St Luke's Church Eccleshill, Bradford, UK

How far must a church go to sell its wares?

Feature in the Bradford Telegraph & Argus, by David Barnett, 3rd September 2003

Pastor Paul Scanlon, dressed in dark sunglasses and a long leather coat, brandishes what looks like a genuine firearm and is seen driving around in a convertible sports car.

It looks like a scene from the next high-concept Matrix movie; actually, it's a promotional video for the Abundant Life Church, which squats quiet and watchful on Wapping Lane high above Bradford City Centre.

According to Pastor Scanlon, the watchword in spreading the gospel of God is "relevant". The Abundant Life Church is a media-friendly organisation: on its website you can buy DVDs and CDs, watch inspirational speeches on video, see the schedules for the GOD channel on which the Abundant Life Ministries broadcasts on three different satelite networks across the world.

It's a far cry from the traditional view of church self-promotion, which most people see as simply holding a bring-and-buy sale every now and again and hoping people will turn up - or, as has been prevalent in recent years, putting up a board outside the church with a pithy, punning slogan such as "CH_RCH - All that's missing is U!"

The guns'n'gearsticks approach of the Abundant Life Church might have its critics (Canon Derek Jackson of Bradford Cathedral was, according to the BBC, "shocked and distressed" by the images and thought it was "not Christian to see a pastor with a gun and a high-speed car"), but religious groups are increasingly using gimmicks and attention-grabbing techniques to get people through the doors.

For example, the Reverend John Hartley, of St Luke's Church in Eccleshill, knew he was on a loser when England's opening World Cup match against Sweden last year clashed with his usual Sunday service at 10.30am - so he moved the service to later in the afternoon and invited parishioners to come in wearing football shirts.

Mr Hartley believes that such gimmicks are good for raising the profile of the church. He says: "It's successful in that it keeps people interested and helpst them to think about the Christian faith in new ways. As far as actually getting bottoms on seats is concerned, it perhaps isn't as much of a success as we would like it to be.

"People generally come to church as a result of friends bringing them in, not particularly because they are attracted in through the outreach activities. But I think it is really important that we show that Christianity has got things to say.

"Churches have got to do this type of thing, because we have got to show the younger generation that they can come to the church in moments of crisis. Unless we plant the seed in them and bring to their attention the fact that the church is there for them, they might not know to come to us when they really need us."

Mr Hartley isn't alone in his bid to make the church relevant for the modern day. At Burley in Wharfedale Methodist Church earlier this year J K Rowling's boy wizard Harry Potter - who has earned himself ire from the pulpit in other quarters because of his occult leanings - was used as the basis for themed services designed to be attractive to younger people.

And former Bradford Diocesan Evangelism Adviser Robin Gamble won the General Synod's Cuthbert Bardsley Award - the ecclesiastical equivalent of an Oscar - for his sometimes wacky promotional ideas for local Anglican churches. He was the man behind Britain's first Christian pub, the Cock and Bottle, which opened in Bradford, and using Bart Simpson to spread the word of God.

It seems that today's churches are having to compete with a slew of information, entertainment and other drains on time and resources - which means they might have to use the methods of other organisations and business to get our attention.

Andrew Batty is managing director of Bradford-based national advertising agency group Creative Marketing Services. He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising and of the CAM Foundation. He says:

"Every organisation which relies on public support needs to market itself. That applies as much to a retail store requiring custom as it does to a football team requiring entries through turnstiles as it does to churches requiring bottoms on pews.

"For too long, many churches (and quite a lot of businesses for that matter) have relied on the basis that their physical presence will attract passing trade, and churches probably thought that as marketing is allied to selling that it might be beneath them. The result has been that the majority of the population goes only when really necessary, for hatches, matches and dispatches.

"So how does an organisation like a church begin to market itself? First it needs to consider what it has to offer. It's not good enough to say the worship of God: people can do that at home, it does not need to be a communal activity. Successful retail stores such as Asda know how important it is to be welcoming, hence their greeters and light, warm atmosphere.

"Does the church present such a welcoming reception, or is it austere and cold? As its busiest day is Sunday, a weekend family day, does it really make families welcome with suitable diversions for young ones? Is the timing of the service attractive to the public or just timed to suit the clergy? Is a Sunday service at 9.15am attractive to a ramily on its one potential sleep-in day of the week?

"A church could learn a lot from commerce. A successful tactic used by mail order companies, for example, is for existing customers to recommend a friend. Maybe churches could find some way of recognising those members of its congregation that persuade another to attend, after all the best salesperson is someone already converted to its service.

"Churches could organise their own market research of the community by asking people on nearby shopping parades what sort of service would attract them and when?

"Ambitious churches and those with substantial funds can employ expensive marketing techniques such as CD-ROMs and videos, but getting the proposition right does not necessarily require heavy investment. Simply facilitating church-based organisations can provide a real payback. Are youngsters, single parents and mature ages being catered for? Is the church somewhere that can offer a social as well as spiritual life?

"Organising a church and community internet site doesn't require huge amounts of money, just commitment, and there may be a number of young people willing to help.

"Getting the marketing right can only encourage people to come through the door once. Whether they ever return is down to the 'staff', i.e. the clergy.

"When, in the 21st Century, infinitely more people consult horoscopes than consult clergy, the powers-that-be need to ask themselves why."

The article appeared with a photo of Paul Scanlon and a repeat of the one of John Hartley in football kit.

