Advertising and Marketing Budget

Every successful business has a advertising and marketing budget and strategy. Should the Church advertise, or is that just for businesses? Jesus said He was about His Father’s business. Gosh, do I need to say anything else? Church is a business, and a very serious one at that. No, not in the natural or traditional sense of being a business like everyone else. A Church’s profit does not come in a monetary sense. I know the world who is not in church would like to think otherwise, as they mock and ridicule pastors and bishops and call them greedy for being blessed by God, not knowing how hard of a job it is to be a Pastor. Pastors who are about the business of their Father in Heaven are definitely not in it for the money. Maybe that’s hard to understand, but it’s true. You see church is a life or death (eternal) business, and people’s lives are at stake. So with this being a fact, isn’t it important to be able to reach God’s audience? Wouldn’t it be even more important for a Church to advertise than say, any other business? If souls are the profit, and its God’s profit, are we being good stewards with the talent our Master gave us while He was away? Have we taken that talent and turned it into ten, or have we buried it in the church account where it is safe?
If we were to determine the average value of a customer for a business, in order to determine it’s advertising or online marketing budget, and relate that to church and a soul, we would find the value we come up with is our life. There is no greater love a man can have, than to give his life for his friend. Jesus determined that when He gave His life for us. He called us friends when we were still sinners, read His word. So the value of one soul to God is a life. Wow. So how much are we spending on advertising, or marketing God’s word to our community? I know we do outreach, and bible studies, and home groups, these are traditional forms of advertising. And they work. However we are leaving the world to be affected by the world and the advertisements, temptations, and products of the world. Most of us are not effectively and actively pursuing our community on the level, or in the place where they are spending their time. The last time I checked there were 15 or less at a home group or bible study, and praise God for them, but how many doors were actually opened the last time your youth went and knocked on them? Our traditional means of outreach are not as effective as they used to be. People don’t want to open their doors, and don’t want to be bothered by phone calls.
Where do most people spend their time today? Well, when they are looking for a product or service, 97% of people are spending time looking online and searching for information there. We have a product; it’s the Holy Ghost delivering power of God. We have a service; it’s to every human who is fatherless, widowed, and to all who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. And that is to go out and preach the deliverance of God, and to be the Light of the world set on top for all to see the Glory and Power of God. This is what people are looking for when they go and do a Google search, this is what people are really searching for, and we have it! Why shouldn’t we put the Church of God in front of them, and make it easy for them to find His house, His people, His power and love. Why shouldn’t God’s Church have a front page spot on Google? Not just one but three? The devil has his way of making things pop up out of nowhere on our computer screen, and you all know what I’m talking about. Why shouldn’t we have the ability to reach them when they put in the word church, bible, Jesus, bible study, praise, and worship, Word of God, Old Testament, and New Testament in a search within the area of our community? I mean we are all here to serve our community, and reach the lost in our surrounding areas. How are we possible going to do that when we are not hanging out where they are, and I’m not talking about the bar, or the club. I’m talking about online. Isn’t it time to devise a marketing strategy, or implement a marketing campaign that will really reach our community?
You say but I have a website, and a podcast, and live streaming video of our services. Ok that’s great but can anyone find it? If you don’t tell them the url address, and they’ve never heard of you, what are the chances of them finding you in the mix of all the other churches in your area? We have to be realistic here. We want to maximize our efforts and really be effective in reaching our community, but what have we done to make it easy for them to find us? We build a big church, and put a big sign out front with banners and things, and hold special events all to gain the attention of our community. Why haven’t we done that online? What percentage of our community really knows what we are doing and when? When we are going to build a building we look for prime real estate, on the main road, where thousands of people will drive by and see the steeple, or the sign out front, and know there is a Church right there. Why is it any different online? Online is considered real estate now. Where’s your sign? Where’s your steeple? Where are your stain glassed windows? What road are you situated on, some back road no one ever drives down? It doesn’t have to be that way. It used to be real expensive to do what we can do today for $400 dollars a month. That’s right just $400 dollars a month. Madzzoo.com can give you everything I have been talking about. A team of Google certified experts will do this for us. They will put our Church on the main road, with a 250 foot steeple, and a huge neon sign out there that says FREE HOLY GHOST 24/7. All of this will be targeted to our local area, as defined as we would like it. They use GPS and ip addresses to do this, it’s absolutely unbelievable. e-marketing and advertising online are incorporated in every successful business’ marketing plans. I use the words us and our because we are the body, one body. Your assembly is part of my assembly in the Holy Ghost and we have the same mind, and speak the same things. There is only one body.
The disciples were sent out into every community to reach their community. There are so many gated communities which we will never be able to get in with traditional efforts. The Word says the gates of hell shall not prevail. We have to be innovative and ahead of the world’s game, not trailing behind. That was surely never God’s intention.


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