Marketing is the “management of perception”, and it’s something that every church does, whether or not they do it explicitly, according to Richard Reising in his book Church Marketing 101: Preparing Your Church for Greater Growth. Managing perception is about effectively presenting reality, not manipulating the truth, and as a result the biggest marketing issues for most churches are not producing advertising materials, but the manner in which the church welcomes visitors, practises community, and serves others in the local community.
According to the author, “All inviters put their reputations on the line every time they invite someone to church. You can rest assured that your church members will not invite someone if they do not expect a positive outcome… If your church is having to beg, push, cajole, offer incentives, or even just remind people in your membership to invite others, it is a telltale sign that, for whatever reason, they do not believe the ministry that takes place will make a successful connection with the people they would invite.” So the church needs to deal with obstacles to hospitality, comfort, compatibility, consistency, relevance, understanding and sensitivity.
The book is not an “ideas” book for “ways to promote your church”. It is something more fundamental and strategic than that. It explains how marketing affects every area of your church, and it explains why you are not ready to start promoting and advertising until you have dealt with the obstacles which will inevitably limit the success of any advertising campaign. A very useful book for church strategists.