How to Have a Greater Impact Through Life-Giving Marketing
By Jon Mitchell

Jesus came that we might have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). If He came to bring life, shouldn’t everything we do as a local church be done with the purpose of demonstrating this “life” to others? If you agree, do you also believe that every message that is sent out to the local community can communicate life to others? I do, and this can be reflected in all of a church’s outreach efforts, even marketing. I believe that outreach efforts (through any method) can be focused on both the invite and the message of life.

How do you provide life to people? By knowing their felt needs and speaking to those needs. In other words, if I live in a young community where couples are struggling to know how to raise their kids, then my messages and efforts are going to speak to that need. If I live in a community where rampant poverty exists, then I am going to do everything I can to provide a food bank and minister to the community’s physical and spiritual needs.

Many of you have probably heard the old adage that marketing is about sending the right message to the right audience at the right time. As Christ followers, we believe that our message is the right message. Hopefully, we also believe that if God has placed us in a particular community at this exact moment, then we already have the right audience at the right time.

It isn’t enough to issue an invitation to your church. Speak to their potential needs, promote a special event, or simply provide encouragement. Unchurched people will rarely be drawn to your church through a simple, uninviting mail piece. They are more likely to attend because of a relationship with a member of your church, a special event, or because you’ve spoken to their felt needs. Let your outreach, whether via mail or other methods, be driven by the desire to speak life into people and touch their felt needs.

Have you taken time to consider what your community’s felt needs are? The following could be potential primary needs in your area: parenting support and education, companionship, sense of purpose, financial assistance, employment, and education. In the community that my church serves, we see the desire for better marriages and stronger families, evidenced in the high attendance of community small groups that speak to those subjects. 

In an upper-class community, felt needs can be more difficult to identify because wealth and toys mask them. This demographic needs a loving, life-giving church just like everyone else.

For several years, my parents served in ministry to the upper class of Palm Beach, Florida. They recently told me about Bob, who was a very prominent attorney in the area. Bob and his wife enjoyed an affluent lifestyle with all the creature comforts. On the surface, they seemed happy. But underneath that wealthy veneer, Bob and Mary were two individuals who could not get along.  They were distanced from each other and their kids. Affluence only medicated the pain, providing distractions in the form of toys, vacations, and other empty perks.

One day, they received an invitation from a local church to attend a marriage retreat. During the retreat, the veneer faded, as they each testified they were living secret lives, and admitted no one understood how desperate they felt. In fact, they had already drawn up divorce papers. By the end of the weekend, they declared they had discovered God had a better plan for their marriage, and they were headed home to tear up the papers. Imagine what would have become of their family without that simple life-giving invitation? That invitation touched a felt need.

Whatever happened to the personal invitation?

Walking door-to-door (another form of church marketing) not only allows you to offer an invitation personally, but you have a chance to prayer walk the area. Some refer to this as praying “onsight with insight.” As a side note, the most important part of any outreach effort must be prayer, as demonstrated for us in the upper room. The disciples waited and prayed until they received power from on high before they ever went out witnessing and preaching (Acts 1:14).

There may be people in your area who simply don’t like your church, and you may encounter them going to door-to-door (perhaps this is one reason why many churches now avoid this method of contact).

I previously attended a church where we tried this method. On my walk, I handed a Bible to a man, reminding him that our church was there for him if he should need anything. Looking me straight in the eyes he said, “I can’t stand your pastor.” You know what my response was? “I could care less what you think of our pastor, because all that matters is that book you have in your hands, and whether you’ve come to terms with the person of Jesus.” After a few seconds (and wondering if I should run), he said, “Son, that’s the best answer I’ve ever heard.” 

If you don’t have a good understanding of your community’s felt needs, going door-to-door will certainly help. At the same time, you can leave them with the greatest life-giving product of all time—the Bible.

Don’t Give Up…But Do Evaluate
Many churches want a quick fix for their attendance problems, or are only interested in putting new people in the pews. Shouldn’t the purpose of outreach (and yes, direct mail and other marketing efforts can be part of our outreach when done correctly) be to scatter the seed and let God take care of the harvest? Some churches give up marketing almost as soon as they start because they don’t immediately see new visitors flooding through the doors. Remember, people need to become familiar with your church. They need to know you care about their needs.

A life-giving marketing approach has the opportunity to attract people who are interested in exploring a relationship with Christ. I can give you testimonies of people who received life-giving marketing from churches and turned away from a life of sin, self-affliction, depression, and more.

Evaluate your history, and the impact you’ve made…or haven’t. I am amazed at the number of churches that have never issued a personal or mailed invitation to the people within one mile of their building. It’s risky to assume that people know where your church is or that it even exists. I recently had a pastor tell me that he had discovered people in his community who had never heard of his church. This surprised him, especially since they were celebrating their 115th year as a church!

A noted author once mentioned to me that he was visiting a community and wanted to see how “known” the church he was going to be speaking at was. He went to a McDonald’s right across the street from the church and began asking people if they new where the church was...only to find out no one had ever heard of it.

Evaluate why your church exists. In all honesty, there is only one primary reason your church should: to bring life through Christ to those around you. While nothing can substitute for a personal relationship where a one-on-one invitation is made, identifying your community’s felt needs and speaking to them through life-giving marketing is a close second.

Be Realistic
In terms of direct mail, churches shouldn’t expect the same results as businesses. You are providing perhaps the most unique and controversial “product and service” known to man. The Gospel message is causing just as much tension and hope in the souls of people today as it was when Jesus claimed to be the Messiah.  So, when a pastor asks me, “What return should I expect by mailing out so many pieces?” my response is simple. “I don’t know.” Very scientific, right?

There are many variables to consider. What are you inviting the community to do? What is the history and presence of your church in the area? What is the overall receptivity to churches in the area? Have you touched felt needs in the past? Have you ever made a concerted effort to visit door-to-door with those in your community? Are you praying over your community on a regular basis? How concerned are your regular attendees about welcoming new people?

Believe it or not, that last one is definitely a question that needs to be asked. I have had a pastor tell me that the board decided they no longer wanted to continue with outreach. Another pastor mentioned that members of his church told him that it is solely his job to welcome new visitors and to do the outreach.

Let’s not just be concerned about filling empty seats in our pews. Our churches have the opportunity to bring the right message to the right people at the right time. A message that is greater than any product available today, to people who so desperately need to receive life. If we’re intentional, we can focus on both the invite and the message of life.

Jon Mitchell works as director of marketing for Promise Network, a company whose goal is to provide churches with a voice in their community, www.promisenetwork.com.