Marketing Your Church
Practical Ways to Reach Your
Community With the Gospel!
What Is Marketing?
matching a product or service with
people who have a need for that
product or service.
people need the Lord -- church
marketing is a way of bringing people
along to realize the need and find
Christ.
Biblical Basis
Jesus’ presentation to the woman at the
well – John 4:4-42
Paul in Athens – Acts 17:16-34
Or, Said Another Way…
church communications
community outreach
evangelism
First Things First
no level of public relations, promotion,
advertising or image building can make
up for a poor product.
put your primary focus on excellence in
the way your church worships, provides
education, ministers and makes
newcomers feel welcome.
Getting Started
assign the task – “everybody’s” job
becomes “nobody’s” job.
evangelism committee.
church communications work group.
staff.
somebody.
Finding Funds
look for areas in church budget that can
be tapped for communication activities.
printed items like stationery, newsletters,
bulletins, etc.
special event budgets like VBS or
Christmas cantata.
maintenance budgets related to signage
for buildings or vans.
Create a Written Plan
does not have to be long or fancy.
look at the calendar – be consistent
throughout the year.
don’t overextend your resources –
either budget or people.
better to do a few things well than to do
a lot poorly.
Marketing Your Church
determine your church’s audiences.
use church rolls to determine who you are
reaching now.
look at your community’s demographics.
U.S. census data
Outreach Marketing
KBC’s Church Growth Team
trends in your community
plant openings/closings
new subdivisions
Ground Zero
develop a church logo and tag line in
keeping with your church’s vision and its
primary audiences.
establish graphic standards for all your
marketing materials.
invest in yourself by using a graphic artist.
establish a pattern of excellence.
Basic Materials
church stationery/business cards.
signage for buildings and vans.
web site.
Free (or Almost Free)
word of mouth is free and is the most
effective form of marketing.
news releases for press, broadcast and
cable.
events.
services your church offers.
news photos.
digital cameras make this easy.
Free (or Almost Free)
web site – basic sites are free and easy to
manage through LifeWay and other
providers.
host community service activities.
blood drives, veterinary services, book clubs,
aerobics classes, support groups, “free” yard
sales, “free” car washes.
call the radio stations and/or send news releases!
send letters to newcomers in your community.
home sales listed in most newspapers.
Relatively Inexpensive
subdivision give-away.
magnets with important numbers.
microwave popcorn with “Jesus” video.
event sponsorships.
concerts – patriotic, barbershop quartets,
etc.
races & fun walks.
job fairs.
Relatively Inexpensive
mass mailings.
postcards can be very effective.
clothing items.
design a shirt, t-shirt, hat or other clothing
item for your members to wear.
More Expensive
paid advertising.
yellow pages.
newspapers, shoppers, specialty
publications.
radio, TV, cable.
ads.
program sponsorships.
live and/or taped broadcasts.
Final Notes
measure results.
find out how they found out.
visitor cards, surveys.
follow up with people.
once people visit, it takes personal
attention to keep them coming back.
Thank You!