The Ad Man Cometh [United Methodist Church]

CatholicExchange.com ^ | 09-24-05 | Eric Scheske

[Salvation]

by Eric Scheske

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The Ad Man Cometh

08/24/05

Marlboro Man, meet Pastor Phil. On August 30th, the United Methodist Church will start a four-week, $4 million effort to market its church. In order to make sure they don’t waste their money, “they're turning to those who know how to sell cars, houses, and other commercial products.”

It’s part of a trend. “The church in more ways than not is mirroring Wall Street and the world and Madison Avenue," said a representative of Focus on the Family. "We're [lagging] behind them to a certain degree, but we're using all their techniques."

Churches' increasing tendency to use advertising professionals has prompted some agencies to develop church-marketing arms.

I’m not sure I like it. It’s hard to pinpoint the reason, but it’s worth remembering the most common criticism of advertising today (after its saturation of public space): it’s more concerned with getting sales than imparting truth. Indeed, we know that some advertising gurus will distort the truth to get sales for their clients. If churches turn to ad agencies for whom such an approach is the norm, isn’t there a significant risk that the ads will be misleading or play off emotionalism and thereby be a discredit to institutions that claim to impart objective truth?

But forget that for the moment. I’m more curious about a potential branch problem of such advertising.

As advertising becomes acceptable to draw people to the pews, might advertising become acceptable once people are in the pews? Catholic Churches have advertised on the back of bulletins for years, with no discernible ill effect on worship (if worship fervor is depressed these days, it’s not because of the 1” x 2” bulletin ads).

On the other side of 1517, many Protestant churches now have big screen TVs, karaoke machines, and other technological worship aids. In the staid Missouri Synod Lutheran Church in which I grew up, you can now come to church a few minutes early and, instead of praying quietly, watch a jumbotron-like screen above the altar.

If you combine that jumbotron with the Catholic bulletin advertising, you have... mainstream advertising. Maybe we’ll soon see religious booksellers advertise on the jumbotrons. Maybe we’ll see Zondervaan Publishing stitched on the arms of clergy robes or Coke logos on all the pews.

It’s not farfetched. Once we accept the legitimacy of advertising to draw people to church, it’s not outrageous to think advertising might leak into the church. Churches, after all, need money (if for nothing else, to pay for the advertising). If advertising is good enough to draw people, isn’t it good enough to help sustain the services that keep them there?

I have at least four objections to advertising in church:

1. Such in-house advertising is only one step removed from the temple marketers that Jesus drove away with whips. Unacceptable to Jesus, unacceptable to me.

2. The sanctuary ought to be set aside from the ordinariness of everyday life, including the everyday saturation of advertising.

3. The material needs and desires are pressed on us every day. Advertising appeals to the material. We ought to get relief from it.

4. Advertising is for the most base thoughts and emotions. When we go to church, we ought to be raising our minds to the sublime, not wallowing in the emotional mud.

Now, can’t all these objections about hypothetical advertising in the pews be adjusted just a little to point a questioning finger at the trend in church advertising that we are seeing?

1. If Jesus didn’t want the temple pandering to marketers, should we want marketers peddling the temple?

2. If the sanctuary is filled with the types of people who are lured by base advertising, might we need to adjust the sanctuary experience in order to keep them there?

3. If materialistic-type people are attracted to the pews, might we need materialism in the pews to keep them there?

4. If attendance at church is a sublime activity, perhaps it’s not meant for the type of person attracted by advertising.

I’m painfully aware that most of these objections sound horribly snobbish. It’s almost as if I’m saying that church is too good for some people, which would seem like a brutish, not to mention stupid, thing to say. Jesus, after all, came to save everyone.

But still, when we get someone into the church, it’s for a purpose, and it’s a purpose that transcends the ordinariness of everyday life. It’s for a higher purpose.

If people show up because a piece of mass marketing appealed to them, are they showing up with a realistic expectation of what to expect?

More to the point: Is what attracted them to church in the first place inconsistent with what is expected of them once they arrive?

Is it using a materialistic lure to catch a spiritual fish?

I think it is. And it brings us back to the problem I mentioned earlier: the advertising by nature will tend to be misleading.

© Copyright 2005 Catholic Exchange

Eric Scheske is an attorney, the Editor of The Daily Eudemon, a Contributing Editor of Godspy, and the former editor of Gilbert Magazine.

