Communicating with the Public: Church Advertising Methodology and Philosophy

Abstract

In a world where businesses use advertisements to persuade and manipulate consumers into buying their product or service, it seems as if there would be no place for this in the church. The lingo, methods, and concepts of church advertising make many uneasy. Many fear that church advertising would diminish the means of grace or compromise the church’s integrity. The question at hand, when it comes to church advertising, is not, “Is it effective?” Instead, the question is, “What does God’s Word say?” More specifically, “What guidelines does God’s Word provide for church advertising?” Congregations must understand what principles Scripture has provided for this subject. The mission of the Church is preach the gospel. We are to seek to save the lost. Congregations focused on this mission will want to do all they can to carry out this mission. Does Scripture allow such a method to be pursued? If so, does church advertising aid us in our efforts to reach the lost? This thesis will focus on searching the Scriptures to see if church advertising is doctrinally sound, and subsequently, researching how church advertising can be done to the glory of God.