Here’s a bit of a departure from what I normally write on this site.
I’m currently participating in an online conversation about church branding which has recently begun at the Church Marketing Sucks website.
I suggest that you read the entire conversation (it’s not too long at the moment - just one initial post and three comments), but here’s a portion of my last comment to whet your appetite:
I suspect that if we concentrated most of our efforts on seeing authentic Christian community developed to a depth we haven’t known before and in such a way that the depth of our community is seen by all (the kind of community that says, “I love you so much that I would die for you tomorrow, but I love you so much that I will live for you today,” lived out in full view of the unbelieving city - outside the church building), we wouldn’t have to market ourselves. The world would _know_ that the Father loves them and that He sent Jesus, and they would come to us to find out why. .... But sometimes I think the traditional forms of church marketing are just ways we can continue to keep ourselves at arms-length from unbelievers. “We’ll tell you all about our church in the newspapers, in television spots, on doorknob hangers, in direct mail, etc. If you want to learn more, come to us and participate in our programs.” All instead of taking the life of the Christian community to the streets and public parks and bookstores and malls, etc.
I know that perspective is fairly different from how many of us think today (and it may seem strange coming from someone who talks ad infinitum about how to use the web to, in effect, market the church), so I’d be very interested in the perspectives of others. Feel free to comment!
I would also add that although it might seem at first glance to suggest that churches and ministries should forget about websites, that’s not at all what I’m saying or, in fact, believe. If a church or ministry uses its website and other digital means as a way of introducing unbelievers to believers in face-to-face relationships, then this strategic use of digital outreach tools is, in fact, furthering the mission of taking the life of the community of believers “to the streets.”
I believe that the internet provides today's church with a historic opportunity .... to tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love in ways which could only have been imagined in times past. The objective of this website is to explore the various ways in which today's technology can be used to spread the gospel around the world.
