Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Does the Church need to market Jesus?

I have been thinking a lot about the marketing of Jesus by the Church and wondering if the Church is crossing the line by hyping things up a bit too much. It seems to me that the Church is trying to sell itself to the world through promotions and gimmicks (Stuff the world likes)  to get people to come to Church, give the Church a hip image, or to buy into Christianity as a way to entice people to check off their spiritual box. I notice Churches using Social Media regularly to remind people of what is going on like special events, message series, etc.

Reminders are good and Social Media works well for that. But when the Church markets itself as the next best thing, (we have got what you want, we are just like you,  we are cool too, we will entertain you, and you don't want to miss all this great worldly appeal that will make you feel comfortable), then I'm thinking, is this really necessary? Why does the Church have to market itself to non-believers? We know that if people in the Church are truly devoted followers of Christ they naturally or supernaturally desire to participate in the Worship of God and good solid programs or missions the Church offers?  We know that people who are just fans of Jesus will come when they feel like it. We know that a non-believer will supernaturally get a softening of the heart in such a way that they will actually walk through the doors of  the church. Let's get this right, the Church is for the corporate worship of God and the edification of the Body, not a place to make non believers to feel comfortable and entertained. To me the Church should focus on the Worship of God and the truth of God's Word so that we, the body of Christ, get uncomfortable about living a partially devoted life to our Heavenly Father. God wants our everyday, not just our Sunday!

When Jesus fed the 4000/5000 there was no Social Media. He did not try sell a bill of goods to His followers and to those who came to see Him for various reasons. Jesus offered the gospel, the truth in love and fed those who were hungry spiritually and physically. Jesus did not tailor His message so that it would be palatable for all to receive. In fact, it is a hard teaching for one to surrender and die to self, to love God with all one's heart, soul, mind, and strength, to love one's neighbor as themselves, and to repent and turn away from sin.

We must take into account that there is the supernatural factor that plays into people coming to Church and receiving the gospel. Even the un-churched can be moved by the Holy Spirit to do both. Faith is a gift from God and at some point we were all unbelievers. So my point is this, reminders are good, but is all the hype really necessary?

Does the Church really need to sell itself to the world or should the Church allow for the power of the Holy Spirit to speak for Himself? As the Body of Christ we must remember who God is: Jehovah Jireh, the Lord will provide!

Just a thought...............Dave


6 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Part of me understands your concern. I am a Christian, and because of that, I am almost inundated with Christian "marketing" through the social media outlets I frequent. I get concerned about the amount that is being published.

    Stepping back and thinking about it, I get this stuff because I frequent those sites that provide it. Non-believers, and those who are "Fans" do not. Or not to the extent I do.

    I think that is ok. Some of these messages will show up on their pages. It might be one of those messages that actually adds the final motivation for them to take their first step of Faith.

    God's message needs to reach the masses. Jesus met people where they were. That meant hanging out in some places the religious leaders of his time would never go. And condemned Him for doing so.

    These social media sites are the places where Jesus would be found to get his message out. The lost don't know, so he would go to them.

    Now, if the "marketing" is not God driven, or even perceived as such, it is counterproductive and should not be done. There is a point where these promotions appear as self serving and not God serving.

    If God is in it, His purposes will be served. It is not a matter of popularity, it is a matter of Life and Death.

    Just sayin :-)

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  3. Thanks for your thoughts on this. We must be careful that we look at ways to reach people out of love and concern for their eternity not out of a desire to grow our churches for the sake of filling seats. There is a formula that takes Christ and then adds the world to fill the seats. We don't need the world. We need real authentic chrust-like love along with the power of the Holy Spirit for the church to thrive.


    John 15:5

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  4. Make that Christ-like love. That's what happens when I try to write messages on an IPhone!

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  5. Thank you for this. I am so concerned about how the church is marketing Jesus and church. Jesus accused them then, of making His Father house a marketplace - have we learned nothing from that?

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    1. Thanks for your comment. I am concerned a well. The Church should be known for Christ-like love and compassion more so than entertainment, hype and marketing.

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