If you are the pastor of a local church, you may harbor real concerns for your place of worship. Not only did the pandemic make visiting churches difficult, but other problems have arisen too when it comes to exercising one’s faith.   

Unfortunately, interest in the church is undergoing a steady decline in recent decades, going from 70% of Americans holding membership in 1999 to just 47% last year. Increasing numbers of US citizens are electing to bear no religious affiliation, so it is clear these changes are perhaps not just a temporary blip. They could be forecasting yet more change on the horizon. 

5 Tips To Market Your Local Church

While everyone should have the right to believe what they wish, it might be that the word of your local church does not reach enough ears. What if you can amplify the voice of your church? Well, this is what choice marketing strategies could achieve for you. 

Read on the five innovative ideas and know the strategies to market your local church. 

1. Finding The Correct Approach

Some local churches may struggle to engage with marketing principles and best practices fully. At first, it might even seem like something that is exploitative of your religion. 

That said, your marketing approach is what is essential here. It is what marks the distinction between spreading the good word of all the good your local church offers and turning everything into a soulless, commercial endeavor. 

Admittedly, it can be a fine line to walk, but the correct outlook will help you and your church stay on the right side of it. Find the correct tone in your marketing materials. 

For example, you can focus on education instead of commercialization. Your messaging can exude inspiration through spirituality rather than feature vapid hyperbole of what you are trying to achieve. Focus on these themes, and your marketing will resonate more powerfully. 

2. Build The Right Culture 

It is essential to be truthful in advertising, and the same is true when it comes to the needs of your local church. 

Not everyone who steps foot inside your church needs to be a devout Christian. However, because some visitors may be skeptical of religion, it might be that they will leave and never return at the first sign of something being amiss. 

Therefore, you should try to find elements of common ground for all and use that as an anchor point for your church’s culture. You can thereby extend this energy to your marketing as well.

What idea can people from all walks of life rally around? Well, in a word: generosity. Try to learn how building a generous culture can help you by browsing the guidance outlined by Pushpay. 

People have compiled a list of informative articles for you to peruse, detailing specific technologies and strategies that your church can implement to uphold an atmosphere of giving. They also provide suggestions on cultivating generosity during a myriad of different circumstances, such as holidays and pandemics. Under this guidance, your church will be a beacon of hope for many.

3. Focus On Tangible Events

Much of religion is spiritual and transcendent, but some of the offerings of a church need to be tangible – just like the building itself.

Marketing strategies will come to you easier once you have a visceral anchor point. For instance, people often fall in love with choral music in minutes, so an event around such things could be mesmerizing. After all, music can unite people in powerful ways. 

Other worthwhile events you can facilitate could include: 

• Fellowship events. 
• Holiday-themed parties.
• Volunteer projects around the church. 
• Community outreach initiatives. 

Ultimately, marketing is a tool to celebrate the truth of your church to a target audience rather than to bombard random people with sweeping conjecture. 

Once again, the only way to usher new people into the fold of your local church is to appeal not only to their spirituality but to tap into their yearning for friendship, connection, and togetherness. Build something visceral, then market your achievement with authenticity. 

4. Mention Safety 

People have arguably been more in tune with their well-being lately due to the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, seismic happenings such as these may be worth mentioning in your marketing materials. 

Last May, CNN published a feature on avoiding the coronavirus in places of worship, which likely highlights that people are looking for this information online. If your marketing materials can diminish any of these concerns, some may view your local church as a comforting presence and a pillar of support.

 It also shows that you are not ignorant of the world’s changing and choose to be proactive in looking after others.  You could detail the measures you have undertaken to maintain a covid-free place of worship within your marketing materials. 

You could also offer virtual or outdoor services as a fruitful alternative to the usual experience and advertise them accordingly. Moreover, perhaps place restrictions on the amount of singing, and you could permit attendance to services based on whether attendees are vaccinated. 

5. Encourage Churchgoers To Build The Community

Marketing is an effective strategy to build awareness for your local church. However, despite all its capabilities, even these initiatives have their limits. 

A viable marketing strategy can offer a peek behind the curtain of your church’s character. However, the heart and soul of these places of worship have always been derived from the people. That is the crucial element you need in your marketing materials, creating a feeling of a strong community coming together. 

One way to do this would be to invite impending churchgoers to bring their non-religious friends to church events and gatherings. Some may feel more fulfilled than others by the end, but over time you may be able to expand your community steadily.

 Embrace all the newcomers, and in time, they may wish to spend more time with the church – whether that is to practice newfound faith or nurture new friendships. 

Conclusion:

Giving the churchgoers a sense of agency is a good idea. That way, your marketing helps them to feel as if they are an essential part of something. It can build loyalty also and ensure the community of your local church has strong foundations. Always keep one thing in mind, and safety is the ultimate thing your local church can provide you. And you have to use these two markets in your local church.

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