In part 1 and 2 I talked about change and diversity as two key things churches must do to engage people today. These two are key, but presentation works alongside these and is crucially important.3. LOOK GOOD
You've just got to look good. And not just your brand, but everything. This extends down to the carpet, chairs, newsletter and powerpoint shows. Everything has to be professional and be polished. Because that's what people expect. Anything less will lower their perceptions and reduce their 'experience' of church.
It starts with your logo. It's got to be contemporary and not cheesy. It's got to be bold and striking. This may come as a shock, but your logo doesn't have to include a cross or a stylized church building on it.
From there, you should adopt corporate standards: a set of standards for use of the logo and how stationary will look. It needs to all look the same, part of the same design family.
Presentation needs to incorporate everything. Going to church needs to be an experience, as people have become accustomed to experiences in everyday life. Listening to their iPod is an experience enhanced by the design of the thing and its ease of use, not to mention its popularity. Going to the movies is an experience, enhanced by the seats and screen size and the air conditioning and popcorn.
Better presentation of everything will enhance the church goers experience. This is far more important than you think.
4 comments:
As someone who does a lot of design I think it is important, but really it only makes up a tiny fraction of being relevant.
Consider the early Church; it wasn't about looking good it was about impacting people with the truth. Sharing with them that a God came as a man into the world to save them personally. May I add they were extremely successful.
Many churches are so hung up on "attracting" people that they miss the point that we are meant to be providing an "experience" of Church that involves Jesus Christ the very person that came to save them, He is both real today and relevant today.
There is a danger in trying to be relevant through looking good that churches become superficial. We can't greet people's sinful want for superficiality with superficiality we need to get to the heart of the matter and meet their real needs with Truth which can set them free.
If engagement through image is a focus it should be instead our righteousness that needs encouragement to shine bright so that it can be evident to all we meet.
Thanks for your comment. I do agree fully with what you've said. But I believe the two must go hand in hand. What good is a church that impacts people with the truth really well, yet because of its poor presentation, has no people to impact?
Design and presentation is often the first thing someone notices. Therefore, it is crucially important. But, design and presentation is not what brings people to Christ - as you have mentioned. This is very true. My point is that it just gets them in the door, which is what many churches do so poorly.
Thanks again for pointing out that it's not a brand that changes lives, but the truth and love of Jesus Christ.
Steve,
Appreciate your thoughts from a marketing type persepctive, but I think you are missing soemthing - the task of the church is not to get people in the door - that has been the failing of the the church growth/church health movement - and i think looking at the statistics of the Baptist denomination point towards that failure. the task of the Church is to proclaim the gospel - word, deed and action. if we are goign to wait to get people in the door to do that then we may as well shut up shop - unfortunatly the if we build they will come mentality and it's bastard sister if we make it better and more relevant they will come fishes a pond that has limited scope. It's a pond that has been exhausted and just seem to feed the consumer culture of the day -
I think we need to get back to a core message - many of the ex ABC people that is keep in touch with and have left the church (I think we need to address the church leaving issue before dragging more people in)have done so becuase of a lack of relevance, reality and honesty as well as a feeling that 'God has left the building.'
I love the Church but I find myself thinking that many Sunday mornings. I want to meet with Jesus but sometimes that is a lot easier sitting around a coffee table with my mates, no amount of good marketing will chnage the fact that largely the product (as we know it) is flawed.
And it will only change if God intervenes or the fringes take charge
Wish you well Steve in your searching - it's great to see your wisdom developing - love to the whanau
Michael
Thanks Michael. Appreciate you're leaning on the same lines as the first comment here. But I want to reiterate that I am not saying that marketing is the 'be all and end all' of everything. It is simply one part of the process, and it is my belief that if you build a great relationship with someone who wants to find out more about God, then they come to your church which pays no attention to trying to be relevant to that person, you're wasting your time.
Marketing can help the church be relevant. It does not make it relevant in itself. I certainly don't prescribe to the 'if you build it (or make it more relevant) they will come' mentality either; but rather, 'if you build it / make it more relevant, there is a better chance they will stay'.
Marketing extends way beyond advertising and branding. If you don't enjoy church, your church leadership needs to find out why so it can deliver a 'product' more relevant to you. That's marketing. If people want shorter sermons, the pastor needs to preach shorter sermons. That's marketing too. When you talk about people leaving because of a lack of 'relevance, reality and honesty', simple marketing principles can help address this (please note: I am not saying that marketing will fix this, but it must be part of the process).
If only the church would listen to people, ask them questions about what they want, and make changes, then we'll start to see a difference.
Thanks for all you do for the Kingdom of God Michael, and I hope you and the Treston family have a great Christmas!
Stephen
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