Marketing the Church

Pastoring brings a conglomerate of cundundrums that can beset a church leader. There are calls for compromise of doctrine or polity to placate society and better market the church to the community. There are a variety of sources that help or promote church growth, and many use the stratagem of business models to market church ministries or products. Church marketing is useful, but the pressures placed upon growth of the church and ministries must be weighed by the cost. Not the cost in money, but rather the cost that may come much higher, the cost of compromise through the erosion of doctrine, faith and practice. Churches should be exemplary in their demeanor and conduct within the community they serve, but they can never match the marketing dollars that are inundating our society today. What they are we to do? We are to "market" Jesus Christ on the placards of our hearts and make Him the central focus and therefore the centrist of effective growth, change and discipleship one person at a time.