Church Marketing Sameness and Uniqueness
I was talking with an MBA student yesterday. She asked me if marketing for churches was always the same? It was a good question. Her inquiry came as someone who was not a church goer and she was looking at Christian churches and wondering if they would all employ similar marketing tools, tactics, and strategies?
The Same Foundation
Yes, at their foundation, most Christian churches are the same. They hold to a very central core set of biblical, spiritual, and doctrinal truths. It is those set of truths that form the commonalities of their mission, vision, and existence. It is all about Jesus.
Culturally Unique
Once you get past that foundation however there are many unique cultural attributes that make the of marketing each individual church unique. Each church tends to (but not always) take on some of the denominational characteristics that are common to churches within their denominations. There are certain things (and these can be doctrinally influenced) that you will experience in all Pentecostal churches. Other similarities exist in the cultures of like-minded Baptist churches.
Then there is the uniqueness of their location in the region of the country. City churches tend to be different from country churches. Churches in Texas tend to have some cultural differences from churches in New England. Churches in Canada are different from churches in America. Churches in the inner city are different from churches in the suburbs.
Then there is the influence of the leadership. The mission and vision they cast will influence their culture. The personality of the pastor will affect the internal feel and nuances inwardly and outwardly.
All of this to say, yes, at the core churches have a similar foundation. However, each church is unique and as a result the marketing strategy for each church needs to be unique. Certainly there are common marketing tools all churches should implement however how, why, when, and where are going to be unique to each church.
It really is not possible to effectively implement a cookie cutter marketing strategy for churches.
You must take the time to assess the uniqueness of each church and then strategize how best to communicate their mission, vision, passion, and unique culture of that specific church community, its leadership, and the community in which it serves. Then, create a focused marketing plan that best communicates the story of that church.
Let’s celebrate that at the core we are all standing on the same foundation. Let’s also appreciate and respect that we are all unique. Marketing is not easy for a church. But it certainly is unique and it certainly is exciting! Let’s work hard to communicate and market ourselves with excellence!
What do you think? Do you agree that marketing every church is unique?
Photo via Flickr: hyperspace328
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