rich Koster said:


> My about the CGM (Church Growth Movement)
> 
> Its origin is in the flesh and its results are in the flesh. No one is saved by music style, building style, coffee bars, high tech displays and other hype and nonsense to entertain a crowd. If you have 2000 people coming to see a show each week, and they are heading to hell, what have you accomplished?
> As you stated, man has a real need .... to meet the real Jesus, not some counterfeit made up in someone's mind. Those he has called will respond to the Gospel without cajoling or gimmickry. Those he has called will show fruit. The fruit bearing branches then will use their gifts to do the service they are called to do, especially when mentored properly.



I agree, Rich. Something I read recently makes me think that this current trend of attempting to make the church relevant by catering to felt needs will end up only making the church irrelevant in the long run. If Christianity is presented as just one more means to make my life happy and fulfilling, not being any better than any other worldly means, it loses its uniqueness and becomes lost in the blur of all the other self-help techniques. When that happens, it is easy to discard it as just another failed attempt to make me happy and move on to the next quick fix. Say goodbye to relevance.


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## WaywardNowHome (Apr 7, 2009)

A thought that I've been pondering every once in a while is similar to the question posed in the OP. It's a less-extreme version of the current Church Growth / Seeker-Sensitive movement.

Is it wrong to hold some sort of event with the strict purpose of presenting the Gospel to the people who attend? A real world example can be found with my college Christian fellowship. Every semester, we (as a group) hold an evangelistic dinner and we invite all of our unbelieving campus friends. The night involves some good food, Christ-exalting music and sometimes a skit or drama about Jesus, all culminating in the presentation of the Gospel of Jesus at the end.

However, is something like this sinful? Granted, it's not the most Biblical way to approach evangelism but they're doing more than a lot of so-called "Christians" that I know.

_* I don't necessarily agree with all of the practices of the Christian fellowship on my campus. It's the closest thing to a church that I have right now._


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## Der Pilger (Apr 7, 2009)

WaywardNowHome said:


> A thought that I've been pondering every once in a while is similar to the question posed in the OP. It's a less-extreme version of the current Church Growth / Seeker-Sensitive movement.
> 
> Is it wrong to hold some sort of event with the strict purpose of presenting the Gospel to the people who attend? A real world example can be found with my college Christian fellowship. Every semester, we (as a group) hold an evangelistic dinner and we invite all of our unbelieving campus friends. The night involves some good food, Christ-exalting music and sometimes a skit or drama about Jesus, all culminating in the presentation of the Gospel of Jesus at the end.
> 
> ...



I've always strongly felt that we need to avoid all forms of manipulation when doing evangelism so as not to throw an unnecessary stumbling block in the way of unbelievers. It sounds like what you do is not manipulative as long as the people invited know what it is all about up front. Saying merely "Come out for a dinner" would be dishonest, but saying "Come out for a dinner and a time to learn more about the Jesus of the Bible" or something to that effect would be honest and up front.

We've actually planned something similar in the public outreach that we do in Alexandria, Va. Whenever we share the gospel with someone, we ask them to give us their contact information on a sign-up sheet so that we might invite them to a dinner and get-together where they may learn more about the gospel, have their questions answered, etc. We haven't managed to pull it off yet, but it's something we still have in mind.


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## WaywardNowHome (Apr 7, 2009)

Oh yes, we do tell the invitees up front that it's an evangelistic effort and that there will be a sermon-esque message at the end of it. Thanks for the input, Jeremy. It clears my conscience a bit.


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## Herald (Apr 7, 2009)

I know of only one biblical method for church growth. Preach the gospel and see sinners converted. Not all methodologies are bad. An ad in the paper, bring a friend day, effective website; all of these are fine. But these things do not grow a church. Growth is through the saving of sinners. Organic growth (children born to believing families who, in turn, believe) and external growth (new converts). That sounds like a solid church growth strategy.


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## Rich Koster (Apr 7, 2009)

WDG said:


> Rich Koster said:
> 
> 
> > My about the CGM (Church Growth Movement)
> ...



No, I speak from personal experience concerning some congregations I have visited (and one that I was part of) here in NJ. The CGM congregations I would sum up as busy, but shallow at best. 

I visited a PCA congregation here in NJ twice. It seemed very orderly and has a gifted pastor. However it is too far from my home to really be considered for membership.


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## Rangerus (Apr 7, 2009)

Der Pilger said:


> Greetings all,
> 
> I'm curious to find out what people's opinions are about church growth and marketing strategies, particularly the focus on:
> 
> ...



Amen. Too many churches today burn up thousands of dollars and hundreds of man hours a year trying to be relevant, contemporary and entertaining to the lost.


