How New Churches Affect the Marketing of Religion


I visit lots of religious sites because it's like listening in on private conversations. One site I happened on discusses "church planting." For some reason the term "church planting" is used for new churches while the term "start ups" is used for new secular businesses. A new church is simply a business start up. 

How and why do church start ups work when the population of Christians is getting smaller? This author used fancy words to suggest how a church start up can be successful.

Several of the old techniques are not advised. For example, the author discourages marketing a new church so people can find the comfort of worship they had years ago but left behind. An increasing percentage of people did not group up going to church so there is no "comfort" to return to. Come up with something else is the advice.

Collecting tithes and collection plate money to pay a preacher is not good. People might be happy to give but they want money used for the causes they are interested in. A message that donated money is going to food and housing for poor people might sell, money for the preacher likely not. This presents a dilemma, who will do the preaching and run the church? Volunteers, of course. Organizations run by volunteers is closer to the experience of younger people than the old model of paying for a preacher.

And then there is the church service. Since young people do not have a history of church service that is singing, praying and preaching this old model is not an attractive one. Something else is needed. Popular today is the concert type worship event: lots of contemporary Christian live music and some short lightweight preaching. 

Finally, the link urges something I was taught decades ago in a college class called "Group Sociology." A successful group was summed up in one sentence, "A group has to have a purpose." Someone starting a church with the message, "We are Christian" will not be successful. It needs to be one of the hundreds of Christian niches.

When certain niches work and others do not the entire Christian faith bends a little toward what the public wants.

Comments

  1. tsmDecember 14, 2020 at 6:31 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jon LindgrenDecember 14, 2020 at 7:50 PM

    tsm "yet you seem ...preoccupied with religion, Christianity in particular. WHY?"

    I don't think you could ever understand. Various things some Christians believe are foisted into my life and into the lives of others who don't share those beliefs. Deep believers like yourself cannot step back and see the faith as outsiders see it. If all Christians would stay in their own lane this blog would never have started.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Matt NoahDecember 14, 2020 at 8:07 PM

      From my perspective, you do most of the foisting of Christian beliefs upon yourself.

      It is clear you are obsessed with the subject.

      It is also clear that your problem with Christianity has more to do with conservative politics than Christianity. For example, I haven't see much, if any(!), criticism of Rev. Warnock in GA or Catholic Joe Biden. You are OK with those so-called Christians in the political lane. As long as a self-professed 'Christian' is pro-abortion and against sacramental marriage, you think they are 'right on', enlightened, even refreshing trend-setters. That you can't see that probably means you should "step back".

      Delete
    2. Jon LindgrenDecember 15, 2020 at 7:23 AM

      Matt "That you can't see that probably means you should 'step back.'"

      You are quite hilarious. What I write about is something neither you nor tsm can fathom. It is about treating the Bible as literature rather than as god written. The national group on critical Bible literature is huge, over 10,000 people attend its annual conference. Both Catholics and Protestants use the Bible to argue abortion and gay marriage should be prohibited in our laws. Times are changing. It "probably means you should step back."

      Delete
    3. Matt NoahDecember 15, 2020 at 11:02 AM

      Thanks for proving my point about foisting and obsession.

      Is 10,000 huge?

      There are an estimated 414,582 Roman Catholic priests in the world, alone. Every day, they all celebrate Mass with 10-500 people. On Saturday evenings and Sundays, that number expands to 300-2000 per Mass.

      Your "huge" group has 10,000 once per year.

      Step back, atheist.

      Delete
    4. Jon LindgrenDecember 15, 2020 at 1:25 PM

      Matt--For the life of my, I don't know what the number of priests holding mass each week has to do with the number of critical Bible scholars. If we're randomly tossing our numbers let's compare the number of people who attend church each week with the number who do not. It 5 to 1 in favor of the do not.

      There, time for you to post another meaningless statistic.

      Delete
    5. Matt NoahDecember 15, 2020 at 3:52 PM

      Your stat is meaningful enough although I don't know if the ratio is 5:1. You mentioned the "huge" (10,000) number of people who meet once a year to discuss their interpretation of the Bible as a literary book, i.e. not the word of God. I countered with the fact that more than 10,000,000; probably closer to 100,000,000 gather each Sunday at the Masses of the 414,000+ priests. These people regard the Bible as the Word of God.

      Game. Set. Match.

      You can argue your 'nones' proposition some other time. But you will find me in agreement that the 'nones' population is bigger than the worldwide Catholic population. So, what? The 'nones' are in the middle; they neither study the Bible as the Word of God, or as a literary book.

      Step back, atheist.

      Delete
  3. Ardy BDecember 15, 2020 at 6:16 AM

    Jon,
    From the link: Question: “What do we do when going to church becomes a social disadvantage?” Answer: We deploy teams of the “sent” into communities susceptible to disciple-making. Maybe I’m off track here but that sounds a bit JW to me. Proselytizers need not darken my door.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jon LindgrenDecember 15, 2020 at 7:25 AM

      Ardy B -- Either JW or its the old, "Invite a friend to attend your church." Today if you invite that person he/she may no long be a friend.

      Delete
  4. tsmDecember 15, 2020 at 1:07 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Matt NoahDecember 16, 2020 at 2:55 PM

    Jon deletes comments when he knows he's lost an argument.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jon LindgrenDecember 16, 2020 at 3:04 PM

      Matt--Yes, I dumped one of yours that was all about me. I like posts that have something interesting to say. Posts about my mental state, my suppressed religious longings, etc., etc., are of no interest to anyone except those who write them.

      Delete
    2. Matt NoahDecember 17, 2020 at 11:36 AM

      One reason this blog following is so tiny and insignificant. You.

      Delete
    3. Jon LindgrenDecember 17, 2020 at 9:00 PM

      Matt "One reason this blog...."

      You are following an old and sound debate strategy. When losing an argument get personal.

      Delete
  6. Ardy BDecember 16, 2020 at 3:30 PM

    Jon, “Marketing Religion”

    Here are some fancy words of doctrine used to sustain the growth of a successful church where now more than 414,000 clergy serve almost 100,000,000 faithful every sabbath. (PG-13)

    “The origin and growth of the Church are symbolized by the blood and water which flowed from the open side of the crucified Jesus." "For it was from the side of Christ as he slept the sleep of death upon the cross that there came forth the 'wondrous sacrament of the whole Church.'" As Eve was formed from the sleeping Adam's side, so the Church was born from the pierced heart of Christ hanging dead on the cross.” http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p123a9p1.htm #766

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jon LindgrenDecember 17, 2020 at 6:44 AM

    Ardy B 3:30 re: Jesus blood running out his side gave us a wonderful sacrament, Adam was butchered to get a rib, etc. etc.

    If 400,000 priests tell people this every week, no wonder the world is such a screwed up place.

    ReplyDelete

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