Face Of The Church

Hello Emmanuel,

We need a bigger church sign.

Now before you start listing the reasons why we don’t and why we can’t, consider the problem I am dealing with:  we have too many community ministry events.  They don’t all fit on the sign.  With the Egg Hunt, Maundy Thursday, Easter Services, Griefshare, the traveling food pantry and the blessing of the bikes all happening within 10 days of each other, you might see how stressed I am… not to mention Justin-The-Sign-Guy.

This leads me to a unique topic for all you church people:  how is a church to market itself?  Or is it?

There are those who would resist any semblance of a church mirroring corporate America.  The marketing ploys used by the secular business world are often met with skepticism and paranoia…. As in ‘what’s the catch’.  The result is a church attitude that resists promoting the church for fear of the same reaction by those we are trying to reach.

However, consider that there is a difference between promoting/marketing the church and promoting/marketing the message.  And what does this mean as we go about advertising as we do?  I, personally, think there are biblical ways to advertise/promote/market as a church.  I also think that there are unbiblical ways.  I want to share both, the latter which may get me into trouble.

God has a message for us to send out.  If we focus on the message, then we do what God wants.  Creating ministry events that give people a chance to hear that message is, in my mind, biblical.  Worship services, Missions, Outreach, Hospitality, Small Group and Care ministries (look familiar circle chart people?.. hehe) are ways to get the message out…. Or at least give people a chance to hear the message that Jesus loves them and they can be a part of a redeemed community that nurtures healthy relationships with God and others (i.e. be a disciple of Jesus).  When we use the church sign, it is for the front end of those purposes:  to invite and welcome.

Then there are other ways to use church signs that I believe are either ineffective or even unbiblical.  I’ve seen many cute sayings on signs that may bring a smile or smirk to a passer-byer’s mouth.  While a church is free to do what it wants with a sign, I often wonder, ‘what is the purpose’.  How about giving a non-churched person a concrete reason to be curious about the church?  This is almost always tied to an event that would minimize discomfort in a new, unchurched person…. Like an Easter Egg hunt or Breakfast with Santa Claus or a Yard Sale.

Once the new person participates in these events, then opportunity can be had to establish a conversation and invite them to then next event… hopefully eventually leading to worship… where God’s Good News is shared in a more clear and distinct way.

And then there are ways to market a church that make me squirm.  First and foremost, marketing the messenger instead of the message is dangerous business.  If you notice, my face is not on the sign or a billboard or book or even on the screen in the sanctuary.  If I didn’t wear the cordless mic on Sunday mornings, a visitor wouldn’t even know I’m the pastor until I walked up to the front.  While I’ve been told that I should be more visible as part of Emmanuel, I resist it.  Why?  The message is more important than the messenger.  Some call this humility or false humility or whatever you want to call it.  What I know is that I get extremely uncomfortable when someone places me on a pedestal higher than the message.  It’s like I wait for lightning to strike me down.

Not all pastors would agree with me.  For example, you don’t have to be a big Joel Osteen fan to recognize his approach is nearly opposite of mine.  Though to be fair, it would be difficult to be part of a nationally known church and not see your face everywhere.  However, I also think it would be tempting to allow your face to be marketed all around when people appreciate your work.  Pedestals are tempting… the highest pedestals are the most tempting.  The truth is that the church was here 2,000 years before I got here.  It will likely be around 2,000 years after I’m gone.  The Good News is forever.  The message is forever.

So we need a bigger church sign.  Not because of any one person.  We need a bigger sign because Emmanuel is very good at understanding that people find Jesus by being invited by the church to get involved in events…. And we have many events…  And these events should always lead to a really powerful message…. a message that the messenger better not mess up.  That’s a job that I will gladly take on.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe