"She wants it all!"

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W.C. Dean

Puritan Board Sophomore
I'm currently reading Between the Times by D.G. Hart and just started the final chapter today. On the first page of the conclusion I read perhaps the strangest phrase I've ever read in a book about the church, or church history. In the passage Hart is explaining how the OPC in 1986 had a renewed interest in the denomination's distinctive history and character and one way they showed this off was this:

"One such occasion was a full-page color advertisement that the Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension in 1987 placed in Eternity magazine. The caption read, "She Wants It All!" and the accompanying photograph featured a young, attractive woman working out in gear that did not hide her womanly figure. The Committee appeared to be communicating a certain ease with the ambitions of modern Americans- not to mention trying to cast a more appealing, even titillating, image of the OPC- while also suggesting that this driven woman was the sort of person that the church was trying to reach." (Pg. 311)

Does anyone have any more background context for this? It sounds so odd. Titillating young women adverts are not usually what comes to mind when I think of the OPC. A strange bit of history for another strange Sabbath.
 
I recall it at the time; not that it was Eternity. A friend told me about it and there was an apology. It had appeared I thought in a denominational publication and I would have said PCA. But hadn't thought of it for a long time and can't be sure if it wasn't the ad mentioned. It may be there was an apology to the OPC GA?
 
I recall it at the time; not that it was Eternity. A friend told me about it and there was an apology. It had appeared I thought in a denominational publication and I would have said PCA. But hadn't thought of it for a long time and can't be sure if it wasn't the ad mentioned. It may be there was an apology to the OPC GA?

There was an apology and personal letters sent to all those who were offended. The man who was in charge of the committee who devised the ad retired. That's in the book, but it doesn't mention their rationale at all. Fascinating stuff
 
There was an apology and personal letters sent to all those who were offended. The man who was in charge of the committee who devised the ad retired. That's in the book, but it doesn't mention their rationale at all. Fascinating stuff
That sounds like the occasion and things had shaken out as described when I was told about it. So whether that was in the same year or couple later, I don't remember.
 
Wasn't this right after the time the OPC was approached to consolidate with the PCA? Might the ad have been an effort to branch out a bit? Odd!
 
"One such occasion was a full-page color advertisement that the Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension in 1987 placed in Eternity magazine. The caption read, "She Wants It All!" and the accompanying photograph featured a young, attractive woman working out in gear that did not hide her womanly figure. The Committee appeared to be communicating a certain ease with the ambitions of modern Americans- not to mention trying to cast a more appealing, even titillating, image of the OPC- while also suggesting that this driven woman was the sort of person that the church was trying to reach." (Pg. 311)


I found this in the:
MINUTES of the FIFTY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY Meeting at Grand Rapids, Michigan June 11 - 18,1987

50. HOME MISSIONS (Cont). Consideration of the report of the Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension was resumed.

On motion the Assembly requested the Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension to set forth the principles and methods of church growth under which the Committee operates, including the use of assessment centers in evaluating men for the ministry, to evaluate these principles and methods, and to report to the 55th General Assembly.

It was moved that the General Assembly instruct the Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension to take out space in Eternity magazine and print an apology to its readers on behalf of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church for the advertisement entitled "She Wants It All!" which appeared in the June 1987 issue of that magazine, and that the apology be approved by the Committee on Coordination prior to printing.
 
In all of these suggestions, the implication was clear: congregational growth was predicated on maximizing its appeal to the unchurched. Whereas former church plants were self-conscious in belonging to a denomination, new efforts were deliberate in muting an OPC identity. CHMCE's ideas proved popular among many in the OPC. A pre-assembly workshop with the church growth consultant Frank Tillapaugh in 1985 was well attended, while a preaching workshop a few years later was canceled due to insufficient registration.

