The associate pastor of a 225-member Presbyterian church in rural Virginia sent me an important question.
She described an extensive evangelism project they had undertaken — at considerable expense and effort — and asked “why it didn’t quite work.”
Rather than respond just to her, I thought I would make this a case study from which we all could learn.
The church sent two postal mailings to residents of their draw area: one to 1,500 specific names from a purchased list, the other to 4,000 “postal customers.” The card invited recipients to attend two meetings with church pastors to consider “When Your Spiritual GPS Says Recalculating: Finding God Again — or for the First Time.”
Three recipients responded to the first mailing but did nothing beyond attending two sessions. Not a single person responded to the second mailing.
I commend their decision to “reach outside our walls.” Most congregations are far too inward-focused. Now the problems.
No one should try to “sell a product,” be it cola or religion, without knowing what people want to “buy.” I saw no sign that they understood their intended recipients. See problems 2, 3, 4 and 5.
Only a committee could love a 14-word title that says nothing. There’s a reason why Apple has “The Watch is here.” Brevity catches attention, conveys confidence and suggests focus.
Postal mail hasn’t been an effective marketing medium for decades. A mailing sent to “Postal Customers” probably didn’t make it past the waste basket inside the kitchen door. Mass mail is totally impersonal, which is a poor starting point for evangelism.
The card invited recipients to register for an event by placing a telephone call to the church. Seriously? Who makes phone calls to register for programs? Think email, social media posts, clicks and apps, instead.
Without knowing their target audience, they projected a few questions onto them — such as, “Have you felt an emptiness in your life that perhaps God could fill?”
A much better approach would have been to learn about the audience. Start by assuming it is complex, differentiated by age, gender, socioeconomic circumstance and ethnicity. Learn about the people — and hear their dozens of questions, not one of which is likely to be, “Is it time to come back to church?” Sponsor focus groups, offer a few give-aways, maybe white papers downloadable from the web site on topics such as, “Can I do anything about bullying?” Sponsor a booth at a town fair, collect email addresses, then send short messages building bridges. Best of all, just go out and talk to people. Instead of two pastors sitting in a church room waiting for people to come to them with church-focused questions, send those pastors out to coffee shops, PTA meetings, and soccer games, and listen to what actual people are saying about life. The congregation’s future lies in the public square, not the church meeting room.
Learning from failure can be a humbling experience. But that is a good place for a church to start. We need to see the world as it is, hear the life-questions people actually are asking, and look for ways to help. Not to build our institution, but to feed, clothe, shelter and love God’s people. Then build bridges to people that they might actually walk.
Originally published here: http://www.morningwalkmedia.com/#about
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