Mythbusters: “Marketing & Ministry Don’t Mix”
Mythbusters is a new series of articles by the Blueprint Team that targets false information, misinformation, or just plain-old bad advice…and replaces it with a helpful, truth-filled resource.
I started asking the same question in all my marketing presentations.
I ask it because it’s often the elephant sitting in the room with us. It’s there for a reason and by sheer size, it begs to be talked about.
“Why do people inside a ministry sometimes bristle or even resist the thought of marketing their church or school?”
If no one answers, I’ll push a little harder - getting to the question under the question:
“Should we really market our ministries? Is it okay…as Christians?”
This usually gets people talking, because at the very least, everyone in the room needs to defend their reason for attending a presentation called “Ministry Marketing 101.” :) Here are some answers I receive:
“Some people think marketing is manipulative.”
“Sometimes marketing is flat-out lying to people.”
And here’s my favorite answer, the one that I think really shines a flashlight on that elephant:
Marketing is a business-thing. Businesses market themselves to make money or to get people to do what they want. That’s not what a ministry is about.
I agree with all of these statements. Some businesses use marketing to manipulate people. Some marketing is deceptive. And businesses definitely want and need to make money.
So does that make marketing wrong?
This is where it’s helpful to stop and agree on a definition of marketing.
Marketing is telling people who you are and how you might help them.
I do this every day, don’t you? I meet new people all the time. When they ask me my name and occupation, I tell them who I am and how I serve others.
If I lied about what I did or manipulated the truth of who I was to get them to do something I wanted them to do, then I’d be in the wrong. Telling people who I am isn’t wrong. Lying about who I am is. In the same way, marketing itself isn’t wrong; but marketing that lies or manipulates is.
But we need to go deeper, to the reason marketing exists:
Marketing shares information with people in hopes of forming a relationship with them for a purpose.
Like so many things in life, the purpose behind an action makes all the difference.
In a business, the purpose of marketing is to share information about products or services with people in the hopes of forming a seller-buyer relationship.
Churches and schools can market to their communities for the purpose of filling seats or making budgets work or crushing enrollment goals. If they did, they would be operating similar to a business. Some ministries market for these purposes, and if you’re uncomfortable with this, I’m glad. I am, too.
When ministries use their marketing to form relationships with people in order to share the Gospel, it makes all the difference. The purpose isn’t to sell, manipulate, make the numbers, or trick people into the pews. The purpose is to connect with people in order to serve them and share the Good News with them.
The purpose makes all the difference.
The MISSION makes all the difference.
If ministries market from the mission of results/numbers, they are no different than a business looking for a buyer-seller relationship. When ministries market to connect with people and to share grace, they use marketing to carry out their “go and tell” mission.
Want to jumpstart marketing and outreach efforts at your school? This article makes a great conversation starter. Forward it to your team or leader…or bring it to your next board of education meeting!
Blueprint Schools exists to help schools build thriving organizations, including those who’d like to reach their communities with mission-hearted marketing. If you need help getting started, we’d love to support you. Schedule a consultation to ask questions, learn more, and find the next best step for your team.
————————————
Thanks for reading!
If you don’t want to miss a future article, sign up to receive our Friday newsletter…