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## Edward (Apr 7, 2009)

Der Pilger said:


> [*]Bringing visitors to the church gathering without consideration of whether they are sheep or goats



I'm not sure I understand the basis underlying this one. Is the underlying premise that non-believers should NOT be invited to church?


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## kvanlaan (Apr 7, 2009)

I think the underlying premise is that "church" is a time when the corporate body of Christ gathers to worship the Lord. It is not a seeker-sensitive kum-ba-ya-let's-not-offend-anyone-milk-only time. I'm not saying that anyone here is approaching worship that way, but I do think that the CGM often does.


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## OPC'n (Apr 8, 2009)

Church growth doesn't occur by man's planning but by the Holy Spirit. We should be evangelizing in order to bring glory to God and let Him do the church growth.


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## DonP (Apr 8, 2009)

sjonee said:


> Church growth doesn't occur by man's planning but by the Holy Spirit. We should be evangelizing in order to bring glory to God and let Him do the church growth.



But we can still serve free coffee for before and after the service right? 

And we can have padded pews. I really need a padded pew I don't have much back. 

And we can have air conditioning right. I get hot in the summer. 

So where do you draw the line ??


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## Der Pilger (Apr 8, 2009)

Edward said:


> Der Pilger said:
> 
> 
> > [*]Bringing visitors to the church gathering without consideration of whether they are sheep or goats
> ...



I was thinking more along the lines of the idea of inviting unbelievers to church with a view to getting them plugged in permanently, regardless of whether they are sheep or goats. Sorry for the confusion.

Having said that, I do have to say, though, that I am very suspicious of the idea of inviting an unbeliever to church even once, not so much because I think that act in itself is wrong but more because I am dubious of the motive behind it. Are we inviting people to church because we are afraid to announce the good news to them ourselves? It certainly is much easier to give someone we don't want to offend a nice invitation than to bring up the gospel with all the offense it entails.

-----Added 4/8/2009 at 08:52:47 EST-----



sjonee said:


> Church growth doesn't occur by man's planning but by the Holy Spirit. We should be evangelizing in order to bring glory to God and let Him do the church growth.



 Preaching the gospel should be step 1 of the church growth strategy. Unfortunately, too often it is made the second or third step--or never even taught at all because people are so busy trying to be relational.


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## Der Pilger (Apr 8, 2009)

PeaceMaker said:


> sjonee said:
> 
> 
> > Church growth doesn't occur by man's planning but by the Holy Spirit. We should be evangelizing in order to bring glory to God and let Him do the church growth.
> ...



Of course! It's all about how Christianity can make your life better. Paul was crazy to talk about dying with Christ and rising again. The church is designed to provide life coaches to the lost to offer solutions to their problems and give them their "best life now." Glory without the cross.

Of course, I'm only kidding about the above. But I'm afraid that is what the CGM boils down to. 



> So where do you draw the line ??



Sjonee hit the nail on the head, in my opinion:


> Church growth doesn't occur by man's planning but by the Holy Spirit. We should be evangelizing in order to bring glory to God and let Him do the church growth.



in my opinion, we draw the line at the gospel. Announcing the good news should be the first step in any church growth initiative and should take precedence over any attempts to make people feel good. Any strategy that tends to shuffle the gospel to the back burner should be suspect.


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## mvdm (Apr 8, 2009)

This marketing ploy from a "church" in my hometown has made some news on the web. The idea is to "ditch church" and go have a big party:

A Little Leaven: The Dumbest Easter Church Marketing Stunt Yet


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## Der Pilger (Apr 8, 2009)

Speaking of inviting people to church, what do you all think of the following blurb taken from an invitation card meant for public distribution:



> Confused about life?
> You don’t have to be
> The purpose of life is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
> Why live surrounded by sin and constant guilt? There’s
> ...


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## WaywardNowHome (Apr 8, 2009)

Der Pilger said:


> Speaking of inviting people to church, what do you all think of the following blurb taken from an invitation card meant for public distribution:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



My first impression of the blurb is that it seems to be flirting with easy believism. Particularly the part about "it" being "easy." Reminds me of a church sign that I saw once, saying "Salvation is so easy, a caveman could do it."

Plus, "coming out of your shell" is not the basis of salvation. The blurb makes no mention of Jesus.


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## Der Pilger (Apr 8, 2009)

WaywardNowHome said:


> Der Pilger said:
> 
> 
> > Speaking of inviting people to church, what do you all think of the following blurb taken from an invitation card meant for public distribution:
> ...



Thanks for these insights. That helps pinpoint the problems.


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## DonP (Apr 8, 2009)

Hmmm..... Well it certainly is not he gospel. I hope he preaches something that is when they get them in the door. 

But could be God said to end our confusion and guilt??

I agree with you on the strange shell comment, no idea the rational or appeal to people there. 

And might be a more appropriate verse. 

Woudn't be how I would do it.


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