[Salvation]

How far can advertising "Come to my church!" go?

[Salvation]

**If Jesus didn’t want the temple pandering to marketers, should we want marketers peddling the temple?**

Excellent question!

[One Proud Dad]

This will be a topic in my Methodist Sunday school class this week, my pastor is the teacher.

[wideawake]

Pretty far. I've seen some pretty ridiculous stuff.

I work in Manhattan and a common thing you'll see in Manhattan at rush hour is teams of goodlooking, energetic 20 somethings dressed in identical t-shirts giving out free samples of some random product - a frusion shake, a healthy snack bar, a new shampoo, a t-shirt with a bank's name on it, etc.

One day they was such a team and they were giving out snack bars - but the snack bar wrappers were invitations to a hip new church in the area.

It was a perfect imitation of this streetmarketing concept.

Pretty lame.

[diverteach]

Stop thinking of accepting lezbos and faggots and they will come.

[Salvation]

Should be very interesting. I would love to be a fly on the wall.

Were you aware of the campaign coming out before reading this?

[Salvation]

**the snack bar wrappers were invitations to a hip new church in the area.**

There was a thread recently about big churches -- no scripture at the service, but espresso bars and everythings else anyone might want on a Sunday morning! Make be believe this story.

[Salvation]

Oops!
**everythings else anyone might want on a Sunday morning!**
everything else anyone might want on a Sunday morning!

[One Proud Dad]

No I wasn't.

[PAR35]

2. If the sanctuary is filled with the types of people who are lured by base advertising, might we need to adjust the sanctuary experience in order to keep them there?

Some of the megachurches have already made this adjustment in the 'sacturary experience.'

[Gamecock]

***Some of the megachurches have already made this adjustment in the 'sacturary experience.'***

The Purpose Driven Experience?

[Dr. Eckleburg]

They need the spectacles of Scripture to see through all the false advertising and subliminal control.

[Gamecock]

Like I've said before: We decry the popular culture, and then throw open our doors and invite it inside. We model ourselves based on pop-psycology, and self help-prograns, and then use mass marketing techniques. When the pagan does enter a church, s/he doesn't see anything that is the least bit different that what is happening on the Oprah show.


What they need to hear is of sin, judgment, and redemption. Instead the get health, wealth and prosperity. The get "purpose" without Christ is coming back and he will be mad. But what do I know? According to the Evangelicals around here I'm just a mean Calvinist who is way to judgmental.

[xzins]

I'm a pastor. Each week we announce different events taking place in the church throughout the week. We have a newsletter announcing what has occurred and what will occur in about the next quarter.

That is advertising.

This article seems to decry improving on the techniques now being used.

The point is to get the information out.

[Convert from ECUSA]

"I have at least four objections to advertising in church: 1. Such in-house advertising is only one step removed from the temple marketers that Jesus drove away with whips. Unacceptable to Jesus, unacceptable to me. 2. The sanctuary ought to be set aside from the ordinariness of everyday life, including the everyday saturation of advertising. 3. The material needs and desires are pressed on us every day. Advertising appeals to the material. We ought to get relief from it. 4. Advertising is for the most base thoughts and emotions. When we go to church, we ought to be raising our minds to the sublime, not wallowing in the emotional mud."

Amen and right on! Jesus founded the Church, not Amway!

[PAR35]

A happy-clappy service with a few words from the pastor addressed to your felt needs so you can feel good about yourself.

[Corin Stormhands]

Same subject different article.

[Corin Stormhands]

This article seems to decry improving on the techniques now being used.

Seems to me it's just the present day version of going out into the highways and byways. Is it not?

Of course, some people really don't want "them" to come in.

[xzins]

The technique of broadcasting over cable, airwaves, internet, etc., seem morally neutral to me.

The message broadcast should be the subject of criticism, imho. If it's a milquetoast message, then zing it gladly and with fervor.

But if we're gonna complain about advertisements, why not just back up a few steps and complain about tv's and electricity???


(milquetoast ping :>)

[Zechariah_8_13]

What? "Open Hearts Open Minds Open Doors" didn't work so well for them?

Maybe they could try the slogan of a UMC church I used to live near: HUGE banner tied across the front saying "HATE FREE ZONE"

The UMC is a disgrace. Let them spend their time and money on advertising a "likeable" church instead of teaching the gospel.

A fool and his money are soon parted.