I recently watched the film Jesus Revolution. It depicts the true story of the counterculture movement in the 1970s that spawned the most significant spiritual awakening in American history. AND IT ALL STARTED with one Pastor inviting someone to Church who did not look like him or anyone in his congregation. I will repeat it for clarification. One Pastor, extending one invite, spawned modern history's most significant church movement. I do not discount the work of the Holy Spirit in the movement, but the surface-level events are clear. As of Feb 27th, the movie shattered all expectations. What ..read more

After almost 30 years of working personally with thousands of local churches across this country, I have never seen more challenging times for churches. We are in one of the most critical times to reach the masses with the gospel. As a church, if you truly believed that 70% or more of your local community would miss out on eternal life in Jesus Christ if they are not saved, then why wouldn't you do everything possible to reach out to the lost in your local community and bring them the Good News. The ideas below are not "gimmicks" written for clicks. Instead, they are programs some of our healt ..read more

I once had a pastor say to me - "I am sure you are having marriage problems." I was naive, so I asked how he knew such an intimate detail about my life. He replied, "simple, you are married." As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and varying states of lockdowns all over the United States and the World, we may be in for the most significant single-year increase in divorce in decades. Jurisdictions in nearly every city in the U.S. have reported significant increases in domestic violence. Relationships experiencing problems are likely being stressed to the point of breaking by factors such as the ..read more

In the early months of the pandemic, much of the response from my church clients was the same. "Online church is going very well." - "Our attendance is up.""Our giving is up." However, now a year into this pandemic and approaching another Easter season, that enthusiasm has begun to wane. The novelty of watching church in your pajamas while eating your Cheerios is wearing off in a big way. According to a recent Barna Research Poll. The majority of pastors (96%) report their churches have been streaming their worship services online during the pandemic. But that may not matter for nearly half of ..read more

How Bad Is Church Attendance Slipping During COVID-19? Here is a Barna - State of The Church Breakdown Boomers: 26% Stopped Attending 11% Switched Churches 40% Stayed at Same Church Gen X: 35% Stopped Attending 17% Switched Churches 31% Stayed at Same Church Millennials: 50% Stopped Attending 8% Switched Churches 30% Stayed at Same Church More important to note. These numbers were compiled from April 28th - May 11th, 2020. It is only presumable these numbers will look worse as time progresses. These numbers show that the "online-only" church model cannot be maintained over time. How to Win Ba ..read more

North Texas has a lot of churches. It is home to some of the largest churches in the country[i] , as well as hundreds of small and medium-sized churches representing nearly every denomination. Living here allows me to see a great deal of church marketing. And while I applaud any church which tries to reach their community for Christ, I have become increasingly concerned with the number of churches neglecting sound marketing principles and instead try to brand themselves as “hip” or “cool.” In advertising, Brand Awareness Marketing is a strategy that focuses solely on capturing attention, usua ..read more

It is imperative to have a plan. Even if you are not planning a marketing campaign shortly, it will benefit your church to complete the 50-minute marketing plan. This will give your church valuable insight into who you are and who it is you are reaching. When I was young, my father used to say, “John, if you’re not going to take the time to do something 100 percent, then don’t do it at all.” As I got older, I tested the bounds of his philosophy by saying things like, “Dad, I’m not going to weed the garden because I just don’t think I can put 100 percent into it!” Or, “I was going to clean my ..read more

One of my closest and dearest friends in college was perhaps one of the smartest math minds in the country at the time. However, for transferring that knowledge from the classroom to the real world, he was paralyzed. He worked in a sandwich shop after graduation. He had a lot of book knowledge, but he could not put it into practice in a meaningful way. There are, sadly, many pastors and church leaders with a tremendous amount of Bible knowledge but similarly, struggle to apply that knowledge and communicate it in a manner that helps people get from point A to point B in their lives. Sure, spi ..read more

Before you spend any money on marketing, you need to understand the process by which a prospective visitor decides to visit your church. In secular marketing, this process is referred to as the Four Phases of the Buying Experience. It is familiar to most marketing companies and is incorporated in most marketing plans. I have adapted it to the church. The Four Phases of a Seeker’s Decision to Visit Your church Phase 1 – Need Recognition It is human nature to avoid change until it is absolutely necessary. Most people don’t sign up for a class on credit management or take a lesson on how to mana ..read more

“A trusted referral is the Holy Grail of advertising.”[i] - Mark Zuckerberg, Founder of Facebook The most potent form of marketing has been around since creation, and it never costs a dime. It works better than anything else still to this day. It is a type of social marketing called WOM (Word of Mouth) advertising. WOM is an unpaid form of promotion in which satisfied customers tell other people how much they like a business, product, or service. What makes WOM advertising so powerful is that the referring source has nothing to gain in the transaction. In most other forms of advertising, the ..read more