Yet there also emerged growing criticisms of CHMCE's new emphases. The tensions between CHMCE and the church peaked in 1987, when a CHMCE-sponsored advertisement ran in an issue of Eternity Magazine with the bold headlines, "She Wants it All!" and featuring an attractive young woman on an exercise machine. The ad copy, which solicited contributions for a program called "Mission America," boasted that the committee was employing "street smart workout techniques" to plant new churches.

Objections to the advertisement prompted a five-hour debate at the general assembly on the strategies and tactics of CHMCE. Some challenged the prudence of soliciting money from outside the denomination for "visionary evangelistic efforts." Much of the debate was deflected towards the allegedly provocative nature of the ad. Another offense, which regretfully few of the commissioners dwelt on, was the commercialization of the church. By establishing the analogy between church membership and the trappings of American consumerism, CHMCE was selling the church like a commodity.

However one interpreted the advertisement, and the work of CHMCE under Ruff in general, it was clear that, fifty years after the founding of the church, CHMCE was far from the "backbone" of the denomination. For some, it became an embarrassment to the church; for everyone, it was the source of confusion over denominational identity.

 
Beat me to it, but I'll give the citation:

Here are two links to newspaper ads that mention this story, but you have to start a one-week free subscription to view them. I have no idea of the content. I didn't want the bother. Search for "she wants it all"
 
I'm not sure advertising is always bad, but modern advertising techniques present a challenge for the church. One of the principles used in modern advertising is that to be effective you start by understanding your consumer and knowing what kind of person you are most trying to reach. In this case, I would guess that someone probably said the denomination needed to branch out beyond older, rural men and should be attracting younger, urban women—which may be true enough. So the ad featured a young, urban woman. It may not have been trying to make her look especially provocative, but when you hire a model she's going to be good-looking.

The real problem is that the church is for ALL people. So the question about what kind of person you're trying to reach is a troublesome one to begin with. On the one hand, you do need to avoid perpetuating a denomination of old white men, for example, so you may have good reasons to feature someone obviously different. But then the ad itself becomes narrow, targeted, and consumer-oriented, which doesn't really fit what the church should be. It's difficult to get it right without resorting to a boring ad, or an ineffective one that targets nobody. I've written ad copy for churches, and it really is a struggle.
 
I'm not sure advertising is always bad, but modern advertising techniques present a challenge for the church. One of the principles used in modern advertising is that to be effective you start by understanding your consumer and knowing what kind of person you are most trying to reach. In this case, I would guess that someone probably said the denomination needed to branch out beyond older, rural men and should be attracting younger, urban women—which may be true enough. So the ad featured a young, urban woman. It may not have been trying to make her look especially provocative, but when you hire a model she's going to be good-looking.

The real problem is that the church is for ALL people. So the question about what kind of person you're trying to reach is a troublesome one to begin with. On the one hand, you do need to avoid perpetuating a denomination of old white men, for example, so you may have good reasons to feature someone obviously different. But then the ad itself becomes narrow, targeted, and consumer-oriented, which doesn't really fit what the church should be. It's difficult to get it right without resorting to a boring ad, or an ineffective one that targets nobody. I've written ad copy for churches, and it really is a struggle.

Yeah I can certainly see how it could be a struggle. I think ads are a benefit if done correctly. If I was in the situation where I had to formulate an advertisement I'd probably come up with something simple and honest. Obviously that would be ignored by many but that's the price to pay. I saw something recently by Tom Ascol where he discussed the advertising habits of a few larger SBC churches, and one he pointed out was using blatant sexual innuendoes. Interesting business for sure. I'm glad I don't have to create ads.
 
Yeah I can certainly see how it could be a struggle. I think ads are a benefit if done correctly. If I was in the situation where I had to formulate an advertisement I'd probably come up with something simple and honest. Obviously that would be ignored by many but that's the price to pay. I saw something recently by Tom Ascol where he discussed the advertising habits of a few larger SBC churches, and one he pointed out was using blatant sexual innuendoes. Interesting business for sure. I'm glad I don't have to create ads.
It make sense that ads would be like this if worldly attitudes, and not for some short time, have invaded the church.
 
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