	St Luke's Church, Eccleshill, Bradford, UK Bringing the good news of Jesus to the people of Eccleshill. Visitors are warmly welcome to all our events and services.
Home Page. Index of articles. On this topic: T&A 1st article T&A 2nd article Church Times Follow-up article. Christianity & Renewal item behind this story. Further reading: Christianity & Renewal Home Page.	How far must a church go to sell its wares? Feature in the Bradford Telegraph & Argus, by David Barnett, 3rd September 2003 Pastor Paul Scanlon, dressed in dark sunglasses and a long leather coat, brandishes what looks like a genuine firearm and is seen driving around in a convertible sports car. It looks like a scene from the next high-concept Matrix movie; actually, it's a promotional video for the Abundant Life Church, which squats quiet and watchful on Wapping Lane high above Bradford City Centre. According to Pastor Scanlon, the watchword in spreading the gospel of God is "relevant". The Abundant Life Church is a media-friendly organisation: on its website you can buy DVDs and CDs, watch inspirational speeches on video, see the schedules for the GOD channel on which the Abundant Life Ministries broadcasts on three different satelite networks across the world. It's a far cry from the traditional view of church self-promotion, which most people see as simply holding a bring-and-buy sale every now and again and hoping people will turn up - or, as has been prevalent in recent years, putting up a board outside the church with a pithy, punning slogan such as "CH_RCH - All that's missing is U!" The guns'n'gearsticks approach of the Abundant Life Church might have its critics (Canon Derek Jackson of Bradford Cathedral was, according to the BBC, "shocked and distressed" by the images and thought it was "not Christian to see a pastor with a gun and a high-speed car"), but religious groups are increasingly using gimmicks and attention-grabbing techniques to get people through the doors. For example, the Reverend John Hartley, of St Luke's Church in Eccleshill, knew he was on a loser when England's opening World Cup match against Sweden last year clashed with his usual Sunday service at 10.30am - so he moved the service to later in the afternoon and invited parishioners to come in wearing football shirts. Mr Hartley believes that such gimmicks are good for raising the profile of the church. He says: "It's successful in that it keeps people interested and helpst them to think about the Christian faith in new ways. As far as actually getting bottoms on seats is concerned, it perhaps isn't as much of a success as we would like it to be. "People generally come to church as a result of friends bringing them in, not particularly because they are attracted in through the outreach activities. But I think it is really important that we show that Christianity has got things to say. "Churches have got to do this type of thing, because we have got to show the younger generation that they can come to the church in moments of crisis. Unless we plant the seed in them and bring to their attention the fact that the church is there for them, they might not know to come to us when they really need us." Mr Hartley isn't alone in his bid to make the church relevant for the modern day. At Burley in Wharfedale Methodist Church earlier this year J K Rowling's boy wizard Harry Potter - who has earned himself ire from the pulpit in other quarters because of his occult leanings - was used as the basis for themed services designed to be attractive to younger people. And former Bradford Diocesan Evangelism Adviser Robin Gamble won the General Synod's Cuthbert Bardsley Award - the ecclesiastical equivalent of an Oscar - for his sometimes wacky promotional ideas for local Anglican churches. He was the man behind Britain's first Christian pub, the Cock and Bottle, which opened in Bradford, and using Bart Simpson to spread the word of God. It seems that today's churches are having to compete with a slew of information, entertainment and other drains on time and resources - which means they might have to use the methods of other organisations and business to get our attention. Andrew Batty is managing director of Bradford-based national advertising agency group Creative Marketing Services. He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising and of the CAM Foundation. He says: "Every organisation which relies on public support needs to market itself. That applies as much to a retail store requiring custom as it does to a football team requiring entries through turnstiles as it does to churches requiring bottoms on pews. "For too long, many churches (and quite a lot of businesses for that matter) have relied on the basis that their physical presence will attract passing trade, and churches probably thought that as marketing is allied to selling that it might be beneath them. The result has been that the majority of the population goes only when really necessary, for hatches, matches and dispatches. "So how does an organisation like a church begin to market itself? First it needs to consider what it has to offer. It's not good enough to say the worship of God: people can do that at home, it does not need to be a communal activity. Successful retail stores such as Asda know how important it is to be welcoming, hence their greeters and light, warm atmosphere. "Does the church present such a welcoming reception, or is it austere and cold? As its busiest day is Sunday, a weekend family day, does it really make families welcome with suitable diversions for young ones? Is the timing of the service attractive to the public or just timed to suit the clergy? Is a Sunday service at 9.15am attractive to a ramily on its one potential sleep-in day of the week? "A church could learn a lot from commerce. A successful tactic used by mail order companies, for example, is for existing customers to recommend a friend. Maybe churches could find some way of recognising those members of its congregation that persuade another to attend, after all the best salesperson is someone already converted to its service. "Churches could organise their own market research of the community by asking people on nearby shopping parades what sort of service would attract them and when? "Ambitious churches and those with substantial funds can employ expensive marketing techniques such as CD-ROMs and videos, but getting the proposition right does not necessarily require heavy investment. Simply facilitating church-based organisations can provide a real payback. Are youngsters, single parents and mature ages being catered for? Is the church somewhere that can offer a social as well as spiritual life? "Organising a church and community internet site doesn't require huge amounts of money, just commitment, and there may be a number of young people willing to help. "Getting the marketing right can only encourage people to come through the door once. Whether they ever return is down to the 'staff', i.e. the clergy. "When, in the 21st Century, infinitely more people consult horoscopes than consult clergy, the powers-that-be need to ask themselves why." The article appeared with a photo of Paul Scanlon and a repeat of the one of John Hartley in football kit.
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