What Does The Bible Say About Marketing Your Church?

Marketing Your Church

If you are part of your church leadership team, you may have asked yourself how you can bring in new people to the church. In a time where it seems increasingly difficult to convince people to engage with the word of God rather than succumbing to the many distractions available to them, getting people in your doors seems almost like divine intervention when it happens. However, there are some steps you can take to help market your church to the people in your community that need to hear the gospel.

But isn’t marketing not very christian-like? Not necessarily. For some people, marketing has negative connotations to it, such as a car salesman trying to upsell you on add-ons, or those pesky Facebook ads for that product that you swear you only mentioned one time in a conversation. What many people don’t realize is there are many aspects of marketing that are not only ethical and non-intrusive, but also useful in helping people discover your church, and more importantly, the gospel.

But don’t take my word for it. As Christians, when we have questions, the natural place to turn is to the Bible. While the Bible doesn’t often talk directly about whether or not using ads to promote your Christmas service is ethical, there are a handful of verses that can help Christians view marketing in a new light. So what are those verses?

The Great Commission

“16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.””

— MATTHEW 28:16-20

Easily the most iconic verse related to marketing in the Bible, The Great Commission is arguably one of the most important verses in the Bible. Jesus knew that a good and fruitful Christian body must go out and make disciples, rather than wait for people to come to us. To go out and make disciples means to actively share God’s word with our fellow men and women. How can we do this if we refuse to market our church? Again, marketing does not have to be a hard sale. Tactics such as sharing a flyer for a bible study on your Facebook page or using the Google Ad Grant to help people find you when searching for churches near them can help put the word out about your church without making people feel like you are forcing your message on them.

Acts 2: 11-12

“11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?””

— ACTS 2: 11-12

This verse is one of my personal favorites in helping Christians view marketing in a new light. Acts 2: 11-12 refers to when the apostles spoke in tongues, and the witnesses from many different nations were all able to understand them. While I am not suggesting that marketing is equivalent to speaking in tongues, I do draw a parallel in this story, which is that the apostles communicated to the other people in a way that they could be understood.

This can teach us a valuable lesson in marketing our churches. To reach the unchurched, can we expect people to listen and engage with our message if we don’t approach them with a message they can grasp and understand? Or would it be better to engage them from their viewpoint and where they are at in their life? I’d argue the answer is the latter. By approaching people both in person and online in a way they are comfortable with and can understand, we open up the possibility for dialogue, and hopefully guiding people toward taking the next step in their faith journey.

1 Corinthians 9: 19-23

“19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”

— 1 CORINTHIANS 9: 19-23

Perhaps driving the previous point home even better than Acts, this set of verses from Paul hits the nail on the head when discussing the importance of approaching people from where they are in their life. In these verses, Paul says how he became like the Jews to win the Jews and to those under the law he became like one under the law. This allowed Paul to engage with people who may have been dismissive otherwise. Paul then goes onto say how he does all of this for the sake of the gospel.

This excerpt shows us a biblical example of Paul reaching out to people in a way that they felt they could identify with. This allows Paul, and us, to be more successful in getting others to listen to what we have to say so they can have the opportunity to hear the gospel without putting up their defenses immediately because its something different than what they are currently exposed to.

Romans 10: 14-15

“14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!””

— ROMANS 10: 14-15

These verses do a great job in making the point of taking direct action to make disciples of Christ. If we do not actively try to share God’s word, then how can we expect someone to believe in the gospel? In today’s digital word, sharing God’s word can often take the form of putting out an ad on social media or working on making our website discoverable on Google. There are many ways to get the church and the gospel in front of the masses, so why don’t we use all of the tools at our disposal? For us to go out and preach the gospel to others, we must use all of the means we have available to get our message out there while remaining righteous in our actions and our choices.

Should You Use Marketing For Your Church?

While there are many ways one can choose to interpret the verses above, one thing is made abundantly clear throughout the Bible, and that is how Christians are called to be active disciples of Christ. Before the turn of the century, that may have meant putting out an ad in the local paper or canvassing local neighborhoods with door hangers. But now, with the rise of technology and the constant bombardment of distractions we are all faced with day and night, the church has to adapt so we can continue our mission of making disciples. This has to mean using all the tools we have available to get the word of God out to those who need it the most.