I do not like the concept of "Church Marketing."

I realize that is a peculiar statement to start a post about Church Marketing with, but I do not believe faith is a commodity that can be bought and sold on the so-called marketplace of ideas. I understand the temptation of many fellow Christians to use tactics of Madison Avenue for church outreach -- after all, what works for Coca Cola should work for Christ as well. Yet at the same time, I fear that adopting these tactics could also harm the Church. We should be interested in sharing our faith with other individual souls, not necessarily expanding membership and donation levels in the same way that corporations try to boost their profits.

Marketing, or advertising, is the selling of a consumable product in a more efficient manner. Church marketing in that sense, is then the attempt to "sell" Christianity more efficiently. And therein lies the problem -- a toaster is a toaster no matter how an ad agency packages the product, but if we do the same to Christianity, do we also fundamentally change the faith? Image and style sells a particular product through the careful creation of a message that appeals to certain emotions (value, dependability, "coolness", etc). Are we then willing in the name of evangelism to emphasize style over substance if that is what it takes to put more people into the pews?

Part of my skepticism comes from the reality that the Church already is marketed and sold. The emergence of Christian niche products exploits the human need to create material signifiers for the intangible divine (i.e. the Crucifix or iconography). WWJD bracelets, The Passion of the Christ, the Left Behind series and the current "Christian Pop" flavors are all products sold to a Christian audience that is increasingly confusing consumption with faith. It's kind of like expecting that a Mona Lisa coffee mug is the same experience as seeing the actual painting in Paris. Yet many of us seem to believe that buying and wearing a Jesus Christ "brand" T-Shirt will be a sign of our Christian commitment. Instead of practicing faith, we consume it.

Church marketing uses many of these same tactics. A particular demographic is targeted and the congregation tries to attract converts to choose Christ over "brand X". I see faith as a commitment to a faith community and worldview. However, if I am only offered glitz and pizzazz, is there anything left to make a commitment to?

There are emerging models of relational evangelism and congregational life that emphasize relationships as both the glue that keeps a congregation together and the method to attract newcomers. Churches (which are communities of believers) function as extended families and so congregations are not just a group of people you see on Sunday, but an important part of one's social circle and ordinary life. Evangelism is accomplished by building long term relationships with non-believers that build trust over a period of time. This approach first values the person as an individual instead of just a number or demographic.

Granted, most of these relational churches are rather small and are intentionally so. Even though the majority of congregations in the US have less than a hundred members, it does seem somewhat counterintuitive in a culture that equates size with success. But I see that the success of these "micro churches" lies in their small size and the quality of relationships between members.

I believe churches that ask which demographic they can attract are asking the wrong questions. Churches should instead explore what kind need they can fill within their communities and build their outreach based on those needs. Evangelism should not just be about numbers, but instead sharing faith, love and compassion to those outside.